On the darker side

Haven't been feeling entirely contented. Felt like there are eyes constantly watching my every move. A little feeling of lost. Low morale ? minor depression ? I hope not. I know some sort of truth and have seen the reality around me . Why can't I shake it off ? I've got to. A feeling of " you're not exactly in there right now and yet you're hoping you still are" . Hard to explain , I know. Just needed to get it off my chest the best way I can . Hard work , hard work and more hard work .. that's all the hope there is. Fear is almost second nature at this moment. I long to see justice and a really bright , clear blue sky . You cannot soften a hard substance by force , it only gets harder and more stubborn . Maybe theres a way around it. I still hope I'm important to people around me. I still hope theres room for redemption and a second chance. I know where I am at this point , I just need to pick myself up and work as honest as possible . May the fire still burn and light our lives in this dark hour .......

A letter for Mr. Rafa

Dear Rafa,

I had high hopes for last Sunday's encounter with Man Utd. Considering the way we have played and our form (winning 7 games on the trot prior to the match) , I was in a confident mood that we could give a good game.

Sadly, it did not go as I had hoped. We were devoured 3-0 at Old Trafford. I have been analyzing the tactics and personnel involved, there are some things I'd like to point out.

First, let's see what's wrong :

Ok, so we got the pretty standard back four with Reina in goal which is fine by me. Skrtel has come in and been doing a good job there with Carra. In an ideal world, I would love Carra to be a good passer of the ball because he seriously suck at it. I'm glad we have someone like Agger and Skrtel who can play a passing game.

With a 4-2-3-1 formation, we normally deploy 2 holding midfielders or 'anchors' in the middle to protect the back four. Mascherano normally does the dirty work and ball retrieving while Alonso sits and pulls the strings in the middle. This combination is superb and gives Gerrard freedom to roam forward . On the left wing we got Babel which is a very promising talent if we really use him properly. I would really like to see him in a striker's role one day with Torres . I do that all the time in Winning 11 and won few times with the Torres-Babel combination. However, I still agree with the current Torres-Gerrard partnership upfront which is almost on the borderline of being a telepathic relationship between the two.

Now what I don't agree here is this guy on the right wing:

Kuyt! Now whatever happened to Pennant or the creative Benayoun on the right? It baffles me when I see him not being substituted when things aren't going our way. Instead, during the Man Utd game you changed Babel , who I thought represented a real threat on the flanks to Man Utd. For 90 freaking minutes, I don't see what the hell does this guy contribute to the team play. He did nothing man, Rafa come on ! What do you see in this guy?? His first touches were woeful and he's reaction time is too slow for such a fast paced game that night. He's more suited to a European game. And then there was Mascherano's red card to make things more difficult.

So 2 mistakes we can learn :

Please consider playing someone else on the right . Someone who can penetrate the flanks with pace . Mascherano's absence made the defense lose its focus and shape. Alonso's a creator and puppet master , not a tackler.

My proposal would've been like this :

Change Kuyt for Lucas, play Lucas in midfield with Alonso . We need to maintain that passing rhythm and play a more narrow formation. With Kuyt, every single attacking movement gets hampered because he takes too much time to even control the ball. By allowing Babel upfront with Torres , we can have a counter attacking opportunity. With Gerrard being the attacking midfielder providing the passes, we could've had a better chance at getting back in the game. The fullbacks can provide us with the width ala-AC Milan style.

So there you go Rafa. Next time please don't use Kuyt during fast-paced games. Put him on at the last minute .

You'll Never Walk Alone .

Something to consider ...

I read this article online, here it is :

Stress of evening shift may hurt health in long run: StatsCan

Last Updated: Friday, July 26, 2002 | 9:36 AM ET

CBC News

Working the night shift seems to hit men harder than women in the long term, a Statistics Canada report has found.

The report compared the stress factors and health of shift workers to daytime workers for 1994/95 and 2000/01. It looked at full-year workers aged 18 to 54.

Men who worked an evening or rotating shift were more likely to report stress, relationship problems and feeling little control over their life. As well, 45 per cent of men working an evening shift were daily smokers, compared with 27 per cent of daytime workers.

Irregular shift work was also related to high personal stress among women.

But in the long run, men working an evening, rotating or irregular shift had higher odds of reporting a diagnosis of a chronic condition in the next four years than their male daytime counterparts or women with a non-standard schedule.

Statistics Canada analyst Margot Shields said the men who were studied reported back problems, ulcers, heart conditions and high blood pressure.


Shift work usually a job requirement, not a choice

Three out of 10 employed Canadians worked some type of non-standard shift in 2000/01, the survey found.

Shift work was more common among blue-collar or sales and service occupations than in white-collar or clerical jobs. Older workers and men living with children were less likely to work shifts.

Women were more likely to cite family responsibilities (11 per cent) as the reason for their shift work, compared to three per cent of men. At 65 per cent, more men said working an evening shift was a requirement of the job, compared to 53 per cent of women.

• FROM MAR. 21, 1999:IQ lower with lack of sleep
  
  

Both men and women who worked shift were more likely to have trouble falling asleep and staying asleep than daytime workers.

The study didn't surprise Yves Francoeur of the Montreal police force. He worked shifts for 12 years and said he would fall asleep at the wheel two nights out of seven on his 40 minute ride home.

Francoeur said the force plans to look into the effects of shift work on the health of its employees.

The Statistics Canada analysis was based on cross-sectional and longitudinal health data, and looked at roughly the same number of men and women.


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I should really consider getting a 9-5 job next year or something , have to admit , I have been experiencing those symptoms for the past few months. With all the extra pay covers just to earn that extra $$ , I will end up hurting my body in the long run. I hope there is a day job that pays well as what I'm earning without working on shifts. Something to think about .. hmmm....

Perhaps those occasional state of depression , lack of memory coordination and troubles staying alert have been from the after effects of shift work ?

My heart been has been beating faster than its supposed to sometimes, I need a check up. So boys and girls , think before you join a shift job.

You've been warned.