Adventures of the Kid

The Kid woke up.

He was sweaty and tired, trying to understand what was real and what was not. He had a very vivid dream he could not escape from. A black void with a distant light that was beyond reach. He looked around, searching with his hands blindly in the darkness, trying to find his glasses.

He grabbed them finally above his head, they were strategically placed on the hand holder. When he wakes up he always feels what a terrible burden bad eyesight is. It is a curse, maybe a blessing in disguise too sometimes, not to see the abominal things that people do to each other and animals every day.

He regained his composure, then he wiped the window with his right arm. It was cold, he felt the ice on the window penetrating his bones, reaching into his soul. But he forgot all about it in a split second. For he was about to witness things few people in the world will. He would see worlds you could not possibly imagine, dream or draw, worlds of such beauty and exotic that you would have to be in a barren moon in the other side of the galaxy.

There was snow everywhere, sparkling into the darkness like a tiny million stars, engulfing everything in a white veil. Trees as high as mountains, little wooden houses hand built in the middle of a white snowy plain. The arctic circle before his very eyes. He would be engrossed in this majestic sight for over a week and felt so alive as never before.

The Kid was never frightened. Because he looked around and he saw people he liked, that made him happy and made him forget all his problems. He looked on his left and he saw the Fox sleeping in an uncomfortable position, like an S letter. He giggled inside and he grabbed her legs and stretched them on his lap. She let a shriek of comfort.

He looked on his left again. He saw the Joulu Koira. The Dog of Christmas. For most of the trip she was nervous, looking left and right with a constant gaze that oozed with nervousness and uncomfortableness. The Kid touched her and tried to comfort her. She was shaking. Poor thing. The Kid squeezed himself in the corner even more, trying to make as much space for the Fox and the Dog. He was uncomfortable, as he was never able to sleep in a moving vehicle. But he was rewarded with the warmest look from the Dog, like she appreciated his move and cuddle into a furry round ball to sleep.

Food??!

He then turned his sight on the middle row. On the left, the Squirrel was sleeping. She was Fox's twin sister so sleeping was normal for them. In the middle slept the little sister of the pack, the Camel. And on the right Groot. A tall, slim man with a deep voice. He could easily be converting people into believing him with that voice for sure. He was also Squirrel's boyfriend.

In the driving seat there was the Beer. Dad actually never drank any alcohol and he spoke little to no English. Yet most of the times he told the Kid: "Kid! Beer!". Next to him was Aiti. Mom was quiet most of the times, except when they were all playing cards. The Kid already misses her cooking.

The Kid looked at his iPad. They begun their journey around 4am and it was barely 11:00. He spent the first hours playing silly games, listening to music and radio stations, hugging the dog and pretending to sleep. He needed to stretch his legs so bad.

And his wish came true. A gas station with green colors and a warm place, in the middle of nowhere, completely covered in snow.

A place to rest.

The kid took a moment to stretch his legs and arms. He helped the Fox and the Dog get out. They jumped like little children, a little sleepy and drowsy. And then they opened the trunk to unleash the hounds of hell. Red-bull, the Belgian Malinois and the Black Queen, the Belgian Shepherd. Red-bull was so energetic running around like it was the end of the world, while the Queen walked patiently and with class, as she was an older veteran.

Then the Kid forgot all the distractions and gasped at his surroundings. White snow turning the earth into an icy palace, all the way until the woods far away. All the family then proceeded to the building in order to drink and eat.

The Kid decided to buy nothing and went in the bathroom to empty his bladder. Oh the relief. They sat down in a big table large enough to fit 7 people. The Beer said something towards the Kid in Finnish. The Squirrel translated it for him.

"In this family you always have to eat", she told him.

The Kid wondered what that meant. But he would soon discover this.

They set on their way again into the endless straight highway. There were about 7 hours left on that road trip. The Kid spent his time playing and watching the Avengers for the 10th time. He played some more games. He listened to the entire GTA IV radio stations. He watched the others play a weird game with Finnish names. He listened to Camel and Groot laughing as hard as they could playing a weird football game where small people jumped around like Robin van Dolphin.

Occasionally the Fox woke up to drink some Pepsi or play Binding of Isaac. The Kid always loved to hear her play, because she made ridiculously funny commentary in English that reminded him of himself.

15:00

The Kid felt a whole week had passed in that car. The sky was already pitch black but they were so close. The radio was on the whole time, playing traditional Christmas Finnish songs. He saw a sign saying Kittila and Levi. He was fueled by curiosity, trying to guess how would the cottage would look like.

They entered the town. Dad pulled off in a local supermarket. They would visit it so many times. The Kid went inside and it was like a stampede. All 6 members of the family spread, divide and conquer at its finest. The Kid was wondering what was this sorcery, as they kept throwing things inside the baskets and the cart. They were going to war. For the cheese a whole cow must have been milked. For the 12 bottles of Pepsi and Coke either a secret deal was made or a pact with the Devil. Meat, vegetables, candies, enough to last a generation, or 2 days with a Finnish family. He did not forget those 24 cans of beer either.

Were they going to a war bunker? Were they going to live underground hidden from humanity and social contact? The Kid was about to be surprised in a very pleasant way. They entered slowly a small snowy road with huge buildings, each with each own garage, snowmobiles, stairs and all kinds of luxuries. Just a few meters away the carriers for skiers that led to the top of the slope. Wow. The Kid was staggered. The adventure had just begun.

Next to Levin Rolli.

Goodnight Sweden.

World Cup 2014 Second Round (review)

It has been an eventful tournament so far in Brazil which compels me to write about the second wave of games, that actually completes today with:

• Belgium vs Russia
• S.Korea vs Algeria
• USA vs Portugal

There have been some controversial decisions as usual, the first set of draws, Klose being tied for World Cup top scorer and some unexpected results i enjoyed witnessing!

Both Klose and Ronaldo are tied at 15 goals and the former hopes to break this record.

 Group A

Brazil - Mexico (0-0): In the second game the men start to be separated from the boys. Brazil, a team branded and touted as real favorites have flattered to deceive so far. Controversial win vs Croatia, lacklustre display vs Mexico. The result? An entertaining scoreless draw.

Rise of the Vulture. Gotta love Pendulum!

Brazil need a push to do something great in this tournament, because so far they do not seem like genuine contenders. That does not mean that you have to write them off of course! Their wingbacks seemed vulnerable and Alves a little clueless. Also man, that haircut..

Once more they relied on the brilliance of Neymar who was well closed by the battling Mexicans and the magnifiscent display from their keeper. Ochoa made some truly fantastic saves with that header the save of the tournament so far. Great reflexes. They do not have a true forward and their midfield lacks creativity. Luis Gustavo and Paulinho just don't cut it. Paulinho had a horrible season in Tottenham and he looks a shadow from the player that impressed in the Confederations Cup last year. He looks short of confidence and that's a pitty because he is a good box to box player. Oscar was shackled too and his diminuitive size did not help him. Fred was isolated and replaced by Jo. It's hard to imagine a side that boasted Ronaldo and Pele with Jo and Fred as their main forwards. They need to step it up or a team with more clinical finishing and counter-attacking football such as the dutch will tear them to pieces.

Mexico deserves credit for their composed performance. They defended well, had their keeper in a fantastic day and they even launched some great attacks in the second half when they dominated proceedings. They are still in pole position to qualify but they have to face a tough test in the next game. For a scoreless draw it was an entertaining match that suited both parties.

Croatia - Cameroon (4-0): This is where the fun starts. Croatia looked strong. The decider with Mexico will be of great interest! They were handed an easy task as the ridiculous "team" of Cameroon are set to go home, probably without scoring a single goal. I have talked about Croatia, i liked their tactics and their finishing was incisive. Cameroon is a joy to behold. Apart from their early pre-WC antics that i talked about in the last article this time they took it to the next level. Song got a red card for elbowing Mandzukic, Assou-Ekotto headbutted his own teammate who looked at him with disbelief and the result was a one sided match that ended 4-0. GG Cameroon.

He is lucky the referee did not notice the incident..

Group B

Chile - Spain (2-0): Something that happened 3 times in the last 4 versions of the World Cup happened again. The defending world champions crashed at the group stage! France in 2002, Italy in 2010 and now Spain. Predictable boring team in need of rethinking and rebuilding. For me it's better that the team endured such a shock, because a big jolt was needed to wake up players that won it all and lost their hunger and their passion, as Xabi Alonso admitted. They still have an excellent crop of players, both experienced and young that can maintain the high standards of the Spanish National Team.

Congratulations to Chile, who had a clear gameplan and hit Spain with potency and effectiveness. Alexis was once more great and the scoreline is deserved. Compact team with great fighting spirit built around Vidal and Alexis. Great defending placement and solidity. An entertaining team to watch.

Spain should drop Casillas as he was horrible vs Netherlands and was atrocious vs Chile. Diego Costa threw a great chance away and i wonder why he was picked ahead of Llorente or even Negredo. I saw only Iniesta trying to conjure some magic but he cannot win it alone. The usual monotonous passing with so much possession that leads to nothing in the final third. Toothless Spain. And Busquets man, seriously how can you miss that? Torres needs no introduction. A team that swaps the center forward for Torres is desperate. Plus the look on his face makes me sad and depressed.

Fans of the World Cup deserve their own post!

Australia - Netherlands (2-3): Another entertaining match from the Dutch. Australia played some nice football and maybe deserved something from this game. And what a goal from Cahill! Incredible volley with him saying that he just had to hit it.

It's a bird, it's a dolphin, it's....Robin van Persie!

I saw only the highlights but Robin van Dolphin and Robben saved the day with a nice goal from Memphis too. They will progress far as it seems but they look leaky defensively. But who doesn't in this tournament so far? They do look like last 4-8 team. Australia is out of the competition as Chile and Netherlands have 6 points so they will enjoy the last game vs Spain with no pressure.

What a great strike! Youtube it!

Group C

Colombia - Ivory Coast (2-1): A match that i didn't see apart from the goals so i cannot comment on it. Colombia did the job progressing first in the group. Two quick-fire goals followed by a goal from the Elephants secured the win. Condolences to the Toure brothers for the death of their brother at the young age of 28.

Greece - Japan (0-0): A boring draw. I only saw the highlights due to the late hour of the kick-off but i did not miss something spectacular. The Greeks showed passion this time at least and they got the best possible outcome for a team playing with 10 men from the 38th minute due to the stupidity of Kostas Katsouranis. We had little chances and the Japanese actually had some nice moments and dominated possession but they could not find the winning goal. I liked how the Fernando Santos wanted something more from the game. He is leaving after the WC so why would he care? Now to progress we need a win against Ivory Coast, a result that looks plausible and a helping hand from Colombia to beat Japan. Any team that goes in the next round will be eliminated though, they do not have what it takes.

Pop-eye Maniatis.

Group D

Italy - Costa Rica (0-1): Another great match, or better say, a great display of heart and technique from the brave Costa Rica. Controversy ensued, as the officials showed favoritism towards Italy with a CRYSTAL clear penalty on Joel Campbell, but the result is fair and deserved. Following their hard-fought victory against England, Italy were flying high and underestimated their opponents with Balotelli saying that the english queen should kiss his...cheek if they beat Costa Rica. He went on to miss 2 great chances with a fantastic delivery by Andrea Pirlo, who was shackled throughout the game. Balotelli himself was closed down by 2-3 players all the time and in the second half i don't think the italians mustered a single shot on goal. Right after the controversy of the penalty shout, Costa Rica scored and they won the match. Funny how after the game 7 of it's players had a doping control while only 2 were checked from the italians...One team will go out in the next match and it won't be Costa Rica...

Uruguay - England (2-1): When Luis Suarez does not bite people, he is one of the best strikers around. He put sorry England to the sword and send them packing like the arrogant fools they are. Gerrard made a fantastic assist to his Liverpool teammate too. Rooney scored after a decade or so in the World Cup and failed to make his mark. Sturridge was great and his vital contribution ended in the goal for England. Uruguay did what they had to do and now they are up for a showdown with Italy in the last game. Winner takes all. Fantastic finishing by a half-fit Suarez for both goals and a nice display of humanity and passion during his celebration with his fitness coach. Lastly, respect to Alvaro Pereira for his dedication and pathos shown after his concussion. He kept playing when he shouldn't and completed the match. A big bravo.

Group E

Switzerland vs France (2-5): Breathtaking display from France. One-touch football, easy on the eye, great finishing, solid defensive work despite conceding 2 goals. Promising, a team that can make the semi's! Also congratulations to the Swiss for their effort, as even after being 5 goals down they kept trying and they managed to score twice. Benzema and Matuidi looked great, as well as Valbuena and Pogba after coming on. I expect to see some great things from this team, but let's see how they fare against the big boys in the next rounds.

Honduras - Ecuador (1-2): I did not see this game as it was of no interest to me, but Honduras scored in the 31st minute, Ecuador answered 3 minutes later and they completed the turnaround in the 65th minute. They will progress to the next round if they beat france or they draw and Switzerland fails to beat Honduras. I expect them to pack their things after the next game.

Group F

Bosnia - Nigeria (0-1): A surprising result given both teams displays in the first game. I did not watch any of it so i cannot comment. Nigeria plays with Argentina now and they look set to qualify.

Iran - Argentina (0-1): Another match were we had controversy with a valid penalty shout not given, this was a repeat of Italy vs Costa Rica until Messi who was virtually absent scored in the 91st minute with a fantastic strike. He did his trademark cut inside from the right and fired a curling shot in the top right corner. Iran were composed and deserved a draw for their effort and chances, let alone the penalty shout. They had some great chances and in the second half they even dominated for the first 20 minutes until Lavezzi's introduction, a fact that makes me wonder why he was not picked in the starting line up again. The brave Iranians exposed Argentina defensively and showed their weakness to defend set-pieces and high balls in the area. They need to improve or they will go out. Messi was walking and trying to take on 2-3 defenders at the same time.

It looks clear to me..

Group G

Germany - Ghana (2-2): Credit to Ghana for their battling display. They were down one goal after Goetze scored but replied with 2 goals of their own to turn the tables until Klose made an immediate impact after coming on. He scored and is now joint top scorer in the World Cup with the legendary Ronaldo 9 with 15 goals. He will have a chance to be top in the next games. Germany faulter at the big stage lately and this draw shows their weakness. They will progress but they will have to tighten up at the back and have a clear game plan. A vital showdown with the USA remains.

Portugal - USA: A game that kicks off today, will determine who will go through the next round. If the USA win they are virtually in the next round and Portugal will go home. If Portugal wins, we have a very dramatic showdown in store for the last matchday! The americans are a tough team and Portugal average unless Ronaldo carries them forward.

Group H

Belgium - Russia: A match that is in the 30th minute as i type this with the scores locked at 0-0. A tricky group with Belgium on 3 points, Russia and S.Korea on 1 point and Algeria on 0 points. Winner takes all.

S.Korea - Algeria: Same as above. The last match of the first round along with Portugal - USA and actually a match and a group that does not interest me much.

That was it so far from the stadiums of Brazil, i m not sure if i will make another article about the third matchday but most likely see you in the round of 16!