Cricket Lovely Cricket

The ICC Champions Trophy is currently being played in India and I have found a LIVE STREAM online through which I can watch our beloved West Indies team play in the tournament. Yes I repeat: LIVE STREAM.
So far, I have been able to watch 2 games, one being the nailbiting victory over India, where in classic 1-day international style we were counting balls vs runs at the end. But as was well as Samuels slapped Agarkar for a boundary to produce the winning runs. Not so today as West Indies batted first, posting a solid total of 272 which they were unable to defend. Yes this is what they are good at: inconsistency. Oh well....

As I was watching I was wondering how many Indians on this campus were watching as well (they also I have heard have a gift for finding streaming sports). They have formed a cricket club and had an intramural tournament, which I was never able to attend, but really wanted to!Don't get me wrong! I think it was a good move considering the number of international students here. Through that venture I also found out that Canada is sending a team to the Cricket World Cup, which will be held in the Caribbean next year. Yes Canada has a team.

So in spite of inconsistency, the West Indies has managed to make it into the Semi-Final round of the Champions Trophy. As defending champions one would hope they advanced to a respectable stage. But to win it all again would be legend. Not that they were in any sort of consistent form when they won 2004. So who knows...I somehow don't think the punters will be too aggressive this time around.

I could just imagine all the talk back home: "well dey get thru to de nex rounds" "yuh eh see how Lara throw way he wicket?!" "how dem fellas could loss to England?" "doh study dat, dem fellas lookin good" ... I miss that...

What a boost it would be for West Indies to win this thing going into the World Cup next year, especially since we are hosting it. But I think having gotten to the semifinals, we would, maybe I should change that to "I" would, settle for a respectable showing going forward from here: if we lose please don't get disgraced, at least make it a close one. Good luck fellas!!

till nex time...

Timeless

Since I'm on a music thing these days, I thought I would post another song, one of my favourites these days. Its from the aforementioned CD produced by Sergio Mendes, Timeless sung by IndiaArie. Enjoy!!!



Get music codes at Bolt

Chutney? huh??

no not the stuff you eat!! It's MUSIC!

Regarding my previous post, a couple people told me "chutney" would NOT be readily understood by all. Duh...I shoulda thought about that! damn.

Ok so in Trinidad we have QUITE the mixed population, of which about 40% are of Indian descent (Indian meaning from India). Arriving in Trinidad as indentured labourers in 1845, they have thus contributed much to the Trinidadian culture, festivals, food, and music, having passed down customs and songs from generation to generation. The name "chutney" I suppose gives a hint as to the flavour of this genre: generally hot and spicy. It basically follows the rhythm of Hindi classical music but has come to incorporate the flavour of other ethnic groups, and music on the island. It is sung in Hindi or English and can cover any topic you like. I just found this link from Wikipedia, you can read more and explore on your own if you like, but I wasn't too far off the mark myself.

Here's some samples of chutney music in Hindi, English, or you can try some Chutney-Soca if you like. I had a hard time today finding Chutney-parang samples. Maybe for a future Christmas/parang post I'll upload something.

Enjoy!

*music samples from Toronto-Lime

My non-trini habits

Of course in the last 5+ years, I have inevitably picked up some things that the average Trini would find decidely "weird" or "crazy" or "like white people" hahaha. For example, I know no Trini would find eating pizza straight out of the fridge 'normal', or how about apples and peanut butter? Sweet relish on a hot dog? Or putting chips INSIDE of your burger. The frequency with which people eat pasta is kinda unusual. Otherwise known as macaroni, I have never actually seen "macaroni" at the supermarket like there is at home, there's 20 different shapes and sizes of pasta but no macaroni.

My family finds it funny the way putting on my seatbelt has become second nature (like if accidents don't happen in trinidad). I know how to pump my own gas now! People don't believe I didn't know how to do that all along: "you didn't know how to pump gas?" nope sorry, they do it for you in Trinidad.

If I was home, think I would be listening to Joss Stone, Pink, or (dare I say it) PussyCatDolls?? Hell No! PINK?!?! White people music! So you have to expand your horizons, appreciate other things. I certainly would not have discovered one of the BEST albums i have ever listened to: Timeless, produced by Sergio Mendes (discovery courtesy Costa) So yep I go home and I'm listening to the most unlikely music, people looking at me funny but who cares. On the flipside, I have SUCH an appreciation for calypso now, I'm looking for and downloading stuff (don't tell anyone). Also chutney, I just got some Adesh Samaroo, and I have plans for a chutney/chutney-soca CD hehe.

I couldn't end this post without talking about my damn vocabulary. It's becoming so limited! 'sup, reply: 'sup. Thank god I have family here I can talk to, and finding trini websites and blogs :) I can go to so as not to lose my trini tongue. THAT would be a tragedy!

Till nex time...

What a great coach I am!

wow this'll be 2 posts in 2 days!

Part of the reason I am so busy and backed up with school is that I am engulfed with coaching! or is it that I am engulfing myself... sometimes I truly feel like I spend more time planning my sessions than on my homework. And with kids tryin to get me to come to their games (admittedly I also promised during summer that I would) I am also running into scheduling problems - I missed half of a class to go to a game, and probably will do the same again in a couple weeks. My grades never suffer from this though, all I need is to pull over-nighter to catch up on my projects ;-) But in the meantime it's good PR for myself as a coach: the parents like me, the kids ask for me, and some of it gets back to the coaching director which makes me look good :-)

SO back to the game when I missed half my class: talk about parents liking me, I'm invited to dinner (for the second time from these people). So I'm hanging out with the parents, we're talking about the team and the season blah blah blah, then about camp: this kid (senior, goalie & captain) tells her Mom about a conversation at camp where the coaches were talkin about getting her to supervise the dorm for us so we could all go out to the bar! LOL Fortunately she also said that I would never let that happen. Now I'm REALLY in the good books right? I'm looking at the mom telling the story, laughing along, while thinking "if you knew that me and your daughter took a shot together..." What a great coach I am!!!



p.s. Great player, good head on her shoulders, and WELL above the drinking age in Trinidad ;-)

i'm still alive

Hello Hello!!
Just writing a quick one to show I'm still in existence and I haven't abandoned my blog :-)
School is gettin to me with having to do group projects, which I should be working on right now instead of typing this and chatting with people on MSN.
Update: after following up and asking one my soccer kids about Jewish holidays, I am still waiting on some info/explanation/enlightenment from her. Maybe when I see her on Wednesday.
That's all for now....