World Cup fever begins

Eight years ago around this time of the year, I was on one month's medical leave from work after an appendectomy while four to five months pregnant with Caitlin. It was World Cup season. That was one of the only times in my life I watched quite a number of soccer matches.

I wonder if that has anything to do with Caitlin having a strange affinity to kicking balls when she was a toddler and some interest in soccer rather consistently these few years!

While I'm writing this, she is engrossed with the FIFA World Cup 2010 pre-opening concert in South Africa on TV. She wants to stay up to catch the opening match between S. Africa and Mexico. She will be rooting for Mexico and is betting with her grandpa. If she wins the bet, 'kung kung' has to buy her a new toy. If 'kung kung' wins, she's supposed to practise her piano and drums at least thrice a week.

She also knows names like Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea. She likes Manchester United. I don't know why and I doubt she really knows why herself either. Probably following the popular favourite.

And when she gets to secondary school, she says she wants to join the school soccer team.

Like in everything else, I tell her she can do and be anything she is interested in, as long as she works hard at it to be as good as she can.

Caitlin, 6 months old in 2003