Paul Scholes

Paul Scholes, of Manchester United, retired day before yesterday.

He was the player I looked up to the most in the football world and was among the biggest reasons I chose to be a fan of Manchester United. Even during the days of Ronaldo, the sight of Scholes’ name on the team sheet thrilled me the most.

The events after the Barcelona game were fitting. A reporter described it best –

‘Stood, clad in Iniesta’s sweat-drenched shirt, Scholes had to disappoint Messi, Xavi, Busquets and Pedro by informing each that he had already surrendered his jersey. For all their modern mastery of the football, Barcelona’s pass-poppers recognised that they were in the presence of the greatest little maestro of his generation.’

When I wrote expressing my admiration for him earlier this year, I wrote..

‘If we are lucky, Scholes will decide to play on for another season before he hangs up his boots. If Ryan Giggs retires at the same time, the media will be all over Giggs showering one accolade after another and Scholes will be written about as another one of those greats who probably never got the credit or praise he deserved. People will speak of his eye catching passes, his spectacular goals and they will move on. News stays fresh only for a few hours after all.. But, football will be poorer for it. Football would have lost an artist, a role model for many a youngster, a humble family man, one of its few remaining ‘one club men’ – all rolled in one.

This blogger is reminded of an article written ages ago by a leading journalist on Sachin Tendulkar accusing the Indian media of taking him for granted.

‘It is unlikely that the tourist guide loitering on the perimeters of the Taj monument would have appreciated its timeless beauty — and even if he did, it is less likely that he might have pondered its historic value to a civilization.’

It is much the same with Paul Aaron Scholes. We know not what we will miss..’

Turns out we weren’t so lucky..

Watching Paul Scholes play was always on my bucket list. I am glad I did it before he retired.. at Fulham on May 9th 2011. He didn’t disappoint. He hardly ever does.
I looked upto him most because of his character – While Paul Scholes, the footballer, always amazed and enthralled, Paul Scholes, the family man, never disappointed. He had high standards and his performance levels weren’t able to match those standards any more. I am glad he decided to retire as nothing would have been worse than him going out on a low. He did provide many memorable moments in his characteristically short interviews. ‘I suppose I’m okay’ and ‘I will miss football, not the life of a footballer‘.
Well, I will miss watching him – the finest midfielder of his generation and the ultimate footballing role model. And I will never forget his brilliant goal against Barcelona – my finest moment as a Manchester United fan..

Thank you Paul Scholes. I hope to meet you someday!

The ‘too short’ song

Every time I wish to connect with my ‘roots’ (i.e. Tamil music) where popular music is concerned, I always start with this song..

If you ask me what the meaning of the song is, I would tell you very plainly that I have no clue. I just find it beautiful. I haven’t cared to watch or interpret the video.
What is also amazing is that this song is only 1 minute and 47 songs long. That’s a good 1 min shorter than the average song. And every time I listen to it, I wonder why the song wasn’t longer. Wouldn’t it have been better?
When I did this routine of listening->enjoying->complaining about it being too short, I thought of all the songs that make me wonder why they didn’t make it shorter! And I realized that the makers of the song were extremely smart. They created a beautiful piece that left you wanting for more..
Wouldn’t it be amazing if we were the kind of people that always left people wishing they spent more time with us? Or if we provided services that left people wondering why we didn’t do more?

Alcohol, Full sleeve shirts and Gyms

We live in a western dominated world. Of course, many opine that is changing (fast) but my limited exposure to history says that it will be a good few decades before we shift our allegiance from forks and spoons to chopsticks.

Now, it is in our nature to question. Atleast, it is the nature of the kid within us that always exists – he/she just needs some awakening. And the kid within began to wonder about the 3 topics in the title and realized that they all exist in Asia (atleast) as legacy of western domination – in my humble opinion atleast. So, here we go..

1. Alcohol: Background first. Having studied in an Asian university, I was always told (implicitly) that alcohol was ‘cool’. ‘Getting drunk’/’Getting sloshed’ in a party was often the ‘in’ thing to do. Now, I am never one to deny myself an experience. So, I did just that. But, after one experience, I felt no need to do so again. And I must state here that I have nothing in principle against alcohol but I just don’t buy into the concept. Exercising my right to choose, I guess.

A couple of months in the UK have made me appreciate the popularity of the concept though. It does make sense in cold weather as alcohol (gin etc) does help keep our body warm. I was told ages ago that that was the reason the Indian army was given access to low cost alcohol as most of their assignments were in the frigid regions in the Himalayas.

But, in warm Singapore? A drunk population does tend to worry me. (Cue: Britain..) Of late, Singapore as well thanks to a paucity of recreation on weekends. But atleast, now I know the reason. So, the kid within is at peace on this (for now)..

2. Full sleeve shirts (and suits): Another concept that was lost on me. And another concept I appreciated post my months in the UK. Cold weather = more layers.

This might seem obvious to many but it wasn’t for me while I wore formals for years at a stretch in humid Singapore. In this case, I have nothing against full sleeve shirts and suits. If anything, I fully support the idea. I spent 3 out of 4 years in university in precisely these clothes and believe they are akin to military uniform – they make us feel good and trusted.

But, I do wonder what we would be wearing had we been living in an Asian dominated world..
3. Gyms: The only time a gym worked out for me was when a whole bunch of friends got together post high school to ‘work on our muscles’. And this was a riot – with all of us comparing our ‘huge’ muscles few days into our 2 month stint.
Otherwise, they never really worked. I much preferred football/tennis for the social factors. Moreover, I thought – if I really wanted to run about, stretch etc, why would I do it indoors? Much rather do it outside early in the morning. (‘Early in the morning’ was hypothetical of course till today..)
This morning, as I was busy with my exercise, I just thought how I would manage the same routine in sure-to-be-cold London and bam! Now, I understood the reason for gyms. Cold weather. Of course!
2 things came out of the exercise for me –
1. Change in scenery: A change in scenery can teach you a LOT. Often, much more than you realize when you experience the change. I’ve only spent a couple of months in cold weather (the 4 previous months in the middle east don’t count weather-wise.. haha) but they’re helping piece through a few puzzles in my head.
2. Persistence: Persistence counts when we’re wondering about stuff as well. Gradually, we get to understand why things work the way they do. I believe there is tremendous value in that – just understanding the nature of things.

Going to be a great week

Did you ask why?
(even if you didn’t, I’m going to ramble on anyway. Fringe benefits of being a blogger.. haha)
Here’s why. The preparation has been immaculate. A good weekend that meant having fun, spending time socially on Saturday followed by focus on some important priorities, planning the week early thanks to the big challenge, clearing away lots of minutia, sending some thinking through things that need to be done.
Other challenge items were switching off from work for 24 hours and making a ‘stop doing’ list. :)
Also, just getting little things ready for tomorrow morning so I won’t have to labor always make a big difference. (Akin to parking the car such that we can just drive straight out!). And I guess, most importantly, having finished early, I am all set for a nice movie to relax and get into bed early for my 5AM routine!
Big week coming up. But thanks to the prep, I’m optimistic it will be a good big week.
And so, I’m hoping you are spending some time this weekend to ensure the week starting tomorrow (yes, it IS monday tomorrow for the ones in denial :)) will be a great one!
All the best. Stay inspired. And have a great week!

On Structure and Creativity

Simplicity, as a concept, is ever so powerful. Just ask the players of Manchester United who got ripped apart yesterday by Barcelona’s consistent ‘simple’ passing game.

Inspired by that, for today’s learning, I am going to leave you with a very simple idea.

Let’s take a minute to study the picture below. It is one of a regular road. And we, of course, use the road to take us from place to place.
Now, there is of course that line right in the middle of the road that separates vehicles traveling in opposite directions.

What would travel (and life) be, without that line?

Can you picture the kind of chaos the absence of this simple line would cause?

There is a myth that structure kills creativity.

What is often forgotten that without structure, there would be no creativity. It would be like a painting without a canvas with no defined boundaries. Or an endless football match (with no creative last minute goals!).

Structure, in our lives, gives us the room to experiment and be creative. It is the simple routines (eat, sleep, play) in our lives that enable us to free up vital space in heads so we can be creative in what we do..

Always the simple things – Learning from Barcelona

I watched devastated as Barcelona football club ripped Manchester United apart in the Champions league final. And funnily enough, all they did was pass the ball. Simple. Fundamental. Used to devastating effect.
We have 5 simple principles for life –
1. Sleep 8 hours
2. Eat good food at regular intervals
3. Drink lots of water
4. Read, have interesting conversations – stimulate the brain
5. Exercise regularly
How many of us manage it?
Our happiness in life is determined by our attitude. And the best way to keep our attitude up is by doing these simple things..
If we ever plan to be the equivalent of Barcelona, we have GOT to nail the simple things.
—
Fair play to Barcelona – Best Team in the World.. with the Best Player in the World.

But United will be back.. it’s only a matter of time. :)