Sk8ter Boi/Angry/All You Wanted/Everywhere: My 12th blog of the year 2024

Well, happy Easter ladies & gentlemen but our whanau news first such as on the 20th of January this year that Aunty Tan has just found Pops main wallet whilst cleaning the house up so they have since been left on the 24th of January along with Rejean (The ice hockey & CNN TV watcher whom I refer to him as Rej but I never call his nickname so I was sticking to his first name of Rejean) & I wanted to wish them all the best for a safe trip back home in Canada (And I now miss both of them, I miss them already, & we have been through restaurant's such as Macca's (I'm not going to that restaurant again since Burger King is my preference), BK & several cafes like Cactus Creme & restaurants like Caroline's, Thai Villa & Stellar throughout Whanganui) but first they're heading to Vanuatu for a few days before going back home to Canada, but I like the new look of our home when both of them tidied them up (And a shoutout to both of them, so god bless you all, but I miss both of them already (And it's been 66 days since I last saw them so I have been writing down a tracker on a clip board of how many days since I last saw both Aunty Tan & Rejean). 

And there was a rugby related story about the Springboks win over the All Blacks in a Rugby Championship test at Sky Stadium (It was known as Westpac Stadium back then) Wellington in 2018, which marked the dawn of a new era in South African rugby & their chances of becoming champions of the world after 12 years, at the Rugby World Cup in Japan in 2019, a year out in which they were successful when they won their 3rd of 4 Rugby World Cups, but there is another rugby related story around that New Zealand (Who had Fitzy as their captain while JK was on one wing & a young fella named the late great Jonah Lomu was on the other) had last lost a test at Auckland's famous stadium which is Eden Park in Auckland which was in 1994 (In a headline titled as remain calm and carry on, because Eden Park is the charm: The All Blacks last lost there in 1994 when the world was a different kind of weird, as that was the year that a New Zealand actress of Canadian origin Anna Paquin (Who played Sookie Stackhouse in the TV series True Blood) won best supporting actress role at the Oscars as she becomes the first New Zealander to do so, although Auckland in 1994 was a different place as work began for Sky Tower which was built & constructed before it opened its doors in 1997, the legitimate drinking age here in our country at the time was 20 (It was changed to 18 in 1999 & has kept that since), Les Mills was mayor, homeless people were called "vagrants" and scooters were just for kids. While in Wellington, Jim Bolger was running the show, still three years away from being rolled by Jenny Shipley, who would become our first female PM meanwhile both of the most beloved films, Pulp Fiction and The Shawshank Redemption, were released and it was the year actor Jim Carrey could do no wrong. Ace Ventura, The Mask, and Dumb and Dumber collectively earned more than US$700 million at the box office, which adjusted for inflation is approximately US$27 billion, then singers Harry Styles (England/United Kingdom) and Justin Bieber (Canada) were born & Harry Nilsson departed this mortal coil, aged 52. 'Big' George Foreman at 45 became the oldest heavyweight boxing champion of the world and former president and actor Ronald Reagan (Who passed away 20 years ago way back in 2004) announced he had Alzheimer's disease. Countries wanted in, not out of the European Union, as Sweden and Finland voted in referendums to join the crowd. President Bill Clinton called for health reforms and a crack down on assault weapons, then signed an accord with Russian President Boris Yeltsin restricting nuclear weapons. Monica Lewinsky wasn't to start work as an intern at the White House until the following year. Women favoured bob cuts, slip dresses and knee-high boots, men looked resplendent in velvet blazers and paisley shirts and - less so - in khaki slacks and boat shoes. Though for Kiwi men, a black singlet would never go out of fashion. Now, if things do go pear-shaped, remember that Kiwis quickly bounce back. Just a year after that French coup, a boat called Black Magic and a team called New Zealand became the first from outside the United States to win the America's Cup. And besides, the Aussies (Who haven't beaten the AB's at that Auckland venue since 1986) may claim the Bledisloe but pavlova will always be ours) against France who famously won a test series (The last side to do so until Ireland (Who became the last side to beat the eventual champions South Africa which was during the RWC last year during the pool games, just right before the South Africans began their road to the title with a win against Tonga in their final pool game (In which Makazole Mapimpi's World Cup campaign was over as he left the field with a fractured eye socket resulting in a sending off to one of the Tongan players which resulted the Boks who enlisted Lukhanyo Am who had just recovered from an injury after originally not being part of the initial squad to replace Mapimpi as an injury replacement) before the knockouts in which they prevailed against France in the quarterfinal (Including Springbok winger Cheslin Kolbe charging down an attempted conversion from Thomas Ramos that crashed the French out of their home World Cup), then England in the semi which was a rematch of the 2019 final (Including the heroics from current Leicester Tigers player Handre Pollard as he nailed a match winning penalty in the dying seconds that crushed England's dream of reaching another final) & of course (Last but not least), the All Blacks (Who fell short in the aftermath of Sam Cane's red card in which we played for the remainder of the final with 14 players along with the bad refereeing decisions which was shades of 2007 in which we were defeated against the French in Cardiff during the quarters from Englishman Wayne Barnes made, thwarted us from bringing the Wiremu back to our shores in which we had our painful memories of losing the final in Paris, just like Emirates Team New Zealand's downfall as well as our quest of bringing the cup home which had gone awry at San Francisco, California in the United States in the 34th America's Cup that gifted Oracle Team USA a dramatic comeback to retain the Auld Mug in 2013 in a story dubbed as 'The San Fran miracle') in the final which was a rematch of the final in 1995 (Same year that Black Magic led by 1984 Olympic gold medalist Russell Coutts dominated the America's Cup series with a stunning clean sweep of 5 - 0 against Stars & Stripes in San Diego, California aboard the Young America boat led by that great but controversial American Dennis Conner) where the Boks won their 1st of 4 Rugby World Cups courtesy of Joel Stransky's match winning drop goal which united the host country & their late great leader of Nelson Mandela in one of the greatest moments in South Africa's sporting history according to the previous blogs that I did to defend the coveted William Webb Ellis Cup which was hoisted aloft once again by the South African captain of the self-proclaimed rugby god, the Head of the Table & now a global sporting icon of Siya Kolisi (Who currently plys his trade with Racing 92 competing in the Top 14 competition in France & is one of by far, my favourite South African rugby players compared to Pops whose fave Springbok rugby player is halfback Faf de Klerk), but 5 months have passed since that dramatic event had been unfolded which resulted in absolute ecstasy & joy throughout the South African camp when they won the final by a single point just like in both the semifinal against the English & the quarters against previous hosts France, as there was agony, agony throughout our New Zealand point of view as we narrowly missed out on that occasion, but hopefully we will be better in Australia 2027 (In which the number of teams has increased to 24) as we enter the 'Razor' era from now on, meanwhile in Australia that Joe Schmidt had been appointed the new Wallabies coach & transform them to getting great again from cellar dwellers last year where Eddie Jones (Who is now coach of Japan since their beloved Japanese rugby followers wanted him back following the RWC last year) had a dismal & disastrous coaching tenure in the aftermath of the Aussies who had their early exit in the pool stages during the tournament (Including one of their star players of prop forward Taniela Tupou who got injured during training which altered the course of the tournament) as they failed to qualify for the quarters for the first time in RWC history when they had their horrendous campaign ever (And the next British & Irish Lions (Who is now coached by English born Irish coach Andy Farrell as he takes over from a New Zealander coaching Wales of Warren Gatland) rugby tour is one year away next year) in 2022 which was during the professional era) when one of the French players of Jean-Luc Sadourny had scored a try from the end of the world (And it wasn't clearly Emile 'Milou' Ntamack in the end).

And the last time I saw my best mate/BFF/bestie of Sophia Ong who is the honorary daughter of Leon Benbaruk (Who I last saw him on the last day of July last year before he departed to go to the UK with his fiancee Michelle Johansson, & now he is having to deal with health issues since) was in 2017 (That was the year after I last saw my biological Aunty of Cathey Middelplaats (Wife of the other John Mitchell) & her daughter Paige Williams (Sister of Nico & Luca who is the mother of Norah for which I haven't met her for my entire life, but I have announced that my next holiday plans will be in Wellington which is late this year to early next year (And I'll have to go with either Dad or Pops to get there) because the reason why I want to go to Welly is for whanau reasons in order to see Cathey, Paige, Norah & possibly Toa Waaka) who is in fact my main honorary sister (Or honorary sister number 1 which is obviously my first choice) since Kelsey Nicolls (The daughter of both John & Rhonda who I last saw her in December last year in Northland during our holiday there with me, Pops & Carole with my best male mate Andy Webb (Best known as the son of Carole but Pops told me on the 29th of January that Ben is my other best male mate despite that me & Ben are second cousins) is my other honorary sister (Or should I say, honorary sister number 2 which is obviously my 2nd pick) & I haven't seen her since (She's now back home in Malaysia with her British husband & their 2 children now such as the married couple's son, Shaia).

And finally in rugby related news that World Rugby is declaring war on abuse & trolling towards officials that they copped on social media following last year's tumultous Rugby World Cup in which the sport's governing body are asking for respect towards the referees who are controlling games (But this is like a feud between the Muslims & the Jews regarding to the Hamas war that they had since the 7th of October in which antisemitism & islamophobia are on the rise worldwide (And I mean that is nasty & awful indeed about both of these things which feature hatred & hostility in which security has since been heightened/upped on that occasion nationwide in Canada following a serious incident) which is similar to domestic violence in which women are always being attacked by their male partners, but according to the comment made from former US president Donald Trump that the rest of the world is on the brink of World War III following a drone attack on a base in Jordan that killed three US troops) which is most important with World Rugby releasing a new doco about the extent of abuse towards officials such as referees during the entirety of the tournament which is concerning & disturbing, & if someone cusses an official online, there will be further action/consequences being taken with tougher/harsher penalties such as bans being handed out to fans who troll the referees on social media (But like I said before according to the blog that I did in January this year that retired English referee Wayne Barnes condemns that these death threats & online abuse are in the strongest terms possible - & he wants it to be clear: That hate has no place on social media, & they must all stand united against it (And they have launched an initiative called Full Time On Hate which is specifically designed to combat/ward off online abuse & discrimination being spewed all over, especially on social media) who have gone toxic but before I wrap this blog up, the online abuse towards rugby referees is now turning into a war.

So that is my 536th blog of the year 2024 (MMXXIV) & my 12th of this year, viva Ukraine & Palestine.

(Speak To Me) Breathe/I Am The Walrus/The Great Gig In The Sky/Nothing At All: My 11th blog of the year 2024

Well, the news reports that I've missed that I've watched on CNN lately such as lawmakers are getting tough on free speech regarding to the war on Gaza as it looks like that free speech does count as a political statement since both the FIA & ICC is since cracking down on them, just like the Ecuadorian government being on high alert in an effort to clamp down on organized crime since the gang leader had been escaped from prison which resulted violence & unrest spreading across the country (And there was an assassination on a prosecutor who carried the prosecutions of the members of organized crime while multiple arrests has been made to the thugs who held a TV studio up including the members & crew had been taken hostage) & Canada also have heightened security measures nationwide in wake of both antisemitism & islamophobia being spreaded about the war in Gaza, while ex-US president Donald Trump has dominated the state of Iowa, defeating the likes of other presidental candidates such as ex-South Carolina governor Nikki Haley & Florida governor Ron deSantis (Who later pulled out of the Republican presidental race as he endorses Trump who both won on Iowa & now New Hampshire caucuses, but I fear a rematch between Biden & Trump at this years US general election is on the cards) as part of his ambitions of defeating Biden to become president of the United States again at the US general elections whilst facing a court hearing regarding to his criminal charges that he's having regarding to his presidency by appearing in court multiple times (And what is my take on Trump? Well, he is a big fat liar, I'll tell you that, but he's lame & his personality is awful (But am I alright of saying this? Aren't I? See you soon, thank you (And let's hope that America doesn't turn into the country that started that terrible event unfolded 2 years ago which has since been going if Trump wins the election) while the US & the UK had launched an attack by carrying airstrikes to Houthi rebels who attacked US & Greek shipping vessels therefore triggering a war in Yemen in a country that has just been under attack (And the Emirates Team New Zealand America's Cup race boats & infastructre has been stranded in the Red Sea according to the report I saw in the newspaper such as the Whanganui Chronicle meanwhile people in Britain are facing fears of being called up to the armed forces if there is a possibility of World War III such as in the UK is being invaded by an enemy faction for example, just like the US government had announced a mass mobilization in 1967 when a war broke out in Vietnam by those Viet Cong forces according to the story that I did on my blog last year about the late great legendary American boxer Muhammad Ali thought that he wasn't going to be conscripted by the US Armed Forces as a result of his religious beliefs therefore stopping him from going to that war-torn country which resulted him being suspended for 3 years from boxing).

And the latest in the sport of rugby such as Welsh rugby player Louis 'Rees Lightning/LRZ' Rees-Zammit has called it quits of playing rugby to pursue a career in the NFL after playing 22 tests & scoring 14 tries for the Welsh national rugby team, just moments before Wales had submitted their squad for the upcoming Six Nations this year, but there's more further updates such as former Ireland coach Joe Schmidt has now officially taken over from current Japan coach Eddie Jones as the new Wallabies coach (I thought it was going to be Brad Thorn to start with, but somehow they ended it up with Schmidt as he becomes the 3rd different Kiwi to coach for Australia after both Robbie Deans & Dave Rennie) starting in March hoping to transform the side's fortunes around following their disastrous campaign last year, especially the Rugby World Cup in which they did not make the knockout stages for the first time just like England in 2015 where they crashed out of their home World Cup.

And there is a wrestling related story about the best matches in Wrestlemania which is going to be included in the upcoming WWE 2K24 video game that I pre-ordered it already on the PS4 (I got the PS5 version once it had been released) as of today starting with 'The Immortal' Hulk Hogan (Who is a famous Italian American wrestler just like both John Cena & Carmella (Wife of former wrestler turned commentator Corey Graves) up against his former protégé of the late great Frenchman of Andre the Giant at Wrestlemania III in which the match was was the biggest imaginable for wrestling fans. It was the equivalent of John Cena vs The Rock or The Rock vs Hulk Hogan in that it was a passing of the torch scenario. Before Hogan, Andre was literally and figuratively one of wrestling's biggest stars and attractions. With Andre set up as the unbeatable giant and 'The Hulkster' betrayed the friend and protégé of the big man, WrestleMania 3 was set to be the biggest match in the history of the WWF/WWE. While it wasn't the best match on the card – that honor goes to Ricky 'The Dragon' Steamboat and the late great 'Macho Man' Randy Savage – it was the most memorable. It was a featured match in WWE '14, but now fans can recreate "the bodyslam heard around the world" when 'The Immortal' slammed the 500lb giant with WWE 2K24's slingshot gameplay features, then the clash between 'The Texas Rattlesnake' of 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin who locked horns with Bret 'The Hitman' Hart at Wrestlemania 13 where it wasn't filled with memorable matches, but it did feature the iconic contest between Bret Hart and 'Stone Cold' in a Submission match. Despite being the villain, fans were starting to cheer for the take-no-prisoners persona of Steve Austin and slowly turning on Bret's clean-cut good guy. It was a believable grudge match led by two of the best at the top of their game. The match ended with a bloodied Austin refusing to submit Bret 'Hitman' Hart's Sharpshooter and passing out from the pain. This cemented 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin (Who had his first & last wrestling matches took place in his home state of Texas as he was involved in 3 showcase matches, celebrating 40 years of Wrestlemania in the WWE 2K24 game (Including the aformentioned submission match against Hart at WM 13 in 1997 in Rosemont, Illinois with Ken Shamrock as the special guest referee, then against his chief rival of The Rock in a no holds barred match for the WWE Championship at Wrestlemania X-Seven in Houston, Texas prior to his alignment with his main adversary of Mr McMahon in which Austin triumphed in 2001, & of course his final ever wrestling match to date in the WWE was at Wrestlemania 38 in Arlington, Texas back in 2022 against the French Canadian competitor of Kevin Owens who idolised Austin (Who had his first wrestling match in 19 years in which he got finally beaten by 'The People's Champion/The Brahma Bull/The Great One' at Wrestlemania XIX in 2003 after dominating the first two at WM XV way back in 1999, then WM X-Seven in 2001) as a young kid as part of his influence of becoming a professional wrestler, also in a no holds barred match in which 'Stone Cold' prevailed 20 years after his last victory at Wrestlemania, against the nWo's Scott Hall at Wrestlemania X8 way back in 2002 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada) as the unyielding BA of the WWE and transitioned 'The Excellence of Execution' into his new role as one of the top heels/villains of the company. Interestingly, the trailer didn't show Ken Shamrock as the special guest referee, but the generic ref used could be replaced later, as WWE 2K24 will feature Special Guest Referee Matches. As Shamrock is now working under a WWE Legends contract, fans are hopeful they could see the return of the former UFC champion in WWE 2K24. While the encounter between 'The Phenom' of the Undertaker & 'The Heartbreak Kid' of Shawn Michaels at Wrestlemania, was a legendary match between icons as 'Mr Wrestlemania' and 'The Deadman' had both iconic matches at WrestleMania, but it was the match at WrestleMania 25 that fans view as being one of by far, the greatest matches of all time. Two of the greatest icons with styles that fit together to create the kind of chemistry in a wrestling match that kept fans on the edges of their seats from start to finish. Even though 'The Demon of Death Valley' had an undefeated streak at WrestleMania, the match wasn't predictable. Fans will get to recreate the match-up brimming with close calls, false finishes, and feats of athleticism from both men in WWE 2K24. But the showdown at Wrestlemania 39 billed as 'Decider in Hollywood' between 'The American Nightmare' Cody Rhodes & 'The Tribal Chief' of Samoan American Roman Reigns (Who is the current undisputed WWE Universal Champion as of today, but there has been an update as Rhodes (Who is the most recent men's Royal Rumble winner this year along with Bayley who is the winner of the women's Royal Rumble & is about to square off against Japan's Iyo Sky for the WWE Women's Championship at WM XL) will instead face Reigns for the championship at Wrestlemania XL in a title match billed as Cody Vs Roman II: Decider in Philly which is a rematch of last year & acts as the sequel to Cody Vs Roman: Decider in Hollywood (+ there is other matches taking place such as Aussie Rhea Ripley (The girl (Or sheila as its known back in Oz) who dominated against Nia Jax in a WWE Women's World Championship title match at Elimination Chamber this year in front of her adoring home fans in Perth, WA, Australia, & is one of 3 Aussie wrestlers alongside Indi Hartwell & Grayson Waller) defending her women's title crown against Irishwoman Becky Lynch (Who recently released an autobiography as the book reflects on her success in the squared circle throughout her decorated career & is one of the Irish representatives of the WWE along with her trainer Finn Balor (Part of the villanious tag team stable of the Judgment Day along with the Bloodline (Consisting of Roman Reigns, Roman's cousin & mentor The Rock (The most famous Samoan American celeb on the planet whose real name is always Dwayne Johnson), Solo Sikoa (Son of Rikishi & nephew of the late Umaga who uses his finishing move the Samoan Spike inspired by his late uncle), Jimmy Uso (Twin brother of Jey but one of the Uso twin brothers is married to a female African American wrestler Naomi) & their manager Paul Heyman who was recently inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame this year) & Damage CTRL (Which consists of Iyo Sky, Asuka, Kairi Sane & our own Kiwi Dakota Kai but they used to have Bayley who is no longer with the tag team stable) with the aforementioned Ripley then Damian Priest (Who was the most recent men's Money in the Bank winner last year), 'Dirty' Dominik Mysterio (Son of famous luchador Rey) & JD McDonagh (Who is Irish just like Lynch, Balor & Sheamus), Sheamus (The man known as 'The Celtic Warrior' who is best known as the ex-security manager & right-hand man of U2 lead singer Bono) & the aformentioned McDonagh) as well as SFR & 'The Visionary' of Seth Rollins (Who is still the husband of the woman known as 'The Man/The Irish Lass Kicker') who'll put his WWE World Heavyweight Championship on the line against Scotsman Drew McIntyre (Who is Scotland's only recognized male professional wrestler as of today, but there's Nikki Cross, Alba Fyre, Piper Niven & Isla Dawn who are the other Scottish wrestlers as well, but all 4 of them are females, & there was the late great Canadian born wrestler of Scottish origin which is 'Rowdy' Roddy Piper who was legendary back in the day) along with social media superstar & entrepeneur Logan Paul defending his United States title against veteran wrestlers Randy 'The Legend Killer' Orton & Kevin 'KO' Owens & the Austrian wrestler of Gunther (The longest serving Intercontinental Champion of all time as he took over from the Honky Tonk Man) ready to put his Intercontinental crown on the line against Canadian Sami Zayn (Who has Syrian roots & is one of the Canadian wrestlers to appear in the WWE 2K24 game along with Kevin Owens, Maryse (Wife of The Miz who is recently retired as of today), Chelsea Green, Natalya as well as her father Jim 'The Anvil' Neidhart & his brother of the aformentioned Bret Hart who is Natalya's uncle following Edge's departure to AEW where he competes under his real name of Adam Copeland) at the Showcase of the Immortals) as Cody Returns To The WWE To Face 'The Big Dog' For The World Title. The biggest wrestling story in 2023 involved Rhodes returning to WWE and his intention to win the belt his father never won from 'The Head of the Table'. It was a personal journey that fans could get behind, and those who followed Cody's career where he reinvented himself as a star in Japan, and AEW positioned him as one of, if not the elite/premium babyface/good guy in the company – the perfect opponent for the ultra heel Roman Reigns. Most expected Cody to take the victory & wrest the title from Reigns, and it was another rollercoaster match between two of the best in the company. Even though Cody's fans didn't get the result, it elevated him further as he continued his journey to finish his story and honor his family's legacy. Then it was at Wrestlemania 10 where HBK faced off against 'The Bad Guy' of Razor Ramon who was the WWF Intercontinental champion where it was considered one of the greatest ladder matches of all time. The iconic Ladder match between 'The Showstopper' and Razor Ramon at WrestleMania 10 didn't appear in the reveal trailer. However, the official WWE 2K social media accounts posted the image of a ladder, tagging 'The Icon/the Main Event' on Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), and Facebook. The teaser likely referred to the incredible contest between two of the best Intercontinental Champions in the 1990s. The match features iconic and exciting moments like Michaels' splash from the top of the ladder and more to be recreated in WWE 2K24's Showcase mode, while the WWE Smackdown Women's Championship match between Australian Rhea 'Mami' Ripley & 'The Queen' of Charlotte Flair (Best known as the daughter of a retired famous wrestler of 'The Nature Boy' Ric who defeated Ripley at WM 36 in 2020) at WM 39, which was a showstealing performance from two of the best at WrestleMania 39. The terrific match between 'Mami' and 'The Nature Girl' was easily one of the best matches on both nights of WrestleMania 39. It started slowly but in the right way and developed into an exciting contest that had the fans in the palms of their hands with false finishes and finishing moves. More importantly, it was a match that told a story in and out of the ring. Many fans consider Ripley vs Flair as one of the best women's wrestling matches in WrestleMania history, and it is hard to argue that point. It's a deserving match to be featured in the Showcase. But the battle between Bianca 'The EST of WWE' Belair (Wife of male African American wrestler Montez Ford) & 'The Empress of Tomorrow' Asuka (Who is Japanese just like both Japanese female wrestlers Iyo Sky & Kairi Sane, as well as both Japanese male wrestlers of Shinsuke Nakamura & Akira Tozawa) also at Wrestlemania 39 was a competitive match for the Raw Women's Championship as another notable match featured in the WWE 2K24 trailer was Belair vs Asuka at WrestleMania 39. It shows 'The EST' hitting 'The Empress' with the Powerbomb and the WrestleMania 39 Hollywood logo in the background. While it wasn't as decent as the Rhea Ripley v Charlotte Flair match, it was an entertaining piece of showmanship from both women. Bianca Belair's appearance in the WrestleMania Showcase shouldn't be surprising, as she's the cover star alongside 'Mami' on the Deluxe Edition of WWE 2K24. It was a good contrast of styles, with Belair's strength and athleticism matching well with the Asuka's cunning and technical ability. There are plenty of power spots, and the Empress's mist will likely play a part in the Showcase.

And finally in the sporting news flash front such as in the cricket where the young West Indies side who finally secured their famous win against Australia in the 2nd test at the Gabba in Brisbane for the 1st time since 2003, & for the first time on Australian soil since 1997 with the great Brian Lara scoring a ton which resulted in a comprehensive 10 wicket win at the WACA Ground, with Shamar Joseph (Who was retired out after Mitchell Starc was bowling by hitting him in the toe resulting in being trapped LB which was reviewed then Starc had overstepped, resulting in a no ball, but I thought the only way to get out of a ball is run out, & then all of a sudden, Shamar Joseph (The hero of the West Indies in the 2nd & final test) had to retire hurt but he had been retired out, then he made a miraculous recovery the next day from a broken toe after the doctors had been given him the all clear (For which I thought that he shouldn't play with an injury like that), just like Khawaja who was cleared to play in the 2nd & final test against the Windies after being felled by a bouncer in which he retired hurt when he failed a concussion protocol, but however he has recovered by getting over it since) providing the heroics as he took 7 for 68 in the second innings on day 4 (On the same day as the pride of Italy has a new tennis star, in the form of Jannik Sinner who defeated the heavily favoured Daniil 'Meddy' Medvedev, to win his historic first ever Grand Slam title at this year's Australian Open (It took place a day after Aryna Sabalenka who retained her Australian Open women's singles crown against a Chinese opponent of Zheng Qin Wen (Who was the first Chinese player to reach the final since Li Na in 2014 where she won against Slovakia's Dominika Cibulkova as she became Asia's first ever Australian open champion, & the 1st to defend her women's singles crown at the Australian Open since her fellow countrywoman Victoria Azarenka in 2013 (That was the year after she won the title & the year before Li Na won it) during the final as Sabalenka again became the last woman standing), as well as the first Italian male grand slam champion since 1976 at the French Open with Adriano Panatta, after completing an incredible comeback from 2 sets down in an epic final for the ages (Well, I prefer Wimbledon last year that Carlos Alcaraz stunned Novak Djokovic in one of the greatest tennis matches that I have ever watched on television throughout my whole life, compared to the 2015 Rugby World Cup final between the AB's against our traditional Trans-Tasman foe of Australia was by far, the greatest rugby game I have ever seen on TV as well as race 10 of the last & most recent America's Cup in 2021 between the defender Emirates Team New Zealand against the challenger & champion of the Prada Cup, Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli, as the best yachting race I have ever watched on television & the World Test Championship final between India & New Zealand in the same year, as the greatest cricket match I have ever seen on TV) as well as he was awarded the standout player of the game for his performance during the 2nd test, then he was being awarded the standout player of the series in which the test series ended in a draw but the Aussies retain the Frank Worrell trophy which was overshadowed by Steve Smith scoring 91 not out when he carried his bat for Australia (Who went on to lose their 1st day/night test match in history after winning 11 in a row in which the undefeated streak was under threat going into the 2nd & last test against the Windies), the 1st male test cricketer to do so, since Tom Latham against Sri Lanka at the Basin Reserve in Wellington in the Boxing Day test back in 2018 where he scored 264 not out as the Black Caps were all out for 578 during the 1st innings in which the test match resulted in a draw, but the most famous examples were Englishman Alastair Cook against Australia during the Boxing Day test in 2017 at the hallowed MCG in which he posted 244 not out when England were bowled out for 491 during the 1st innings which also resulted in a draw, then the recently retired Australian test player David Warner, who posted 123 not out where the Australians were all out for 233 in the 2nd innings against New Zealand who had won the test, at Blundstone Arena in 2011 in one of the most famous iconic test matches in history, in the aftermath of Doug Bracewell who knocked over Nathan Lyon to get their 1st win against Australia in a test match in 22 years)

So that is my 535th blog of the year 2024 (MMXXIV) & my 11th of this year, viva Ukraine & Palestine.

P.S. Do I have to die to hear you miss me?

Do I have to die to hear you say goodbye?

I don't wanna act like there's tomorrow

I don't wanna wait to do this one more time

One more time

One more

One more time

One more time

Emotion Sickness/You Know My Name/Nearly Forgot My Broken Heart/Dilemma: My 10th blog of the year 2024

Well, the latest on the cricket such as Australia thrashing Pakistan with a 360 run victory in the 1st test at Perth Stadium in Perth with David Warner scoring a cracking 164 in the 1st innings (His last ever test century of his illustrious career) then Nathan Lyon did the unthinkable as he becomes the 3rd Australian bowler in history to achieve 500 test wickets to join the likes of both Glenn McGrath & the late Shane Warne as he is now on 501, meanwhile the Black Caps bounced back from a semifinal defeat against India in this year's men's Cricket World Cup with a win in the 1st ODI against Bangladesh at the University Oval in Dunedin with Will Young getting 105 during the match but there has been an update as New Zealand have clinched the ODI series against Bangladesh at the Saxton Oval in Nelson through a successful run chase to go 2 - 0 up with one game to spare, while there has also been an update as Australia win the Boxing Day test against Pakistan in Melbourne as Australia's captain Pat Cummins provided both 5 wicket hauls in both the 1st & 2nd innings as well as his 10 wickets that he took in the match to clinch the test series before they dominated the 3rd & final test in Sydney in David Warner's farewell test as he signs off international cricket in style (Including him being given out LB in his last ever test innings according to the successful DRS challenge by Pakistan after the umpire said that it wasn't out originally before notifying it & asking for the 3rd umpire upstairs) which was overshadowed by Aamir Jamal picking up his standout player of the game for his perfomances with both his batting & bowling (6/69 & 82 in the 1st innings & 0/22 & 18 in the 2nd) while Cummins was the best player of the series, then the Aussies were on their way to a comprehensive win against the West Indies in the 1st test in Adelaide, as they did by 10 wickets which was marred by Australian test opener Usman Khawaja got hit in the head by a short pitched bouncer in which he had taken off the field as he failed his HIA (Although he has been given the all clear to play in the 2nd test which is a day/night test at the Gabba in Brisbane), moments before Marnus Labuschagne hit the winning wins in Australia's 1st test since Warner retired from international cricket as the Aussies are now entering the post-Warner era (Warner made his debut in 2011 in Brisbane, 13 years before calling it quits as the Sydney test against Pakistan this year in Sydney, was his last with former captain Steve Smith (Who started his career as a leg spinner before becoming a batter in which he has fulfilled his role since) now taking Warner's place as the opening batter's spot with Khawaja (Who is likely to miss the 2nd & final test in Brisbane billed as the rosee test with Matt Renshaw who is in line to replace him).

And I was watching the Austin Powers in Goldmember movie which I first saw 20 years ago way back in 2004 (My favourite scene would have to be Mr Roboto being eaten by sharks in the hands of one of my favourite Austin Powers characters & the son of Doctor Evil of Scott Evil after Mr Roboto asked that in light of the success of the device that he wanted a bonus in his paycheck per Japanese custom, but Dr. Evil got excited that Mr Roboto wants a bonus, & he ended up laughing hard & tells Mr Roboto that he hasn't laughed that hard since he was a little girl as he thanked him, but Mr Roboto wasn't joking before he is then promptly devoured without getting paid as was originally intended although Dr. Evil was notably disturbed at how exhilerated Scott was when watching him die, but my 2nd fave scene would have to be one of the satellite's falling out of orbit including a scene which featured the Osbourne family who appeared in a cameo role including the likes of Ozzy 'The prince of Darkness' Osbourne (One of the famous celebs who appeared in the movie along with retired pop singer Britney Spears, Hollywood stars Tom Cruise, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kevin Spacey, Danny DeVito & John Travolta, famous Hollywood movie director Stephen Spielberg, famous record producer Quincy Jones & the late great famous American composer & songwriter Burt Bacharach), his wife Sharon & his kids including daughter Kelly & son Jack while my 3rd favourite scene would have to be the family bonding session between Austin & Dougie Powers (Who thought that he was going to be shot & killed by his brother Austin until his dad Nigel intervened that he has to safeguard the man once known as Doctor Evil & tells both of his sons about a family related story, but the ending structure to Austin Powers In Goldmember, is similar to Return of the Jedi as well as The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King & Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker) with their father Nigel & Mini-me before Scott Evil walks out of Doctor Evil's submarine lair after he betrays the entire Powers clan by willing or plotting to take over his father's evil criminal empire as seen in the ending, then my 4th fave scene would have to be bros Austin & Dougie working together in order to bring down Goldmember & to prevent the meteorite from crashing down to earth before triggering a flood, as they at least saved the world once again according to Basil Exposition, the British intelligence figure, & my 5th favourite scene would have to be Dr. Evil's plan of bringing Goldmember & have the entire world flooded with a meteorite crashing down in which he calls Preparation H (In which Scott Evil joked about the name literally about Preparation H being the name for hemorroid cream) before he is eventually cornered & being captured along with the rest of his crew in the hands of Austin Powers), 2 years after the film came out in cinemas in 2002 (Same year that the Ruthless Aggression era (Which featured their main stars such as John Cena, Batista & Randy Orton) in the WWE had just begun as they took over from the Attitude era (Which featured the likes of 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin, The Rock & Triple H as their main men during that era) as well as Shihad changing their name to Pacifier in 2002, in which the original band name had to go mainly as a result of the band being sounded too similar like jihad in light of the 9/11 attacks in 2001 according to the news report that I remember whilst seeing the Shihad: Beautiful Machine trailer on YouTube, 2 years before changing their name back to Shihad way back 20 years ago in 2004 according to the story that my second cousin Ben told me as we were on our way to drop me off back home last year after we witnessed Wanganui play Horowhenua-Kapiti in a New Zealand Heartland Rugby Championship game, & the Schumi era had been around in Formula 1 in that year in which they used 3 litre V10 engines which sounded the most beautiful & considered to be the best when Germany's Michael Schumacher (Who last won a world championship in 2004 (Especially in a season where non-Ferrari/Michael Schumacher fans are getting fed up due to the utter dominance of him & his constructor that he raced for as well as the decline of TV ratings mainly because of the die-hard F1 fans were not in favour of both Schumi & the Italian motor racing icon) with 7 along with Hamilton) in the Ferrari, dominated in that era (And after that it was Spain's Fernando Alonso (Who raced for Renault during his title winning years) in 2005-06 followed by Ferrari's Kimi 'The Iceman' Raikkonen from Finland in 2007 then Britain's Sir Lewis Hamilton in the McLaren in 2008 before fellow Brit Jenson 'JB' Button who raced for Brawn GP which had its fairytale season according to the previous blogs that I did, took over in 2009 followed by German Sebastian 'Seb' Vettel who raced for Red Bull Racing from 2010-13 then Hamilton again when he drove for Mercedes-AMG in 2014-15 before another German Nico Rosberg did it in 2016, also driving for Mercedes before retiring as well as LH who dominated it from 2017-2020, & now in all of a sudden that Formula One has been taken over by a Dutchman named Max Verstappen (Son of former F1 & A1GP driver Jos AKA 'The Flying Dutchman' & 'The Boss', & unlike Edge (Who is now in AEW competing under his real name of Adam Copeland but kept his 'Rated R Superstar' nickname moniker type of thing) saying that the WWE has been taken over by an Irishman named Sheamus who once referred to him as an evil Ronald McDonald back in 2010 following his victory at the Royal Rumble) in the Red Bull who dominated the last 3 years as he won 3 consecutive world championships between them from 2021 until last year) which lasted from 1989 until 2006 along with the V12 engines that had been around from 1989 until 1995 before the 2.4 litre V8 engines (AKA the modern era) took over which lasted from 2006 until 2013 & now we have the silent era which had been going since 2014 when F1 had made the decision to go green).

And what a win by Joseph Parker eh? As he managed to beat Deontay Wilder to claim the interim heavyweight boxing championship by way of unanimous decision over in Jeddah in Saudi Arabia which was held in December last year in a bout dubbed as Day of Reckoning on the same night as Australian born Jai Opetaia (Who is of both New Zealand & Samoan origin) defeated Ellis Zorro via a KO in the first round & Anthony Joshua losing to Ukrainian boxer Oleksandr Usyk for the title (And Joseph Parker's next opponent is a tougher one, against a Chinese boxer named Zhang Zhilei known as 'the Great Wall' who has a massive height & reach advantage due in March in Saudi Arabia just like the Joshua title fight that Parker had in 2018), but there is massive rugby news such as Patrick Tuipulotu (Who missed last year's Rugby World Cup for the All Blacks when the 14 man New Zealand missed out on regaining the crown in the hands of the brilliant South Africans in the final by a single point which kept South African rugby great (In a reference inspired by the former US president Donald Trump according to the previous blogs that I did) through a broken arm but he is injured again as he is likely to miss 8 weeks with a broken jaw sustained in the Cross-Border rugby match against Tokyo Sungoliath) has been appointed as the Blues captain again for this year's Super Rugby Pacific competition getting ready to begin in February as he takes over from Dalton Papali'i, meanwhile the Hurricanes have appointed a new captain in the form of former English international Brad Shields before the brand new Super Rugby Pacific season kicks off, which begins in a rematch of last year's Super Rugby Pacific final (In which had gone in the way of the red & blacks to complete a successful defence of the SRP championship, but there is a new season as 11 others seek to attempt the end of the Crusaders dynasty in which they have been invincible since 2017 where they won all but one Super Rugby championships including 7 between their name (That's 5 full & 2 regionalised titles that they won during their dynasty) between the former champions the Chiefs, & the current 12 time champions the Crusaders (The Stade Tolousain (A French rugby club who is the most successful side in the Investec Champions Cup) of Super Rugby Pacific due to being the most successful in terms of championships won with 14 (12 full & both regonalised) at FMG Stadium Waikato in Hamilton on the 23rd of February (The other games on that weekend is between the fledging Rebels outfit who square off against the Brumbies in Melbourne followed by the Force & the Hurricanes in Perth, then a day later it is the Blues who clash the Fijian Drua over at Semenoff Stadium in Whangarei which is located in the Northland region that I've been once with both Carole & Pops late last year during our holiday, followed by the Highlanders taking on Moana Pasifika at Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin in the Otago region & then the historic New South Wales - Queensland rivalry between the two of the Reds & the Waratahs to wrap up the opening round of this years Super Rugby Pacific season a week before Melbourne takes center stage of hosting the highly successful Super Round which is in its 3rd year running at AAMI Park after hosting the previous two in both 2022 & last year).

And finally in news related to Formula One that the Scuderia Alphatauri team is officially rebranding to Visa Cash App RB alongside Alfa Romeo who literally changed it to Kick F1 Team Sauber, making it the worst F1 team name in history in which the majority of the fans throughout the F1 community are shocked & crying foul about the team name now commonly referred to it as VCARB that Japan's Yuki Tsunoda (A former Toyota Racing Series competitor who raced alongside our own Kiwi Liam Lawson (Who is currently the test & reserve driver for the team) back in 2020, just right before the pandemic had started) & Australia's Daniel Ricciardo (The guy who replaced the out of form Nyck de Vries (Who has since gone back to Formula E after he was dropped from Alphatauri due to a lack of form which the man known as 'Danny Ricc', replaced him) since last year in Hungary (Before being sidelined with a broken hand he suffered during a practice session in the Netherlands & was out of action until the United States Grand Prix (Lawson filled in for him until Qatar) during the middle of the season) are racing for them.

So that is my 534th blog of the year 2024 (MMXXIV) & my 10th of this year, viva Ukraine & Palestine.

P.S. He's everything you want

He's everything you need

He's everything inside of you

That you wish you could be

He says all the right things

At exactly the right time

But he means nothing to you

And you don't know why

My God Is The Sun/Can't Change Me: My 9th blog of the year 2024

Well, I have added Nicolas Cage (Memphis Raines from Gone In 60 Seconds), Vin Diesel (Dominic 'Dom' Toretto from the Fast & the Furious film franchise) & Bruce Willis (AKA Korben Dallas from the Fifth Element who had to retire from acting in 2022 due to dementia) as part of my favourite movie stars list, alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger, Tom Cruise (IMF agent Ethan Hunt from the Mission: Impossible series), Samuel L Jackson (Mace Windu from the Star Wars prequel trilogy & Nick Fury from the Marvel comics superhero film, the Avengers), Keanu Reeves (Thomas A 'Neo' Anderson from the Matrix series), Jackie Chan & the 2 Kiwis of Temuera Morrison (Jango Fett from Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones as well as the Galactic Republic clone troopers from both AOTC & Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith) & Karl Urban (Eomer from both Lord of the Rings films such as the Two Towers & the Return of the King), but my fave Nicolas Cage film is Gone In 60 Seconds (That was the first movie I saw at a movie theater way back in 2000 while my first movie I watched was True Lies) on an old video tape, compared to my favourite Vin Diesel movie is The Fast & The Furious (In which I've first seen in 2003 on Sky Movies) & my fave Bruce Willis movie would have to be The Fifth Element (It was 20 years ago when I first watched it way back in 2004 (Same year that the lower North Island of New Zealand were impacted by the floods that they once had (Compared to Cyclone Gabrielle that they had last year in which the Hawke's Bay region (That is Jansen's current home province because he used to be in the Whanganui region but Jans hasn't got a partner now since Millie left him by terminating her relationship with Jansi, just like Leon who is no longer with Hanne in 2020 as he met Michelle & is about to marry her, but he has recent health issues lately (And it has been 219 days since Pops & I last saw him on the last day of July last year) was impacted) then the terrorist train bombings had happened in Madrid, Spain (That was the year before London had it's 9/11 moment when the city had its terrorist attack on the 7th of July in 2005 (Same year that Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith came out in cinemas, then the All Blacks winning the test series with a stunning clean sweep against the British & Irish Lions (Which was marred by losing their captain Brian O'Driscoll during the first test in Christchurch with a serious injury after being tip tackled by All Blacks captain at the time of Tana Umaga who should've been suspended in light of the foul play incident along with Kevin Mealamu) as well as in the cricket that England led by Michael Vaughan which featured the likes of Andrew Flintoff, Andrew Strauss, Kevin Pietersen, Marcus Trescothick, Steve Harmison, Matthew Hoggard & others finally winning the Ashes series in 16 long years against their old foe of Australia featuring a star studded lineup of captain Ricky Ponting, Matthew Hayden, Justin Langer, Glenn McGrath, Brett Lee, Jason Gillespie, the late Shane Warne & others, & last but not least, Fernando Alonso becoming the first Spaniard in history (As well as breaking Emerson Fittipaldi's then record of becoming the youngest world champion in F1 (It was Lewis Hamilton who broke Alonso's all time record in 2008, followed by Sebastian Vettel who took over from Hamilton in 2010 in which the record stands as of today) to win the Formula One crown in which he ended Michael Schumacher's reign as the world champion) through terrible bombings throughout the area (That was 6 years before the Christchurch earthquakes on the 22nd of February in 2011 (That was prior to Christchurch losing the rights to host RWC games, especially the 2 quarterfinal matches being scheduled in the aftermath of the old Lancaster Park unable to continue as a result of earthquake damage caused by it), just 7 months before the start of the Rugby World Cup here in New Zealand & 8 years before the city was crippled by the mass mosque shooting massacre in which the gunman (Whose currently behind bars serving an imprisonment for life sentence) opened fire by claiming 51 lives in which our country of New Zealand had its 9/11 moment when they introduced a crack down on assault rifles just like in Australia in the aftermath of the tragic shootings in Port Arthur, Tasmania in 1996 where an AR-15 was used for the mass killings which murdered 35 people, Norway & the UK following the Christchurch terror attack), just days after being awarded as host city of the 2012 Olympic Games) then Greece coached by German Otto Renhagel winning Euro 2004 against hosts Portugal (Who 12 years later would gone on to win their 1st Euros against hosts at the time of France back in 2016) in that memorable final that they had (They had to beat the tournament favourites & defending champions at the time of France in the quarterfinal in one of the biggest upsets of the Euros (Compared to 1992 where Denmark was in after FR Yugoslavia who had to withdraw when a civil war had broken out in their home country according to the blogs that I did last year in February), as well as Athens hosting the Olympic Games in which our Kiwis claimed 3 gold medals during our campaign (The gold medalists for our country in Athens 2004 were the Evers-Swindell twins of Caroline & Georgina in rowing (They followed it up by defending it in Beijing in 2008 in a close but tense finish (Then they retired following their success once more) similar to Mahe Drysdale did in Rio in 2016 according to the previous blogs that I did) to join the likes of Val Adams (Who was known as Valerie Vili back then) & Tom Ashley as the other gold medalists in Beijing 2008) then Sarah Ulmer in cycling (Who had faced her good mate from Australia of Katie McAtier in the final of the women's individual pursuit) & Hamish Carter in the triathlon in which he became the only New Zealander to win gold in that event where he finished ahead of fellow Kiwi Bevan Docherty), & the earthquake & tsunami that happened on the Indian Ocean on Boxing Day on 26 December 2004, at 07:58:53 local time, a major earthquake with a magnitude of 9.1 to 9.3, struck with an epicentre off the west coast of northern Sumatra, Indonesia as a deadly tsunami that hit the coasts of several countries of South and Southeast Asia and caused immense destruction when the tsunami waves caused widespread death and injuries, displaced thousands, destroyed towns, homes, livelihoods, infrastructure, and wrecked coastal areas (And I remember at one point where I watched it on TV in 2004 (That was the year that I went to Christchurch with Pops & the late Nan in my first ever expedition to the South Island (I have been there like 3 times such as in 2017 then most recently in 2019 (A year right before the world changed everything when the global COVID-19 pandemic occurred in 2020), which was my last holiday prior to the tragic event of my generation unfolded (And my first holiday was in Northland with Pops & Carole late last year which was our first in the post COVID-19 pandemic era), a year before going to Samoa in my first international holiday in 2005 (That was 5 years before my first venture to Australia in the Gold Coast in 2010 with my whanau especially Dad, Dad's 2nd partner, Bernard & Jansen, a year before my last international holiday in 2011 where I went to Australia once again, this time with the late Nan & Pops) about the Black Caps playing a One Day International cricket match on Boxing Day against Sri Lanka before the visiting team pulled out citing fears of the tragic events unfolded in the aftermath of the Indian Ocean earthquake & tsunami that they just had).

And there is numerous amount of confirmed cases of COVID-19 (Which had its pandemic 4 years ago after the World Health Organization declared it world wide when it began to spread which resulted in shutdowns & restrictions, 4 months after the very first confirmed case had occurred in a fish market in Wuhan, China (But I thought it occurred at a laboratory rather than a fish market according to a comment from Carole that I barely remember), which was our tragic event throughout my generation when the whole world was on pause for much of both 2020 & 2021, compared to the 9/11 tragedy in America way back in 2001 & it's worse than the Pearl Harbor invasion in 1941, V-Day in 1945 & both JFK & Doctor Martin Luther King getting assassinated in 1963 & 1968 respectively according to the blogs that I did in late 2022) in Singapore meaning that they turned the whole nation into a battlefield/war zone just before the Christmas & new year period, even though the Singaporeans might have declared war on the corona virus once again (And there was a school in Christchurch recently as there was an outbreak of the corona virus from their students before they had made the right decision to close according to the staff, especially the school principal).

And I did not know Pops is a great-grandfather of Norah (Who is Paige (My cuzzie as well as my honorary sister (Well, it's official now as of today unlike Andy's wife Kelsey who is my 2nd choice) just like Leon Benbaruk having Sophia Ong (Who has her son Shaia already & is due to give birth to her second child in December last year) as his honorary daughter) & Jarrod's daughter, but I'm trying to use Norah as part of my influence about her on my blogs as a symbol) on Cathey Middelplaats's side of the family, just like me having both great grandmothers such as the late Nana Minnie (Who was with the late Jim Ngapo (Who is an avid Indian curry food lover just like me as well as beer fanatic along with Uncle Wally & me) until he passed away in the mid 80's) on Pops side & the late Enid (Who was with the late Ron as well) who passed away in January 1998 on the late Nan's side of the whanau.

And the latest in the NBA as Golden State Warriors player Draymond Green (Who is basketball's equivalent of Australian tennis player Nick Kyrgios) is in the firing line as he is suspended again indefinitely (Now 3 weeks since he is required to undergo counseling) for one of the most cowardly acts of the year as he struck Phoenix Suns player Jusuf Nurkic in the head by flooring him which resulted in a flagrant foul as well as an instant ejection from the game.

And I told Pops that the New Zealand supermarket chain of Countdown is renaming back to Woolworths (Who haven't used their name since they left the NZ market in 2011 when it became Countdown) starting from the 1st of January this year following a name change as part of a makeover which is worth $400 million, but Woolworths has declared war on rats & mice when they invaded their supermarkets so they need to introduce pests to end that invasion in the aftermath of one of their supermarkets in South Dunedin had been ruined by rodents although they had to close due to rat infestation with the supermarket giant now under review with mice & rats could contaminate food with salmonella or E. coli bacteria, while most shoppers are being panicked about the situation as they sent in alarm bells when they alerted to their workers.

And finally in rugby related news as this year's Six Nations competition (Which is the 1st international rugby competition being staged following last year's Rugby World Cup in France as well as a new World Cup cycle on the horizon) due to get underway with previous hosts of the RWC, the Gregory Alldritt led France (Who fell short against the eventual champions South Africa (Who had their winger Cheslin Kolbe charge down an attempted conversion by French fullback Thomas Ramos in the quarterfinal in which the French were gutted about the result meanwhile there was joy for the Springboks would gone on to appear another semi after a win by the barest of margins which is a point or less over the French who crashed out of their home tournament in which they were absolutely, totally but bitterly disappointed about the result like I said before in my previous blogs) in the quarterfinal of the tournament last year) square off against the reigning Six Nations champions of the Peter O'Mahony led Ireland (Who didn't get the result that they needed against our very own All Blacks side in a 4 point loss also in the quarters of the World Cup with the winning turnover provided by Sam Whitelock which broke Irish hearts therefore their ambitions of breaking their quarterfinal drought at the RWC continues) at the Stade Velodrome in Marseille (And both sides of the French & the Irish were expected to meet in the final, but that's not the case as it turned out to be an All Blacks - Springboks final instead (And it was during the final of last year's torrid Rugby World Cup that the 14 man All Blacks couldn't even stop the Springboks dynasty which continued at the Rugby World Cup (In which the sequel to Chasing the Sun about the Springboks successful World Cup glory in 2019, is being on the cards with last years edition, has been confirmed as Chasing the Sun 2 which is about South Africa retaining the contest of rugby's biggest prize, the Rugby World Cup (It is similar to the America's Cup that Team New Zealand tried & tested our Black Magic boat in which we first won in 1995 (3 years after the events of bowspritgate that cost the New Zealand Challenge a chance of America's Cup glory against the Italian boat Il Moro de Venezia led by an American named Paul Cayard (The former Young America helmsman & AmericaOne skipper) who successfully triumphed in the old Louis Vuitton Cup before fallen just short against America3 in the AC match) in San Diego, California, USA against Dennis Conner & co of Stars & Stripes onboard the Young America boat according to the previous blogs that I did, 5 years before our successful defence at Auckland in 2000 against the Luna Rossa Challenge from Italy, then 17 years later that the newly named Emirates Team New Zealand won in Bermuda in 2017 against Oracle Team USA led by Jimmy Spithill, 4 years before our retention of the Auld Mug in Auckland in 2021 against Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli in a COVID-19 affected year) just like in 1995) cue the bad refereeing calls from Wayne Barnes (Just like in 2007 against France which hurt us including the pass was adjudged to be forward in the leadup to the winning try, which should've been overturned by the TMO), who was the victim of online hate by those abusive die-hard All Blacks fans (Including the decision about whether the winning try by the All Blacks counts, but it was knocked on at the scrum that cost us) on social media, in which the rugby world was crying red card (With sanctions/repercussions likely to being handing out for those who spew online hate towards their rugby referees social media accounts) followed by the struggling Italy (Who have yet to qualify for the knockout stages of the World Cup) locking horns with the Jamie George led England (Who finished 3rd against Argentina in the bronze final at last year's Rugby World Cup after a semifinal defeat which was less than a point by a whisker against the champion Boks side who had Leicester Tigers player Handre Pollard scoring the match winning penalty goal that put them through to another final) at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome & Wales (Who missed out on a win against Argentina in the quarterfinal to set up a semifinal showdown against the AB's) hosting Scotland (Who failed to qualify for the quarters during the tournament after their defeat against Ireland) at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.

So that is my 533rd blog of the year 2024 (MMXXIV) & my 9th of this year, viva Ukraine & Palestine.

P.S. And it is 4 years since the world had changed when the global COVID-19 pandemic began in March 2020 where there were shutdowns & restrictions in place when it began to spread in 2019 as the WHO declared it a pandemic in which the world was on pause for many of both 2020 & 2021 like I said before, & now we have both wars going on such as the one where it began in February 2022 (And it has been kept going since) that I still cannot post it according to Pops in 2022 when he said to me that he actually thinks it's objectionable & sensitive to the country who started it & of course, the situation in Gaza where there has been an update to the death toll that there was 30,000 innocent lives being taken away during the war which began on October 7th last year (And it's been 5 months since the controversial war began where Israeli troops are currently searching for hostages who are being captured by Hamas forces (And there is no food, no water, no medical supplies & nowhere safe during the Gaza crisis that they're just having) & there is mass protests around the world about the war in which security had been upped to prevent any further incidents from happening (Unlike in the Premier League football in England that they made the decision to prohibit both Israel & Palestine flags being carried onto the stadium in an effort to reduce the number of incidents that they just had, but the fans defied that move during a Liverpool home game where fans carried Palestine flags onto the stadium & chanted "Free Palestine" during a moment of silence to honour the victims of that senseless war which had been cut short due to the controversial chants that the fans have made).