Peace of Mind

   I’m not talking about rocket science when I mention time-traveling in this blog. Just want to share a piece of my mind about one of few the things that influence my life greatly, music.

   It’s

9pm

, in one chilly night somewhere in mid-1999 in the school hostel’s compound, when I started listening to Californication by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. It’s the 10th time already just for that day, with my loyal Panasonic walkman as a companion or ‘friend’, serving my needs without hesitation, just for the un-rechargeable batteries that I had to replace once every 3-4 days. The well-structured rhymes, melancholic tone, and meaningful lyrics really caught my soul. It’s probably one of the best song I ever heard, if not the best. For weeks, months to come, that was the song that keep buzzing thru my ears, whether it’s school time, break, the moment before go to sleep or in even in my dreams….

   When I wake up in one cold morning, there was something that alerted me to something, about an event that occurred in the past. Then I sit in front of my always-on-PC, opened a program called Winamp®, and scroll thru the playlist thinking what song I’m going to play. After some careful observation, I decided to play my-still-best-song of all-time, Californication by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Then suddenly, the memories started to come through my mind. The memory’s very clear. It’s September 1999, the time when most of us are preparing for the toughest test of their time, the SPM, and some of them still busy kicking other people’s head and butt. I can tell you with 80% accuracy what I was doing that time and what were my friend’s activities. I can tell you why I started to learn the art of guitar, even though before this I’m a complete dumb at musical instruments. I can tell you why I didn’t do well in my SPM when my friends scored when they don’t even finish the textbook.. WHY, suddenly, all this memories come to mind in a cold morning?

   Yes sir, it’s about the music. As a person with a lot of respect and admiration for musicians who plays their stuffs doing what they liked most, I find it very interesting to being able to rediscover lost memories through music. For me, every songs that I play or listen to, has its own memories, experience, and signs. Every songs that I listen to, will bring out all sorts of lost memories to mind. I don’t know how to explain and why it happens, but most of the time it’s enjoyable. Just to remember old memories by listening to songs, really gives me something to think about. The memories of 1997, the ill-fated period of mid-1999, the enjoyment of 2002, the ‘first step’ in 2003, the DATE WITH THE GIRL in late-2003, the 3-months-hell of mid-2004, and many more. In all those period, songs like Wonderwall, I Miss You, Californication, Evening News, The Chemistry, High N Dry, Like A Stone, Another You, Don’t Look Back in Anger, The Scientist, Faculties of The Mind, Forgot About Dre, Changes, Scartissue, Coffee & TV, Somewhere Only We Know, Only God Knows Why, Hotel California, Drive, Welcome to Paradise, Blind, Smells Like Teen Spirit and Tribute really played it’s part.

   I don’t know how about you people outside there, but for me, music is one of the most influential elements of one’s life, just like myself. I listen to music to discover and rediscover some part of myself. Music don’t just come and go, they lives with the memories….

   I’m not so sure if indeed Pele (Edson Arantes
do Nascimento) was the one who said football is ‘the beautiful game‘ like many including him
claimed. I’m sure, long before ‘the greatest footballer on earth’ starts
kicking balls in his backyard in his hometown; the game has already been
beautiful, if not entertaining and dramatic as it is today.

   For whatever reason, more and more people are watching ‘the beautiful
game’ nowadays than they watch Baywatch. With all the big-money being invested
in the game for TV revenues and the emergence of satellite TVs, people as far
as Siberia may watch live matches back in their igloos.
With the league championships are gaining popularities from all over the world,
most notably the European leagues, it is safe to say that it’s an investment
well done.

   With the growing numbers of football followers in all parts of
the world, more and more people are talking football in their free time. More
people are playing football, more people are buying jerseys, more people are
surfing football websites, and more and more people are becoming football
supporters. The reason for supporting a team depends on multiple factors. Some
of them support a team because it gives them inspiration to play football,
some watch certain team play because their favorite player is there, and some
of them are there just to fill in the corium (so they don’t get isolated when a
bunch of friends are talking about their favorite team).

   Being a football supporter myself, I understand that some
people ‘need to support‘ at least a WINNING team. It doesn’t
matter if the team doesn’t know how to play football, or just because they have
a bunch of good-looking players, people will watch and cheers them as long as
the team are winning matches and trophies. But once their
so-called team isn’t winning, it slowly becomes an urgency
to keep talking in a higher pitch to maintain their LOYALTIES to their club, even
though they have to sacrifices their pride just to talk rubbish. Cold hard-facts being presented
times and times again, fictional assumption being tossed around like it’s
kindergarten compound, and most notably, insulting other football teams
(and fans). So, when their team are on a bad patch, ppl won’t notice the change
in their mood because they keep talking in a high pitch, even though the
content of their arguments are totally different in both period. Attacking is the best defense. You attack
other teams to protect yours. Got me?

   It’s appalling to me, that somehow, somewhere, people who
claims to be a FOOTBALL fan (or merely a supporter), pride
themselves for insulting other teams that obviously are playing FOOTBALL too
(maybe better than their team). People watch football because they love the game, if not in love with the
game. It’s the most popular sport in the planet for goodness’
sake. I was inspired to play football because the beauty of the game, the
excitement it offers, and the adrenalin rushes, that no other sports offers me.
Everyday I watch football, in TVs, magazines, newspapers, internets, and I believe
most of us do too. For whichever team we look for, we know we play the same
balls. So, with all the love and passion about football, how can you go around
insulting other teams (and fans as well) that are playing the same ball game?
And want respect and recognition for your ‘effort’? Indirectly speaking,
you’re actually condemning your own principles and dignity. Maybe they’re not a
football fan after all. But if they’re not, why in the world they talk and play
football? Are they a football fan or club lunatic? I hope it’s not the
satellite TV station’s fault for bringing ‘the
beautiful game‘ in front of their eyes while they’re still naive, so
they become incapable of making a good thinking. I can’t blame you for being a
club lunatic, but at least show some respect to the FOOTBALL FANS out
there, who loves the game more than you love your depleted club.

   Well folks, Germany
2006 are looming large. Yes indeed, it’s the World Cup I’m talking
about. For you people who are still new to this WC thing, it’s not club level
football. It’s no Champs League, it’s no FA Cups, it’s no domestic league
bullsh*ts. It’s much higher than what you can imagine, that your ‘undeniably-misleading-fictions‘
and provocative insults aren’t relevant in this competition
whatsoever. It’s the beautiful
game’s most beautiful. Gut wrenching tension, I can’t wait…..