I ask the nation to demand Excellence… from ourselves … from our Heroes… from our nation builders…  Let’s seek again the days where we cherish the true heroes only and not drug addicts like Asif and Shoaib Akhtar .. or habitual betters like Kamran Akmal …. Let’s recall the days of Hero of Sharjah the legendary Miandad… of Sydney, the Tiger Imran Khan, of Dehli… The magician Hasan Sardar.

As today all of you (read us) are asking the question… What..? Why..? I do no more but to remind us of “HOW” we got here… let us recap the way us, the Pakistani nation have raced ourselves to “Mediocrity” and now digging to become the exemplary milestones of “Below Average Attitudes”

Let’s recall… how many times have we faltered in not recognizing the signs of the disaster that is today..

In year 2000 Waseem Akram and his cronies… Waqar Younis, Mushy and few others were allowed to survive with mere fines… Where Ata and Malik were banned for life, Akram was allowed to continue to play… for thinking that our cricket may crumble without him… Ladies and Gentleman… why did we forget no one is bigger than the game.. Akram back then is on record to state that …”Why the whole fiasco…. who doesn’t bet in Pakistan”….. Excuse me….. in one statement Mr. Akram reversed swung the allegation on himself and painted the whole nation as cheaters including me you and everyone else.. Why did not we ask Mr. Pakistan Wasim Akram back then that betting on your country’s national pride is like selling your motherland (read mother)… another country had this been…

Mr. Akram would have been banned for life from entering a cricket stadium… for indeed enough evidence were there including him sitting out the 1994 World Cup semi-final against India giving a stomach-flue reason, a game that Pakistan lost ultimately and then later loosing the biggest one sided games in the history of cricket World Cup finals to Australia in 1999 Lords.

And thanks to our shameless short memories and disgusting arrogance of people at the helm that those recommended as a result of that debacle 10 years ago to be kept at distance from Pakistan cricket such as Mushtaq, Waqar and Ijaz Ahmed and Wasim himself.. all landed some coaching assignments later in the future till today totally against the recommendations of Judicial commission set up to investigate.

Top on the list of idiot and arrogant so called cricketers is the Rawalpindi Express of the past that has been off-track for long now and is going in an unknown direction at full speed with no regard to any signals or guard whistles… Shoaib Akhtar has been in doping scandals (TWICE)… brawls…. Discipline breaches, partying late with girls in night clubs during matches.. hitting fellow cricketers and so on….

Should he be in psyche ward rather be in the national camp…. God knows why he is still around.. may be just to haunt us and taunt us….

Mohd Asif… isn’t he the same guy charged… convicted and banned for life from entering UAE for drug related felony just one year ago… why is he allowed to wear national color… the only color he should be wearing is the Jail suits I must say..My God the list of Pakistani cricketers looks like the cast ensemble of “Con-Air” the movie

Kamran Akmal who has mastered the art of dropping catches.. and black mailing the board …  One of the so many players we have with ZERO technique and … nothing else to offer… yet playing for 5 years now….Who can forget his blowing up in every major game .. with a mindless mind boggling shot…. Kamran alone has mastered all thoughtless reckless shots there could be (read would never be) in a cricket book.

Shahid Afridi…. The Ball eating… Ball Tempering king of the world.. .. The only Cricketer in the world who has survived without a brain and any batting technique for two decades…. Who should have been Doom Doom out of even club cricket in any reasonable cricketing nation… and what did we do.. MADE HIM CAPTAIN??? Shame on us… Welcome Nation… Welcome to Mediocrity.

And then there is a list …  Shoaib, “I am more interested in flirting with every other Indian born Girl” Malik…Younus, “Let me leave cricket for a year then come back at will” Khan…. And Yousuf…” I am yet to decide why I am playing Cricket”.

What kind of lousy ambassadors that we make idols of…. Bravo the mediocre nation…. Go for it.. that’s what you deserve.. no wonder you are FIXED…!

Frank Lampard

The way the cup is shaping up…. I think we are in for even more surprises…. But the ones I am awaiting are the magical moments that would come… and would ensure that we get the best of the best… from the creative forwards and solid defenders… or the mid field kings…  yes there is plenty to come… watch out for these teams as they remain my favorites for they have one of them to become the ‘Golden Boots’ for the cup..

One reason for this world cup not being so rich is the absence of big name ‘Mid-fielders’…. Last edition of FIFA 2006 we had so many… if you all remember Zidane for France, Beckham for England, Fuigo for Portugal, Kaka and Ronaldhino for Brazil, Tito for Italy, Ballack for Germany and so on… the mid-field Kings decided which side will make the last eight and then the last four. Well we have a few of those this time around as well.. To start with …

10- Frank Lampard -- England

One of the finest goal scoring mid-fielders, Lampard can set the pieces for his forwards Rooney and others. I know many think its Rooney who may win it for England… with England not doing so well till now, I still feel if it was Beckham who could do it from the mid…. It will have to be Lampard to do the job this episode.

9- DeRossi – Italy

DeRossi

Italy more than any other team has relied on the strength of defense and mid-filed.. so much so that they went on to win the cup in 2006. It’s often said that playing Italy, opponents must score first. If you let Italy score one, it’s impossible to go pass their field and their defense. De Rossi is the one that can provide what Italy has always been about.

8- Kaka -- Brazil

Firmly established as one of the finest in the world, Capacity to pass the defenses of any top football powerhouse, Kaka is the make or break for Brazilian campaign. Take a look at this clip to imagine the power, speed and skill that can rattle someone like Argentina..

Diego Forlan

7- Diego Forlan- Uruguay

We are already in the know of what this powerhouse can do. At the peak of his career, Forlan has an opportunity to prove himself and his country. Uruguay may have surprised many but not me. I have always seen them as formidable South American power often overshadowed by the big guns Argentina and Brazil. If he strikes more than few times.. Count Uruguay in the last four and may be more.

Javier Mascherano

6- Javier Mascherano – Argentina

Argentina hot favorites to win the cup for the simple reason that the number of quality players they have is only matched up by England (who to me always choke at the big stage as a team). Yes Argentina rests high on Messi, but then there is Tevez and Veron and so many others. Their captain Mascherano, who is also the youngest player to captain Argentina at age of 26 holds the key from mid-field.

5- Fernando Torres – Spain

Spain is reining European champs and one of the favorites to win the cup (read make it to the last four as beyond that I believe it’s always any ones’ to win). They won the Euro on the power of this fellow, and he better start now or the Spanish train would be derailed. Spain has the players to make it through but somehow it seems they are not for the biggest stage. Can Torres prove us all wrong and take this one away from the Germans, Brazilians and Argentineans.. let’s sit and watch.

4 -- Robinho-Brazil

Regarded by many as the new Pele… if I am to pick anyone other than my top Pick that would be Robinho… I still remember he wasn’t played enough by the Brazilian Coach in  2006 finals or as I thought the results would have been different. Class… dance-ability… genius… watch out world, Robinho can take it all the way.

3- Miroslav Klose- Germany

Germany remains a hot favorite to make it to last four (my list of top four as well) especially after the way they started the cup. Truly professional, star German forward Klose came close so many times in past to winning the Golden Boots including the FIFA 2002 and 2006 and the 2008 Euro reach time him missing out along with him his country missing out to win the top positions. Klose to me has the best ability to position himself t the right place within the circle to provide that final touch into the net. And oh yes do not forget those incredible headers that he use to score 70% of his goals and his trademark summersaults after scoring.

2- Christiano Ronaldo- Portugal

Cristiana Ronaldo turns the beautiful game into child’s play. Portugal has one hope… and that’s him. The most widely photographed, and modeled start in post Beckham era, Christiano has bestest possession on the ball. As the FIFA tributes him.. “such is his artistry that, almost magnetically, the ball returns to his feet time and time again, ready for the next touch of genius.

As Brazil’s legendary FIFA World Cup-winning midfielder Didi once said: “If we don’t treat the ball with love, she won’t do what we want her to do.” If he gets going Portugal would surely make it to the quarter finals beyond that he would need the mid-field Pepe and Deco to come through for the rest and seal the deal.

1-Lionel Messi- Argentina

Before the 2010 FIFA started many a pundits said, why even play the cup just give it to Messi to take home. Such is the aura of unarguably the best footballer of his time we call Messi. To many he is the second coming of Maradona. Now under coaching of his legendary inspiration Messi is all out to repeat what the master did 24years back in 1986. Genius like Maradona, opportunist like Cannigia, Powerful like Baggio and skilled like Ronaldo, there is the whole package. I leave you with top ten goals video of Messi himself. I say more power the power of class, style… skills and the Golden Boots!

2010 FIFA World Cup

The frenzy is beginning.. the momentum is building.. and the state is set the grandest show of them all. The FIFA World Cup of Football.. this time in the African Continent started last nite….. As I recap some of the most memorable and magical moments of past few world cups that are still afresh memories…. So many we can recall that crowned Heroes to the Game … winning hearts and minds of people.. more so achieving beyond imagination climax scenes…

Brazil has been the favorite side for most fans and at least the 2^nd best favorite for all over last three decades… and there is no other reason for that except the shear class…. Grace… and the silence of classic Brazilian samba…

The ones who do magic… want to do it … and do it so badly that they can make the impossible to happen as they say… take a look…..

this is Diego Maradona ( who is this time around the coach of magical Argentina- my money is on them to lift 2010) against England in 1986. Argentina went on to win the cup that year.

How do you stop greatness… yes by fouling them… 1990 was the strangest cup… the. This clip tells the story. The cup was studded with Stars in every team… from Brazil (Branco, Dunga, Valdo), Germany (Mathius, Klinsman), Argentina (Maradona, Cannigia), Italy (Roberto Baggio, Schillaci) England (Linekar, Platt). but the Cup is also remembered for the most unique player of Cameron Roger Milla and his dream run for his country to the last eight with miracles ending in African Dances..

Maradona was fouled by every team to disturb the rhythm even the great clean Brazilians..

1990 The tournament was won by West Germany, who claimed their third World Cup title by defeating reigning champions Argentina 1–0 in the final, a rematch of the previous final four years earlier. Germany was probably the best and was my favorites in that one.

1994: Of course can we forget the disappointment that Italian Soccer Idol Roberto Bagio faced after he had already been dubbed as the one to win the cup for his side in 1994.. He took them all the way to the final.. we saw some finest of dribbling and style.. but then he missed in the last minute of the cup.. the very last kick.. the very last touch.. that could have sent him to Glory sent Brazil to lift the Cup.

1998: was the cup that created the phenomenon Zidane. His final two heads (read later on his shameful use of the same head 8 years later) sent Brazil in tears back home. Zidane was also responsible for the assist in 3^rd goal to Petit Final result a shocking 3-0 in favor of France.

2002 world cup Brazil came back to win beating Germany in the finals. It was a revival of Brazilian supremacy after the shock defeat to Zidane (France four years ago). This time it was Rhonaldino’s free kicks to Germany and England that sealed the deal.

2006: Could we forget the greatest blunder of French Demi-god Zidane who did the famous head butt on Italian  Materazzi in extra time of the 2006 World Cup Final at score leveled 1-1. France lose 5-3 in the following shootout

So the cup has started… and so are the moments of Glory or Despair… Keep watching keep reading… I will be reviewing and reflecting as we create history yet again.

My GOD what a time is was the media was so very positive, people were so motivated, hard working and energetic. Everyone was so very sincere with his/her work. At that time spending days was a blessing not a burden on anyone.

Then in late 90’s there was birth of these private media channels. The “Modernization Era” with the so called “Trained anchors” capitalized media with a heavy price of patriotism. Yes, our media started propagating in the international market. But somewhere down the lane they all forgot what they are promoting. Then came “breaking news” concept which started creating panic among our people. I still remember words of my mother “Bet a mobile par khabar karte rehna, aajkal mulk ke halaat ka kuch pata nhi”. Our youth started influencing slang language leaving behind out national language. People started getting more frustrated by listening to news which portrayed negative image of Pakistan to the world.

LIVE shows became the new trend to divert attention of people in which our politicians started blaming each other for their mistakes. In news there was more negativity shown instead of promoting the positive prospects of Pakistan.

I am not blaming any particular channel. We all are responsible for this. In our daily life, in our dining room chit chat we discuss what’s wrong in Pakistan. Everyone talks about leaving Pakistan but nobody discusses how to improve Pakistan by living in Pakistan. We blame the government for everything. On the internet our youth feels proud in sharing news which creates bad impression of Pakistan to the world.

In the end I only want to request the people of Pakistan. Please for GOD sake stop degrading Pakistan. Stop showing that the glass is half empty instead work on the other half which is full. Promote what’s good in Pakistan. Share something for which you can feel proud of being a Pakistani. Stop blaming others and play your role to save Pakistan. Long Live Pakistan!!! Pakistan Zindabad!!!

10 ) Malik completed his hat-trick (Aisha, Sayali Bhagat and now Sania)

09 ) They are a perfect match, Saania Mirza’s tennis ranking are fast approaching  Shoaib Malik’s batting average numbers.

08 ) That’s what happens when you get Mohsin Khan in the scheme of things for Pakistan Cricket (Reena Roy any body?)

07 ) I guess Saania caught him on the “long-legs” or is it that Malik did a “Double Fault” hmmmm…

06 ) Didn’t the PCB chairman suggested that a top cricketer is involved in “Match-Fixing”.. now we know…

05 ) Malik’s has got already all “ducks” in a row. Its time for “Mixed doubles”. Shall we call this Deuce or simply “Love –All!”…

04 ) Well the marriage would work all-right.. Each time Saania shows a back-hand, Malik can slip in the gully.

03 ) One thing for sure, Malik-Mirza kids would have the dilemma of a life time… to hate Shahid Afridi or love him

02 ) There couldn’t be a better use of time at hand for Shoaib with one year ban from playing cricket.

And Finally….

01 ) Another opportunity for Indian Foreign Minister to blame Pakistan for ‘cross border infiltrations’.

Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket season is a 60-match, 43-day cricket tournament that features some of the best cricketers in the world. The entire IPL season will be streamed around the world on YouTube, except in the U.S., where matches will be time-delayed and made available 15 minutes after the match ends.

Bollywood owners rocking on the show:

IPL funny moments:

IPL 2010 Facebook Cricket Game

Now visit IPL T20 Fever and play the official game of the Indian Premier League and get a realistic, entertaining experience of IPL T20 cricket online now.

Of course you need a Facebook account to get started and then you can create your own DLF IPL T20 Team by selecting your facebook friends as a part of your team. You can also buy professional cricket players to make your team more powerful and enjoy the IPL experience!

This video preview below shows how the game looks like:

The story reminds you a bit of films like Khuda Ke Liye and New York, but the difference lies in the Karan Johar style of storytelling – where even petty details are whetted with emotion, tears, dialogues and vivid imagery.

Take my advice and take notes with you while you watch this movie because from the first scene till the last scene you’ll learn lifelong lessons. Quoting one dialogue from the starting of the movie, well not exactly the same words but you’ll understand what I mean “Darna buri baat nhi hai lekin iss baat ka khiyal rahkein ke dar apki kamyabi mei rukawat na ban jiay”.

I have been waiting for this kind of movie from SRK from quite some time. A movie with not just a powerful story it also contains some true emotions which will make you cry, which will make you laugh and which will make you think over certain things again. Plot is quite simple which revolves around Rizwan Khan(Shah Rukh Khan), Mandia(Kajol) and their son Sam. How they were living a happy life and after 9/11 what are the after effects on their lives which changed everything.

Out-standing come back by Kajol filled with emotions, acting and she was rocking in all aspects. Now for the extras; Jimmy Sherjill was decent in this movie, Sonya Jehan (same girl from the Olpers add) gave a simple but touchy impact in the film.

The dialogues as I have mentioned before were so very inspiring and with SRK delivering them they were double in impact. Quoting few more from the movie “Namaz logon aur jageh se nhi neyat se hoti hai” another one saying “Dunya mei sirf do tarah ke insan hote hain, ek woh jo acha kaam karte hain woh ache insan hote hain aur ek woh jo ghalat kaam karte hain woh bure insan hote hain”, how can I forget the main dialogue of the movie “My name is Khan and I am not a terrorist”.

There were few but I loved Tere Naina by Shafqat Amanat Ali and Sajda by Rahat Fateh Ali. Some promising scenes include the starting scene where SRK’s mother tells him the difference between Muslims and Hindus. Then there was this scene where SRK while his way to the president meets a family and explains the reality of Namaz. Another one which inspired me was when SRK enters in a mosque and there he finds suicide bomber brain washing the people but SRK clarifies few things and in the last while meeting the president is also a must see.

All in all a complete package with little bit of comedy, some out-standing performance by every actor and most of all a lesson which must not be ignored that if few people from a particular religion are doing something wrong than don’t conclude that their religion is wrong only say that those people don’t know their religion enough to convey their message.

I remember in these functions whether it’s Vailma, Shaddi, Mehndi or any other event relating to Shaadi one thing for which people always wait is fooood…. Yes!! I am also in the same league. Besides wishing dulha, dulhan the real main purpose of going to shaadi functions has always been you get to meet your relatives you haven’t seen for a long time. But above all you get to taste good food, the charghey, the bar b.q., biryani. Paratha Kabab, qaurmay and haalway..

From the time I started attending these functions I always favored serving food before 10:30 PM or 11:00 PM at most. After 11:00 the stomach starts questioning us “Man i have done some hectic work today and I am not even getting food on proper time”.  After 11PM, when the guests are not served food yet the gossips start with everyone guessing when will we get the food? We look for clues which indicate when food will be served.  We start watching carefully every action of the waiter like how many waiters are there and we use all our senses to find out what are the dishes that waiters are serving?? How much time will it take to serve and if we find some of our favorite dishes in the menu our mouth starts watering more and more. Often you’ll also hear people saying ke “Khana kab mile ga, bhook se bura haal ho rah hai” and you must also have seen people saying “Jaldi kahna ho to hum jain, kal office bhi jana hai, bachon ko school jana hai, aur inn logo ko koi fikr nhi”. Many people have come in Taxi, Rikshaw and if the event ends around 2AM in the morning he will not be pleased to say alvida to you with kind words will he??

Another important aspect is that after 11PM the time on which food is served is directly proportional to how much we will eat. Like if food is served late we will eat more and vice versa. Isn’t this also a hint on how much we can save food and money? Just an advice for the next event hosts, if you want to save food include in the invitation card the time on which food will start serving like add that “Food will be served in between 10PM-11PM”. This will help people to not rush on the food and people will eat according to their appetite and need. So next time if you have any shaadi waadi in your family try to give this suggestion to your relatives and see what happens.

In the end I want to appreciate the government for taking out this powerful step of wrapping out these shaadi waadi functions before 12. In this manner there is no rush of people on food and most importantly no waste of precious time for all, not counting the savings in energy and electricity as well..

10 ) Apples are good for health.

9 ) Was checking to see if the Australians had bitten it.

8 ) Seem like a good idea at the time…

7 ) Just trying to prove that he not dumb or stupid… but a ‘smart’ captain…

6 ) Hadn’t eaten dinner.. It was past 11:00 for God sake.

5 ) This was a publicity stunt for his new contract with PEPSI for a campaign where the fans would get an Afridi bitten cricket ball for every 100 bottle caps they collect.

4 ) This was a publicity stunt for his new contract with CLOSE UP toothpaste for a campaign titled. “What’s the next you will use your teeth for”?

3 ) Change the media focus from 8-0 whitewash defeat to something more entertaining.

2 ) Oh Khochay hum tum ko bataati hai……

..and the # 1) Reason,

1 ) CHOMP CHOMP Afridi !

Perfect coach for Paksitani cricket team. As it is righlty said “Latoon ke bhoot baton se nhi mante”