Yes, yes, yes... it's been a long while since i've been writing here. Shoot me for being absolutely busy these past few days / weeks. You could probably be able to gauge how busy i am by the frequency of my entries here, i.e. the less frequent i write, the more busy i am, and the more frequent i write, the more time i have to waste and surf the net and do all sorts of other time wasting stuff. Actually today, i *should* have not been able to spend time writing, but since someone decided to FFK me for dinner (luckily she told me *before* i left and also *before* i arrived and have waited for 1/2 an hour twiddling my thumbs and all), so suddenly i have a while to gather my thoughts at the end of the day and also some time to write.
Was reading this particular review of the Fiat Panda by none other that Jeremy Clarkson the other day in the Cars Bikes and Trucks, (actually i think it was like 2 weeks ago, yeah yeah yeah... i am a little behind the times), and he kinda gave out a remark that i particularly find a tad bit annoying, to quote him..
"..Perodua Kelisa, a car built in a jungle clearing by people who go to work in shoes made from leaves.."
.. i mean, i don't mind him dissing the car since it's his views on the car and all, but dissing the people that actually make it, i mean, come on! Dear Mr Clakson, we in Malaysia do NOT go to work in shoes made from leaves or any other part of the tree, thank you very much. I guess this statement of his just shows how ignorant some people can be of all the third world nations, and it did make me lose a wee bit of my respect of him and his writings. However, as i have been reading his writings and watching his shows all along before this, i somewhat am not surprised that he actually came out with some remark like this. He probably meant it as a joke (albeit a bad one), but still, i do find it a bit insensitive.
And yes, we have been dumped out of the FA Cup by a team playing with 14 of their first team players out injured. I actually didn't watch the game as i was actually working on Sunday night (*gasp*). At first i felt a bit pissed off because of that, but after knowing the results the next morning, i thought that working that night was a blessing in disguise, since if i did work, i would have watched the match, and would have felt shitty the whole of the next day after spending 90 minutes of my time watching even more passion-less attempts at playing football.
I still fail to comprehend how on earth they let Owen take the penalty that night. I mean, Houllier was quoted as saying something in the line of "You miss one or two, that happens", or some shite like that. Yes, i agree, but that saying does NOT apply when someone's successful penalty-scoring ratio is somewhere in the range of 1 conversion out of 10. I mean, it does not take a rocket scientist to figure out that Micheal Owen CANNOT, i repeat CANNOT take penalties, right?! ... RIGHT? Ever since the loss, there has been a lot of talk around about the board and all sacking Houllier soon. I mean, come on. You know as well as I do that will not in a million years happen, and the board will at least wait until the end of the season to give him the CHOP.
Actually the state of the team doesn't really seem that encouraging. Houllier seems to have lost the plot (since TWO years ago, some people seem to say) and has lost control, belief, respect of his players, our main goal scoring threat looks set to leave this summer (although sometimes i feel like i might be glad he leaves) and the person who is supposedly coming in during the summer seems be hoping to unsettle the opposition defenders with laughter by dying his beard blonde, or some other dodgy color, Kewell looks like he has lost his touch and seems uninterested, leTallec and Ponggolle seems to be suffering from burn out of too heavy expectations been put on their shoulders, all the other players (with the exception of le Kapitan and Carragher) seems so goddamn de-motivated and just can't be arsed to be playing. I mean, what else can happen that can make it worse? I mean, it's not as if the Prime Minister of Thailand might be buying us over right? Right? .... RIGHT?!!
Later.
Tuesday, February 24, 2004
Thursday, February 19, 2004
Speech Therapy
Here i am. It's bleeding 20 minutes past midnight. Haven't had some decent sleep in bloody ages since, well probably early last week, considering the amount of work that i have to do now, which also explains the fact that i have not been updating this blog as often as i would have wanted to. Seriously, yes, it's not that i have nothing to talk (or actually write) about ,considering the fact that the past few weeks have been one of the most eventful weeks in my life, but i have just been THAT busy. I mean in the past week or two, there has been 2 deaths in the family, (well actually one of them was a pet cat, but since he was like almost 9 years old, i would consider him as a part of the "family"), there was Valentine's day, which incidentally wasn't too eventful for me and would forever be remembered as the day when the traffic in KL suddenly just got TOO horrible, i went trekking, yes, outdoors (*gasp*), had a serious rethink in the way i do some of the stuff which i do, and also the my running nose is *STILL* running.
Actually I am working now. Not that there's like so much work to do, but the thing is, when you are working in the IT line, and *especially* when you are working on a 24 hour production server, the only time you can actually do your stuff on production would be the oh so early hours of the morning. "You wanna do something on production? Will it affect any of our users? Yes? Do it at midnight!" Thank you very much. Excellent. The thing is, what i am running now will take several hours, and actually kicking it off does not take much effort, it's just the tedious part of monitoring the darn thing during the wee hours of the morning.
I have just been reading some football news and i have decided that i HATE Gary Neville. I mean, how difficult is it to hate someone who, while playing in a local derby, didn't get a decision his way (a dive attempt i hear), then goes and head butts an opposition player, get sent off for it and then after the game writes in his column in a national newspaper that he doesn't regret head butting and he isn't worried about it since it was supposedly "out of character" (yeah right!!), and then has the audacity to say that his ONLY regret from that whole incident is that he would miss some matches after that! I mean, what on EARTH is he on?!! I know that i am sometimes... well.. ok.. most of the times biased against those Manc scums, but WHAT DO YOU SAY TO THAT? Gary Neville. You are an idiot. There is ABSOLUTELY no way that you can justify yourself headbutting an opponent, claiming it was bleeding out of character. My God! I mean, even the Manchester United board is against him on this one. I hope you enjoy your 100,00o pound fine.
People have been complaining sometimes that it is actually quite difficult to talk to me in real life, and i somewhat am a bit difficult to warm up to in a conversation. I've actually analyzed the way i interact with people for the past few weeks, and i have come to realize that whenever i talk to anyone, i always give them a straight, short answer, which is sometimes insufficient. Therefore, as my better half has pointed out to me, sometimes, people would need to ask me like several questions until they get the exact answer that they need. A typical conversation would be something like.
Person A: "Wow dude, cool tshirt. Where did you buy it?"
Me: "Erm.. Mid Valley"
Person A: "Where in Mid Valley?"
Me: "Uh.. At a shop on the ground floor"
Person A: "What's the name of the shop?"
Me: "Err.. British India (or whatever)"
You see, the problem with this situation is, by the time person A get's his answer, he would have lost his patience in talking to me already and would probably have given up on any attempt of communication. Me on the other hand would have probably also felt pretty annoyed with Person A already by that time since i would probably be thinking in the line's of "What the hell?! Why the hell is this fella so darn interested in my friggin tshirt?!!". So a better answer would probably be something like..
"Ah, i bought it at the British India in Mid Valley. You know.. the one at the ground floor"
.. or something like that. Anyway, the point is, what i have been trying to do conciously now, and from now on is, to always give as much information as possible whenever people ask me questions, especially when trying to make conversation, but not overdoing it by just splurting out an hour's worth of speech (people would be running away screaming "Psycho!Psycho!" if i did this!), but merely just a 2 or 3 liner instead of the usual one-worders / one-phrases like "OK" or "YES" or "Mid Valley". I know, this is probably something pretty basis and probably no one else has this sort of, well i wouldn't actually call it a problem-lah, but yeah. I have actually tried it out on someone i met during the weekend, and from what i see, it does seem to make a difference when you are striking up a conversation with someone else.
Anyway, gotta go back to my stuff. Later.
Actually I am working now. Not that there's like so much work to do, but the thing is, when you are working in the IT line, and *especially* when you are working on a 24 hour production server, the only time you can actually do your stuff on production would be the oh so early hours of the morning. "You wanna do something on production? Will it affect any of our users? Yes? Do it at midnight!" Thank you very much. Excellent. The thing is, what i am running now will take several hours, and actually kicking it off does not take much effort, it's just the tedious part of monitoring the darn thing during the wee hours of the morning.
I have just been reading some football news and i have decided that i HATE Gary Neville. I mean, how difficult is it to hate someone who, while playing in a local derby, didn't get a decision his way (a dive attempt i hear), then goes and head butts an opposition player, get sent off for it and then after the game writes in his column in a national newspaper that he doesn't regret head butting and he isn't worried about it since it was supposedly "out of character" (yeah right!!), and then has the audacity to say that his ONLY regret from that whole incident is that he would miss some matches after that! I mean, what on EARTH is he on?!! I know that i am sometimes... well.. ok.. most of the times biased against those Manc scums, but WHAT DO YOU SAY TO THAT? Gary Neville. You are an idiot. There is ABSOLUTELY no way that you can justify yourself headbutting an opponent, claiming it was bleeding out of character. My God! I mean, even the Manchester United board is against him on this one. I hope you enjoy your 100,00o pound fine.
People have been complaining sometimes that it is actually quite difficult to talk to me in real life, and i somewhat am a bit difficult to warm up to in a conversation. I've actually analyzed the way i interact with people for the past few weeks, and i have come to realize that whenever i talk to anyone, i always give them a straight, short answer, which is sometimes insufficient. Therefore, as my better half has pointed out to me, sometimes, people would need to ask me like several questions until they get the exact answer that they need. A typical conversation would be something like.
Person A: "Wow dude, cool tshirt. Where did you buy it?"
Me: "Erm.. Mid Valley"
Person A: "Where in Mid Valley?"
Me: "Uh.. At a shop on the ground floor"
Person A: "What's the name of the shop?"
Me: "Err.. British India (or whatever)"
You see, the problem with this situation is, by the time person A get's his answer, he would have lost his patience in talking to me already and would probably have given up on any attempt of communication. Me on the other hand would have probably also felt pretty annoyed with Person A already by that time since i would probably be thinking in the line's of "What the hell?! Why the hell is this fella so darn interested in my friggin tshirt?!!". So a better answer would probably be something like..
"Ah, i bought it at the British India in Mid Valley. You know.. the one at the ground floor"
.. or something like that. Anyway, the point is, what i have been trying to do conciously now, and from now on is, to always give as much information as possible whenever people ask me questions, especially when trying to make conversation, but not overdoing it by just splurting out an hour's worth of speech (people would be running away screaming "Psycho!Psycho!" if i did this!), but merely just a 2 or 3 liner instead of the usual one-worders / one-phrases like "OK" or "YES" or "Mid Valley". I know, this is probably something pretty basis and probably no one else has this sort of, well i wouldn't actually call it a problem-lah, but yeah. I have actually tried it out on someone i met during the weekend, and from what i see, it does seem to make a difference when you are striking up a conversation with someone else.
Anyway, gotta go back to my stuff. Later.
Monday, February 09, 2004
Running Noses Suck Big Time
Oh yes they do. It's that time again when apparently there's a flu bug going around town. Not that bird flu thingy that has been going around in the news, well at least i would hope not, but just your normal runny nose, countless tissues gone into the dustbin right next to you sort of flu. I ESPECIALLY hate the feeling when you know you are about to sneeze, and then prepare yourself to sneeze, only for your body to decide not to sneeze at the very last second. Now THAT is an anti-climax.
Footie
Oh yes. Liverpool managed to not win again during the weekend eventhough they were totally dominating the game. I can't be arsed to give a player by player rating for the game as i would normally do, but i would like to voice out some points that i got from the match. It seems that el Kapitan is finally showing us what he is made of. I mean, my god, what would we have done without him. The determination, drive and passion that he showed against the Wanderers just HAS to be an example that just needs to be followed by the rest of the players. I mean, just imagine if the rest of them played with just half, if not as much, of passion that our captain shows. We would be invincible. Absolutely. The same though, can't be said about our other prodigal son, Micheal Owen. I just have this feeling that it's just time that we sold him off (although i would gladly be proven wrong, mind you) as he just seems so out of form and just a bit distracted and disinterested, and it just doesn't help things that he STILL hasn't signed a new contract, or even mildly indicated that he would. Show us the commitment. Show us the signature. Or just tell us what you intend to do, what's on your mind. I would be absolutely happy if he were just to come out and say something like..
"I love the club! I want to stay here forever! Gimme the contract... *scribble* *scribble* *scribble* (signing the contract).. there you go.. now lets go score some of 'em GOALS! Especially against those Manc scums!!".
OK, maybe a bit far fetched, but even if he were to come out and say something like..
"I will only sign the contract if can i see us playing Champions League football next season"
..then fair game. At least he has the balls to come out and put us all out of our misery and also clear the air on to his future and i also won't blame him *if* he wanted to leave as i have finally accepted that not everyone would stay on in the club forever, not even Gerrard. Anyway, was thinking about who i would like to see come in the summer if Owen does eventually leave. Cisse supposedly is already coming, but still, i just do not rate him just yet until i've seen him play a least a few games and also score a hattrick against Manchester United. I would really like to see Robbie Keane come. He is a young, proven talent (Ok, arguable proven) in the Premiership and would also offer a LOT to our team which we currently don't have. He is a player that can pass, has vision, create goals, has an OK-ish scoring record in the premiership, and also has excellent movement off the ball. I also wouldn't mind Simon Davies of Spurs as well to come, although he didn't have an excellent year this time due to injuries, but at the peak of his form, he can be a smashing player. Seriously, in the summer, i would be content with Keane and Davies coming in, and any one, if not all of the group of Heskey (for obvious reasons), Biscan (again, obvious), Diao (duh...), Cheryou (yes, he scores goals, and when he doesn't?), Diouf( Ok, i would keep him, but if a decent offer comes in, i won't shed a tear if he goes), Riise (has been too inconsistent of late, and never regained the form of 2 years ago) and even Murphy ( Again, i woould keep him as a squad player, but if a decent offer comes in... ).
Coffee
Was at McDonalds Bandar Utama over the weekend having a late supper and was thinking of getting some coffee with the burgers and all, but decided against it. It's not that i have anything against the coffee they have at your McD's (refillable during breakfasts!! and tastes GREAT with an Egg McMuffin at 9am on a Saturday morning, when you don't have to go to work), but i wanted to taste some of that gourmet coffee that you can get arond town. So, i decided to try out that Coffee Hut place that i've been meaning to try, situated right next to Rasta in Taman Tun as it seems this place serves uncountable varieties of local and imported coffee all.
I like to go to Rasta for the very reason that the parking is good, the place is adequately lit, food is good and the service is, well, prompt, considering the guys and gals that take the orders swarm around and attack each new customer like a group of vultures the SECOND your buttocks touch the face of the chair. Coffee Hut on the other hand, is so dimly lit that i was worried that the place might be offering some of those *dodgy* perishables, and the service, well, i had waited there for a total of 15 minutes, and i ended up walking towards the counter and ordering there.
Anyway, when you are at the counter, i noticed that they put in all the various coffee powders in jars across the table, and they were probably around 15 different coffee types. I decided to go for something local and tried a serving of the famous Kluang coffee and also later on some of their Ipoh coffee offering. All in all, it was a pretty good drink, and i realised that after a while i ended up actually liking the overall environment of the place. The coffee were priced at RM3 each, which i guess can be considered a bit steep since you would probably be getting your local coffee at the mamak stalls, although probably not the same Kluang or Ipoh variety, at much much cheaper. Will probably visit that place again and try some of their other local coffee varieties, or even some of their imported ones.
Now all this writing about coffee has started my cravings for a cuppa. Freshly brewed. Ahh... the smell of it.
Later.
Footie
Oh yes. Liverpool managed to not win again during the weekend eventhough they were totally dominating the game. I can't be arsed to give a player by player rating for the game as i would normally do, but i would like to voice out some points that i got from the match. It seems that el Kapitan is finally showing us what he is made of. I mean, my god, what would we have done without him. The determination, drive and passion that he showed against the Wanderers just HAS to be an example that just needs to be followed by the rest of the players. I mean, just imagine if the rest of them played with just half, if not as much, of passion that our captain shows. We would be invincible. Absolutely. The same though, can't be said about our other prodigal son, Micheal Owen. I just have this feeling that it's just time that we sold him off (although i would gladly be proven wrong, mind you) as he just seems so out of form and just a bit distracted and disinterested, and it just doesn't help things that he STILL hasn't signed a new contract, or even mildly indicated that he would. Show us the commitment. Show us the signature. Or just tell us what you intend to do, what's on your mind. I would be absolutely happy if he were just to come out and say something like..
"I love the club! I want to stay here forever! Gimme the contract... *scribble* *scribble* *scribble* (signing the contract).. there you go.. now lets go score some of 'em GOALS! Especially against those Manc scums!!".
OK, maybe a bit far fetched, but even if he were to come out and say something like..
"I will only sign the contract if can i see us playing Champions League football next season"
..then fair game. At least he has the balls to come out and put us all out of our misery and also clear the air on to his future and i also won't blame him *if* he wanted to leave as i have finally accepted that not everyone would stay on in the club forever, not even Gerrard. Anyway, was thinking about who i would like to see come in the summer if Owen does eventually leave. Cisse supposedly is already coming, but still, i just do not rate him just yet until i've seen him play a least a few games and also score a hattrick against Manchester United. I would really like to see Robbie Keane come. He is a young, proven talent (Ok, arguable proven) in the Premiership and would also offer a LOT to our team which we currently don't have. He is a player that can pass, has vision, create goals, has an OK-ish scoring record in the premiership, and also has excellent movement off the ball. I also wouldn't mind Simon Davies of Spurs as well to come, although he didn't have an excellent year this time due to injuries, but at the peak of his form, he can be a smashing player. Seriously, in the summer, i would be content with Keane and Davies coming in, and any one, if not all of the group of Heskey (for obvious reasons), Biscan (again, obvious), Diao (duh...), Cheryou (yes, he scores goals, and when he doesn't?), Diouf( Ok, i would keep him, but if a decent offer comes in, i won't shed a tear if he goes), Riise (has been too inconsistent of late, and never regained the form of 2 years ago) and even Murphy ( Again, i woould keep him as a squad player, but if a decent offer comes in... ).
Coffee
Was at McDonalds Bandar Utama over the weekend having a late supper and was thinking of getting some coffee with the burgers and all, but decided against it. It's not that i have anything against the coffee they have at your McD's (refillable during breakfasts!! and tastes GREAT with an Egg McMuffin at 9am on a Saturday morning, when you don't have to go to work), but i wanted to taste some of that gourmet coffee that you can get arond town. So, i decided to try out that Coffee Hut place that i've been meaning to try, situated right next to Rasta in Taman Tun as it seems this place serves uncountable varieties of local and imported coffee all.
I like to go to Rasta for the very reason that the parking is good, the place is adequately lit, food is good and the service is, well, prompt, considering the guys and gals that take the orders swarm around and attack each new customer like a group of vultures the SECOND your buttocks touch the face of the chair. Coffee Hut on the other hand, is so dimly lit that i was worried that the place might be offering some of those *dodgy* perishables, and the service, well, i had waited there for a total of 15 minutes, and i ended up walking towards the counter and ordering there.
Anyway, when you are at the counter, i noticed that they put in all the various coffee powders in jars across the table, and they were probably around 15 different coffee types. I decided to go for something local and tried a serving of the famous Kluang coffee and also later on some of their Ipoh coffee offering. All in all, it was a pretty good drink, and i realised that after a while i ended up actually liking the overall environment of the place. The coffee were priced at RM3 each, which i guess can be considered a bit steep since you would probably be getting your local coffee at the mamak stalls, although probably not the same Kluang or Ipoh variety, at much much cheaper. Will probably visit that place again and try some of their other local coffee varieties, or even some of their imported ones.
Now all this writing about coffee has started my cravings for a cuppa. Freshly brewed. Ahh... the smell of it.
Later.
Friday, February 06, 2004
They called it WHAT?!!
First and foremost.. what on EARTH were they thinking of giving it a name like "GEN-2"?! If you don't know what I am talking about, basically our very own national motoring company has just officially launched their latest model, the one they used to called the WRM a.k.a Wira Replacement Model a.k.a Sutera. Now, if you asked me, OK, I know you wont since nobody would give a rat's arse about what i think but i'll say it anyway, I would have prefered the "Sutera" name, to go along the lines of their Wira, Waja, Iswara naming schemes. I would have thought that since it is a national car, the names should have been a bit more nationalistic (?), i guess. I mean, the very first national car was called the "Saga" and a lot of effort was made into naming it, if i remember correctly, so that it would reflect our countries' culture or what nots. But no, the company that is "Daring to change" (is that grammatically correct in the first place?!!), are now even "daring to change" the way they name their cars. Oh well, what do i know? I just think that GEN-2 is a ridiculous name, but i guess that's more of an individual's preference.
Anyway, finally, after much hoo haa, the car has arrived. I would reserve any judgement i have on it until i have had a chance to actually touch and feel it. In the meantime, here are some links to some reviews that have popped up at exactly 6:01pm today after the "embargo" was lifted on their release from AutoWorld [autotrade.com.my] and from Star-Motoring [star-motoring.com] and another one from autoworld [autotrade.com.my].
From what i have read and seen so far on the net, it looks pretty decent, the interior doesn't look as dodgy as it first looked in the spy pics before, but the colours, OUCH!! Especially that green one. OH. MY. GOD. Butt Ugly. Absoultely hideous. Horrendous. However, the grey one doesn't look too bad at all. Actually, i might just drop by my friendly neighbourhood Proton Edar tomorrow to check it out.
Later.
Anyway, finally, after much hoo haa, the car has arrived. I would reserve any judgement i have on it until i have had a chance to actually touch and feel it. In the meantime, here are some links to some reviews that have popped up at exactly 6:01pm today after the "embargo" was lifted on their release from AutoWorld [autotrade.com.my] and from Star-Motoring [star-motoring.com] and another one from autoworld [autotrade.com.my].
From what i have read and seen so far on the net, it looks pretty decent, the interior doesn't look as dodgy as it first looked in the spy pics before, but the colours, OUCH!! Especially that green one. OH. MY. GOD. Butt Ugly. Absoultely hideous. Horrendous. However, the grey one doesn't look too bad at all. Actually, i might just drop by my friendly neighbourhood Proton Edar tomorrow to check it out.
Later.
Wednesday, February 04, 2004
The power of three
No, it has absolutely nothing to do with the so called "charmed ones" that is brought to you every Wednesday night courtesy of your friendly cable television variety channel on Astro, Star World. Actually I havent been getting that many entries in here, thanks to the oh so retarded dialup services being offered by our ISP incumbent, put your hands together to the one, the only, TMNET. I haven't been able to dial up to 1515 for the past few days. And to think i am currently considering applying for their Streamyx services, especially with all the horror stories i have been hearing from certain people. It's like a jackpot. Sometimes you get good service, sometimes you don't. Sometimes yes, sometimes no.
Anyway, there are actually three areas (hence the power of three title.. get it? No? Okay, maybe not then.. anyway...) in which i have been meaning to write about in these past few days of internet deprivation, first and foremost, it would have, without any shadow of a doubt..
The Derby
I just do not understand how on earth we could have succeeded to not score with all the chances that came begging during the match. If you have not guessed it by now, i am ranting about the Merseyside derby that happened last weekend. I have been complaining about how crap we have been playing these past few years, and then, all of a sudden, we start to play absolutely breathtaking, wonderful football at Anfield last Saturday. And for some reason, we could just not find the net. The fact that Everton's best player on the night by FAR, and when i mean far, i mean miles and miles and miles and MILES far, just shows how dominant we were on the day.
Hats off to Nigel Martyn for, what i would say, giving a Man of the match performance, for single-handedly saving the blue-noses from an ultimate hiding. The 'ol discard from the Yorkshire club shows that he still has what it takes to play at the highest level and the Leeds board must be regretting letting him go, considering the fact that they will definitely be losing their "crown-jewel" of a keeper this coming summer. I have always rated Martyn as i see him as a safer pair of hands compared to the likes of James or Robinson in the England setup. I even think he should have been ahead of David "Porn Star" Seaman these past few year, although i think people have unfairly judged him for one of his blunders, in one of the matches which i don't seem able to remember which one. I think that goal keepers need to reach a certain age before they can fully mature into a world class keeper and reach their potential. This is why i feel that now is still not the time for Kirkland as he still needs years and years of experience before he can be called a world class keeper. I noticed this especially when i watched Jones playing for us in his couple of games, as when he was playing, whenever the keeper collected the ball, i didn't have any spams of panic. Jones looks calm, composed, matured, commanding whenever he receives the ball. Kirkland on the other hand, just doesn't do that to me, YET.
Anyway, my match ratings for the players are:
The Dude - Had a decent game and made a few excellent saves. He is finally starting to show that he is regaining some sort of confidence and form that reminds me of the days when he first joined, the days pre-"Manchester United, ball falling from grasp, going in between legs, Forlan" days. I seriously hope he puts that all behind him as he used to be THE keeper of the premiership. 8/10
Finnies - Solid game from him. Always looking to bring the ball forward. My only complaint from him would be his crossing. If he can improve on that particular area of the game, i would say that we would not need to buy any more right backs for the time being. He even has a very decent backup in Jon Otsemobor, who i hear has been loaned out to Bolton until the end of the season. The only justification i see for that happening would be the comeback of Finnan to the first team, and i see it as a good move to expose Semmy to more first team premiership action. Finnies, though, gets 7/10
Carragher - Now this just shows what we have been missing for the past few months. Absolutely solid at left back, and *gasp* was actually spotted in the opposition penalty box, helping out the attack in the second half!! Amazing! Absolutely amazing. I had to check my eyes first just to confirm. 8/10
Henchoz - This fella again shows, like Carragher, what we have been missing before this. He was seen covering ground and tackling blue-nosed forwards right left and center. Good display. Keep it up. Keep injury free. 8/10
Hyppia - Mr ex-Captain though, didn't have such a good game. Almost (should, some people say, but i support Liverpool, so i have a RIGHT to be biased! Ha ha) got sent off, was caught for pace a few times by Radzinksi and also had some miscommunication with the keeper which could have resulted in a goal if the chance fell to any other decent striker! :P Actually i guess, Radzinksi was a bit suprised that the ball actually came to him, so that's probably why he couldn't fully capitalize on the opening. 6.5/10
Hammann - Nothing much to say about him. Consistently gets his job done and does exactly what it says on the tin. Had one screamer of a shot saved brilliantly by Martyn. 7.5/10
Gerrard - My man of the match (for a Liverpool player). I think the return of Hammann to the team has brought the shackles out of him. He is constantly running forward to link up with the strikers and always has a sense of purpose in him everytime he gets the ball, and always wanting to make things happen. I do not need to write more on his 3 missed chances but i think he should have probably did better on his third one and not drive it straight in the keepers direction. But thats me being a bit too critical already. El-kapitan gets 9/10
Kewell - Looks a bit better, but still doesn't seem to show his true potential on the field. When he gets the ball, everyone expects something to happen, but nothing does. He seems to have lost his form and his confidence, although i am sure its temporarily. I would usually say that he might need to spend a game or two resting on the bench, but who else is there to replace him? No one! Exactly! 6/10
Cheryou - Seems to have finally started to settle in to the team and I can see now what sort of player his is. he seems to me like he seems like a "Scholes" type of player, doing absolutely jack shit during the whole match and suddenly out of nowhere just scores a goal, except Bruno doesn't have the stinging shot that Scholes has. This is highlighted exactly in this game when he was invinsible for most of the game and almost scored the winner but headed the ball a tad bit wide off the mark. He should learn from leTallec and get a bit more involved in the game. 6/10
leTallec - Was heavily involved in the game and showed some neat touches here and there. Seems to have settled well in the team and finally starting to show us glimpses of what we expected of him. He should keep his place in the starting lineup judging from this performance. Pity he left his shooting boots at home, and Tony, if you are reading this, lose the haircut. You look RIDICOLOUS! 7.5/10
Owen - Looks a bit more sharper, but still, it seems to me, he isn't giving his 100%. Sometimes seems not totally bothered and was invisible in patches. He needs to stand up and get everything out in the open with regards to his contract situation. Tell us whether you want to stay or you want to leave, although, again, i do feel like he most likely will be leaving us this summer. 6/10
All in all, it was one of the best performances by the team as far as i can remember and i think based on recent performances and form, the team that played on Saturday would arguably be our strongest team by far. The only player who i could see being replaced would be Cheryou, with a more out and out striker like Baros or Sinama when fit. However, Cheryou seems to be scoring quite regularly nowadays, so if he either keeps scoring or gets more involved in the game and start creating chances for the rest of the lads, he would probably stay there. Houllier, keep with this formation and you won't go wrong. This, however, does not bode well for the fringe players as, according to the "people in the KNOW", Houllier (if he is still with us) is planning a massive Merseyside sale this summer, and from the players that are less involved now, i can see that the likely departees would probably be Traore, Biscan, Diao, and Murphy. Also, if there was a decent offer for Diouf, i wouldn't mind seeing the back of him as well and get us a more dedicated right winger, (unless of course, if Houllier started to play Diouf as as striker, and the player suddenly scores tons of goals.. then i might be willing to reconsider..).
Last Samurai
Watched the Last Samurai night and i must say it has been one of the best movies of the year so far (although that accolade doesn't really sound as good considering that it's only been 1 month into the new year). If you are into the BraveHeart, Last of the Mohicans, Patriot sort of movies, this movie is definitely for you. One thing that i just could not accept is the fact that *spoiler alert.. spoiler alert* at the end of the battle at the very end, only the Tom Cruise character is left alive, and i just feel that is just so absolutely bollocks and just so darned unrealistic considering the whole samurai army got shot dead and he, a samurai trainee for the most of 4-5 months only, managed to survive when the rest, many of whom have been training in the ways of the samurai, failed to. Absolutely amazing, although i guess since it's just a movie, i would let this one slide, for drama's sake. I guess it could also be due to the Samurais facing an unknown enemy, something which they are not used to. The best part of the movie for me would be.. well.. actually i can't really think of any one particular outstanding parts in the movie, but there are a few. One of them would probably be the ending when the Tom Cruise character goes to meet the emperor to hand over Katsumoto's blade, and the emperor told the Omura character to take away his life with the samurai blade if his shame was so unbearable. The Omura fella then sheepishly stood back and kept quiet.
Looks like its going to be a good year for the movies again. Current movies in my radar of to watch list would be Big Fish, Spiderman 2, Shrek 2 and Love Actually.
Caesar Salad
Over the long weekend, i suddenly had the urge to try out some caesar salads at various places around town. Could be my subconcious telling me that i have suddenly gone past the BMI range that people would call normal / healthy and started to creep into the overweight / unhealthy range. Here are some places which i went to.
Sentido's Tapas Star Hill - Actually, me and my family went to this particular place as we were denied entry into Shook since my brother wasn't appropriately dressed (Supposedly!!). After some various servings of absolutely delicious tapas, in which i particularly enjoy those oh so tender and juicy and tasty sauteed mushrooms in olive oil, i decided to go for their Caesar salad with salmon, and it was pretty good. The portions that they served was decent with adequate cheese and dressing, and the salmon came in huge sized rolled ball-shaped. The atmosphere was indeed nice but they were showing videos of bull fighting on the few television sets around. Now, it might be me, but it really did spoil the mood a tad bit when they have videos of bulls being poked on their backs with sharp rods and blood spewing away down their body strutting around. I have nothing against it, but for me, it really isn't a sight i would want to see while i am consuming my food. Also another gripe on the plave is that they have started to charge for the sliced baguettes that they serve with the meal separately per serving, as they used to come with the meal. Anyway, for good tapas in a nice swanky surrounding, although the price is a bit on the steep side, this place gets the thumbs up from me. I wouldn't go there regularly, but definitely an option for those special occassions.
Bayou Restaurant Plaza Mont Kiara - Went to this place since i have heard from some people that it is a nice place to hang out. From the outside, the place seemed like a nice, warm and cosy place to dine. Once inside, that perception of the place, for me at least, changed totally. For one thing, the waitress was rude. When i ordered the caesar salad with salmon from the menu, i guess she thought that would only be a starter for me, and when i told her that was it, she just laughed and walked away! The atmosphere? Well, don't know about other nights but on that night, they decided to play their music out loud that not only i couldn't hear the people i was with talking, i couldn't even hear myself thinking. As for the caesar salad, well, when it first came, it did look impressive, and did taste pretty decent, but after a few bites here and there, you get a bit sick and tired of it. Oh well, don't think i'll be going there again.
Chillis Mid Valley - Ah, one of my favourite places to eat. Not just the Mid Valley outlet, but any one of the Chillis' branches around town. Good food, unlimited drinks, good servings, good service. Well, the atmosphere isn't one that is conducive for speech, but i guess its not supposed to be. It's a talk out loud, laugh out loud, have a good time sort of place. I had the chillies cheese fries as a starter, one of my absolute favourites of all time, to be shared around the table, and ordered the caesar salad with grilled chicken on it. Excellent. One major gripe i had about the salad though was that the chicken that came on the salad, although the portions were of gigantic proportions, weren't pipping hot as they should be, but more lukewarm. Not so good. Also i made a mistake of ordering the green guava juice, which i must say wasn't really all that considering it wasn't of the fresh variety, but more of the cordial-ish types i would think. Mental note to self. No more fruit juices at Chillies. Perios. Will i be going there again? Definitely. Caesar salad again? Maybe the next time i feel like having something light, i should just go for the plain caesar salad without the grilled chicken. Else, should stick to the mushroom swiss and chicken fajitas. Mmm Mmm.
Later.
Anyway, there are actually three areas (hence the power of three title.. get it? No? Okay, maybe not then.. anyway...) in which i have been meaning to write about in these past few days of internet deprivation, first and foremost, it would have, without any shadow of a doubt..
The Derby
I just do not understand how on earth we could have succeeded to not score with all the chances that came begging during the match. If you have not guessed it by now, i am ranting about the Merseyside derby that happened last weekend. I have been complaining about how crap we have been playing these past few years, and then, all of a sudden, we start to play absolutely breathtaking, wonderful football at Anfield last Saturday. And for some reason, we could just not find the net. The fact that Everton's best player on the night by FAR, and when i mean far, i mean miles and miles and miles and MILES far, just shows how dominant we were on the day.
Hats off to Nigel Martyn for, what i would say, giving a Man of the match performance, for single-handedly saving the blue-noses from an ultimate hiding. The 'ol discard from the Yorkshire club shows that he still has what it takes to play at the highest level and the Leeds board must be regretting letting him go, considering the fact that they will definitely be losing their "crown-jewel" of a keeper this coming summer. I have always rated Martyn as i see him as a safer pair of hands compared to the likes of James or Robinson in the England setup. I even think he should have been ahead of David "Porn Star" Seaman these past few year, although i think people have unfairly judged him for one of his blunders, in one of the matches which i don't seem able to remember which one. I think that goal keepers need to reach a certain age before they can fully mature into a world class keeper and reach their potential. This is why i feel that now is still not the time for Kirkland as he still needs years and years of experience before he can be called a world class keeper. I noticed this especially when i watched Jones playing for us in his couple of games, as when he was playing, whenever the keeper collected the ball, i didn't have any spams of panic. Jones looks calm, composed, matured, commanding whenever he receives the ball. Kirkland on the other hand, just doesn't do that to me, YET.
Anyway, my match ratings for the players are:
The Dude - Had a decent game and made a few excellent saves. He is finally starting to show that he is regaining some sort of confidence and form that reminds me of the days when he first joined, the days pre-"Manchester United, ball falling from grasp, going in between legs, Forlan" days. I seriously hope he puts that all behind him as he used to be THE keeper of the premiership. 8/10
Finnies - Solid game from him. Always looking to bring the ball forward. My only complaint from him would be his crossing. If he can improve on that particular area of the game, i would say that we would not need to buy any more right backs for the time being. He even has a very decent backup in Jon Otsemobor, who i hear has been loaned out to Bolton until the end of the season. The only justification i see for that happening would be the comeback of Finnan to the first team, and i see it as a good move to expose Semmy to more first team premiership action. Finnies, though, gets 7/10
Carragher - Now this just shows what we have been missing for the past few months. Absolutely solid at left back, and *gasp* was actually spotted in the opposition penalty box, helping out the attack in the second half!! Amazing! Absolutely amazing. I had to check my eyes first just to confirm. 8/10
Henchoz - This fella again shows, like Carragher, what we have been missing before this. He was seen covering ground and tackling blue-nosed forwards right left and center. Good display. Keep it up. Keep injury free. 8/10
Hyppia - Mr ex-Captain though, didn't have such a good game. Almost (should, some people say, but i support Liverpool, so i have a RIGHT to be biased! Ha ha) got sent off, was caught for pace a few times by Radzinksi and also had some miscommunication with the keeper which could have resulted in a goal if the chance fell to any other decent striker! :P Actually i guess, Radzinksi was a bit suprised that the ball actually came to him, so that's probably why he couldn't fully capitalize on the opening. 6.5/10
Hammann - Nothing much to say about him. Consistently gets his job done and does exactly what it says on the tin. Had one screamer of a shot saved brilliantly by Martyn. 7.5/10
Gerrard - My man of the match (for a Liverpool player). I think the return of Hammann to the team has brought the shackles out of him. He is constantly running forward to link up with the strikers and always has a sense of purpose in him everytime he gets the ball, and always wanting to make things happen. I do not need to write more on his 3 missed chances but i think he should have probably did better on his third one and not drive it straight in the keepers direction. But thats me being a bit too critical already. El-kapitan gets 9/10
Kewell - Looks a bit better, but still doesn't seem to show his true potential on the field. When he gets the ball, everyone expects something to happen, but nothing does. He seems to have lost his form and his confidence, although i am sure its temporarily. I would usually say that he might need to spend a game or two resting on the bench, but who else is there to replace him? No one! Exactly! 6/10
Cheryou - Seems to have finally started to settle in to the team and I can see now what sort of player his is. he seems to me like he seems like a "Scholes" type of player, doing absolutely jack shit during the whole match and suddenly out of nowhere just scores a goal, except Bruno doesn't have the stinging shot that Scholes has. This is highlighted exactly in this game when he was invinsible for most of the game and almost scored the winner but headed the ball a tad bit wide off the mark. He should learn from leTallec and get a bit more involved in the game. 6/10
leTallec - Was heavily involved in the game and showed some neat touches here and there. Seems to have settled well in the team and finally starting to show us glimpses of what we expected of him. He should keep his place in the starting lineup judging from this performance. Pity he left his shooting boots at home, and Tony, if you are reading this, lose the haircut. You look RIDICOLOUS! 7.5/10
Owen - Looks a bit more sharper, but still, it seems to me, he isn't giving his 100%. Sometimes seems not totally bothered and was invisible in patches. He needs to stand up and get everything out in the open with regards to his contract situation. Tell us whether you want to stay or you want to leave, although, again, i do feel like he most likely will be leaving us this summer. 6/10
All in all, it was one of the best performances by the team as far as i can remember and i think based on recent performances and form, the team that played on Saturday would arguably be our strongest team by far. The only player who i could see being replaced would be Cheryou, with a more out and out striker like Baros or Sinama when fit. However, Cheryou seems to be scoring quite regularly nowadays, so if he either keeps scoring or gets more involved in the game and start creating chances for the rest of the lads, he would probably stay there. Houllier, keep with this formation and you won't go wrong. This, however, does not bode well for the fringe players as, according to the "people in the KNOW", Houllier (if he is still with us) is planning a massive Merseyside sale this summer, and from the players that are less involved now, i can see that the likely departees would probably be Traore, Biscan, Diao, and Murphy. Also, if there was a decent offer for Diouf, i wouldn't mind seeing the back of him as well and get us a more dedicated right winger, (unless of course, if Houllier started to play Diouf as as striker, and the player suddenly scores tons of goals.. then i might be willing to reconsider..).
Last Samurai
Watched the Last Samurai night and i must say it has been one of the best movies of the year so far (although that accolade doesn't really sound as good considering that it's only been 1 month into the new year). If you are into the BraveHeart, Last of the Mohicans, Patriot sort of movies, this movie is definitely for you. One thing that i just could not accept is the fact that *spoiler alert.. spoiler alert* at the end of the battle at the very end, only the Tom Cruise character is left alive, and i just feel that is just so absolutely bollocks and just so darned unrealistic considering the whole samurai army got shot dead and he, a samurai trainee for the most of 4-5 months only, managed to survive when the rest, many of whom have been training in the ways of the samurai, failed to. Absolutely amazing, although i guess since it's just a movie, i would let this one slide, for drama's sake. I guess it could also be due to the Samurais facing an unknown enemy, something which they are not used to. The best part of the movie for me would be.. well.. actually i can't really think of any one particular outstanding parts in the movie, but there are a few. One of them would probably be the ending when the Tom Cruise character goes to meet the emperor to hand over Katsumoto's blade, and the emperor told the Omura character to take away his life with the samurai blade if his shame was so unbearable. The Omura fella then sheepishly stood back and kept quiet.
Looks like its going to be a good year for the movies again. Current movies in my radar of to watch list would be Big Fish, Spiderman 2, Shrek 2 and Love Actually.
Caesar Salad
Over the long weekend, i suddenly had the urge to try out some caesar salads at various places around town. Could be my subconcious telling me that i have suddenly gone past the BMI range that people would call normal / healthy and started to creep into the overweight / unhealthy range. Here are some places which i went to.
Sentido's Tapas Star Hill - Actually, me and my family went to this particular place as we were denied entry into Shook since my brother wasn't appropriately dressed (Supposedly!!). After some various servings of absolutely delicious tapas, in which i particularly enjoy those oh so tender and juicy and tasty sauteed mushrooms in olive oil, i decided to go for their Caesar salad with salmon, and it was pretty good. The portions that they served was decent with adequate cheese and dressing, and the salmon came in huge sized rolled ball-shaped. The atmosphere was indeed nice but they were showing videos of bull fighting on the few television sets around. Now, it might be me, but it really did spoil the mood a tad bit when they have videos of bulls being poked on their backs with sharp rods and blood spewing away down their body strutting around. I have nothing against it, but for me, it really isn't a sight i would want to see while i am consuming my food. Also another gripe on the plave is that they have started to charge for the sliced baguettes that they serve with the meal separately per serving, as they used to come with the meal. Anyway, for good tapas in a nice swanky surrounding, although the price is a bit on the steep side, this place gets the thumbs up from me. I wouldn't go there regularly, but definitely an option for those special occassions.
Bayou Restaurant Plaza Mont Kiara - Went to this place since i have heard from some people that it is a nice place to hang out. From the outside, the place seemed like a nice, warm and cosy place to dine. Once inside, that perception of the place, for me at least, changed totally. For one thing, the waitress was rude. When i ordered the caesar salad with salmon from the menu, i guess she thought that would only be a starter for me, and when i told her that was it, she just laughed and walked away! The atmosphere? Well, don't know about other nights but on that night, they decided to play their music out loud that not only i couldn't hear the people i was with talking, i couldn't even hear myself thinking. As for the caesar salad, well, when it first came, it did look impressive, and did taste pretty decent, but after a few bites here and there, you get a bit sick and tired of it. Oh well, don't think i'll be going there again.
Chillis Mid Valley - Ah, one of my favourite places to eat. Not just the Mid Valley outlet, but any one of the Chillis' branches around town. Good food, unlimited drinks, good servings, good service. Well, the atmosphere isn't one that is conducive for speech, but i guess its not supposed to be. It's a talk out loud, laugh out loud, have a good time sort of place. I had the chillies cheese fries as a starter, one of my absolute favourites of all time, to be shared around the table, and ordered the caesar salad with grilled chicken on it. Excellent. One major gripe i had about the salad though was that the chicken that came on the salad, although the portions were of gigantic proportions, weren't pipping hot as they should be, but more lukewarm. Not so good. Also i made a mistake of ordering the green guava juice, which i must say wasn't really all that considering it wasn't of the fresh variety, but more of the cordial-ish types i would think. Mental note to self. No more fruit juices at Chillies. Perios. Will i be going there again? Definitely. Caesar salad again? Maybe the next time i feel like having something light, i should just go for the plain caesar salad without the grilled chicken. Else, should stick to the mushroom swiss and chicken fajitas. Mmm Mmm.
Later.
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