The Flowers of Evil

No, I am not talking about the French poem. I am talking a planet called Las Vegas.

Las Vegas strucked me with two unexpected as soon as I landed. One, the first thing I saw when I walked out the arrival gate was slot machines, tons of them, everywhere. Two, the heat wave, it was 112 degree F, around 40 C. It felt like I was locked in an oven, and I couldn't get out. It says, 'Welcome to Las Vegas!', but what it is really saying is 'Baby, you can run but you can't hide!'.

When you look at Vegas you know we make wonders. This is a piece of land that grows nothing but sand, rocks and cactus. Out of nowhere, here it stands this splendid city, a real mirage in the desert. This is a place that never sleeps, that has traffic jam at midnight, a place of sound and lights. I cannot help feeling that Vegas is a woman, when she is good she is good, when she is bad she is even better. Wynn hotel was built with more than two billions dollars. It was luxury to the extreme, but I like the older ones more, Bellagio, Caesars Palace, Venetian...which have a touch of culture, at least they try. My favorite thing has to be the small lake size dancing fountain in front of Bellagio. Water shot toward the sky, waves danced to the Italian song 'Time to Say Goodbye' in a desert summer night. It was like a dream.

I love Vegas. It is the least self conscious and least hypocrite place. It wares sin on the sleeve, and is very proud of it. It does anything possible to please you, to temp you, to surprise you. It is a never ending party, an eternal slacking summer. Whether you are man or woman, rich or poor, old or young, you can always find something you look for here.

The Time of Our Lives

I was going to write something after the World Cup was over since it was one of the most beautiful dreams of mine. I waited for so long because I didn't know how to start. This World Cup put me on an emotional rollercoaster ride, up and down, up and down. In the end it left a bad taste in my mouth just like the one four years ago, which makes me wonder if this game is till as beautiful as I remembered. Every time we meet new brilliant rising stars, and we say goodbye to many of the greatest players as well. It brings as much joy as tears, as much broken dreams as hopes. Maybe, just maybe my heart would still pounding again in four years, for the first time on the amazing land of Africa. We will see...

A flawed genius, but a genius all the same

What Zidane did was wrong, no doubt, and no excuse. He should have challenged Materazzi in a duel after the game and broken his jaws, so that he could never insult anyone on or off the field. How I wish you had never come out retirement for this World Cup. It broke our hearts to see you left the field like this. It is true that the world will remember all your flaws, but the people who truly love this game will also remember all magic and wonders you did that took our breath away. Zizou, we will miss you.

There’s nothing you can say
Nothing you can do
There’s nothing in between
You know the truth

There’s nothing left to prove
There's nothing I won’t do
There’s nothing like the pain
I feel for you

Nothing left to face
There’s nothing left to lose
Nothing takes your place

When they say
You’re not that strong
You’re not that weak
It's not your fault
And when you climb up to your hill
Up to your place
I hope you’re well

What you want
What you lost
What you had
What is gone is over

What you got
What you love
What you need
What you have is real
...

Bend it like Beckham

I never root for England, but when I saw Beckham cry on the injury bench today, it broke my heart. I wasn't a fan of Beckham for the longest time because I didn't like a man who marries a spice girl and shows up often on the tabloids for all the wrong reasons.

Trust me, he is not the same man on the football field as England's captain and as the best accessory on Posh Spice's arm. When it comes to football, he is a natural. He is calm, steady, precise, and he bends the ball like nobody else does. He is the backbone of team England. He was crying because England was losing the game, but even more because it was most likely his last World Cup. He is 31 already, which is considered old for a sports in which players have to run, jump and kick for about 90 minutes.

With or without winning the World Cup, he is one the greatest football player. That much we know.

We miss you