Liverpool in Seven-Beats!

People become fans of football teams for various reasons...sometimes its just our parents favourite team which you have been hearing about since you were just kids. Sometimes its friends' influence in school or college. Or for girls, sometimes its just the good looking players. Of course it could also be your country or city or state and so on.

But for me, the reason is a little different from any of the above. I was never a Liverpool fan till two years back. In fact ive never followed Premier League or Champion League games. I would just occasionally watch MU games since my hubby is a fan. Otherwise i only watch football every four years for Brazil in world cups. 

So how did i end up being a die hard Liverpool fan? heres the story of how Liverpool touched me with every beat of my heart ....

BEAT ONE:

My younger brother Navin was in Liverpool then. That gave me a chance to visit this quaint city. There was something so very unique about this place that I just fell in love with it the moment i arrived. As i got off the bus, my brother was there waiting at the station to fetch us ( me, my aunt and sister ) and guess where he took us FIRST? Straight from the bus station to the Liverpool store of course!

There, he bought me my first Liverpool T-Shirt! :)

BEAT TWO:

Then we had dinner and went off to his apartment. As i entered the house, the first thing i heard was the squawking of seagulls...and then through the windows of the living room was the beautiful view of the dock and the Stena Line ferry sailing in. Wow! that was not a common view you get from your home where i live! 

BEAT THREE :

In the evening, after a good rest, my brother took us to the dock to watch the sunset. We need to walk about 5 mins to get there but we went around sight seeing before getting to the dock...the town itself seemed like some 3D paintings with old buildings and statues especially with the golden sunshine of summer. It was very quiet, and calm everywhere. 

As we walked through the narrow roads in between rows of shops and buildings, my brother stops and points at a building and says..."Ka (sis), this is where Beatles use to perform, The Cavern Pub" but it took me a few more seconds to realize it being...The most famous club in the world, the home of the Beatles !!! And i was standing right in front of it! Wow...seemed weird...coz again...i never thought i would visit these places...no...never imagined standing there for real! 

I always believed that music is the most powerful energy that could get to peoples' hearts and soul. I also love John Lennon's strong and meaningful words.So taking a picture with the statue of his in front of the club where they use to perform was truly touching the soul!

Me and brother posing with the statue

This is part of the wall outside where they had inscribed names of those popular artists and music groups who have performed at this club

Below are some of the shops and cafes ....

From here we headed to the dock..

at the town overlooking the dock

  

Below: a statue of Liver Bird from which Liverpool got its name :) 

    

After hanging around there till it got dark....we walked back home, stopped by a grocery shop to get some stuff to cook our meals for the next 3 days and of course some strawberries, blackberries and cherries..for snacks!

BEAT FOUR:

We spent the next two days relaxing and i was reading one of my brothers book titled Eleven ( it was so interesting that i finished it before i left Liverpool!) Was reading it on the couch while looking out through the window whenever there was a ferry or  boat sailing in and out and listening to the seagulls and looking at them flying around...hmm...totally calming...

We made thosai,...cooked rice and curry...invited my brother's friend to join us for dinner...laughed, went shopping ....yes the ordinary things which seems pretty extraordinary when done in a whole new place and environment with your loved ones....loved every moment of it.

BEAT FIVE:

Then on the fourth day..just before we left Liverpool we went on Anfield Tour which my brother had booked us earlier. 

(THANKS A ZILLION NAVIN! :) 

But just before going to Anfield we made a quick  visit to this super gigantic Cathedral of Liverpool which we could see from the apartment. With 207 yards in length it is the longest Cathedral in the world! It was amazing to walk inside the huge gothic structure.

The amazing view of the cathedral from the apartment ! 

                 

     This is how it looks when u are standing at the entrance

    Me inside the cathedral ....looking at the worlds widest and tallest     gothic arches...

BEAT SIX: 
Then....finally to the best part ....yes the ANFIELD TOUR! And ohh if you noticed it..i was already wearing the Liverpool tshirt my brother bought me on the first day...and walking into the stadium in it was definitely an initiation ceremony of becoming a fan! :D

Yes i wasn't a fan yet when i went to Liverpool but....the moment came when we were entering the stadium where the players usually touch the sign above saying " THIS IS ANFIELD" That's when i felt it. I became an instant fan! And my brother was delighted because he is a die hard fan of Liverpool :)  

With my sister at the press room

Brother's treat at the The Boot Room Sports Cafe

BEAT SEVEN

Only when i got back to Malaysia..and i saw Liverpool games on TV i realised that i had truly become a fan! I so want them to win and strange that after so many years, Liverpool did so well this Premier League and its only my 2nd year being a fan. So its perfect timing for me to celebrate! 

Though the game with Crystal Palace and the heartbreaking last 11 min was too much to take...theres one more chance tonight! I decided to write this post before the deciding game tonight because i know i will continue to support this team whether or not they become champions this year! 

Because i love them for reasons beyond mere chances of winning a 90 mins challenge. Its the soul of this place, the memories i had with them and how it made me feel for four priceless beautiful days. 

And for that....LIVERPOOL...i will walk with you ALWAYS!! 

GOOD LUCK to all fans.... :D 

  

Pink dreams in polka dots :)

Would you believe it if i said i never wore anything in PINK for at least 15 years !!

The weird part is, i didn't realise it till sometime end of last year that i did not have any clothes in Pink...let it be modern or traditional. It was during a 9 days temple festival i first thought about it. While working on my computer and thinking about which saree i should wear to temple that evening, for some reason i felt like wearing something pink. Then i tried to recall if i had any pink sarees...i have blues...greens...reds...browns...whites...blacks ...gold ...purple and every other shade but NO PINK !! I was quite surprised that i have been neglecting this ONE colour girls wear the most !! And also ...its not because i don't like that colour. I simply neglected it for no reasons. The only reason i could think of was probably because of the common believe among some Indians that Pink doesn't suite those with darker skin tone. But even that wasn't truly the reason...i just simply did not pay attention to that colour ..that's all ! 

So, on that day i decided to add some pink to my wardrobe. But i have not bought any sarees yet because i already have a few new sarees i got when i went to India which i have not worn even once yet and i wasnt going to shop for more. But i decided that if i was going to get a saree for any event it will be PINK for sure :D 

After that day, not surprisingly i bumped into people wearing pink everywhere ...hahaha yeah it was weird how i noticed so many wearing pink around me, even guys !  

Then, about a month ago i had very beautiful dream....

I was sitting down on the floor of an ancient Hindu temple, lighting up some oil lamps all by myself. It was very quiet and serene. I was alone. And i was wearing a beautiful soft pink saree with big polka dots. While i was lighting up the lamps, i sensed someone walking pass. When i looked up i saw my dance teacher/friend Nishah standing right beside me, looking at me and smiling, also wearing a soft chiffon like pale pink saree but it was a plain one without any designs on it. When i smiled at her, she nods as if to approve my pink saree . Then she just walks away leaving me smiling in my sleep. 

When i woke up, i truly felt sweet within. There was something about that dream that was totally calming and peaceful. There were no words exchanged. Just the smiles and the feeling, it was magical.

I wasn't surprised that i was wearing pink in the dream coz i was thinking so much of the colour in the past months but i wondered why the polka dots.. since polka dots are not my fav either. I never wore polka dots probably since i was just a child. So why polka dots. Strange isnt it ??

So, now i am thinking of my next saree to be Pink and also with polka dots ! :D

And while i was chatting with friends about this whole thing, they all told me to wear the colour and assured that it would suit me!

Then about two weeks ago, while hubby and i were at a shopping complex, just window shopping, a blouse catches my eyes !! Guess what? ...it was PINK with Polka dots :D and the price was very reasonable...i just HAD to buy it! It was definitely calling my name! So hubby asked me to try it on and he loved it too! so...here's me with my first EVER PINK POLKA DOTTED blouse :)

So, how do i look ?? :P 

NUTS & BOLTS, IN LOVE :D

Whats your idea of  a "romantic " moment or spot ? :)

Before i tell you mine, i wish to share my experience at the Eiffel Tower, Paris.

All my life I've heard people say, Eiffel Tower is the MOST romantic spot in world ...and have seen hundreds of photographs of couples at the tower. So when i got to know that the tour in Europe i was going included Eiffel Tower....i was a little upset that hubby will not be coming along for this trip. Because i was going to the most romantic spot, alone. Of course my aunt and cousin sis was there with me...but still i wished my hubby was going with me. Then i convinced myself that i would soon go again with him :)

And finally after all the travelling and anticipation ...i was there...for real...and that's when i began to wonder...where is the romantic spot ?

It started off with a super long queue which lasted for almost 2 hours before we got the tickets...and while standing there with the breeze blowing pretty hard on your face and chilling your nose and your eyes tearing wasn't too comfortable either ! Then i thought... "i am sure it will be romantic once we get on the escalators". Then i found myself being shoved into a lift that looked like it was made of out of prison bars....and we were all packed in there so close to strangers....ermmm romantic ? not yet for me ! 

Then i thought ..." i am sure it will be romantic to watch the view on the way up " then as i was ascending the tower ...all i saw was glimpse of the city through...iron bars...nuts and bolts and screws intersecting everywhere around me...and i thought....ooookkkaaay....maybe its just the view of the city from right on top that makes it SO romantic.

Then i was finally right on top !! YAY ! i got off the lift and the first thing that happens is...you bump into strangers...walking everywhere...then you try finding a spot by the edge of the railings to get a good view of the city....so we were like ants bumping into each other and finally found an empty spot to stand...and yay ! there we are! ermm...with cold wind blowing so hard on your face that you cant keep your eyes open or your hair off your face to be able to snap a decent picture...

And that's when i thought " Seriously people !!! who in the right mind would find this experience romantic?? "

My idea of romantic is ....to sit by the beautiful Malaysian island beaches ...with my hubby, having a cool drink in hand ...sharing it with him and feeling the soft sand beneath our feet and the soothing cool breeze on our faces which might blow our hair ( though not to the extend that we end up looking like Einsteins !!) so my hubby could gently tuck away the strands of  hair behind my ears to have a better look at my face when he is speaking with me ..while watching the sunset ! Now that's romantic :)

Of course the Eiffel Tower was an exciting place...to be able to spot the ancient historic buildings like the Louvre Museum, Arc De Triomphe and so on. Loved that part of it...and also to see how systematically they have built the entire city ...which looks perfectly aligned. It was the most beautiful city I've seen...yes of course...no one can deny that part ...but romantic !? Not for me ! i am sure there other beautiful places in Paris that would be more romantic but somehow i did not find the whole experience at the tower anything close to being romantic :) 

Still i loved taking pictures of the nuts and bolts...and though there are thousands of pictures of the towers by others..these few pics ive shared here are special simply because i snapped them myself !:) 

Wish he was naked :)

My uncle went off to England to study when i was about 5 years old, and that was the first time i heard the word " ENGLAND" and he was there studying law and also working for bout 10 years and finally came back to Malaysia for good when i was still in lower secondary school.

In that 10 years time, whenever he came home for a holiday he would buy some little gifts for me and also for the family. Sometimes its story books, colour pencils, mugs and so on...but what i remember really well are those key chains and souvenirs from Europe. 

And the one most interesting one was of course ,a little keychain of the Manneken Pis in Brussels. The famous fountain with a bronze statue of a little boy standing naked and peeing into a fountain's basin. As a child myself then, i found that keychain TOO CUTE ! Especially when i heard that theres a real place out there where the real statue of the little naked boy is , i was quite puzzled. I mean why would anyone make a statue of a little boy peeing ? i thought...hehhe :) And i never imagined i would see the real statue!  To me real was the key chain ! it was real coz i could hold it , look at it and love it as much as i wanted , anytime at the comfort of my home of course !

And then what happens is , i grew up ( or at least thats what i think happened ;) and slowly that little keychain was forgotten, it was somewhere in the cupboards buried by 100 other things over it ! Though it was somewhere hidden in my memories, i just never thought about it anymore.

And i had absolutely no idea of travelling to Brussels just to see this little naked boy pissing !  Some places seemed just appropriate to stay as Key Chains and T shirt prints then ... :)

But ..2 years ago i was suddenly standing right before this little boy in Brussels, and i couldnt believe it ! not just the fact that i was there for real ...and that he was only 61cm tall....but also because he was NOT naked !!! they had dressed him up ! i was like ... WHAT !?? after admiring the naked little boy in key chains for decades...i travel thousands of miles and am here to see you and you are all dressed up !?? WHY ?? arggghhh ! So on that day, it was not just him pissing there....i was more pissed for sure ! :)  

But then i found out that, they do dress him up several times each week and they have a costume schedule put up on the fence ! hmm interesting...still i wished he was naked :(   

The strange part is, when our tour guide briefed us on how to get to the statue from the famous Grand Place i was feeling like.....erm i cant say excited...or impatient ....hmm how do i explain this..? I was feeling like as though...errrm...oh dear ...i cant explain it !!! Ok ...like a child who is about to see a real life mickey mouse in disneyland... !! yeah thats it ! A kind of joy that was not overwhelming but just ticklish and light ...because...an image that was only real as a keychain was about to come into a real life statue ...and that truly felt strange. 

The things is...if it was not for my brother who had booked us this Europe tour which included Brussels...i dont think i would have gone there. I of course may have gone to other Europe countries but i might not have thought about seeing the Manneken Pis.. really ! He was just a long forgotten little boy who slept off pissing in one of my childhood memories :) 

So as i walked along the road in between the rows of lovely Belgian shops...going towards the statue ...i was thinking...

Life is so full of surprises !! and this is definitely one of the sweetest , Thank you :)

This is the road that we walked to get to the statue...

Heres me with the all dressed up manneken pis :)

Well..thanks for dressing up for me....hope to catch you naked sometime little boy :)

LACKADAISICAL ????

Ive always been fascinated by this word " LACKADAISICAL" ! It 

just sounds so good when you say it ! kind of musical and ive 

also always wandered why it should mean " Lack of interest/ 

enthusiasm" ?? 

So, last weekend i put it up on my FB status and asked 

my friends what they thought it should mean instead of "lack of 

interest". And here are the answers i got ...Just sharing it here for fun...:)

( sorry about the alignment....something wrong with the setting coz i cut and paste from my FB page :) )

 

FB STATUS :

I find the the word " lackadaisical" too interesting to mean lack of interest !! what a waste for such a beautiful word 

Like ·  · Promote · Share

• 
  TRINA : Sounded like an ice-cream!! haha

  
  ME : to me it sounds like birds singing  but i like the ice cream too !!! hahahha....
• 
  Su LI : You're so right! What a waste of a beautiful word!
• 
  ME :  right ?? what would you prefer it to mean Su ? 
• 
  TRINA :  a flower, too.. it sounded flowery!! Hahaha 
• 
  Su Li: a day lacking in woes and struggles, strolling in the meadows filled with yellow daisies, the sound of humming bees, the scent of horses and the promise of an English pub at the end of a long and silent solo walk in the Yorkshire dales...
• 
  ME : ahh...i am feeling "lackadaisical" already Su ..
• 
  
• Joethi : Sounds like a nice bicycle ride

  
  ME: Yes Joethi ! it does ! 
• 
  ME : Joethi, imagine saying " lets plan a "lackadaisical" outing this weekend?" hhahaha...sounds so nice....!
• anyway, i found this info on the net : This funny-sounding adjective came about in the eighteenth century from the interjection lackaday, which was an old fashioned way of saying "oh man!" or "unfortunately."
• 
  Trina :  Lackaday!!!
• 
  Joethi :  Lets plan Anu, but dunno if I still remember riding or that I have balancing still
• 
  Me :  haha Joethi...of course you will rmbr ! thats the beauty of riding...once u got it ,you will never go off balance ! Like swimming too...but just one problem...got to go get a bicycle ! 
• 
  Julia Mayer :  Daisies 
• 
  Vimalah :  " like a daisy girl"!
• 
  Julia Mayer :  Love it!