Champions League predictions

   Hey mates! Great day today for European football and, since the sports journalist inside is never asleep, I thought we might take a look at the Champions League draw. Let's start of the group stage.
   In the first group it's gonna be a tough battle. We have Porto, who are never an underdog, Dynamo Kyiv, who have been showing up in at least the final 8 of the Europa League these past couple of years, Paris Saint-Germain, who have become quite a respectable power in European football and Dynamo Zagreb who never gives up. This draw was really lucky for PSG in their return to top-notch football. But, they are known for their inconsistencies since they let the title slip away to Montpellier last season, and that's something that they won't be able to get away with against the likes of Porto and Kiev. But, with a bit of help from Zlatan, they should be alright. Porto should be along for the ride in second.
   In Group B we have a case of dejavu. Just like last year, we have a group of Arsenal, Olympiacos, a German team (Schalke) and a French team (Montpellier). Unless newcomers Montpellier (who have lost a lot of firepower this summer like Giroud who went to Arsenal) are able to pull a rabbit out of their hat, we'll go with Arsenal and Schalke for this group.
   The third group is a bit of an anything-can-happen situation. We have AC Milan, Zenith, Anderlecht and Malaga from Spain. It makes sense that Milan and Malaga would be pointed out as favorites, but when we're talking about a Milan side that lost Ibrahimovic, Thiago Silva, Nocerino and Seedorf without making a single addition (with the exception of Pazzini), then we understand how things get complicated. If we add to that the fact that they are going up against the Russian champions who have been showing up in the group stages for the past several years and the Belgian champions who are capable for the best and the worst... we could get some excitement from this group.
   But if you think that group is exciting, wait for group D! Real Madrid, Manchester City, Ajax and Borussia Dortmund! Four champions from four of the best championships across Europe! Of course everyone will be watching the Real Madrid-Man. City games! For this group, it looks like a done deal, but since I've seen both Dortmund and City's European performances, I'll say let's hold off for that second place just a little while longer.
   Group E is a no-brainer. The champions, Chelsea, up against the likes of Shakhtar, Juventus and Nordjelland. It's nice to see the vecchia signiora back in the Champions League though. It just didn't feel quite the same without them. I'll be hoping they get second place in this group.
   Group F has a flashback of the 2001 final where FC Bayern Munich faced off against Valencia. Joining them in the group will be Lille OSC Metropole and FC BATE Borisov from Belarus. Considering how powerful both last season's runners-up and the Spanish bats are, it will be nothing short of a shocker if Lille manages to sneak in between them.
   Group G is similar to E. Barcelona is paired up with SL Benfica, Spartak Moscow and Celtic. Portuguese football is on the rise these past few seasons so let's go with Benfica for second, keeping in mind that anything is possible with the likes of Celtic and any Russian team.
  Group H is pretty much the same deal. Although Manchester United will have to be extra cautious against SC Braga, Galatasaray SK and Cluj, if they don't want a repeat of last season's shameful exit (knocked out by FC Basel). Considering that they'll be topping the group, second place might be going to Galata. The Turkish champions have been on the rise for quite a while now and have a team full of experienced players.
   After all this is said and done, let's try and take a shot at this years champion, shall we? Even though the two Spanish gallants seem strong for yet another season, it doesn't look possible for either of them to be in the final. Mourinho's messed up locker rooms and Barca's new coach seem to be obstacles that they cannot overcome in front of stronger opponents. The English teams are looking good (with the exception of Arsenal). Robin Van Persie is adapting well to his new environment in United and City have the same solid unit from last year, so we expect them to come back stronger in this tournament. Chelsea may have lost Drogba and Anelka, but they replaced them in the best possible way! Eden Hazard, Marko Marin and Brazilian midfielder Oscar are more than sufficient to cover up the losses. FC Bayern is also in top shape! With the addition of Mario Mandzukic and Javi Martinez among others to back up the efforts of Ribery and Robben, the Bavarians are more than likely to take home what they were so close to in last season's cliffhanger final. As for an upset, if Paris Saint-Germain can manage to create a good enough team, then they may have a shot at the final four of the competition. They have become quite stronger in the last two years and it would be refreshing to see some new faces.
   Overall, this looks like Chelsea's tournament, at the moment. But this is so unpredictable that anything can happen. Which is why it's so fun to watch!

That special thing...

   This one isn't going to be a long one...  I was just listening to some of my favorite tracks and, while listening, I had a thought. Everyone has something special in their lives that inspires them to do what they do. Without this inspiration people wouldn't be able to tap into their hidden potential (of course the inspiration could just be the beginning of it, or the main reason).
   For some their inspiration is the person that they love. They take one look at them and they get all the inspiration that they need. To go, to keep going and to push themselves to become even better. So that they can become a better person for their other half. 
   Others look at other people and become inspired. Like someone might look at a good singer and try to imitate them. And eventually set a goal to be as good as their role model.
  And others just have a dream. Something in their minds that keeps them going. That someday they will be able to accomplish something good, something important, something that they want. And that's what keeps them going.
   Of course it could as well be a compilation of these reasons. Like, someone could have a role model and a personal dream. But I personally think that we don't need more than one reason to get inspired to do something good. Something special!

The origin of faith

   Hi people! How is everything? It must be tough for some of you out there to accept the fact that summer's almost over and you have to go back to your everyday lives. But you never know what this new season might bring you so try to stay optimistic about it, even though this may seem difficult at such a time. Try to find a new hobby to do in your spare time, something that you've been wanting to do but kept putting it off for no adequate reason. That should motivate you enough for this season!
   Anyway, getting back to the matter at hand, it would be nice to address another important issue: religion. Now before I begin, I would just like to say that anyone is of course entitled to their own opinion. Some are Orthodox, others are Catholic, others are Muslim, others are Mormons and so on. Every person can believe in whatever he/she wants to and that is fine.
   But only when someone has given it a certain amount of thought and not just blindly following the same path from the day that they are born. Why? Because that's what everyone does and it would be weird to do otherwise. How logical of a way of thinking is that? How is disproving everyone else's religion just because "it seems weird" make any sense at all?
   Parents raise their children to believe in deities. Some because of fear, others to lead them into a proper way of life and others because that's what they learned from their own parents and just think it normal to pass it down to the next generation. But with that same state of mind, we should've just blindly accepted that the Earth was flat and never looked into it because "that's the way it was". People should be able to question and choose what they believe in.
   There are faiths that tell you what is right to eat and what isn't. There are other faiths that tell you how you are supposed to live your life. Some faiths even demand you give up your life for them! It is awful to watch children give up their lives for something that they were forced to believe in.
   That isn't the true meaning of religion. The true meaning was just the need people have to answer to an authority higher to them, the need to believe that their life has some sort of meaning, some purpose. And these faiths were brought up in ancient times, when people were still wandering the planet, not having any goals or anything motivating them.
   But today, we have all that. The meaning of religion has been twisted and corrupted by other people that like to take advantage of weaknesses. People need to understand that faith doesn't come from some higher authority but from themselves. Instead of having faith in some power that we don't even know exists and sacrificing time, effort or even lives for it, we should just put that belief in our own selves.  That's the only true source of power. We sent people to the moon (soon to Mars), we make amazing scientific discoveries, we build incredible stuff, and yet we continue to believe in something above us. Having more faith in each other and ourselves would certainly work a whole lot better for us!

Let's make a fun one!! (Tribute to Final Fantasy)

   Ok, so I've sorta had enough with the whole "human race" thingy I got going on in here, and I decided to do a new topic. Video games. Yup. Video games. My faves and why they're my faves. There's gonna be pics and everything so this might even be the best one yet! (For those of you who actually know me, you might know where this is heading.)
   So, from a few years back I used to be a video game enthusiast. My sister was the first one to actually bring me in contact with a gaming console, which was the GameBoy and a little game called Tetris. I wasn't any good at it but I really liked it! Afterwards, the first colored consoles appeared. The Sega Megadrive, the Gamegear and the NES were the first that I remember. All of them starred Mario and Sonic of course. My first console was the SNES (aka Super Famicom). I mostly played the Mario Bros games since I didn't really know of anything else back then. Actually, that's still a habit of mine. Clinging on to a title and not trying anything else but that.

   My favorite's were Yoshi's Island and Mario Kart. I had a great level of skill with these games and soon realized that I was into them, even though no one else I knew was. Most of the kids at school were into shooting games like Wolfenstein or the early Duke Nukem games. I only had one more friend that liked the Mario games.
   Then came the next generation. I was in year 5 when the Playstation came out. Due to traveling back and forth from another country, I was forced to make new friends. One of them invited me to his house one day, told me he had a sweet game to play. When I went there, I saw him playing this:

    It must've taken me about one hour to lose myself in it. I didn't have a Playstation at the time, so I would just go back to my friends house everyday after school, just to catch up on the storyline. When we watched Aerith die it was one of the most shocking moments ever. He got pissed off because he had her on his team, and didn't talk to me for a while. Then he completed the game, and I didn't see it again for a while. That's when the next installment, Final Fantasy VIII was released. He got that as well, but I hadn't even gotten a Playstation yet.
   When I finally did get one, Final Fantasy IX came out and it was the first one I ever played on my own. I enjoyed it so much that I would lock myself in the house with everyone gone, just so that I wouldn't miss any of the story. It may have been the best gaming time of my life.
   During the next generation, I made sure I was prepared. So I already had a PS2 when Final Fantasy X came out and I had just as much fun with that game as well. And although the story didn't seem as good as the one in IX, the renewed graphics made up for that to the fullest.

   Even though Final Fantasy XI disappointed  me in being an online game (something I have a policy against), I carried on with the Final Fantasy mythos and there were still good things to come like X-2 and XII. But then, it was finally time for the return. Final Fantasy VII, the one that started it all for me, was coming back!
   There was a whole series of material planned named the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII. There were two games, one movie, one game for cell phones and a bunch of books. I started off with what was the latest in the storyline, Dirge of Cerberus. Then I saw the movie called Advent Children which was pretty good, but somehow felt incomplete.
   That's when I decided on the purchase of a PSP for the sole purpose of getting a chance to play Crisis Core (the game that was before the Final Fantasy story). something that I did not regret.

   

   Possibly the most emotional -or one of the most emotional at least- games I had ever played. After this it was hard to imagine if anything would top it. Of course the movie was re-released with much better graphics, and it was kinda on the same level, but to this day, I have to admit that this and the first Final Fantasy VII game were the best I had played.
   After that we entered the third generation. It all began very promising, with announcements and releases of new games, but we are still in the process of it. This began with the release of Final Fantasy XIII for the new, flashy, PS3. It had a nice story to it, nothing of the likes of VII though, but it was awfully difficult! About a year later the sequel, XIII-2 was announced, but until it's release I got to play some of the older classics like Final Fantasy VI and V, and I also purchased Dissidia Duodecim for my PSP. Out of the three, only VI was worth the effort. V was way too hard and the menus were a mess, and Duodecim was too easy and had absolutely no concept. It was just a fighting game.

    Then XIII-2 was finally released. It was fun, pretty easy and not at all boring. It was a nice improvement, but that ended with a great big "To Be Continued" sign as well. So, still waiting. On that and on other games Final Fantasy games as well.
   I also began to look more into other games I might like. When I first bought a PS3, I also bought Dragonball Raging Blast, which was a pretty fun fighting game, as was Naruto Generations which I bought in March. These aren't half as fun as a good Final Fantasy but since you know the characters and the story behind them, it's always good to try new stuff.
   The most attractive elements to the Final Fantasy series is that most of the time they tell the tale of different characters. It's like all of a sudden you come into contact with these people that you don't know and don't care about and as you move along the story you find pieces of yourself inside of them, so whether you want to or not, you become attached. Squall from Final Fantasy VIII was one of the greatest examples. Squall didn't like to talk much. He brushed others off, not caring what they'd say and all he'd do was follow commands, not once giving a damn about anything else. Until eventually you find out that Squall was (spoiler alert) taken from his mother when he was a baby and put in an orphanage from where the only other person that he trusted was pulled out of before he even turned eight. That's what's so magical about these games. Sure, they have nice graphics, music and they're fun to play, but this is what has won over most of the players. And that's why they're expecting even more of this in the future.

The rise and fall of a great people

   Hey guys! How've you been? Hoping that this past month or so has treated everyone well. Can't say the same unfortunately. One thing I've yet to mention is that I live in a most troubled country. A country filled with people that refuse to look at their problems until they are literally pushed to the edge of the cliff. That country is Greece.
   Greece used to be a grand nation. It's people were capable of massive things. This is the land from which all philosophy, sciences, politics, sports and other important things hailed from. In the ancient years the progressiveness of it's people led them to be so advanced that they were revered by the rest of the then known world. Basically there wasn't much contact with other countries or civilizations back then, so the Greeks just communicated with each other. Stone tablets found in Crete are proof that Greece was also the origin of the first fully developed alphabet.
   But the Greeks were a proud race. There were lots of them, Athenians, Spartans, Myconians, Thevans, and they are all ancestors of the Greeks of today. And because there were a lot of them, there were wars. Greeks would be at war from ancient times. Either with each other (like in the trojan war or in the hundred-year war) or with neighboring nations (Persians). Most of the time this is what they would do. Which is why there was never truly a dominant force in the Greek lands until they all united and became the Vyzantinium Empire.
   Greeks were always ravaged by wars. In the early years, then afterwards when they started to come in contact with other civilizations they would usually be at war with them (like with the Ottoman Empire which led to the fall of Constantinople -nowadays Istanbul- in 1453). And even after that in the later years, they were involved in both World Wars. 
   In fact, it's World War II that has left the biggest scar on this land. Being under foreign rule for so long, they became suspicious and began to think only of themselves. Their own pockets, their own advantage. There was a lot of mistrust during the war because of the fact that the Germans would offer money to anyone who would give them information for any rebellious movement that was going on at the time. Others took this to their advantage to gain the trust of the Germans and others tried to hide as best they could, so they began turning away from each other. This is what turned the Greeks into what they are today.
   There is constant complaint for anything that doesn't satisfy them, but very little will to do something to change it. They vote whomever promises to give them a good job instead of who is better for the land. They constantly want, but do not want to give. They keep thinking that someone has wronged them, never thinking about what they themselves have done wrong.
   This comes from the family, the household. When someone raises their children with the mentality to only take and never give back (just because he lived in another time and age), it is only natural that the kids grow old thinking of ways to "get rich quick", take advantage of others and do as less work as possible.
   And yet, even after all that, Greeks maintain some false sense of pride. In their own minds they somehow think themselves superior to others and try to outwit them, while in the meantime everyone else is doing the exact same thing to them, the result being that nobody gets what they want so they all end up arguing.
   This country is now broke. Not only economically, but morally. It has nothing to do with the Greeks from the past, despite the same name. Children smoke from 11 years old, older people don't know what to do with themselves so they go out stealing, murdering or even going so far as to commit suicide. And all anyone does is to blame the politicians, from their couches or chairs, in front of some television.
   Everyone is trying to get out. But this pride, arrogant, selfish race of people could become like a plague to the world. Greece has fallen. How many other nations must it take with it?

A reason to keep going...

  Howdy again. Now that I've gotten started it seems a bit hard for me to stop! Now that I actually have the free time to do this as well. But enough about that. Yesterday I was browsing around the social media when I came upon this picture:

I looked it up a bit further and found out it was an athlete called Oscar Pistorius who, even though has no legs, has made through to the semi finals of the (200 m, 400m, I don't know) of the Olympic Games of London! And I kept thinking of what sort of effort this man had to go through, to be where he is today. Totally worth it!

   Then it got me thinking on another issue... What are people actually capable of? This person lost his feet and yet he is one of the fastest people on the planet! Others have had major setbacks and came through to become quite remarkable as well. Einstein sucked at math, f.e.

   But what is it that drives people to reach greatness? What makes us legends? Well, for me personally a person must be talented at something if he's to actually go to that level. But there are other things as well. Talent can only get you so far. Effort is also important. To make mistakes, to be willing to learn from them and to have the guts to not give up when things get tough. To be able to handle the pain so that you can reach your goal. All that is what defines the legends from the rest of the people. Surely anyone has the potential to do it. But only few reach the end.

   There are a few kids that are credited in the beginning of their career as having "amazing potential". So they rest on their merits, thinking that they are already good enough than the rest. Until, one day, they suddenly open their eyes to fact that they've been left behind by others who weren't even half as good a few years (or months) back. But, by trying hard enough, even an outcast can become better than a prodigy. So when getting into this kind of thing it's always important to keep remembering your goal, always staying with it and never quitting.

   But what's it all for? There are people who begin their careers as hobbies and end up sacrificing everything for them. What urges them so? Well, unfortunately the most common answer these days is money. Specifically if the career we're talking about evolves around a low income and a person is required by his company to transfer to another town f.e., then that person is actually sacrificing his life for his career. Or even in other professions such us entertainment (singing, acting, etc). A lot of those people that are millionaires spend months or even years away from their families because they are tied to multi-million contracts that demands their presence until their work is done. So, not everything is peachy there either.

   Another common answer would be that some people don't know any differently. Their career choice is something they have been doing from a young age and probably don't consider themselves good at anything else simply because they haven't tried (even though most of them would have wanted to, as goes the "always-wanting-what-you-can't-get" paradox in the human psychology). So they go to great lengths to maintain their careers out of fear of the unknown.

   And then there's another reason. One that comes to mind if you consider the fact that people have always been doing this sort of stuff, even before the invention of money and before the settling of the routines we have today. So, what was it all for? A reason to be remembered. People have always wanted glory, they have always wanted to be spoken of by others, and, of course, they want to be remembered even after their deaths. They strive for greatness so that they can have something to leave behind, something for the next generations to speak of. That is the noblest of reasons and even though this doesn't apply for many people today, it's still there. That gives them all the power and strength they need to go through any hardship, any struggle that might come their way, so that they can leave a legacy behind them. 

   This world is full of possibilities. But that's all they are. It's up to us to find our reason for greatness, decide how we're gonna go for it and make it to the top. Anyone can do it...

Hey guys!!!

So, what's up people??

    Hey there everyone! Name's Alex. Been wanting to create my own blog for a while now since facebook just isn't enough for a person to express his opinions nowadays. There is a number of topics I would like to address. But number one on my list is the simplest of them. Today's relations between people and what has become of them through the years. And what we can learn from that. Let's take a closer look...

   Back in the day, there were no means of communications other than a few scarce telephones here and there. So people had no other choice but to actually talk to one another, face to face. This has been put to the side greatly in our time because of the ease of method our new inventions have provided us. But is that truly a reason? If you talk face to face with another person, you are subjected to their eyes and their mind, their thoughts. It is not easy for you to lie or hide your feelings when you're in front of another person. Whereas, on the phone or even better, online, you can say (almost) anything you want and not worry about it. But aren't these feelings what make us human? And this interaction between one another?  Today we hide behind screens and keyboards, scared to death of what people what may think if they caught a glimpse of our true selves.

   Which brings us to another issue of today's relations between people; our image. We struggle daily to create an image of ourselves that others will find entertaining, fun to be with, and into all the latest stuff. We create alter ego's of ourselves so that not only the ones that surround us, but even total strangers (thanks to social media) think we are "hot", "cool", "sexy", "in-style", and a great big bunch of other words that simply won't come to mind right now. The reality of the situation is, we are all lost in our vanity. Most people who create this "alter ego" are desperately seeking someone to share their free time with, and as for the others... They spend their time trying to hide their envy for the "cool" people and secretly hating themselves, not realizing that both sides are just as depressed. 

   Of course it's not the same for everyone. For example the situation is worse when it comes to teenagers (since that's the age when the person grows up and starts finding out the reality about themselves and the world) and it's always different between men and women. Men are usually more relaxed as they grow older, but there is always competition between them when they get together (a.k.a. the law of the jungle). The women are a different story.

   But the ones that end up paying for it are the children. This loss of communication is being "passed down" from generation to generation. People are becoming unable to express their emotions to anyone so they prefer to carry on to what is known to them as reality or everyday life, but most children recognize this as a sign of desertion or indifference from their parents' side. So they end up growing on their own, never truly maturing and using other people to teach them whatever they don't know. And, ultimately, they inherit their parents incapability to express emotions. 

   Even when they find other people they can relate to and engage in some sort of relationship with them (social, sexual), their inability to openly express their likes and dislikes usually leads them to trouble. Some try too hard to not lose the ones close to them, so end up becoming pushy. Others try to "play it cool" and pretend that they don't care (a quite popular course of action these days), so end up losing the one they want, without the other ever knowing about it. All because of the fact that when someone expresses what they actually feel, they are considered a desperate, needy weakling.

   So, what could we do to fix up this situation? Well, for one, turn off the pc! If you want to speak to someone, do it face to face. Next, try talking to as more people as possible. Even strangers. Try to make conversation with others, even if you think the worst about yourselves. That's not what others think of you! Another step would be to try and express your feelings to the ones close to you. It doesn't have to come all at once. Even a simple "thank you" at start would be sufficient. Anything just to show that you appreciate the ones you have. Any type of verbal communication will do, just as long as you're honest. Or at least try to be. We need to be more open with our own feelings and more accepting with other people's feelings, especially in today's world! Keep talkin' people!!!