“If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”
Wayne Dyer Change is difficult. Most of us do not like change. The sense of security that we get by doing the same things over and over again is very difficult to give up. But when we really think about it, is it worth it? Is that all there is to life? Doing the same thing is easy, it is comfortable. But unless we are willing to push ourselves, we will never realize our true potential. And the best part is that we do not need to start by making huge life-altering decisions today. Actually, just a simple habit change or a small change in mindset will transform our lives. And yes, it is not going to be easy when we start. We are emotional creatures and it is very difficult to see a glass as half full when all our lives we have been seeing it as a glass half empty. But a few days in, and we won’t even realize that we are doing things differently than we have been doing our entire lives. So, change your mindset, be positive. Because being positive does not take money, it does not take up hours of our days, just our dedication and commitment. I myself had read a lot about this but never had the guts to try it out or to be brutally honest, I wasn’t sure if it was worth the effort. And well, I was happy with my mundane routine life. I was frustrated at the most stupid things and the smallest things would keep bugging me for days. I wasn’t particularly sad but now when I think about it, I wasn’t truly happy either. But about a month ago, things changed. I still am not sure how it happened or why, but it was like an epiphany. I woke up one day and was ready to give this a try. I was willing to take a risk and see if it actually does change the way I feel. A month down the road and this was the best decision I have ever made in my life. I feel happier. I have more energy now. I now understand that worry is temporary and stress is not the solution to anything. If there’s a problem, my focus is not on what I could have done differently or how I could have avoided this problem because I know me worrying is not going to help me with anything. I take a deep breath and focus my energy on finding a solution with a smile on my face. I often think about children when I think about happiness. The joy they feel on the smallest things, the loud burst of laughter they share with everyone else around them. They are filled with positivity. We all had that when we were young, but over time we seem to have lost that feeling, that ability to just find happiness in the smallest of wins. What we do now instead is constantly worry about so many things, oh! so so many things, and are never ever satisfied with anything. We always want more. Maybe we should try and act like a child once in a while, forget about the problems for a moment, laugh loudly without any worries and be happy at those small things. Be happy for a change. Because life is definitely better spent smiling. I know there will be challenges and we will slip back to our old habits. And there are always times when we cannot help ourselves, situations we cannot avoid. We just need to understand that it is absolutely normal. After all, we are only humans. When everything is said and done, just take a deep breath, smile and start again. Lastly, I want to leave you all with this quote from Mahatma Gandhi - “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” So, before expecting everything good to happen, maybe it is time for us to understand that the change begins with ourselves and true happiness lies within us. So, stop just being a bystander and be a doer. Be Happy. A fantastic blend of comedy, romance, action, stunning visuals and a lot of spoilers.
Marvel delivers yet again with the new Spider-Man movie. The movie starts off slow but picks up in the second act. The formula of Marvel to make each MCU movie their own genre with Superhero characters is continued with Far From Home as well. The whole movie is a romantic comedy starring Spider-Man with shades of suspense and sci-fi thrown into them. All the characters do an awesome job. Tom Holland continues to impress both as Spider-Man and Peter Parker (my favorite). Jake Gyllenhaal does a brilliant job and all the supporting characters are given more responsibility compared to Homecoming, and they do not disappoint. The movie is set following the aftermath of EndGame, and the ghost of Iron-Man looms large in Peter's life. This is a coming to age story for Peter Parker as well as Spider-Man, especially after the death of his mentor and the face of Avengers, Tony Stark. One of the best things about this movie are it's action sequences. The visuals in the movie, from gorgeous locations and flawless CGI, are breathtaking. After the cry-athon in End Game, this is a perfect follow up with a greatly enjoyable, brilliantly acted and written summer blockbuster. There are some memorable moments where I had a huge smile on my face (you'll know when you see it), so stay till the very end, especially If you are a long time Spider-Man fan, you wouldn't want to miss it. Don't let anyone spoil this movie for you, go and watch it for yourself. Verdict: Highly Recommended Rating: 8/10 With the 12th Edition of CWC starting next week, we are looking at each team and see if they have a chance of making it to the semis and what to expect from each team.
Afghanistan: We honestly don't know what to expect from this Afghani side. The team looks very good on paper and they have been playing some really good cricket in the last 12 months or so. They have a very good mix of youth and experience. Rashid Khan has been lighting the franchise cricket around the world for a while now. Their batting looks very strong and they will be looking at spin to win with Rashid and Mujeeb. Players to watch: Mohammad Shahzad, Rashid Khan Could Surprise: Hazratullah Zazai Our Prediction: Even though they have a solid batting power and a very good spin attack, we don't see them making it to the top 4. Chance to make the semis: 4/10 Australia: After a horrendous year, Australia are right back on track. The team is looking like they are starting to find their footing on ODI cricket. With the return of Warner and Smith, their batting looks very strong. Cummins is in the form of his life and Maxwell looks like he wants to win the World Cup all by himself. They are still unsure what the correct position for Stoinis is or who their 5th bowler will be, but looking at the current squad, they are definitely one of the favorites to win the World Cup. Players to watch: David Warner, Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Pat Cummins Could Surprise: Adam Zampa Our Prediction: Australia needs to figure out their starting XI and their batting order and they need to do it quickly. The 2 warm up games are absolutely crucial, and they are playing Afghanistan in their first game so that could work in their favor. Chance to make the semis: 8/10 Bangladesh: Bangladesh are the wild cards this tournament. They have been playing fantastic cricket over the last few months and their tri-series win in Ireland will give them a huge boost. The number 1 all rounder in the world Shakib will be vital and Tamim needs to fire consistently at the top of the order. Players to watch: Shakib Al Hasan, Tamim Iqbal, Mushfiqur Rahim Could Surprise: Soumya Sarkar Our Prediction: They have a very good batting line up and if they can bowl well in key games, they have the batting power to win them those big games. Chance to make the semis: 5/10 England: England are batting at the moment like there is no tomorrow. They, undoubtedly, have THE best batting line up in the whole World Cup. They seem to be chasing 350+ pretty easily. Jofra Archer is the wild card and if the likes of Wood and Adil Rashid fire with the ball, they can take the whole thing home (I mean, keep it there 😉 ). Players to watch: Jos Buttler, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes Could Surprise: Joffra Archer Our Prediction: England would want to chase as many games. But they also have a good bowling lineup to defend a score, especially if they keep scoring in excess of 300 in most games. Another thing going their way is the home advantage. So, they're our number 1 pick heading into the tournament. Chance to make the semis: 9/10 India: India are another team with a very strong batting line up. Veteran Dhoni seems to be hitting his form just at the right time for the World Cup and Kohli is always a match winner. Additionally, they also have the advantage of having the number 1 bowler in the world in Jasprit Bumrah, so India are THE team to beat. If Bumrah can get the support of his fellow bowlers, and if Kohli has the backup from Rohit and Dhawan, they could very well be lifting the trophy come July 14. Players to watch: Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, Rohit Sharma Could Surprise: Hardik Pandya Our Prediction: They have a very good top order and a great mix of good pacers and spinners. On paper, India are one of the most balanced side this World Cup. Their only problem could be their middle and lower order batting. If the openers and Kohli fail, players like Dhoni and Jadhav needs to step up. Chance to make the semis: 9/10 New Zealand: Although New Zealand have a very good batting line up, their strength will be their seamers. The likes of Boult and Southee will be licking their lips, especially if they get to play in the expected overcast English conditions. Guptil already has a World Cup double hundred, so he is key at the top of the order and NZ would want Williamson to hold the batting together for them. Ross Taylor who is most likely playing his last World Cup would also like to leave on a high note. Players to watch: Trent Boult, Tim Southee, Martin Guptil Could Surprise: Colin Munro Our Prediction: NZ have a very good bowling lineup, especially on the fast bowling department. If the batsmen step up and make consistent runs, we might not only see them in the semis but in the finals as well like they did in 2015. But our prediction, they will end up just missing the top 4 spot. Chance to make the semis: 6/10 Pakistan: Always the underdogs, never the favorites. This has always been the story of Pakistan. But we saw a couple of years ago during the Champions Trophy 2017, they could surprise everyone and end up winning the whole thing. Pakistan has a very good bowling line up. Shaheen Shan Afridi is a very talented fast bowler and Shadab Khan would want to impress with his leg spins. If Pakistan can be consistent with both bat and ball, and most importantly, field well, they have a very good chance of making the top 4. Players to watch: Babar Azam, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Shaheen Shah Afridi Could Surprise: Fakhar Zaman Our Prediction: This is probably the most difficult team to predict. But if Pakistan is to make top 4, they need to be very consistent with both bat and ball, and will need to hold on to their catches. Chance to make the semis: 6/10 South Africa: As we are not talking about knockout games, we all know they are going to make it to the semis, aren't we? They have a very good batting unit, and arguably the best bowling unit in the world. They are the other balanced team this World Cup. And as in every World Cup before, they are one of the favorites. They will definitely miss the fire-power of AB De Villiers, but De Kock, Du Plesis and Amla will be key with the bat. Steyn, Rabada and Ngidi will surely make the batsmen jump around. Here's to hoping everyone stays fit and SA can finally un-choke their way into the World Cup finals and win it. Players to watch: De Kock, Imran Tahir, Kagiso Rabada, Dale Steyn Could Surprise: Aiden Markram Our Prediction: SA would finally want to end the curse of finding a way of losing at the knockout stages and they might very well do it this time around. And to answer the question if they will make it to the semis, we are fairly certain they will. Chance to make the semis: 8/10 Sri Lanka: Sri Lanka, in all fairness, is probably the weakest team in this World Cup. They have a fairly inexperienced side. Angelo Matthews needs to step up if SL are to make an impact. Karunaratne looks to be in a very good form and he will need the help from the likes of all Pereras and Mendises he can get. Malinga has a lot of burden on the bowling side and would definitely need others to help him out. Players to watch: Lasith Malinga, Angelo Matthews, Dimuth Karunaratne Could Surprise: Thisara Perera Our Prediction: Sri Lanka will have to play out of their skin in each and every game if they are to have any chance to make it to the top 4. They would want everyone to contribute and not let the key players take on all the responsibilities. Chance to make the semis: 3/10 West Indies: West Indies are another wild card team in this World Cup. They are a team made up of match winners. Russel, Gayle, Holder, Brathwaite are all in great batting form. Their weakness lies in their bowling. Although they have been making heaps of runs (Shai Hope and JD Campbell made 365 for the first wicket not even a month ago against Ireland), their bowlers have been disappointing more often than not. They will definitely miss Sunil Narine, but Holder and co. will have to prove that they have a bowling line up able to win them games. Players to watch: Chris Gayle, Andre Russell, Jason Holder Could Surprise: Shai Hope Our Prediction: West Indies will definitely want their premiere batsmen to keep making runs, but also would want their bowlers to step up to the plate every game. They would want everyone to contribute and not let the key players take on all the responsibilities if they would want to see themselves in the semis. Chance to make the semis: 5/10 Our 4 teams to make it to the Semis (in alphabetical order): 1. Australia 2. England 3. India 4. South Africa What do you think? Do you agree with us? Which 4 teams do you think will make it to the Semis? Leave a comment below with the 4 teams you think that will make it. And if you want to stay updated on what we are up to, sign up to our newsletter. If you have a idea of what we think should write about next, please do send us a feedback. Happy World Cup 2019 to everyone, and may the best team win. |
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