Mom said I was in the Intensive Care Unit for a day. Unfortunately, I have no memory of it. Just when I opened my eyes to discover a few nurses fussing over me, I was moved out to the ward. Too bad – I did not even get time to savour all the attention. The name itself makes one feel important, doesn’t it? Intensive Care Unit. I like the sound of it, though I don’t fancy its smell. The last time I was at the door of the ICU was when my Uncle was admitted. He died a few days later. No wonder I had a host of wide-eyed relatives around me when I woke up.

The whole world is in a tight grip of soccer fever these days, or shall we say Vuvuzela fever this time. Even in India, in spite of the fact that the Indian team has never played a game in the football world cup finals, people are singing “just like a wavin’ flag” with great enthusiasm. South Africa, the host nation, is like a huge country on carnival. People, in their colourful attire, are supporting their favorite teams with the zeal of a kid who has just learnt cycling. So what is it about sports like football, or for that matter cricket in some parts of the world, that makes people go round?

Since as back as I can remember Mr. D, our neighbor, I have seen him strolling with a newspaper at 7am in his verandah, after which he would go inside, and then emerge an hour later, fully dressed, lunch in one hand, and rush out of his home and keep running till he found himself inside his bus. A chartered bus. Then at 5:30 pm he could be seen walking back to his house, at a much more relaxed pace than in the morning, after which he would shortly appear for a game of badminton.

These days it is not very uncommon to hear phrases like Twitter will change the world, or that Facebook will guide the way businesses deal with their customers, or something on similar lines. While it is undeniable that Internet is changing the world as we know it, yet by itself Internet can’t do much.

Without the offline world, the online world simply cannot exist.

If you missed out this time, or you think you could have done better, don’t despair, you still have your chance. Take a good look at the picture for this fortnight, and give it a caption that you think apt. If your caption is the best, you win, and your name will be announced (with a link to your site, if you have one) on the front page of The MAG. Additionally, you also stand to win a “The MAG” T-shirt. So, what are you waiting for, put on your thinking cap and Caption This!