Gol!Gol!Gol! and the Spanish Armada...

The Spanish Armada finally has the harbor in its sight. Maybe there was always some doubt, maybe there were more sceptics than believers, but last night was a night that the descendants of Don Quixote and Gaudi will never forget. The Spanish finally turned on the style, and the Russians were the poor victims. You had to admit that there seemed to be some form of poetic justice, since the Russians, who had totally outclassed the Oranje and shattered my wish for a "Dream Final" between the Spanish and the Dutch, were outclassed themselves by a Spanish side that was a delight to watch.

They finally showed that they are a force to be reckoned with, as they proved that the first victory (4-1 scoreline) over Russia was no fluke, and that they are as versatile as they are stylish. Their first-choice strikeforce of Torres and Villa were unable to score last night, but the unsung trio of Guizas, Xavi and Silva proved that they can finish too. And though he is an Arsenal player, I can help but admire the incisiveness of Fabregas. Not only him, but also Iniesta, Xavi and Silva. Spain has always been blessed with an abundance of talent in midfield, but as the saying goes, "Too many cooks spoil the broth", and you have to admit that Aragones has managed to outclass Hiddink and mold his midfield maestros into a formidable fighting force.

Of course, scoring goals is important, but we must not forget the saves of Casillas and the players who formed his defensive screen. The Spanish defence has been labeled the chink in the Spanish armor, but last night they managed yet another clean sheet, after their first clean sheet against the Italians. Can they give a repeat performance against the Germans, who have shown their potential to be champions by winning despite playing like losers against Turkey.

The ball is round, as the cliche goes, so the final will be a dream final for purists. Spanish style against German grit. I choose style, of course.

Animo! Espana, una vez mas!

『To succeed, we must first believe that we can.』
~Michael Korda~

A case of 3 down, 1 to go? ... >_<

I hate to be proven right sometimes, but the Oranje proved me right. They joined Portugal and Croatia as the 3rd group leader to exit the tournament. Perhaps it was because of their 3rd game, where they rested 9 first team players. Perhaps it was because there is a jinx. Whichever the case, or perhaps it was merely coincidence, Russia deserved to go through. They played with more motivation, more energy, and demonstrated a greater hunger. To win. It was that simple.

Unlike the Dutch, who seemed unsure of their game plan in the first half, if there was one. If you do not capitalize on your strength, then it is the same as showing off your weakness. Face it, the Oranje are masters of offence, not defence. They are good at defending AFTER they obtain a lead, not before. In other words, they need to SCORE first before they can defend. Which they did in their previous 3 games, against Italy, France, and Romania. For the record, they won 3-0, 4-1, and 2-0 respectively.

Against Russia, however, they conceded a goal first, and they never looked comfortable after that. Even before the Russian goal, they looked out of sorts, as though they were afraid to pass the ball the Oranje way. Thanks to van Nistelrooy's equalizer, they managed to prolong the game, and the match entered extra-time. Which only protracted the agony of the Dutch. They were a spent force even during the first half of extra-time, mustering a paltry resistance against the relentless Russians, ably led by Arshavin, who produced yet another Man of the Match performance after his inspirational display against Sweden in the final group game.

In the end, the Oranje flattered to deceive, yet again. Marco van Basten lost to Guus Hiddink in the tactical battle, and Sneijder lost to Arshavin in the battle of the number 10s. The Dutch lost not only to the Russians, who were their betters for most of this match; they also lost to themselves, because they could not fulfill their promise.

I am a little disappointed, but I am not surprised, because the Dutch are neither Germany nor Italy. Nor Turkey, for that matter, as far as this tournament is concerned.

There are some questions that need to be answered though. Why didn't the Oranje attack with their passing game from the start? Why was Robben not introduced? Why were the flanks not exploited?

『You've got to learn to survive a defeat. That's when you develop character.』
~Richard M. Nixon~

Euro 2008...

Why am I not surprised? Germany won, 3-2 at the expense of a Portugal side that forgot to bring their footballing flair to the game, while Turkey won on penalties against a Croatia side which could not convert the chances that they created. And so, 2 of the group leaders have been eliminated. A case of 2 down, 2 to go?! I hope not, and probably the purists and neutrals are on my side too. After all, it would not be interesting if Holland and Spain, two of the most entertaining sides in the tournament so far, crash out together. As I write, the Oranje are probably warming up for their game against the Russians. Let us pray that they will not disappoint us, and themselves, and their coach for that matter.

As for Espana, I guess it is time to write a new page in their history, even if the game against Italy is on the 22nd of June. I could write some more, but I will keep it short - I want to see Holland versus Spain, so win against Italy. Por favor.

A Live to Die For - B'z ACTION LIVEGYM @ Yokohama Arena

Date : Friday the 13th
Place : Yokohama
Event : ACTION

The much-anticipated LIVEGYM of my favorite band, B'z. was held on a highly auspicious day, yes, Friday the 13th. It was great, and the songs sang on that day were all classics.

Here is the list in the order that they were sung.

純情! Action

黒い青春

パーフェクトライフ

One On One

一心不乱

Oh! Girl!

New Message

Easy Come! Easy Go!

夢見丘

満月よ照らせ

永遠の翼

Hometown March

愛のままにわがままに、僕は君だけを傷つけない

Gimme Your Love

Liar! Liar!

彷徨える青い弾丸

Friction

Super Love Song

光芒

Burn~不滅のフェース~

ミエナイチカラ~INVISIBLE ONE~

I liked all the songs, but the song that especially appealed to me was the first song, 純情! Action, which conveyed the message that in order for any changes to occur, we must be the first to act - in other words, we must create the momentum and overcome our inertia, whether that inertia is due to laziness, disillusionment, or fear.

Also, I like the selection of oldies, from Oh! Girl! to 夢見丘. The lyrics and the melody were fantastic, and everyone in the audience was singing and clapping along. The energy in the arena was explosive, and every song was greeted with rapturous cheering by us fans.

Words fail me, because mere words cannot describe the atmosphere of that night, and everything was great! The voice of Inaba-san, the guitar of Matsumoto-san, the support of the fans, the lighting, the sound system, the band, everything was awesome! We could not take photos during the concert itself, so here are some of the shots that I managed to take, before and after the concert.

As you can see from the first two photos, it was a full house at Yokohama Arena. My friend and I managed to take photos with the advertising boards of B'z. lol







『Every action of our lives touches on some chord that will vibrate in eternity.』
~Edwin Hubbel Chapin~

Unstoppable

The orange wave is unstoppable. Not by the world champions, nor the finalists. After defeating Italy for the first time in 30 years, they inflicted the heaviest defeat suffered by the French in 50 years. As I am writing this, history is being made. Attacking football is growing in dominance, and who knows, maybe the winner will be a team that has always had the talent but which did not always have the belief and camaraderie. A team like the Oranje. Anyone can tell you about the depth in their squad, but only the players themselves can describe to you their conviction and their teamwork and fighting spirit.

A lot of credit has to be given to Marco van Basten, who has performed admirably in shaping the Dutch into a cohesive fighting force, a formidable foe for any of their rivals. His formation, the 4-2-3-1, a defensive one which enables quick counterattacks on the flanks to be made while the 2 defensive/holding midfielders can also join in the attack in addition to their screening roles, has been very effective. Holland has shattered the teams of both Italy and France, scoring 7 and conceding 1 in the process. When you consider that they have achieved this in the space of a few days, you have admit that it is remarkable.

The question is not whether they can do it against Romania, but whether they can do it in their 4th match? Because they have already qualified, and they have already assured themselves of first place, so they can afford to do that. It will be interesting to see what van Basten decides to do. Rest the key players or go for glory.

The starting eleven are important, but the introduction of substitutes who can make a difference is also crucial. In this case, the introduction of van Persie and Robben had an emphatic impact, with both players scoring, and both of the goals were important, because they allowed the Dutch to cement their lead. The way Robben and van Persie combined for the second goal was simply genius. Of course, we must not forget the contributions off the ball by Sneijder, and the effort by van Nistelrooy that started the move in the first place. Before this goal, France was dominating, and apply steadily increasing pressure. After this goal, they appeared to have lost the fight. Of course, at times in the first half, it seemed as though only Ribery had turned up to play. In the end, even Henry could not save them, because he was no longer the Henry of old. That overhit lob proved it. Time to do a Zidane, Henry? lol

Even though Henry did manage to score, his goal was not a Henry-sque one, the ones that usually would be admired for their beauty, the ones that would be considered for goal of the match. On this occasion, however, the best goal must go to the Man of the Match, Sneijder. He scored a brilliant goal against Italy, but this goal against the French was as good, if not better. Everything about it was beautiful, the way he turned and shot, the way the ball soared into the goal.

I could go on forever, but I'd better go and get some sleep. lol

The Oranje have proved that they are the team to beat; now it is Spain's turn to demonstrate that they are ready to shed their tag of perennial underachievers who flatter to deceive.

Remember, I am hoping to see the final during the semi-final. haha

『For success, attitude is equally as important as ability.』
~Harry F. Banks~

My favorite team won

Si, fue una victoria de cuatro a uno. Espana 4 Rusia 1 !

And that is the limit of my Spanish. jejeje
I really need to work on my languages, and I should start with the language of passion, Spanish, but today my focus is not on the language; rather, I am concentrating on the football team.

Spain has always been regarded as the best team never to have won a major trophy, not unlike the Dutch. Spanish players have attacking flair and their talents are unquestionable, but somehow they fail to deliver the goods when it comes to the crunch. "Flatter to deceive" would be an apt phrase here. Time and again, the Spanish players have impressed both their fans and neutrals worldwide with their unique brand of football. Time and again, we have been disappointed by their self-destruction. Hopefully, this time will be different.

We can only wait and see, but so far, what I have seen is impressive. 4-1, a hattrick from Villa, and a marvellous display of attacking football that demonstrates the trademark fluid passing style of Spain indicates that this Spanish team has what it takes to go far. Their defence is a cause for concern though, seeing how a makeshift Russia offence managed to pull a goal back. Imagine what damage attackers of Holland's calibre can inflict, when they meet in the semi-final if they continue to improve. I would love to see a Spain-Holland final; I am sure most neutral football fans would, and since this is impossible in this tournament, I guess the semi-final would be the true final for me. If it is really Spain against Holland. Attack versus attack. Latin flair vs Total Football. I like both teams, because both play attractive, attacking football, with only one simple aim. Break down the opponent's defence and score.

Break down the opponent's defence and score goals. When a good offence is the best form of defence. Torres and Villa combined effectively, but the real masterminds are the midfielders, players like Iniesta, Xavi, and Fabregas (when he came on) who created the chances for their team. I hope that this team can go the distance, because it would be a waste if they didn't.

Talent is worthless if you conceal its sparkle; talent is priceless if you reveal its splendor!

Animo! Espana!

『Nobody ever defended anything successfully, there is only attack and attack and attack some more.』
~General George S. Patton~

A duel of masters

The masters of attack versus the masters of defence, the orange spears against the blue shields, this was a match-up worthy of a final, and both teams demonstrated their pedigree. The match ended with a seemingly one-sided score of 3-0, but the scoreline alone does not reveal the true nature of how close it was, and what it could have been, how the match could have gone either way.

You cannot say the Oranje were lucky, because luck alone cannot account for their 2nd goal, nor their 3rd goal. You cannot say Italy were unlucky, because they had their fair share of escapes, such as Gattuso's foul which could have warranted a 2nd yellow card. In the end, you can only say that the team that converted their chances deserved to win. And after 30 years, the Dutch finally manage to overcome Italy. This will be a night they will not forget.

As I have mentioned in passing in a previous entry, I am rooting for Holland and Spain, and to a lesser extent, Portugal. Therefore, I am delighted that Holland has won, and won by 3 goals. This match is the best so far for this Euro, and it has sparked life into Group C, since the French could only draw with Romania. The next match of the Oranje, against the French, will probably decide who wins the group. Benzema against van de Sar is one match-up you would not want to miss.

As for this first match, one thing that I found interesting was the reversal of roles in the second half. The 2 goals scored by the Oranje in the first half meant that Italy had to come out of their defensive shell in the second, and we were treated to a precious display of offensive defence by the Italians, who are renowned masters of defence. On the other hand, the Dutch, who are famous for their brand of attacking football, were made to defend their lead, a feat they accomplished magnificently, albeit not without a few scares. Still, while the Italians displayed their quality with a superb display of concentrated pressure in their opponents' half for most of the second half, reducing the Dutch to mainly counterattacks, their toil bore no fruit. This was due largely to the heroics of the Dutch veteran, Edwin van de Sar. His saves started the counterattacks that led to both the 2nd and the 3rd goals, and while the Dutch No. 10, Snejder is also a good contender for the Man of the Match, van der Sar would be my Man of the Match, because the Italians were good for at least 2 goals, but they were kept at bay by this tall, slender giant.

The reversal of roles also let us see that this Dutch team is stronger, not just physically, but also mentally. In the past, they had a tendency to self-destruct (recall the 2-3 defeat at the hands of the Czechs, when Holland had actually led 2-0), but this time, despite the significant and at times seemingly overwhelming pressure by Italy, the Dutch managed to soak up the pressure and counterattack swiftly and decisively, as shown by their 2nd and 3rd goals. All the goals were good ones, but the 2nd one is a contender for Goal of the tournament. It started from a quick counterattack, and the pinpoint cross/pass and the final volley by Snedjer were all sublime.

Still, with van Basten, a legendary Dutch forward during his time in the Dutch team, in charge, it is unlikely that they will rest on their laurels. They will gain a confidence boost from this victory, but van Basten will spur them on, and hopefully they will win their next match against the French.

Animo!, Oranje! (^-^)/

『We won and are on top now, that's positive but we have to improve our performance.』
~Marco van Basten~

The Name of the Game

Euro 2008 has started, and so far, the favorites have fared decently well. Both Germany and Portugal have won their opening games 2-0, without losing any key men. The same cannot be said for the Swiss, one of the co-hosts for this edition of the Euro Championships. I really empathize with Frei, and his Switzerland.

The knee is one of the most important parts of the body, and for a soccer player it is even more so. When I saw him fell after the collision and his grimace and the profound sadness in his eyes after he realized it was his ligament that had been damaged, I could not help but feel a sense of melancholy. He had worked so hard to recover from another injury to be in time for this competition, on home ground, and his dream ended before it even began properly, and for him, there is no next time. Even if there is a next time, it will not be the same.

So Switzerland is out of the running; actually, I think they were not even outsider contenders for the title to begin with. Home advantage as hosts is always useful, but when the opponents are of such caliber that the playing field is not level to begin with, what can you do? To compound matters, you lose your captain, your goal-scorer, your inspirational talisman right at the start.

Hmm, why am I getting so worked up over the Swiss, when they are not my favorite team(s) to begin with. I am rooting for the Spanish, and for the Oranje, so the Swiss were not really in my thoughts at all initially. I guess it is because of Frei, and his injury. He reminded me of someone, and the tears he shed as he limped off the field, they reminded me of someone's tears four years ago.

When you know that what you have lost is irreplaceable, when you know that no matter how much effort you put in, that which is broken cannot be repaired, and even if it is salvaged, it won't feel the same, how would you feel?

Once again, a question that cannot be answered, or rather, that question is not for me to answer. If I had to say something, my reply is that I would choose to believe, choose to hope, choose to stay and fight, because miracles do happen. I am not talking about the big ones like the parting of the Red Sea; on the contrary I am talking about little miracles that occur in our daily lives. The ones that most of us are not even aware of, the little things such as being woken up by the chirping of the birds at 4-30am in the morning, entering a store and discovering that the music that they are playing happens to be your favorite song. (^-^)

The name of the game is to have faith and keep hoping, while doing your best at the same time.

それだけやで。簡単やろ。

少なくとも、俺はこうするつもりやで。悔いが残らんようにせえんとアカン。俺じゃなきゃできないことなんてそんなにないけど、俺だからこそできることはたくさんあると信じるよ。

『Hope, like faith, is nothing if it is not courageous; it is nothing if it is not ridiculous.』
~Thornton Wilder~

The 13 Songs ...

~Uno~"怪我してもいい、はじけるような笑顔の向こう側を見たいよ"
『今夜月が見える丘に』
~Dos~"バスに乗り込んで行く　後姿をそって見つめてた"
『サヨナラバス』
~Tres~"君が最後まで　心から　「ありがとう」叫んでいたこと　知っていたよ"
『Secret Base ~君がくれたもの~』
~Cuatro~"僕のとなりには君がもういない、君のとなりには僕はもう..."
『マタアイマショウ』
~Cinco~"雲のない星空が　マドの向こうに続いている"
『夜空のムコウ』
~Seis~"優しくされると泣けてくる　やっぱり　アナタハ　ズルイヒト"
『namidairo』
~Siete~”初めて逢った日によそよそしく　あれから色々あって　時にはケンカもして　解りあうためのトキ過ごしたね”
『愛唄』
~Ocho~"ねぇわかるでしょ？　あたし待ってるよ"
『そばにいるね ~』
~Nuevo~"伝えたい気持ち言えずに　君は行っちまった"
『ここにいるよ』
~Diez~"同じ唄を　口ずさむ時　そばにいて　I wish"
『Goodbye Days』
~Once~"千の夜を越えて　今あなたに会いに行こう　伝えなきゃならないことがる"
『千の夜を越えて』
~Doce~"ああ　今日はこのまま good night"
『Stay Gold』
~Trece~"冬が終わり　雪が溶けて　僕の心に　春が舞い込む"
『花は桜　君は美し』

This song...

"When you hear this song, you will think of me, won't you?"

"Yes, I'll think of you and your smile, that smile on your face that subtly reflects the sorrow in the brilliant hazel of your eyes."

~Uno~”怪我してもいい、はじけるような笑顔の向こう側を見たいよ”

That was the last time I saw you smile. In fact, it was the last time I saw you. At the bus stop.

~Dos~”バスに乗り込んで行く　後姿をそって見つめてた”

You never saw me looking at your back as you boarded the bus bound for Tokyo, did you?

No, I didn't, but I seem to hear a voice shouting "Thank you for everything", a voice that sounded like yours.

~Tres~”君が最後まで　心から　「ありがとう」叫んでいたこと　知っていたよ”

Unlike someone who cannot speak to save himself.

Now that you mention it, we never did get to say goodbye, did we?

I did not, because you told me not to.

If you did, I had this feeling I might not see you again.

I left before you did, emotionally.

~Cuatro~”僕のとなりには君がもういない、君のとなりには僕はもう...”

And I left, I left before you did, physically.

It was written in the stars, before we even met, before we knew of each other's existence.

~Cinco~”雲のない星空が　マドの向こうに続いている”

The stars will keep on shining, the same way the river of Time keeps on flowing.

But pray, tell me, when will your tears stop flowing? And the color of your tears, black or white, or perhaps silver?

~Seis~”優しくされると泣けてくる　やっぱり　アナタハ　ズルイヒト”

Yes, I am still crying, because of him or because I let you go, I still do not know.

Yes, you were always so gullible, so easily touched by his kindness and his gentle words.

Hmm, you know me so well.

I guess I do, about as well as you know me. Since the first day we met. And everyday after that, we kept learning more about each other, both the strengths and the weaknesses.

~Siete~”初めて逢った日によそよそしく　あれから色々あって　時にはケンカもして　解りあうためのトキ過ごしたね”

I can only remember my first impression of you was that you were an indifferent person, but as the days passed, I knew there was more to you than your seemingly cold and aloof demeanor, even though I could not make you take off your mask.

You couldn't. You could not know the real me, because I concealed my concern in a crimson chamber, and sealed that chamber within a fortress of ice. However, you came closer than most.

Still, I was not close enough. In the end, I had to admit defeat. I lost to myself, and I fell in love with him, he who was gentle and kind, he who caught me in his arms when I fell. But falling in love with someone and loving someone is different. Especially when the person I loved was you.

I know, but there was a reason why I couldn't catch you in my arms when you fell that time.

~Ocho~”ねぇわかるでしょ？　あたし待ってるよ”

I waited and waited, in vain for Spring to come, but in the end what the angels sprinkled from the heavens above was white, not pink.

Is that why you left?

That's why I left, because you could not be there for me, not emotionally when you were by my side physically, not physically when you were there for me emotionally.

~Nuevo~”伝えたい気持ち言えずに　君は行っちまった”

You left, because I could not express my feelings adequately, because I could not speak the words that you wanted to hear from my lips.

And now, here we meet again, in the middle of nowhere. In the middle of the night, in our dreams. I wish this dream in which we are humming the same tune will come true.

~Diez~”同じ唄を　口ずさむ時　そばにいて　I wish”

I finally pluck up the courage, and pick up the phone.

"もしもし", Hearing your voice again feels so surreal.

I can't imagine seeing your face again.

When we finally meet face to face. After an eternity.

~Once~”千の夜を越えて　今あなたに会いに行こう　伝えなきゃならないことがる”

The stars are going to bed when I finally put down the phone.

Your voice still resonates in that crimson chamber of mine.

~Doce~”ああ　今日はこのまま good night”

You know something, I think the snow is melting.

Yes, I can feel it too.

~Trece~”冬が終わり　雪が溶けて　僕の心に　春が舞い込む”

Clearing the clutter in that Crimson Chamber...

Yesterday I was out most of the day in the rain, and today I will probably be in most of the day in the comfort of my cosy room, while it is bright and sunny outside. Recharging Time. lol

Time really flies. It is June already. May has been a whirlwind month; so many things have happened. In fact, looking back, 2008 has been a whirlwind year, with 5 entire months passing by in the blink of an eye. It would be beyond my finite resources to write about all the stuff that happened, so I will not do that.

Rather, I would like to focus on that Crimson Chamber, where all the exciting and sometimes not so exciting things happen. It has become cluttered, so I am writing here to help clear up the clutter.

Listing things out makes things simple, so here I go.

1)Writing is a pleasure, yet also a pain.
~To put it simply, finding the right words at the right time can be so difficult.~
2)Some questions cannot be asked, because they cannot be answered.
~What is Love?~
3)Sometimes we only notice things after they happen.
~That is why they say hindsight is perfect.~
4)Contentment and Happiness are not necessarily the same, but that doesn't mean one cannot be happy and content at the same time.
~Happiness is not something to be searched for, not if you are content with what you have.~
5)Pride and Arrogance are more closely related than one might think.
~They are like Confidence and Cockiness, if you know what I mean.~
6)In order to think, one has to feel.
~The heart and the head are closer than they are perceived to be.~
7)Even if some things are left unsaid, that doesn't imply that they have not been considered.
~Why do people tend to like to hear words from the mouth instead of words from the heart?~
8)Sometimes silence speaks louder than a thousand words.
~When you can hear the serenade of the silence, then you know you are truly blessed.~
9)Language is not a barrier, not if one tears down the walls of ABCD(Attitude, Bias, Cynicism, Denial), the invisible walls that surround the Crimson Chamber.
~Language is not a barrier if one speaks from the heart.~
10)What are walls for, to keep people out, or to keep things in?
~In an ideal world, there would be no walls.~
11)What happens if one enters the treasure vault and find that it is empty?
~The treasure might be valuable, but the quest undertaken is invaluable.~
12)If rainbows were as common as clouds, would they be marvelled at as much?
~The proverbial pot of treasure at the end of the rainbow may or may not exist, but the rainbow that can be seen is treasure enough, isn't it?~
13)Yesterday and Tomorrow will always be there, but Today won't.
~Looking back at the past, Looking forward to the future, both of these are not bad, but what is more important is to Look at the present, because that is where Ephemeral Eternity lies.~

If you understand all of these, then you and I need to talk, because you may be the soulmate that I have been searching for.

『You need chaos in your soul to give birth to a dancing star.』
~Friedrich Nietzsche~