And the Winner of the 2014 World Cup Is......

GERMANY!!!

Oh, what an exciting game it was to watch with fellow supporters of the Deutsche Mannschaft.  First 90 minutes were tense, both sides strong, and resulted in a 0-0 score. Germany and Argentina had several chances to score, but the goalies were too good, and/or a player was off-side.  There was a bit of blood, a few yellow cards, and several fouls that the referee appeared to ignore (hmm...).  It could have gone either way.

In the 88th minute, German coach Joachim Loew made a substitution, and brought in #19 Mario Goetze.  What a wise decision that was.  Once the two 15 minutes of overtime started, Mario got right to business, and pushed agressively toward Argentina's goalie.

In the 112 minute, it paid off.  Goetze scored a thrilling goal.  It was mayhem for the German fans.  Loud cheers and screams for Germany to keep the score 1-0 until the 120 minutes + 2 minutes of overtime.  It was intense, it was crazy, it was exciting.  And when the final whistle blew, a VERY, VERY LOUD CHEER erupted, followed by loud music, and people singing "we are the champions...."

Germany had won the 2014 World Cup, after 24 years since winning the last one.  What a beautiful ending to this World Cup run.  I am very proud of the way Germany played, and thrilled that believing in a team finally yielded the result I had been hoping for so many years.

Below are a few pics of this amazing finale.  Enjoy!!!

Singing the German National Anthem

GER vs. ARG: 1-0 at 113min

German fans

Germany wins World Cup 2014

Mario Goetze after getting the job done

Manuel Neuer winning the Golden Glove

The Trophy

Fireworks in Brazil after Germany wins World Cup

Germany is in the Finals of the World Cup 2014!!!!

So, my long-time favorite team Germany has made it to the World Cup Final, which will be held tomorrow, July 13, at 3pm EST.  Yippiehh!!!

They will be playing Argentina, another top-notch team.  It will be an absolute pleasure to watch these two rivals play against each other.

Germany made it to the finals by beating Brazil 7-1.  Yes, 7-1 on the home turf of Brazil....unimaginable, but it happened.  The first 5 goals were scored in the first 45min.  I watched the match with my jaw dropped open, and started taking pics of the screen, because this was truly history in the making (see below).

First 7min of match - 0-0....all looks calm, both teams defending well (yeah, then the tides turn.....see below).

No typo....in the 85th min, Brazil trails Germany 0-7....woahhh!!!!

Wrap-up mode at 91min....Brazil trails Germany 1-7, and that is how the score stood when the final whistle blew

Argentina on the other hand, did not have such an exciting semi-final vs. Netherlands.  Nevertheless, they held on to a 0-0 score after 120 minutes of playing.  Argentina then won in penalty kicks 4-2.

It will be a great feast for any soccer fan to watch both Germany and Argentina play.  I will be rooting for Thomas Mueller to score at least one more goal.  He has 5 on his resume in this World Cup thus far.  Also, interesting to note is Miroslav Klose, who in the semis scored his 16th World Cup Goal.  He is now the top-ranked scorer. 

Lionel Messi (Argentina) scored 4 goals in this World Cup.  I hope Germany will be able to defend well, and be cold and clinical, and get the job done, so that they can walk home with the WC 2014 Trophy. 

As they say in German, "Ich druecke mir die Daumen dass Deutschland gewinnen wird."

Just a side note, my other favorite is USA, and I am very proud of the way they played this year....kudos to both the team and to the coach, Juergen Klinsmann...a delight to see the underdog get out of the Group stages.  Most worthy is that they only gave up 1 goal vs. Germany, so that says something.  Also, while USA lost against Belgium (1-2), one needs to commend the 16 saves by Tim Howard (goalie).  In 4 years, USA will be even more prepared, and get out of Round of 16.

French Cuisine

French cuisine is one of the most emotionally satisfying meals to eat, because it is made with a lot of thought, creativity, and love.  The cuisine is known for its high quality and fatty food products, i.e., emphasis on freshness over preservatives, and usage of a lot of cream and butter....and by a lot, I mean REALLY A LOT.

Below are a few dishes I recently attempted.  Bon Apetit.

Baked salmon, dill dijonnaise (slightly burned on top...c'est la vie...but still it was juicy on the inside, courtesy of lemon juice)

Coquilles St. Jacques Mornay (i.e., scallops)

Creme Brulee (came out heavenly)

Nicoise Salad (note for vegetarians: can be made without tuna & anchovies, and still be yummy)

Potato galette (I know, a bit overdone, but still edible, once grease was rubbed off)

Wilted spinach (with a little sprinkle of chilly flakes...note: NEVER attempt to overcook or burn the chilly flakes, they will cause a non-stop cough and your eyes to water...above picture is attempt #2 after experiencing the after-effects of burned chilly flakes)

World Cup in Brazil....My two teams are still in it!!!

If there is any other major sporting event, that will keep me from following my favorite sport tennis too closely, it would be the World Cup....this year held in Brazil.

My two favorite teams, Germany and the US, were put together in Group G (also known as the Group of Death).  While I had no doubt what-so-ever that Germany would advance, I was a bit nervous for the US.  This was mainly due to the fact that 2 other strong teams (Ghana and Portugal) were in this Group as well, and only 2 of the 4 teams could advance.  Assuming (logically of course), that Germany would most definitely lead the Group, the US had a 33% chance taking the runner-up spot (maybe even less, per the naysayers).

I had high hopes for the US, mainly because i) they hired one of my favorite former German players (Juergen Klinsmann) as coach, who had previously coached the German national team successfully back in 2006, and ii) the team is comprised of a more diverse group of players, with experience playing for international teams.

I defended this notion numerous times in the days leading up to their 1st game on Jun 16th, that the US will advance, and was met with a lot of grins and eye rolls.  I said that the US would FINALLY defeat Ghana.  I was hoping and believing the unimaginable, but was sooooo thrilled when it actually happened.

Of all the matches played within Group G, I predicted the winner correctly for all, except for the Germany vs. Ghana tie (I thought for sure Germany would win), and Portugal's win over Ghana (here, I had predicted a tie).

I watched the Germany vs. US match with mixed feelings (yes, it was during a week day at lunch time, and yes, I took a rather long lunch break ;), but so did a bunch of others.  I wanted a tie, but knew that Germany would in the end beat the US.  Germany is in a league of its own.  My only hope was that Germany would be gentle (i.e., only 1 pt differential), and that the Portugal vs. Ghana match occurring at the same time would lead to a result that would be beneficial to the US.  Thankfully, it happened.  It really did happen.  I am very happy for the US team (and especially for Juergen Klinsmann....I get to see more of him :).

The Round of 16 takes place for Germany on Mon, 6/30 and for the US on Tue, 7/1.  I predict that Germany will win that one quite easily vs. Algeria, and that the US will defeat Belgium.  If that doesn't happen, then so be it, but I BELIEVE and HOPE that it will.  And I will be wearing black/white on Monday, and Red/Blue/White on Tuesday.  So there.

Who do I think (objectively and rationally) will ultimately win the World Cup title?  Germany.  It's high time, though they will have a few hurdles to overcome (assuming that France, Brazil, and Argentina will each advance up to the point where they face Germany).  But I think it can be done.  So let's see, and enjoy the rest of games.

A special thanks to Univision, who has been kind enough to air all the games on TV, for those WHO DO NOT HAVE CABLE :)

My Farberge Egg Hunt....All in One Spot

Earlier this year, Farberge hid over 260 Easter eggs designed by different artists.  These eggs were about 2.5 feet tall, and could be found in all 5 boroughs of NYC.

Well, since I neither had the time nor the inclination to go hunting for them, I just waited until they all made their grand finale presence at Rockefeller Center - with the last day being Apr 25, 2014.  These eggs will eventually be auctioned off for charity at Sotheby's.

Below are some of my favorite designs (not necessarily in order of favorites) + a rabbit made of greenery balancing an egg made of flowers:

Super Bowl Snack

Time to relax.  The Super Bowl has started between Denver vs. Seattle...and this is what I'm currently snacking on :)

Bon Apetit.

Pre-Super Bowl celebrations in NYC

Yesterday, I went to the Pepsi dome in Bryant Park.  This dome, called #PepCity was to celebrate the quality of food that accompanies the Super Bowl, which this year will be held in NJ.

The line was long, but the wait not so bad.  Once inside, I received a card with eight circles, and I could visit each of the eight stations to sample some of the yummy treats made by world-class chefs, like David Burke, Mark Forgione, and Michael Psilakis.  At each station, there was also a Pepsi-related quirky drink sample, except for David Burke, which had Starbucks sample's of vanilla/choco iced lattes.

Mind you, the food samples were small, but nothing is more satisfying than trying out sumptuous food, and realizing that it is all free.  Yippieh!!!  I tried the gravlax, shrimp marinated in a lemony juice with little tomato & onion pieces (I believe there was paprika as well), cherry-flavored chicken wings, tacos with chicken, cheetos, popcorn, brownies...oh, it was a delight.

There was the PepsiBar, where one could grab freebies, like bags of Doritos or cans/bottles of Pepsi-related beverages.  A lovely masterpiece of the NYC skyline was on display.  It was made of Cheetos (very creative, and worthy of being exhibited at the MOMA).

Food always tastes better when entertainment is close by too.  There were performances from Broadway shows, such as Mama Mia and Newsies, as well as "Don't Stop Believin" was sung on full blast, which is always a pleasure to hear.  There was more art created, as well as a rap competition, and some football players made an appearance as well (e.g., Rueben Randle was helping out at the David Burke stand).

All in all a great event.  Very well organized.  I left feeling content, and in the need to find a bathroom (which PepCity did not have).  I think the strategy was brilliant for people to leave within 1-2 hours, so that other people in the line could get in sooner rather than later.

A few blocks away, there were other events happening on Broadway.  Here are a few pictures.  And yes, before calling it a day, I stopped for a quick free slice of pizza from Papa John's.