Olympic closing ceremony-Once bitten twice shy!

Ever since i came to know how much of the video stream that was sent out of the CCTV to all over the world was digitially remastered and such, I have had lesser and lesser inclination to catch the closing ceremony.Which i did nevertheless.
I didn't really care to even notice the fireworks..coz, come on, who cares for digitially touched up stuff?
Meanwhile, they did put up a good show inspite of the fake fireworks and fake lip syncing singers and what not.
The thing is..they had these five or six women singers on stage singing songs at the closing ceremony.The smiles were so forced..I mean..they just maintained the smile no matter what , even while singing..I mean, don't the lips move in different directions when one sings?Apparently , not..They had this pasted out smiles on their faces that never changed , they continued to sing and sing while still smiling that forced plastic smile..It almost felt like , they were smiling out of fear that they will be executed if for one moment they relaxed their smile .
I also suspect these ladies were lip syncing too , much akin to the dolled up barbie chinese girl who was lip syncing the song some other little girl had actually sung..that little girl which the commnunist oppressive organizers thought had crooked teeth..gosh
Anways...Olympics is over, the chinese topped the medal tally-Good for them and the atheletes who prolly were shitting in their pants that they might get executed had they not won any medals..It is funny, how a life or death threat can actually make people break world records in sports..Not that i am undermining the world or olympic record breaking per say...but well , whatever.

Second day Olympics Round up-Swimming !Women's competitions and winners,A must read

Some of my fav sports were there on the second day,namely,Rythmic Gymnastics, and Swimming and Diving.

I have always loved the scoring patterns and how they show the score after each routine in gymnastics..I know that the dismount is very imp. LOL..and that is all i know..but i score each of them in my head and my score pretty much approaximates with the score of the judges .

The 4x100 m freestyle relay saw the participation of lady from USA that i was talking about in my previous blog on olympics-which you can find if you scroll down this blog.

Btw..the swimming events were so inspring to such an extent that i am so filled with positivity that i somehow think i won't have enough material to be angry about to put it on my antidote ot anger blog..LOL

I saw Michel phelps just go for it and get the gold medal in 4x100m medley and his mom right there in the audience being so genuinely happy to see him win.

An Australian swimmer won the 4x100 medley and his dad or coach whoeever it was there in the audience was just so emotional that he reminded me of my dad.My dad is like that..he assumes a silent emotional contemplative mood each time he sees me win ..sweet ! My mom on the other hand has the same reaction Michel phelps mom has,, she is all chirpy and happy and telling everybody that i am her daughter..LOL..They are both different like that.

Btw..I saw china win in air pistol women's shooting competition and she had that amazing hand steady strength..Nothing moved...till she shot ..wow..that steadiness is also required by us as surgeons when we make incisions..Steadiness of hand is so so important.

I also saw this girl jump with joy after she won her Judo competition and she was young and was a teenager and i suddenly started thinking, WHY ARE TEENAGE MOVIES IN THE US NOT ABOUT THESE, ABOUT AIR PISTOL SHOOTERS, JUDO PLAYERS, 34 FEMALE SWIMMERS WHO REPEATEDLY PARTICIPATE IN OLYMPICS..The truth of the matter is..There are thousands of enterprising women in the US, look at all the women participants there at the olympics..They just made me super proud...Look at them , strength , precision, and skill and tons of self confidence.And what does the media do, it underplays all these important things all thes wonderful young women achieve in sports and science and medicine and choose to concentrate on silly teenagers who get pregnant..seriously..Why underplay even the existence of smart young women?

I DEMAND THAT ALL OF US SMART AND TALENTED WOMEN BE ADEQUATELY REPRESENTED IN MEDIA REPORTS.Seriously !

There was football..It was fun to watch the excitement of women at the matches.Not that i got to watch everything.I just saw the highlights.

Cycling is another thing i really enjoy even though it is just watching people bike..But hey,,i am a biker and i have always followed Tour de France which gives good countryside views of france.

Looks like Baseball will be part of Olympics for the last time .

There was water polo but I didnt pay much attention to it and also,, it was raining at the Archery competition,Didn't pay attention to a lot of stuff ..I will come back and update the diving.

Firstly let me go write a very positive blog there at Anger blog.BRB

Yeah..here i come back..The synchronized diving was fun to watch.I like pretty much of synchronized anything...and it was cut when the lady who placed the medal around the winners of the synchronized diving women's team and she endearingly grab the face of one of the girls and then said something ..It was almost like an sweet aunt of yours grabs your face after she meets you after a very long time.My mom's younger sister , who is my first and eldest aunt on my mothers side does that..She really is so so sweet and dotes on me.hmmmmm

And yeah..I teared up twice when i saw two of the gold medalists , one of them , korean judo gold medal winner and perhaps the cyclist guy too..I teared up coz i can feel it..I have been there and done that..Not trained for Olympics..but I have trained for some sports and won the first prize and it felt so good ...You train well and you give it your all and you sure will feel happy at the end of it irrespective of whether it is a gold or silver..The trick is to really really really really really do the hardwork required without excuses.

hmmmmmm...the same rule of hardwork applies to med school or anything else for that matter..Real focus, real sincerity, some sacrifice is absolutelly what is needed.I used to be this person with super concentration..To admit very honestly i think i had a stoic attitude at one point of life and at that point of time, i did well in everything ...But thinking back , i think i had developed a sense of detachment which kinda helped me tide over something that i couldn't change about my surroudings and perhaps that detachment helped me focus at my own talents and made me recognize that i was super talented and that was the period i honed all the skills that i am proud of now..ya know..Now , i have lost all sense of concentration and i think , though standing the danger of sounding cliched, it is the tv and the multiple channels that has created a pseudo attention deficit disorder in me that was never there..It is just those 100 channels and i don't want to miss the best programs on any single given channel and needless to say that ambition has taken it's toll at my concentration capacities..LOL..NO seriously..I was much better off without a tv.

Either way, i wanted to make time to see the swimming events and i did ..which i am happy for.If you guys are missing out on the olympic events, please atleast make it a point to watch the highlights for the days to come.

love and hugs to everyone.

Absolutely breathtaking Opening ceremony of Beijing olympics 2008

Photo credit: Alexander Hassenstein/Bongarts/Getty Images

photo url:http://en.beijing2008.cn/ceremonies/photos/openingceremony/welcomeceremony/n214516909.shtml

Just as i type this in, I am watching the opening ceremony for beijing olympics 2008.
It is so breathtaking, awe inspiring ,and wonderful.This ceremony is such a positivity boost.I will remember this ceremony for years to come.I am glad i got to watch it.

Before i go on describing minute by minute of what already happenned so far and go , ga ga ga and some more ga about how spectacular it all is, I just have to mention that President Bush did the right thing to go there and attend the opening ceremony amidst all the animonsity.Yeah, yeah , i know , i bash a lot of people who are in the political scene on over at this blog of mine, and I also have strong opinions about the China and Tibet issue, but i still think boycotting olympics for that cause would sure have been a bad idea coz Olympics is about the indomitable human spirit.

So, yeah, it was so endearing to see Bush and his wife out there to extend their cheers to the American team..It was so endearing indeed.

Now, let me start all gushing about the ceremony itself.

Bird's nest Stadium

Firstly about the stadium , It looked so so spectacular in the night(It is night or late evening in China at this point) ,There were millions of glowy lights(red, green and blue) in the viewer stands-looks like the organizers gave shiny light sets too all audience to show off in the dark and during the light show..Absolutely wonderful, It was like the dark sky on a starry night.Very soothing and shiny..Very nice

Photo credit: Xinhua
photo url:http://en.beijing2008.cn/ceremonies/photos/openingceremony/performances/n214517836.shtml

Light show

The creative team did a great great job of the light show.Very nice..The best part was when the bird's nest stadium was created by human light costume wearing performers inside the center of the arena of the stadium.It was truly spectacular and for a couple of seconds i was watching with an open gaping mouth.

"spot the camera please !" ,Foot prints and flag colors,shy flag bearers,parading atheletes, beautiful women athelets, waving dignitaries and what not

This time at the parade, Countries entered not by English alpahbetical order , but by the ascending number of strokes in chinese script in the first letter of the country's name .

here is the deal, right !The atheletes from each country are led by a chinese lady in traditional red chinese costume(which were nice btw) bearing the countries name and then follows the flag bearer who holds a larrge flag pole and leads all atheletes from that particular country . The atheletes inturn are holding small lil flags frantically waving them at the viewers in so much happiness and pride..Some of them are holding cameras taking pictures of the viewers as they walk on.Btw, the viewers are taking pictures of the atheletes who are inturn taking pictures of the viewers taking their pictures..It was cute and hilarious.They were also taking videos of fellow athelets .

As they walk, they get to see a large screen where the parade is covered from a strategically placed camera.Now , there are dignitaries and officials from each country sitting in the stadium stands .The thing is , the viewers are to the right side of the athelete parade.The large screen is in front of the parade.The camera from which the images are projected on to the large screen is placed at around forty five degree from the large screen.EAch time the team from a particular country enters, their feet are wet with the colors of various flag colors.Creative , dontcha think?Now they start walking on and as they walk on , this camera captures images and projects them on the large screen right in front of the on-moving parade.BTw, the large screen actually a 360 degree screen which I figured out when the olympic torch lighting happenned.

As these atheletes from each country walk in , the camera kinda focuses on a few atheletes, and then focuses on the stadium stands to the corresponding dignitaries from that country too.This camera pointing to the dignitaries almost served as a cue(though perhaps was not preplanned or intended in any way) for the dignitaries to actually get up coz they see themselves being focused on the big screen..So, the dignitaries as soon as they see themselves focused get up and start waving at their team,and i truly believe it that just such a cheerful wave by the dignitaries though is a seemingly simple gesture, to their atheletes is very encouraging.BTw, the waving dignitaries almost reminded me of proud parents waving at the their children who are coming back from summer camp

BTW, I know this is going to sound loopy, but i still have to confess that though i neither belonged to the athelete team nor was i in the dignitary team, i still was so moved and excited at all the waving that was going on , that i was actally waving at the tv screen each time either the atheletes and the dignitaries and the viewers waved..

Photo credit: Cheng Gong
photo url:http://en.beijing2008.cn/ceremonies/photos/openingceremony/flame/n214519329.shtml
The excitement and inspiration was so palpable, that, for some reason, i felt proud of all atheletes irrespective of their country .

I mean, i would really be very nervous and all, if i were an athelete and i have a life changing competition to participate in in the coming few days..but suprisingly, the atheletes were so cheerful , so smiling,, all smiles infact, just very excited and not a least bit nervous.

Ofcourse, some flag bearers when they saw themselves being focused on the large screen were quite shy and were very self conscious, but most atheletes as soon as they saw themselves on the screen and figured that the camera was focusing on them from somewhere on their right side immediately turn their heads almost 90 degrees in an attempt to look directly at the camera and smile and wave..But the funny part was that they really didn't know where the focus camera was since it was at a 45 degree angle..The atheletes would then look at the screen from the corner of their eye and would realize that the camera is not where they are trying to look at.It was quite funny that pretty much all teams(except the chinese team) pretty much did the same.Kept searching for the camera..LOL.They could not quite figure out where the large screen's camera was located though.

The camera person kinda had a partiality for dimpled atheletes and ofcourse all pretty ladies were focused too...which i have to admit constituted hundred percent of all women atheletes from all countries.I am very very very proud of all atheletes coz i believe that i really relate to a strong hardworking human spirit and people who have qualified to come to the olympics just by virtue of being there have made it into my inspiration list ..

I mean there were 200 plus countries ,is it 205 or 250? There were 10,500 or 10.050 atheletes out there who imprinted the stadium with colored footprints..


The fireworks were amazing, the ethnic costumes were very amazing and i got to see teams from countries i didnt quite know existed.All atheletes were very very cute looking, afterall they are the fastest , strongest and tallest, aren't they?

I think China did a real good job of the whole ceremony and the idea of the foot prints and light show were truly unique and creative ..Come on, china inspite of all odds ,is the country where they invented the water wheel , paper and explosives ...They are very creative people..Absolutely agree that they did a wonderful job.

Btw, now that i openly admitted that i waved at atheletes on a tv screen and cried many a time while watching the ceremony, you surely must have come to a conclusion that i am a lil loopy.Well, I am not,,I am just emotional and true things move me and i am not afraid to let the emotion show..I am thrilled that i could make time to sit here like this infront of the tv and watch the opening ceremony .There are some of life's things that i consider as perks and to be able to be moved this by watching an opening ceremony is definitely one of life'e perks. Photo credit: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

photo url:http://en.beijing2008.cn/ceremonies/photos/openingceremony/flame/n214518546.shtml
I salute the truly powerful human spirit which aspires to get better and better.It is also a relief to see strong powerful women , all beautiful and exuding power and strength ...I am truly proud of these women.Btw,, they were so so beautiful that it kinda buries in the ground the misconception that pretty women just sit there and do nothing..no...they don't,,the truly pretty women become olympic atheletes and doctors(he he he-just had to insert that)There is a peculiar charm that a face exudes when it feels a deep sense of self worth and i could see that charm on each of the faces of these atheletes.

All i can say about the ceremony is that I COULD FEEL IT..whatever it was that i had to feel..just as i type this , i hear about EXCELLENCE , RESPECT AND FRIENDSHIP and i proudly admit that i can feel all of these..It is so palapable in the air..though i am not sitting there in the stadium, i can feel it from just watching it on TV...

Suddenly , the world looks like a beautiful place afterall and all its faults are momentarily forgotten and forgiven by me.I watch with awe as thousands of flashes go off randomly from the stadium stands as the olympic flag is brought in.

It was breathtaking when there was a loud roar when USA entered in during the parade and I must admit that Bush did a good job of cheering the team..I could see that he truly was proud of the country..He is a patriot ..definitely ! And for one moment, i wanted to ask people to stop bashing him and holding him responsible for all their credit card debt..Seriously!!just coz he is getting bashed for something that went utterly bad ,, a lot of other are bashing him for everthing that is bad about their lives..Come on,,he never asked you get pregnant as a teenager , not did he ask you not to go to college..True..he could have done better, but give him a break.

Speaking of shedding tears..I think it also has to go with the nostalgia associated with olympic ceremonies...our family has had the habit of watching the ceremony each time. I clearly remember sitting on the floor as a kid and watching all the atheletes as they waved in the olympic parade..Yeah,,i used to be so engrossed in it that slowly i would inch my way nearer and nearer towards the screen and suddenly would be reprimanded by my mom to not go so near the screen.

Going on a tangent thought process here, I always talk about how animals are almost our equals and therefore how it is not right to eat them up that way or to not right to have them as pets...But seeing the olympics, i suddenly think to myself,"The animals don't have olympics do they? Perhaps that is precisely what seperates us from the animals..the olympics..LOL"

Btw, speaking of female atheletes, If i am not wrong, a 34 year old female swimmer is part of the USA team and she had won medals in two previous olympics as well, and this time after getting married to a doctor and giving birth to a daughter she is back to get her next medal..Looks like she broke her previous records.It was inspiring to watch her interview on Jay leno.Yay to male doctors who marry wonderful women atheletes and yay to women atheletes competing again in the olympics after having a child..Wonderful and inspiring.

The Chinese people-Btw..I want to say HI ! all chinese people...You guys take a lot of oppression each day of your lives and yet have such a wonderfully creative spirit...It was heartening to see all the chinese citizens sitting there making the flying dove gesture and i saw many of them shedding a tear while still smiling with a child like glee..I actually cried with them..I feel ya guys..I do .

When you see the best of the best from all countries and join and amalgamate this way..the world truly feels like one..We are all one in the way we react when we go on the spotlight on the large screen and when we all try to spot the camera,aren't we?cute..We truly are all one.We yearn for recognition, we yearn for excellence and we do yearn for love.

I have no idea why i cried and cried so much today when i watched the opening ceremony ,but i think i did it coz i was very moved, and i was truly inspired.

To actually think that i was so moved and touched that i actually waved at all the atheletes..that is truly getting moved...I get moved so less these days..this was so badly needed by me.

China managed to absolutely potray such a good image due to this ceremony that suddenly i am reminded that china is about tons of very poor people doing immense hardwork in all those factories not complaining a thing.Truly, there is corruption , pollution and human rights violation but i am hoping it will get better for all those hard working people who are so shielded from outside news.hugs to all hardworking chinese people.

The lighting of the olympic lamp was so spectacular indeed..Seriously!very creative, very well executed..That athelete is suspended in mid air and actually is running in mid air whao..seriously and then what a spectacular olympic torch lighting..the fireworks rocked ...spectacular..Chinese people are very creative..the most creative..I admit and say"I am not worthy"..111.0000 people? Is that how many there were in the stadium?Absolutely wonderful fireworks.
Wow,,What i learned is that.."We are all wridden by prejudices aren't we?The way China made sure It's olympics ceremony was the best ceremony ever,Seriously, just made me shed a lil bit of my own prejudice about things in general and made me embrace the fact that the world is one."

Love and hugs to everyone reading this.

***PHOTO SOURCE: Please visit the official website of Beijing olympics for more photos of the opening ceremony

http://en.beijing2008.cn/photo/ceremonies/