ToBeHonest!

Amsterdam, eh?

 

Very interesting place. I was only there three days, but for some reason I felt very much at home. The city seemed very familiar but distinctly different at the same time. There were times that I felt I was in London, until I realised that there was a lack of cars on the road, a lack of depressed looking people and a lack of fat people (other than the odd American tourist). Why no cars? Apparently drivers are taxed to hell so most people either use the public tram system, cycle or walk. That's one of the reasons as to why Dutch people are pretty good-looking and healthy.

 

Other than watching my travelling partners get stoned each day, I also introduced myself to other tourists and to some of the locals. Almost everyone that I met was cheerful and had something nice to say about their experiences, future ambitions and their city as a whole. With so much positivity, I actually contemplated refusing to return to England. Why? Because this country enjoys being miserable. If it's not for its failure at sports, its the dodgy youth culture or the lack of social cohesion with the various cultures who inhabit England.

 

I decided not to jump ship, however, as I have been here for 24 years. My whole life. I want to do more travelling to various countries and I want to embrace different cultures and societies. With a broader knowledge of the world, I will then make a more informed decision about where I'll eventually emmigrate to. I've got Barcelona, Tokyo and Toronto coming up in the near future with one of my ambitions being to learn a second language. How cool would it be to know Japanese or to be able to speak the sexy language of Spanish fluently? Time will hopefully tell.

 

TheBrotha!

Two weeks from now I'll be in Holland enjoying the Dutch culture. It's only three days but it's just great to get away from this depressing cesspool we call London.

 

In August I'll be off again, this time to Barcelona. Hopefully I see some sun this summer!

 

Here's hoping!

 

TheBrotha!

Like most long-term Arsenal fans, following the club we love is like riding on a dangerous rollercoaster. I've lived through the days of 'boring, boring Arsenal', 'One-nil to the Arsenal', the 'FCUK' (in reference to our French contingent) and the 'Henry [One Man Team]'. Now, with all that firmly in the past, we have something fresh and new. Our team excites like no other. Sexy football has no better translation than the free-flowing brand of football that emanates at the Emirates. Our team also frustrates like no other. The Carling Cup Semi-final with Spurs still grates in the memory due to being only a month ago.

 

True Arsenal fans (not the ones who jumped on board during the Invincible season) will agree that the team still has a long way to go but are definitely heading in the right direction. We've been needing a true poacher of goals since Wrighty left us. Ten years later, we have him. He's the one carrying his leg over his shoulder. Eduardo da Silva is the guy to give us the finishing that we need at the end of our sumptuous passing play. Adebayor gives us the other option we needed where Henry was failing us. Headed goals. When Eduardo returns to full fitness, that would complete our striking line-up.

Our main frailty, however, has been our defense. Not since the days of Adams, Bould, Dixon and Winterburn have we had a back four that we could truly trust to keep things quiet in our half. Nowadays, because of our attacking nature, we have a maverick backline which relies on the fact that if one goes in behind them then hopefully two will go in in front of them. Not good on days like the United game in the FA Cup at Old Trafford where we completely collapsed or the games against Birmingham and Aston Villa. Obviously our side's inspiration had taken a holiday abroad.

 

Arsenal did the same this week. Finding it in Milan.

 

Now I'm not going to give a minute-by-minute analysis of the match. We already know that Arsenal played the signature football that embodied them since the beginning of the season. We know that AC Milan couldn't handle the relentless pressure from a team that had been written off and had nothing to lose. We know that the outcome was 2:0 to Arsenal. What we don't know is what will happen next. Will we finally do what we've never done before, and finally get to hold the Champions League trophy? Will we win the Premiership to complete the Double in the face of adversity? Or, will that just be where the dreams end and we finish up with nothing? Who knows? Does Arsene know?

 

As an Arsenal fan, I'm proud of what the side has accomplished so far while I have been following them. I pray that there will be more defining moments in the future to give me the right to brag about how great my team is. Time is sometimes seen as a cruel mistress, only revealing things at her own pace. Well hopefully come May, I'll have something to tell my kids and grandkids in years to come. Or time could help me to forget a season that promised so much near the end but ultimately came up empty.

 

Keep hope alive.

 

TheBrotha!

Here I am. Bored as hell. I've already mastered my job in the space of FIVE MINUTES. Totally bored now and so I've been checking the Internet for some form of entertainment. Not much going on in the world at this time of night. I thought I'd send a few e-mails as I haven't got Messenger on my workstation

Guess what? I'm still wearing my hat.

TheBrotha!