World Cup Strangeness

Posted by david at Sun, 2006/03/12 - 13:52 on football | world cup | history

No doubt inspired by the coming World Cup and Australia's qualification, I was given the following book for my birthday: The World Cup's Strangest Moments by Peter Seddon. I reckon I've got enough time between now and the next World Cup kick-off for a summary of each previous World Cup's oddness. Let's start with Uruguay 1930.

Australia Moves To Asia

Posted by david at Sun, 2006/01/01 - 22:36 on football | australia

On 1 January 2006, the FFA formally completed its move from the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).

World Cup Draw

Posted by david at Sat, 2005/12/10 - 17:50 on football | socceroos | world cup

Oh no, not Brazil! The draw for the World Cup was held overnight. I taped it and watched it today. I've never bothered before, but when your own country is featured it makes a big difference. As the draw dragged on, we waited with bated breath. And as luck would have it we drew Brazil - the world champions and favourites - Japan and Croatia. A very tough group.

A Golden Night

Posted by david at Thu, 2005/11/17 - 11:03 on football | socceroos | world cup

What a game! What a night! Dad, Naruto and I were there last night to see Australia defeat Uruguay to qualify for the World Cup Finals for the first time in 32 long years. We've finally done it. After being "0-1 down at half-time" - O'Neill speaking after the first leg in Monte Video - we leveled the score in normal time at home, couldn't break through in a nerve-wracking extra time, before triumphing 4-2 in a thrilling penalty shoot-out.

So many memories from last night:

World Cup Qualifier - Part I

Posted by david at Sun, 2005/11/13 - 18:51 on football | socceroos

In the quadrennial lottery that is known as Australia's World Cup qualification, Uruguay defeated Australia 0-1 in Monte Video. Australia, under Guus Huddink, looked a lot better than they have in the past. That said, Uruguay could easily have had one or two more if not for some good work by goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer.

The Parting of the Ways

Posted by david at Sun, 2005/08/14 - 17:34 on doctor who | tv | sf

Quite possibly the best ever final episode I've ever seen. The defeat of the daleks is not unusual of course, but it was the manner in which it was achieved. The secret of Bad Wolf is revealed and it is truly amazing. Series I is a welcome return for Doctor Who and this episode capped it off brilliantly.

Bad Wolf

Posted by david at Sun, 2005/08/07 - 19:43 on doctor who | tv | sf

The first part of the two-part climax to the new season, begins with a disoriented Doctor suddenly appearing in a house. From the conversations around him, the Doctor realises he's now a contestant on the set of Big Brother. From this bizarre and rather humourous beginning, we find Rose and Jack also on different TV shows. But the humour vanishes quickly when we discover they're playing for their lives, literally.

Boom Town

Posted by david at Sun, 2005/07/31 - 17:13 on doctor who | tv | sf

The TARDIS arrives in Cardiff to re-charge from the scar created by the closed rift in The Unquiet Dead. The Doctor, Rose and Jack are now a close-knit team. Rose has asked Mickey to join them, but it's clear he doesn't fit in. The team soon discover that one of the Slitheen did escape after World War Three. Margaret Blaine is now the Mayor of Cardiff and is opening a nuclear power station. But to what end?

The Doctor Dances

Posted by david at Sat, 2005/07/23 - 17:50 on doctor who | tv | sf

A very satisfying conclusion to last week's episode with a clever resolution to the empty child and the symptoms as plague, as well as lots of humour and clever spookiness and dialogue. And for once, nobody dies. And the Doctor is delighted that everyone lives; a reminder that death and destruction normally follow him around. All in all, a very good pair of episodes.

The Empty Child

Posted by david at Sun, 2005/07/17 - 18:13 on doctor who | tv | sf

A very good episode with lots of humour and eeriness. The Doctor and Rose follow a time machine back to London during WWII. There they meet Captain Jack Harkness, the spooky, empty child of the title, searching for its mummy and a hospital full of patients with symptoms just like that of the empty child.

Lots of good stuff in this episode. The Doctor decides to look for alien technology on foot. Rose wants him to do a scan. The Doctor, who did do this in the past (as the Fifth Doctor), doesn't want to. Rose is then delighted when Jack does.

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