TESSY WRITES ON 'YOU CAN CREATE YOUR FUTURE'

 

TESSY REFLECTS ON 'YOU CAN CREATE YOUR FUTURE'

A little bit of this and and a little bit of that.... The team selection happened at the end of June or probably early July.... How does a team gel together before a tournament? How do you plan? How do you gauge your strengths and weakness? How can you work on the weakness of the opponents and how to restrict their strengths? All this needs time and a team that has been together for some time... 

A simple example is how Argentina came back in the 79th minute... Team work needs time and planning... I would like to tell Aaron all this, but I am positive that you will be able to pass it on to him better.... 

I was sharing an incident with Vinaya about my school days with St. Joseph's Boys Hr. Sec. School, Coonoor... We had a great football culture in the school... I played in the defense (full back) and for one match, I was asked to play half back (midfield) and this decision was taken a day before the match... The idea was to stop the opposing team captain who was very fast and I was the 100 mts champ... so there came in the planning part and then the rest of the team understanding the sudden change of plan, worked accordingly... We won that match 3-0.

Now Aaron and his friends need to come back and practice together and start to understand the chemistry of team bonding, and this only will help them form a formidable team and in the process, a team to beat! 

I replied:

Thank you for the wonderful impassionate analysis

And the creative imaginative tackle.

Happy it drew the real sportsman Tessy out into the open.

YOU CAN CREATE YOUR FUTURE

Aaron is our grandson.

Along with his Appa, he visits us on Sundays. They stay with Dr.Rajan Varghese, his maternal grandfather at Paruthippara.

We are happy to have him whenever he presents himself. 

He told us on his visit on the last Sunday of June, that he had to attend the selection trials for the 

nder 17 Basketball Team of his School (St.Thomas Residential School), Mukkola,Trivandrum, the following week. Later we learned he had been selected as a member of the School's Basketball team - under 17. Anoop who came to our residence on Tuesday told us he was on leave on Wednesday for taking Aaron to Loyola School to participate in a Basketball Tournament there. 

Anoop phoned us after the game. St.Thomas had badly lost to Lecole Chempaka. He said they were the better team. But Aaron was devastated as well as depressed on his poor performance.  They had taken him out to Dominos to lift up his spirits.

Here is the message I had sent  to Anoop and Reshma for Aaron. They are Aaron's parents.

Please tell Aaron that losing 33 - 3 to a much better opponent is not something to cry about.

What he has to or his team has to do is, do a SWOT  analysis. It opens up reform.

One thing is certain. They cannot fall any farther than this. They can only improve from there.

If we care to learn from Roger Federer or Virat Kohli or Lionel Messi or many other super heroes , we can see they go back to basics after a scintillating performance or a rout.

They spend hours together practicing - their shots, kicks or serves.

When we are enthralled by those curving grounded or flying shots from Messi you can be certain he has practiced hours together over them. 

When we see Federer's aces chipping the inner edge of the baseline, it is not a magic in operation, but the result of painstaking practice over hours and hours.

And the ease with which  Magic Jordan find the hoop need not astound us. It is his persevering practice that is edging him on.

To put it in a nutshell, efffort+effort=excellence

Speaking on failure, remember,  failures are our finest teachers. Successes  do take us forth. But they don't teach like failures do. Failures make us introspect. Then refine. Then surge ahead with a new found vigour.

It is said, 'fail and fail to win.'

Go back to the drawing board and plan your strategy to make 33-3, 33-66

This is true everywhere. 

There is no easy way out. You will have to sweat it out away from public glare.

Victory beckons you. 

You can create your future.

YOU CAN CREATE YOUR FUTURE

Aaron is our grandson.

Along with his Appa, he visits us on Sundays. They stay with Dr.Rajan Varghese, his maternal grandfather at Paruthippara.

We are happy to have him whenever he presents himself. 

He told us on his visit on the last Sunday of June, that he had to attend the selection trials for the under 17 Basketball Team of his School (St.Thomas Residential School), Mukkola,Trivandrum, the following week. Later we learned he had been selected as a member of the School's Basketball team - under 17. Anoop who came to our residence on Tuesday told us he was on leave on Wednesday for taking Aaron to Loyola School to participate in a Basketball Tournament there. 

Anoop phoned us after the game. St.Thomas had badly lost to Lecole Chempaka. He said they were the better team. But Aaron was devastated as well as depressed on his poor performance.  They had taken him out to Dominos to lift up his spirits.

Here is the message I had sent  to Anoop and Reshma for Aaron. They are Aaron's parents.

Please tell Aaron that losing 33 - 3 to a much better opponent is not something to cry about.

What he has to or his team has to do is, do a SWOT  analysis. It opens up reform.

One thing is certain. They cannot fall any farther than this. They can only improve from there.

If we care to learn from Roger Federer or Virat Kohli or Lionel Messi or many other super heroes , we can see they go back to basics after a scintillating performance or a rout.

They spend hours together practicing - their shots, kicks or serves.

When we are enthralled by those curving grounded or flying shots from Messi you can be certain he has practiced hours together over them. 

When we see Federer's aces chipping the inner edge of the baseline, it is not a magic in operation, but the result of painstaking practice over hours and hours.

And the ease with which  Magic Jordan find the hoop need not astound us. It is his persevering practice that is edging him on.

To put it in a nutshell, efffort+effort=excellence

Speaking on failure, remember,  failures are our finest teachers. Successes  do take us forth. But they don't teach like failures do. Failures make us introspect. Then refine. Then surge ahead with a new found vigour.

It is said, 'fail and fail to win.'

Go back to the drawing board and plan your strategy to make 33-3, 33-66

This is true everywhere. 

There is no easy way out. You will have to sweat it out away from public glare.

Victory beckons you. 

You can create your future.

CANNA //VERY COMMON BUT MESMERISING FLOWER

                           CANNA //VERY COMMON BUT MESMERISING FLOWER

We were mesmerised by this flower at CSI Christ Church, Palayam, Trivandrum

When we requested the gardener Roy for a seedling, he was gracious enough to provide us one.

It flourished in our garden. There were several varieties of the plant in front of our house. 

It was beautiful when they flowered.

But they were crowded

However when we lost our Dachshund through Krait bite we engaged our worker Babu to partially take out a few of the plants to open up the space.

Babu had no inhibitions. He had no finer feelings. He uprooted everything in the garden so that the the garden was devoid of the Canna Plant.

We felt sad. especially, Lila, who was instrumental in the obtention of the original Canna revolution.

But one shoot had somehow escaped Babu's ravages.

It sprouted. 

And here we are with Canna flower once again

IRIDESCENCE

 iridescence

noun

ir·​i·​des·​cence ˌir-ə-ˈde-sᵊn(t)s 

A lustrous rainbowlike play of color caused by differential refraction of light waves (as from an oil slick, soap bubble, or fish scales) that tends to change as the angle of view changes

A  lustrous or attractive quality or effect

 

Iridescence is an optical phenomenon in which the hue of a surface appears to change depending on the angle of observation and the angle of illumination. It is typically produced when light waves reflect and interfere with one another as they hit semi-transparent, structured layers.

Key Concepts and Occurrence

 and the Science Behind It: 

Unlike colors created by pigments (which absorb or reflect specific wavelengths of light), iridescence is a product of structural coloration. It is caused by physical structures like thin films, ridges, or scales that cause light to bend and interfere constructively or destructively.

Etymology: 

The term originates from the Greek word ἶρις (îris), meaning rainbow, combined with the Latin suffix -escent, which means "having a tendency toward". Iris is also the name of the Greek goddess of the rainbow.

Where It's Found:

 

Iridescence is widely observed both in nature and daily life. 

Common examples 

Include soap bubbles, thin oil slicks on water, precious opals, the mother-of-pearl (nacre) lining mollusk shells, butterfly wings, and the colorful feathers of hummingbirds.

Iridescence: 

 

 

It is Nature's Most Beautiful Physics Trick  

Iridescence is a shiny, glowing quality.  It is like the bright, colorful surface of a soap bubble that is a beautiful visual.

Iridescence is an optical phenomenon that causes colors to change depending on the angle of light and the angle of observation. It's caused by diffraction 

It is  play of colors producing rainbow effects (as in a soap bubble)

IT'S NOT OVER UNTIL IT'S OVER

                  IT'S NOT OVER UNTIL IT'S OVER

Egypt were playing Argentina, current World Champions,  in the pre quarter final of the World Cup football tournament 2026. The North Africans gave a masterclass. The South Americans seemed resigned to watch their World Cup dreams vanish. 

At the 79th minute of the 90 minutes' encounter, Egypt was up 2 - 0.

Like the wounded lion refusing to lie down, Messi roared with a resilience everyone knew he possessed.. Each of his teammates rose to the occasion. 

Paredes, whose name literally means 'Walls' prevented a third goal from Egypt. Then Cristian Romero powered a header past  Egypt's goalkeeper. Messi scored too. He scores every game now, breaking his own record each time. Finally, during stoppage time,  Enzo Fernandez slammed the ball into the Egyptian net. 

Enzo weeps after the match trying to describe Messi. Scaloni, the coach, who had also cried ptchside, said, he gets goosebumps just thinking about him.

Messi too wept at the final whistle where the score board read Argentina -3. Egypt -2. He seemed like a wounded beast able to breathe again, knowing fully well, it's not over until it's over.

French veteran, Thiery Henry reminisced.,"He gets a look in his eyes when things aren't going his way and he transforms and slams one, two, three goals."

The Messi factor is undeniable. Business needs him to keep eyes on the screen. 

Yet, the emotional response football elicits is real. And Messi is the most emblematic exponent of the art of the unthinkable. 

Egypt are giants. Their goalkeeper, Mostafa Shobeir, had saved many shots including a penalty from Messi. The crestfallen goalkeeper's legendary father had been instrumental in the creation of the back pass law. This is how the game constantly shifts and forges ahead. Ultimately it belongs to the people who play it and love it. 

Cruel, unfair, redemptive and divine.

While this World Cup is over for Egypt, Argentina remains for at least one more game.

An enduring image is that of Argentine Alexis Mac Allister, who couldn't bear to watch Egypt's Mo Salah heartbroken. 

"He is the second best player I've played with after Lionel Messi. I had to exchange shirts with him because this might be the last time seeing him or playing with him on the same pitch. I have learnt a lot from him. He deserves my respect for everything."

Mac Allister, on the pitch raised his arms above his head with Salah's red jersey held up high

Marcela Mora y Araujo, Argentine columnist based in London, 
in The Times of India of 9 July 2026

"Football like many games is deceptive. Victory doesnot belong to the team that gets most things right, but to the one that makes the fewest mistakes."

Javier Dale, Spanish Columnist based in Barcelona

in The Times of India of 9 July 2026

If Messi had never stirred your soul before, he probably did on Tuesday night. The end was nigh. But the horizon moved farther, or was pushed away by a Messi refusiing to fade away like a swan with a sad song. 

But Leo, whose unrequitted love for the World Cup ended in fulfilment in Doha almost four years ago, was the Lion King who had tasted the feast of success. That hunger, a hurried chase, with eyes only focussed on the goal, drove him to tear the improbable script apart and create a legend of his own, again.

Never mind that the Fates escorted him along the way."It gives me goosebumps," said coach Lionel Scaloni in wonder.  For Messi, the uncontrollable tears said it all. "We didn't want today to be the end, we didn't want to go home."

It seemed he had expeienced the circle of life within 90 minutes, moving him in despair and hope. Despair, then desperation after missing a penalty that could have tied the match at 1-1 and let  the match take its natural course.  Human yet again from the penalty spot. 

Then Egypt dealt the double hook.

The 39 year old Peter Pan and his band of Lost Boys were staggering, as the boat rocked back and forth in fast motion and the matchclock ticked towards 79 minutes.

The story book figure took flight again. Slinging the ball into the box for Cristiano Romero to power a header past Mostafa Shobeir, the hope surged back. Five minutes later Messi was magically at the right place in a scramble, striking in a half volley, whisking the Argentines away on a cloud of belief.

Seven more minutes and the twisting kaleidoscope moved them all in turns. Mo Salah believed he had a penalty in Martinez's box and a quick counter resulted in Enzo Fernandez cushioning a header past a stunned Shobeir.

Messi had ensured the adventure continued.

Big boys don't cry, but they do!

How many times have we seen Roger Federer shed those winning tears, experiencing that release of emotions welling up inside?

On the court, on the pitch, you are immersed in the moment, trying to change history with a sleight of hand or feet. You are not meant to waver. When it's done, let it flow...

"I was very angry about the missed penalty, about how I kicked it. I felt that at an important moment I had let the group down. God once again had something special in store for me at the end," Messi said.

The cameras had earlier panned on a bare-chested Messi, the tattoo of Jesus with a "crown of thorns" on his right upper arm, looking up at the sky, eyes closed after his deluge of tears.

Throughout the East, tears are often associated with pearls. Their shimmering iridescence is believed to reflect the heavens. 

Pearls symbolize repentance and hope. 

Messi's dreams are still alive.

Moushami Bora, 'Tears of Messi, When the Big Boy Cries, It Stirs The World's Soul.....'

in The Times of India of 9 July 2026 

TIME BENDS FOR NOVAK AT WIMBLEDON

 

Noval Djokovic's 5 hour epic fight was a reminder that even at 39. he's still the master of endurance.

Five hours and 15 minutes is enough to finish a marathon. You can binge watch a trilogy or fly across Europe in that time. But Novak Djokovic had spent every one of those 315 minutes to remind the world why at 39, he is one of sports' greatest endurance athlete. 

His jaw dropping effort against the third seed, Felix Auger-Aliassime in the June 2026 Wimbledon quarter finals left the tennis world in awe. 

He had battled his way to a 7-6, 3-6, 6-3, 6-7, 7-6 victory at 10.52 pm UK time, just eight minutes before the All England Club's 11pm curfew.

This was the first question put to him at the media conference reflecting the enormity of the feat.

"Like Messi, you are 39. One scores goals. You win after five hours and 15 minutes."

Djokovic, never fond of comparisons, however flattering, was quick with the riposte:

"It would be nice to play 90 minutes, like him."

Prajwal Hegde writes in The Times of India of 9 july 2026

MAXIMUM AND BEYOND

 

Don't give up if your Professor tells you that in his opinion you are not made for teaching, to giving lessons or for communicating, even as you set out to become a teacher.

Believe you can deliver. Believe you can develop your talent.

You can become the best teacher and a superb communicator when you give it your maximum and beyond.