UEFA Champions League round of 16 draw

   Ok, so before I begin talking about the draw, I have to mention a couple of things. First off, there was a heck of a coincidence in one of the couples I predicted and in one of the couples that actually came out. I mistakingly predicted that Paris Saint-Germain would play Arsenal, but taking a second look, I had already pitted Arsenal against Barcelona. And the only team I hadn't picked an opponent for was PSG's actual opponent in the final 16, Valencia!! What a twist of fate... Another thing that I would like to mention is the fact that I had already mentioned in my previous post that something like this might occur. With the exception of Real Madrid and Manchester United, who were pitted against each other, all other strong candidates for the cup got a relatively "good" draw. Let's take a closer look:
                                                        Real Madrid-Manchester United
                                                            AC Milan-FC Barcelona
                                                               Arsenal-FC Bayern Munich
                                                        Valencia CF-Paris Saint-Germain 
                                                                  Celtic-Juventus
                                                            FC Porto-Malaga
                                         FC Shakthar Donetsk-Borussia Dortmund
                                                  Galatasaray AS-Schalke 04

   So, by just looking at the draw, the eye immediately goes on three matches: Real vs United, Barca vs Milan and Arsenal vs Bayern. But, if we analyze things a little we'll see that things aren't really as they seem for the latter two couples.
   First off, we have the big game. A match that could've as well been the final. The biggest event in these games is of course Cristiano Ronaldo's big return to the Old Trafford. But there's so much more to it than that! We're gonna see such great games. With Ronaldo, Ozil, Benzema, Higuain, Alonso, Pepe, Khedira, Casillas on the one side and Rooney, Van Persie, Hernandes, Giggs, Ferdinand, Nani, Evra, Vidic, De Gea on the other. And the ultimate clash of Mourinho against Ferguson on the two benches. This is the game to watch and the entire world will be tuned once these two teams kick-off!
   Now let's take a look at the other two hot potatoes. These other games that are supposed to attract attention just because the names of the opponents is big. AC Milan vs Barcelona. Barca is probably the biggest club in the world right now. The definition of the word "team". They have three nominees for the "Player of the Year" award in the faces of Iniesta, Xavi and of course Messi. On the other hand, we have Milan, who lost again last night 4-2 to AS Roma, have lost several key players last season (including Thiago Silva and Zlatan Ibrahimovic) and are currently 7th in the Serie A. I think that with the season Milan is having, this draw was pretty easy for Barca.
   As for the Bayern vs Arsenal couple, the Bavarians haven't found any competition this year neither in the Bundesliga nor in the Champions League. And they want to claim what was stolen from them last year, so they'll be looking to go all the way to the final. On the other hand, Arsenal qualified as second from Group B in the Champions League and isn't really looking to be in the greatest form in the Premiership, despite being in 3rd. Of course, all this could change if someone like, I don't know, maybe David Villa were to move to the Emirates, but this is all just speculation right now.
   So you see that the only game that is actually a nail-biter is the first one. The other two have clear-cut favorites and as for the rest of them, if any one of these teams were to make it past the quarter-finals, I would call it a 2004-size miracle! But let's just take a look at them, shall we?
   In what is expected to be a close couple of games, Ernesto Valverde's Valencia go up against Paris Saint-Germain. The Parisians want to make a grand re-entry to European football, which is precisely why they've spent so much money on top-notch players such as Thiago Silva, Alex and Ibrahimovic. But the players of Valencia want to show their new coach what they're all about. They're already doing much better in their performances in the La Liga going from 15th place to 9th. But they have to prove that they deserve their position in European football. 
   Juventus got the luck of the draw. They will be going against Celtic, who literally qualified in the last minute. Juve is topping the table in Italy and their performance is just as good in Europe. Let's not forget they were the ones who disqualified European Champions, Chelsea. If they were to be disqualified now, it would be a shock.
   FC Porto goes against Malaga. The Portuguese are having a decent season, second in the table in their league (just 3 points behind leaders Benfica) and qualified through Group A along with Paris Saint-Germain. Malaga hasn't lost yet in the Champions League, despite clashing with giants such as Milan. This could go either way.
   Another tie that could go either way is Shakhtar vs Dortmund. Both teams did great in their group stages (Shakhtar was second against Juve and Chelsea, Dortmund was first against Real Madrid, Ajax and Manchester City), both teams are doing great in their leagues (Shakhtar 1st in Ukraine, Dortmund 3rd in Germany), so we really don't know what to expect from these two teams except a nice couple of games!
   As for the final game, Galatasaray vs Schalke, I can't really see any way for the Turks to break down the German side's formidable defence. And that's where it will be decided.
   Anyway, I'll give the prediction thingy one more shot. Here are my predictions for the final eight of the competition: Manchester United, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Paris Sain-Germain, Juventus, Malaga, Shakhtar Donetsk, Schalke 04.
   That's all folks! Merry xmas to all!!!   

How did it come to this?

   Unfortunately, before the year's end, we had a yet another tragedy. One that makes the human psychology seem so terrifying. I am talking of course, about the shooting in the elementary school in Connecticut that left 21 people dead (18 of which were children between the ages of 5 and 10 years old) and so many others scarred for the rest of their lives.
   Apparently the shooter, Adam Lanza, was searching for his mother that worked in the school and ended up killing everyone on sight. There are even reports of children being shot repeatedly. Others managed to survive, but will never forget this day. People lost their children and there is nothing in the world that can make up for that.
   The shooter had psychological problems, according to his mother. Of course he did. Which logical person would willingly kill 18 children? That had their whole lives ahead of them. Even though we are making jokes about the end of the world this Friday, the world may as well have ended after this event for the citizens of Connecticut. 
   There was supposed to be a limit, even to crime. But now we know there isn't. We stupidly thought that the great danger was in the high schools where the teenagers walk around with guns and lash out their problems. But apparently that isn't the case. We are growing more and more barbaric by the year, until soon we'll be killing each other off just because someone called us ugly! There is a huge problem that people refuse to face and it keeps leading to tragedies like this.
   Once upon a time there was no internet. No iPhones, no cell phones, no e-mails. If you wanted to speak with someone, you had to go out and see them in person. However, that is not the case with our age. We are "evolved" and do not need to find people in order to talk to them. So eventually we become more and more disconnected with others and more connected with our own personal "little world", whether it consists of one room, one pc and one cell phone, or a whole house. And we call that little world our "comfort zone".
   But what happened when we were young? When we were growing up? How did we become this way? We had to go through the harsh realization that no matter how hard we try, if we confess our problems to others we just come off as needy and weak. There were times when we had to deal with a lot, maybe even too much. And yet, when we turned to others for their help, they would brush us off, telling us that our problems are insignificant and that we need to "grow up".
   So in the end we all secluded our selves in little bubbles. The "comfort zones". And we rarely allow others in, since we're afraid of what might happen to us. And we communicate through there with our few friends, people who we have let in our lives but we don't really trust. Trust? That's a heavy word. Sometimes we don't even like the people we call friends but since they put up with us, we let them stick around.
   And what about this person that ended up being a killer? Or anyone else that has committed such atrocities. Were they really any different? Or did they perhaps just reach a boiling point of having too keep so much inside of them, that in the end they just burst and decided their lives weren't worth living anymore? Problems that may have seemed insignificant to their parents or their friends, but to them it was like their whole world was crashing down on them. How much could they take of being alone?
   And yet, nobody comes up with this issue. Everyone talks about "gun control". Well, if there were better people then we wouldn't need gun control OR guns! A little more acceptance to the problems of others. A shoulder to cry on. A health parent-child relationship. These are all basics of human communication. People have problems. Instead of hiding behind a computer screen inside a closed bedroom door, they should be able to go out and talk about them. We have forgotten how to communicate with each other. And that's the saddest part.
   Let me make myself clear at this point; I am NOT making excuses for the shooting! The person that did that was obviously out of his mind. I am just arguing the fact that there are so many of these tragedies in American schools. A repeated coincidence stops being a coincidence, to paraphrase a Greek phrase. So there must be a reason for this. And the lack of communication between people is the most obvious one to me.
   May the souls of the dead rest in peace...

The heritage of 2012...

   Hello to all! With the festive season right in front of us and an illness having kept me in bed for the past couple of days, a new Facebook app gave me the inspiration I needed to come back here. This new app involves reviewing the most important events in our lives this past year. So, what were the milestones of 2012? Well, perhaps we still have a few ahead of us (like the -oh, so fearsome- 21/12), but with most of the year behind us and less than three weeks to go, let's try and make a quick recap.
   Of course, in such a year, no other event could take precedence over the Olympic Games that were held in London. Many stories were told and many heroes were born. Just off the top of my head I can recall the heroic images of South-African runner Oscar Pistorius who made everyone admit that in the end he had as much of a right as anyone else to participate, Michael Phelps who became the first athlete to conquer 22 Olympic medals and Usain Bolt who gave yet another splendid performance, defying human logic about the body's capabilities. These games were an amazing success and both the opening (which involved the Queen herself in a James Bond scetch) and ending ceremonies were magnificent.

 
   Another important event that 2012 brought was the re-election of Barrack Obama as President of the U.S.A. The people seemed pleased with how he has been handling their affairs such as the financial crisis and decided to give him yet another chance, leaving his opponent Mitt Romney to state his full support on the re-elected President. The effect of the elections was obvious on the social media, as the tweets that came right after the exit polls were the most popular since the arrival of Twitter.

   Yet, this year (as all) had it's sad and unfortunate events as well. One of them concerned a certain diva. On February 11th, Whitney Houston was found dead due to alcohol and drug poisoning at the age of 48. She had an incredible voice and inspired a whole new generation of female artists such as Alicia Keys, Beyonce, Leona Lewis and so on. Whitney Houston was mostly known for her work in the movie The Bodyguard, in which she co-starred Kevin Costner. She also provided the soundtrack for the motion picture.Whitney Houston released a total of six albums.

   Other events include the Champions League upheaval by Chelsea for the first time in football history, after a dramatic final against Bayern Munich that ended in a 1-1 draw and was decided in a penalty shootout. Also, and although this doesn't count as an important world event, it was one of my personal favorites, the European Basketball title of Euroleague went to the underdogs Olympiacos, who completed a total comeback in the final from 19 points behind 2 minutes before the games completion. 

   The Korean sensation Psy made his appearance around September and the entire planet was "forced" to dance to his "Gangnam Style". At the movies, both the "Twilight" and the "Dark Knight" epics came to a conclusion, with "Breaking Dawn - Part 2" and "Dark Knight Rises" respectfully.
   And I guess that sums it up for a quick recap of 2012. Now remember, it's not over yet, so we still have time to do stuff that'll make it into the headlines!

UEFA Champions League group stage results

   The group stage of this seasons Champions League came to a close not too long a go and the first upsets are already here. One of them was actually the greatest upset in the history of the Champions League itself! But we'll get too that a bit later. First off let's see which teams qualified to the next round. We have: Paris Saint-Germain, FC Porto, Schalke 04, Arsenal, Malaga, AC Milan, Dortmund, Real Madrid, Juventus, Shakthar Donetsk, FC Barcelona, Celtic, Manchester United and Galatasaray SK. Did anyone notice someone's missing? I thought so.
   We'll take this group-by-group. In both groups A and B there was no real competition. All teams (PSG, Porto, Schalke and Arsenal) lived up to their expectations and made it through to the next round. The only surprise, if you can call it that, was the fact that Schalke topped their group ahead of the gunners. But the Ruhr-river side team has shown great defensive ability and teamwork throughout these first six games, so no real shocker there.
   Despite what many were saying about them and their financial instabilities, Malaga managed to finish top of group C and knock out Russian giants Zenith. And why wouldn't they when they have the likes of Demichelis, Toulalan, Duda, Buonanote, Kameni and so many others to back up their efforts! AC Milan also clawed their way through, but their future in this competition doesn't look too bright. 
   We had a major upset in group D. Manchester City managed to not only get knocked out of the Champions League, but the Europa League as well! That's right, the Premier League champions will not be playing European football in February! They were able to hit rock bottom of their group. Dortmund, on the other hand, seem to have learned a lot from last season's lesson and managed to take first place, with Real Madrid following them in second.
   And if anyone was looking for Chelsea in the teams that qualified, they should stop. Because the Champions League title-holders didn't make it through! Apparently they were too busy switching managers or whatnot but the fact remains that this is the first time ever that a Champions League champion doesn't make through the group stage. And with all that money spent... I wonder what Abramovich is thinking right now. Juventus and a splendid Shakhtar Donetsk side sent Chelsea plummeting to the Europa League.
   In the final two groups there were nail-biters only for the second places. Both Barca and United secured their qualifications from early on, leaving Benfica and Celtic in Group G and Galatasaray and Cluj in Group H to battle it out. In the end, it was the Scots and the Turks who celebrated.
   As for predictions in who will play with whom in the next round, first off we have to know who can play with who as there are certain rules:
-Teams from the same country cannot be paired against each other.
-Teams from the same group cannot be paired against each other.
-The teams have been divided into two groups. Those who qualified as first in their group and those who qualified as second. Teams that finished first in their group or teams that finished second in their group cannot be paired against each other.
   That being said, I would like to see a Juventus-Real Madrid or a PSG-AC Milan just so we can reminisce about the old days when these teams would play against each other and it would be a really big deal. But in my opinion, this next round will feature a lot of david-vs-goliath matches that will guarantee even more action in the quarter-finals. Anyhow, this is my prediction for the draw:
                                                           Barcelona-Arsenal
                                              Manchester United-Celtic
                                                               Schalke-Real Madrid
                                                    Bayern Munich-Galatasaray
                                                              Juventus-Porto
                                                               Malaga-Shakhtar Donetsk
                                                             Paris SG-Arsenal
                                                           Dortmund-AC Milan
   So there you have it. I predict there will be one or two crowd-pleasers, like Dortmund vs AC Milan, but nothing too massive. Let's not forget that football is also a lot about advertising. We'll check back here on 20/12 to see how right I was. Till then...

Why a strong spirit will always surpass a strong body...

   Speaking out of personal experiences, there is one thing I know. There are somethings in life that are terrible. Downright awful. There are days when you wish you would've just stayed in bed rather than get up and deal with everything that came. Sometimes you just don't want to talk to anyone, but you have to (like, f.e. if you have a job). Other times you feel you've had enough of all the crap that has been going on in your life, and you feel like you're about to go off in a rage. Maybe sometimes, you do.
   So? Is there a point in all of this? Personally, I never thought there was. I thought it was just an endless torment, where it's just there to constantly remind us that life sucks and that we're powerless to do anything to change our fate. Boy, was I wrong... 
   It's certain that if someone is in a bad mood and things just keep building up inside him, eventually he will pop like a balloon, no matter what type of person we're talking about (and actually, the less social they are, the worse the outcome may be when they let themselves go). But, if this person learns to make use of these feelings, then this whole experience can be a massive tool for the future.
   So, let's say someone's having a horrible day. At the office, at school, at home, anywhere. It happens to the best of us. The priority in these situations is to have some sort of a haven. A place where we can escape to and that makes feel safe, comfortable and relaxed. Whether that's just a room or a gym, it depends on the individual.
   The next step would be to rationally think about the events that transpired during the day that made us so upset. What went wrong, where we were at fault and where others were to blame, solely to keep ourselves from repeating the same mistakes in the future.
   The final step would be to prepare ourselves for the day ahead. Especially if during our outrage session we made others feel bad. We should be ready to apologize and move forward from there, fixing any damage caused to relationships through the course of time.
   These hard days aren't very easy to forget, and there's a reason for that! They allow us to remember all the wrong things we did in order to keep us from doing them again. It's like some sort of mental exercise.
   It's a fact that we cannot escape difficult or embarrassing situations, especially not during our younger years. But, learning to manage them in a way that allows us to learn and mature from them is a hidden strength. If we just brush everything off like it never happened, then we don't learn anything. Taking experiences and sorting them out in order to not repeat our mistakes in the future is power.
   People hurt one another with words. Daily. Hourly. But, it takes a special kind of person to not listen to other people's bad remarks, and to not reply. It's difficult to shut your ears. But not letting anyone affect you, not letting anybody get to you, knowing your own weaknesses and strengths to the point that other's words don't reach you no matter how hard they try is something that only comes from life experiences. Only you know who you really are, what you've done, why you did it, where you did it and how you did it. Everyone else can only see what you let them see, so they judge upon that. Keeping faith in ourselves and who we really are is one of the most difficult things nowadays.
   In a sad conclusion, I will remark that people never truly understand each other in this life. Not through the deepest friendships, not through marriage, not even through parenthood. So, since we're alone, it's very important to have a very strong spirit, because we may not take many physical blows in life, but we take more than enough mental ones...

A lost generation

   So, yesterday (or, to be more accurate, last night), the government decided (under the caring advice of the U.N. "if you don't vote it, you're out") to vote the new mnemonium. It will be the third that this country's people will have to endure and it will make the situation even more insufferable. Of course, some people gathered to protest it down at Syntagma square in front of the Parliament but this government is an old fox at breaking up peaceful displays of dispute (plant a few policemen to pose as hooligans among the crowd, turn into a war zone, break it up with tear gas and some water tanks and everyone goes home). 
   Last night it was the Parliament workers' turn to lose their rights. They were to be treated from now on as typical employees and not get any "special treatment" if the new law was to pass. So said the minister of financial affairs. But that caused a riot inside the Parliament itself, which was followed by a strike. The politicians were now afraid for their safety, so the finance minister was forced to withdraw the statement.
   Things got worse last night for the Greek people. Again. From now on, it is law that if you want to go into a hospital, you need to pay a 25 euro ticket. You're not allowed to get sick have you not the money for it. Also, people that have been working in companies for years are about to get sacked and their compensation will be next to nothing compared to the work they put in. And yet, the deputies are still making thousands per month. Nothing ever touches that.
   So what did the people themselves have to say about this? Why does this keep happening? Well, apart from the hundred-something thousand that gathered in front of the Parliament last night (but quickly split), none of the people seem to understand just what is going on anymore. It's more than obvious that the Greeks have given up. Considering they can't change anything since this country is run by a couple of hundred people, they just don't bother with it anymore.
   If the impact that these measures will have on the Greek person's everyday life was comprehended by everyone, there would've been at least a million people in the streets last night. Fighting for their rights. Fighting for their children's rights. Making sure that these laws never see the light of day.
   But it's easier and much more comfortable to just sit at home, on your bed, in front of the pc or the tv and just watch everything get taken away from you, thinking "what can I do about it?". Which is exactly why this has happened to this country. 
   There is nothing left to lose. One of the ministers claimed that if these measures were not to pass, then there would be no meaning to talk about employment cause there would be no jobs left in Greece. HE is the employment minister! Has he recently checked the unempoyment rate, I wonder? Whether Greece stays in the euro or returns to the drachma it's one and the same, since most people can't afford stuff anyway.
   So Greece is only in the eurozone for a few thousand people, who can still afford luxuries like a full shopping cart or medication! Because, yes, those are now considered luxuries in this land. A democratic land in which three hundred people, that have no idea of the side affects of the laws, since they consider themselves above them, get to create them as they wish and force them upon 9,5 million others. 
   People work eight (maybe more) hours a day for 500 euros a month, have no health insurance, get sacked with no compensation, can't afford to even get sick... Especially the young people's faces are full of misery, disappointment, emptyness, helplessness. It's so sad to see an entire generation just give up. They don't even talk about it anymore.
   It's true that Greeks have been selfish in the past. Not just when it comes to politics, but in a lot of matters. Even in the war there were those who dobbed upon their friends to the Germans just for their own personal freedom and gain. Nothing's changed. My personal opinion is that Greece is now paying off a debt that it has owed for centuries. It's just so sad for this generation to have to carry such a burden.

Age has nothing to do with life lessons...

   Before I begin, I would like to specify that this concerns a personal matter. It is in fact something that has happened to me recently and that gave me another important life lesson. One I thought I knew but soon came to realize there is a world of difference between saying you know something and actually having the knowledge of it.
   I won't go into detail just to protect the other person's name, but I will say this: even though sometimes we may be older than others, that doesn't really say anything about us. Yes, we are supposed to act more mature and more responsible, but life is so unpredictable that you just don't know what's waiting for you around the corner.
   So yes, this does indeed involve me and another person of a somewhat younger age. A much younger age actually. Not that that has anything to do with it, just to throw some salt on the wound. A few years back, during some classes I was taking (and let me tell you, I've been taking those classes seriously and vigorously), I came across a couple of children of a higher level than I was. And, along with everyone else in those classes, even though we competed, we started to learn more about each other and become friends. I began to make other friends in these classes as well. Until I felt part of one big family. And you know how it goes with families, some people you're closer with, others you're not, but they're all there. And you subconsciously miss them if they're not. This is kinda what I began to feel in time.
   Along that big family came those two children of the same age. Twins, I think. One boy, one girl. They showed me a lot of respect for the effort I was putting into these classes and they were growing quite fond of me. It gave me some confidence as well. That if others are believing in me, then I should believe in myself a bit more. I felt capable, stronger. All because of a pat on the back, a joke or a "good work!". (You wouldn't believe how far a little recognition can get you!) And I was responding to it, of course. Trying to give back the strength they had given me. Not just them, but everyone. I felt great at that time!
   But, as they say, it was just the calm before the storm. During one of our exams for these classes, I found out something that I just thought was too hard to accept. This man, this horrible person, and one of the people responsible for countless futures lost, unimaginable tragedies, suicides, poverty, so many others suffering (and I could go on for a while), this guy had come to see our exams! The reason? To watch his two children, the ones that were spurring me on and pushing me forward, the ones that I considered my friends and part of my new family! I passed the exam, but it didn't even matter to me. I felt angry, bitter! I didn't know what to believe anymore. I quickly tried to erase them from everywhere (Facebook, my life, etc.) and not have anything to do with them. 
   Some sound advice and some days to think made me realize that this was a big mistake. It didn't matter where they came from, all that mattered was who they were. That's what everyone around me said when I asked them. It wasn't their fault that they were born there. I tried to accept that, I tried to understand that they were too young to comprehend anything that's going on around them, to imagine the difficult life they must have because of who their father is and just forget about the whole thing... But the damage was already done. On both sides...
   Deleting someone from your facebook profile and then sending them a friend request two days later always raises questions. So you can imagine that I was asked about it when I did it. And, as a loyal fan of speaking my mind, I told the young girl everything when she asked me. What I got in return for my honesty was viciousness, mean looks, and not a single word out of her mouth for about four months now. I don't blame her really... "I-didn't-know-who-you-were-so-then-I-hated-you-for-it-but-now-I-changed-my-mind-and-I-like-you-again...", sounds kind of a lame excuse. But also, she was kinda hurt because she thought she had found a friend in me.
   Since then I've been having a bit of a mental torment. This especially cannot be helped when you have nothing to do, so you sit around thinking about stuff. On the one hand, I have the children of a man because of who I and many others are without a job, without money, without dreams. I've ended up hating this country because of the likes of him and I'm forced to leave. And those kids have a great life thanks to all the sacrifices that our people were forced to make! We weren't even asked about it! (Even though the people are as much to blame for this situation as the politicians, but I think I've analyzed that in a different post).
   On the other hand though, there's two great personalities, two fun kids that have never acted like they're higher above anyone. That have worked their butts off to prove that they're not just daddy's little kids, but something on their own. That have had to carry a burden since birth of about 9,5 million people cursing their father's, or even their whole family's name. And yet, even at such a young age they have the courage and the maturity to realize it and turn the other cheek, to smile at their hardships, to be kind, polite, happy and independent.
   It took me a while but I understood that I don't have the right to even look at that little girl anymore. I had ten years on her and yet, she made me look like a ten-year-old. I hurt her feelings but her maturity in handling the situation made me mad at first, so mad in fact that I even held a grudge. I was being foolish. The lesson I got from that 15-year-old girl was that it doesn't matter if a person is born in an alley or in Buckingham Palace. All that matters is what's inside of them.
   Yes, her father was yet again last night (one of the ones) responsible for who knows how many people to lose their jobs and get little to no compensation for it. Yes, I was mad, like the rest of this country. But that's another story, for another topic. A lesson hard learned.
   For what it's worth, and if you ever read this, I'm sorry...