July 10, 2014 – The Metrognome

Google compiles 8 magical World Cup moments

From a coach staggering backwards to the fastest goal in under a minute, Google tracks 8 moments fans loved this World Cup.

by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

After four weeks of anticipation, excitement, aggressive performances, tears of disappointment and some crazy instances, the FIFA World Cup has finally reached the finale stage. As fans await to see the strongest football teams play in the ‘Battle de finale’ and lift the FIFA Cup this year, Google Search recaps some of the crazy yet entertaining moments the fans cherished again and again during their journey to the finale.

#1) Highest score in a World Cup victory. An historical battle by all counts, with an exhilarating performance by the German squad that delivered a shocking record World Cup defeat for Brazil, German midfielder Toni Kroos, who scored two back to back goals in the first half’, epitomised Germany’s improved game. Germany searches for “highest score in a World Cup victory” spiked by 370x during the match.

#2) Klose to history. German striker Miroslav Klose became the World Cup’s all-time record scorer with his 16th goal during their semifinal against Brazil.

#3) Falling coaches. Another such moment emerged during the recent Argentina- Belgium match where Alejandro Sabella, the Argentina coach, quickly gained Internet fame after he became so engrossed in a chance for his side during their World Cup quarter-final against Belgium that he almost fell over.

#4) Cheers and tears. During the round of 16 battle, Argetinian commentator Pablo Giralt could not hold back his tears as he summed up the feelings of many Argentineans after Angel Di Maria’s 118th minute winner goal versus Switzerland, letting his emotions take over him in an epic live on air match commentary. After an enormous “ggggggoooooooooaaaaaaallllllll” came the tears!

#5) Full paisa vasool. Piojo Herrera is by far, the most entertaining coach to watch at the World Cup, managed to grab everyone’s attention with his celebration style. Fans searched for Mexican Coach “Piojo” online after his epic side-line celebrations during Mexico- Croatia match.

#6) Clean and clear. Japanese fans, armed with blue rubbish bags scoured the stadium for any mess and made sure the Football Arena was left in good condition as the Japanese team played their set of matches during FIFA. The positive gesture from Japanese fans was appreciated by Football fans across the globe.

#7) Quicker than Maggi noodles. The fastest of this World Cup and one of the quickest goals in the tournament’s history was up on show for fans as USA captain Clint Dempsey wasted no time against Ghana, scoring the 2014 World Cup tournament’s fastest goal a mere 32 seconds after kick-off.

#8) Torres wardrobe malfunction. And finally, from the fashion ramps to the Football Arena, Fernando Torres wardrobe malfunction during the first half of Spain versus Australia match did bring some unusual cheers among the crowd. Fans continued to search for the player and the incident online after the match.

(Text and graphics courtesy Google Inc.)

How meaningful is your nostalgia?

With the ever changing nature of our metropolis, will getting nostalgic lose its meaning, or simply evolve into something else?

by Ritika Bhandari Parekh

Last week it rained for the first time this season, the way it rains only in Mumbai. And yet the leaking Metro train, the flooded roads and the emergence of a sea of black umbrellas didn’t excite my heart. When I think about it, it has all got to do with missing the earthy smell brought by the first showers. Maybe it is the fact that I live on a higher floor now, or that I no longer live at the place where I grew up, but that wonderful fragrance of the earth which heralds the Mumbai rains is gone.

Nostalgia is such a heady concoction of familiarity, not only through smell or taste, but also sight. Ask any newly married girl and she will vouch for how different the food tastes at her new home, just because it is not served in the same type of katori as she is used to. Who knew that stainless steel katoris could hold such strong memories? As for the married man, not only he has to appreciate the new style of cooking but the same ‘katori’ with a different flavour definitely needs some adjustment.

The beauty of nostalgia lies in its quality to penetrate us, unknowingly yet in a known manner. Remember that song your mother hummed while making rotis, doesn’t it stop you in your tracks even now? Or the firm handshake of your father which acknowledges your academic or sports success? Speaking of sports, the start of Wimbledon has to coincide with the monsoon in India, or else it really doesn’t hold the same thundering success for old timers. A bit of pitter-patter with some serve and volley and an all-white uniform code, and you are right there in England.

Research shows that nostalgia has evolved from a malady to being accepted as a universal feeling. From helping the village boy cope with the pressure of finding a job in the dreamland called Mumbai, to giving emotional strength to newlyweds – nostalgia is good for humans, in general.

This New York Times article points out that “Nostalgia counteracts loneliness, boredom and anxiety. It makes people more generous to strangers and more tolerant of outsiders. Couples feel closer and look happier when they’re sharing nostalgic memories. On cold days, or in cold rooms, people use nostalgia to literally feel warmer.”

So what if the rains of today are different from the ones you were used to? Go ahead and take a splash in the rains, click a photo in your mind, make it your moment and relive it every time Mumbai is flooded. Let our buildings be torn down and our few public spaces disappear in the cosmic universe of malls and traffic, for as long as it rains, our chai pakoras are enough to transport us in the realm of a heaven called Bombay.

(Pictures courtesy physicsworld.com, lightnarcissus.com)