merdeka! merdeka! merdeka!

Happy 50th Birthday Malaysia!

a true legend...

Just moments ago, one of Manchester United's best player informed the world that he is retiring from football at the age of 34. He is none other than Ole Gunnar Solskjær from Norway who joined the Red Devils on 29th July 1996. His retirement was not due to age or the loss of spirit but mainly due to his nagging knee injury. Fortunately he will remain in Manchester United as a coach as well as an official ambassador.

Ole was nicknamed the "Baby Faced Assassin" in his first season due to his youthful looks and clinical finishing. He was famous as a 'super-sub' for always coming in late in a game and scoring the crucial goal. Most Red Devil fans would recall fondly his goal during injury time against Bayern Munich which gave Manchester United the Champions League trophy in 1999. He has served the club well and never caused any problems. A true professional indeed.

A true legend for Manchester United and always a joy to watch. One of the few who plays with a smile on his face. Up there with the likes of Eric Cantona, Ryan Giggs and Roy Keane. Thank you Ole for 11 wonderful years. You have been a wonderful role model in football and will surely continue to be one in the Red Devil camp. :)

Glory glory Man Utd!

a win...

Thank god! Finally a win under the belt. Phew. The Red Devils edged Spurs by a single goal in a pretty tensed game at Old Trafford. Both teams needed a win badly after a rocky start to the Premiership especially the Red Devils with only 2 points so far (out of 3 games). What a goal I must add! Nani smashed in from 30 yards at the 68th minute. Don't think any goalie could have stopped it especially with the slight deflection of Tevez.

Man Utd controlled most parts of the game but after Nani's goal it became really tensed with Tottenham pushing forward and our defense making silly mistakes. Rio Ferdinand and Wes Brown saved us twice just before the goal line. Sadly I have to admit we still have a problem up front. All those chances but not a single player to actually slot something in. Hopefully before end of this week when the transfer windows closes we have someone either on loan or permanently.

Oh well, am just glad we finally have 3 points in the bag. Was beginning to worry especially when we were 16th in the league last week. Lowest I've seen us in a looooong while. Hehe. Hope this win will lift the spirits of the boys and they'll kick into gear. Good to see Nani and Hargreaves warming up to the team. Playing really nice football. Can't wait to see when Tevez will finally slot in a goal for the Red Devils. Hopefully its sooner rather than later. ;)

*Yaawn* Time to hit the sack. Goodnight folks!

Glory glory Man Utd!

tank updates...

Its been 1.5 months since my tanks was cleaned out due to the Ich outbreak. Since then I just have 1 Cherry Barb, 1 Oto and 5 Cherry Shrimps running about. Got rather bored especially with the tank being bare so got off my butt and went to my favourite LFS (Slippery Little Suckers) down at Damansara Ara.

Bought myself 6 Ember Tetras and 12 more Cherry Shrimps. Hopefully this time around the tank will flourish and no outbreak of any disease. Yes I do know its common to face these sorta things when owning a tank but its rather disheartening. The tetras seem to have warmed up to the tank pretty fast. They are already swimming about happily. Even the shrimps are scattered looking for food.

Am still learning to take clear pictures of my tank. When I do succeed am sure to post up pictures regularly. Sadly for now you just gotta imagine it. Hehe.

i got croc'ed...

Am sorry folks. I fell into the trap. I got a pair of Crocs (Sobek flip flops, pictured right) earlier today. I have been stalling on getting them for months cos I didn't think it was worth the money. Plus previously their original designs were hideous. Sadly they have come up with modern practical designs with safer colors. I just couldn't help myself. Damn you Crocs!

Officially it was to get my old man a pair for his upcoming birthday but after trying the Sobek flip flops I decided what the heck. They are so light and comfy compared to my current Nike sandals. Furthermore its so easy to maintain. All it needs is a simple wash and it'll look like new. At first thought it was a gimmick but my niece has one and its true folks.

Oh well. Damage has been done. I got Croc'ed! :P

PS. I know I know its all lame excuses. Hehe.

durian cendol...

Sorry folks this post is long overdue. Had this on the 7th of July 2007 during Devan's engagement weekend. Sadly time just flew by before I could post about it. Hehe. Anyhoo finally after hearing about it and craving for it, I had a bowl of durian cendol along Jonker Street, Malacca. Think the shop is known as Stall 88 or Kedai Antik 88.

I've had cendol there before and its really yummylicious especially with the extra doses of fresh authentic gula melaka. Thick,sweet and caramel like. *drooool* This time around however my goal was to have some durian cendol. Being the durian season as well as hot as ever in Malacca, it seemed like the best time. Sadly I wasn't too impressed. Think the hype raised my expectations so it fell flat fast. Would have prefered the original cendol from them. Which as hiew88 professed is still top marks!

What they did was pour durian puree (self made I presume) all over the cendol. Somehow the taste didn't work for me. I've had durian ice cream, durian cake, durian dodol and even durian milkshake. They were all heavenly. Unfortunately this didn't tickle my fancy. Guess like all things durian, it caters to selective tastebuds. You either like it or hate it. Anyways I finally got to try it. Next time I'll just stick with the original cendol. :)

*drool*

finally!!

malaysiaku gemilang...

Its the Merdeka fever. On 31st of August 2007, Malaysia will be celebrating their 50th year of independence. All sorts of events are being held or going to be held in conjunction with this celebration. Since I felt like contributing a wee bit, decided to create a list of fifty reasons why I love Malaysia.

So here goes...

1. Roti Canai
2. Buka Puasa (all the yummy goodies)
3. KLCC Park, Kuala Lumpur
4. Mamak stalls
5. Nescafe Ice Kao (especially at Restoran Subang Ria @ Kelana Jaya)
6. Jonker Street, Malacca
7. Cendol (especially with lots of pulut)
8. Air Asia
9. Pulau Pangkor, Perak (especially staying @ Pangkor Island Beach Resort)
10. Multicultural Society
11. Ramly Burger
12. Bak Kut Teh
13. Cameron Highlands, Pahang
14. Nasi Lemak
15. Pirated DVDs & CDs
16. Taiping Night Safari, Perak
17. The expression 'Lah'
18. Durian
19. Fireflies @ Kuala Selangor, Selangor
20. Acar
21. Char Kway Teow
22. Orang Utans (best seen @ Sepilok, Sabah)
23. Pulau Tioman, Pahang
24. Keropok Lekor (gotta be from Kuala Terengganu, Terengganu)
25. Otak-otak (best if from Muar, Johor)
26. Ice Cream Potong
27. Kajang Satay
28. Tasik Kenyir, Terengganu
29. Maggi Goreng
30. Oil Refinaries @ Kertih, Terengganu at Night
31. Roti Bakar (w/ tonnes of homemade kaya & butter)
32. Lat Comics
33. Love Letters (Kuih Kapit)
34. Public Holidays galore! :)
35. Gula Melaka
36. Chicken Rice (w/ char siew & siew yok for added ooomph)
37. Gua Niah
38. Royal Selangor Pewter
39. Devil's Curry (from Portoguese settlers in Malacca)
40. Batu Caves, Kuala Lumpur
41. Yong Tau Foo
42. Orang Asli
43. Sepang International Circuit (SIA), Selangor
44. The expression 'Macha'
45. Pasar Malam
46. Rojak (indian rojak & fruit rojak)
47. Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), Selangor
48. McD's Prosperity Burger (during Chinese New Year)
49. Manglish
50. Food anytime anywhere!

Ahh finally. Wasn't that easy to come up with 50 reasons. Not because I was struggling to find something but more of trying to remember it. If I had to draw it up within an hour I think I would have put mostly just food. LOL. Ok thats all for now. Toodles.

first loss...

Sigh. Its the first loss of the season. Sadly it has to be against freaking Manchester City. Really unfair considering the Red Devils owned the game. Somehow we can't find the back of the net. All those chances squandered. We desperately need a striker. Someone who can finish off the lovely passes. Sigh. Not sure what is Ferguson up to but I hope he has something up his leave. Like a last minute transfer before the windows closes. We can only hope I guess. Am really missing Alan Smith. :(

Glory glory Man United!

new toy...

Tommorrow am gonna get my new camera since I have some time to spare. Been without a digicam for about 3 weeks now. I know it ain't long but somehow when I don't have one, I seem to NEED it. I bet when I DO get it, I won't have much use for it. LOL. Anyways am going to get it at Mid Valley since I always get good deals at a particular shop on the 2nd floor (or is it 1st), Key Color. Bought my last digicam and my dad's latest there. Hope to walk away with a good deal if not at least a fair one.

After months of research am deciding on the Canon A570IS. I know its no DSLR but its as close as I can get without forking out more than RM1k. Its the best choice for the price I must add. Plus points include manual mode, high ISO, aperture & shutter priority modes and not forgetting the biggest draw (for me at least) which is image stabiliser. Theres also the Face Detection technology which I ain't too hyped about but a plus point nevertheless.

Now I can't wait to get my hands on it. Hehe. ALWAYS get excited with a new toy! ;)

bad sign...

OMG. Two games and both ended with a draw! Each losing 1 top player. First Rooney out (for 2 fucking months!) with an injury during Reading's game and now Ronaldo (for 3 matches) for a silly red card offence during yesterday's match against Portsmouth. Sigh. Not the best of starts especially against 2 mid level teams. If it was against the top four it would be ok. Now its gonna be an uphill battle to regain the lead and then maintain it.

On the bright side Tevez and Nani finally started. Both showing great promise and once they settle in should do great. Just gotta wait for Hargreaves and Anderson to start or at least play handful of minutes. It looks as if we need a quality finisher. If only Ole or Saha regain fitness. At least then we got options up front. Aarrgghh. Such a frustrating start to the league. On both games we had tonnes of oppurtunity but just couldn't finish it. That is the most frustrating part. So close yet so far. Giggsy seems to be struggling with the central midfield role. He should be left at left wing where he shines. Pump the crosses in and let Scholes or Tevez finish it off.

Big away derby game coming this Sunday. With Manchester City winning their last 2 games and full of energy. Am sure they are dying to open a can of whoop ass. We better pick up the pace and show what we're made off.

Glory glory Man United!

review: str8 to the point...

Okay this is gonna be my first review of a music album. Got this album from my mate Teh O Ais aka Ah Bald aka X aka Excaliber. I know I know, way too many nicks but guess hes just confused. Cut him some slack. Hehe. The album is Point Blanc's first solo effort entitled Straight to the Point. Many of you might remember Point from his Poetic Ammo days with Yogi B, Land Slyde and C. Loco. When they came out they were the first successful commercialised Hip Hop act in Malaysia. I have all of their CDs except for the latest, Return of Tha' Boombox.

I have to be honest that I didn't like Point much during his Ammo days. Didn't think he gelled with the group in terms of sound and style. Due to this I was a little hesitant in getting his solo effort. As I worked with Teh O Ais and he is part of Point's crew, I had no choice but to hear him bitch rant about the album day in and day out. Way before the single was even released to the public.

What really caught my interest was when the single Ipoh Mali was released. Radio kept playing it over and over plus I manage to score a MP3 rip. I have to admit it was pretty good. Point was finally doing his own thing and it worked. Plus it was more 'local'. Something I wished most Hip Hop acts in Malaysia would do. We aren't niggers and we definately will never be one. We are Malaysians and we should be proud of that.

Anyways with Ipoh Mali in mind I told Teh O Ais to grab me a copy of the album. Got it about a week plus ago signed by Point himself (thanks!). Dumped it in my car's cd player and gave it a go. The first half of the CD were all Chinese (Cantonese and Hokkien) tracks, which sadly I could only understand about 50%. The beats were nice but without knowing what the hell they were saying I couldn't keep with the flow. Things got better track 16 onwards. I have to say the album is pretty good for his first solo effort. Beats were nice and the lyrics 'local' enough to keep me happy.

My favourite tracks are...

1. Ipoh Mali
2. So Fly
3. Let Yo' Air Force Shine

The CD can be bought rather cheap for RM19.90. Point decided to lower the price for his fans and am sure its working out well for him. With the quality hes put in its worth every penny. If you wanna sample the cd first, head down to CDBaby.com as you can listen to majority of the tracks there. If you are a Hip Hop fan and want to support the local music industry, this album is definately worth ya hard earned money. I wish Point all the luck and if he keeps this up am sure will do well as a solo artiste. :)

PS. Teh O Ais would now like to be known as Tevez. LMAO. Damn fool can't even spell football let alone play the game. :P

review: the simpsons movie...

I was reading all sorts of reviews on The Simpsons Movie and was thinking it might be worth catching it in the theaters. Especially since I am a fan of the cartoon series. Sadly I have to say I should have just waited for the DVD or download. Just like what Homer said at the beginning, why pay for something you get free on TV! Sigh. Am not saying it sucked as it was funny but I do not think its a blockbuster. These sorta shows you can wait for the DVD to be released or better still just wait for Astro to show it.

On top of that the asshole sitting behind me who laughed at every single minute of the show didn't help either. I think some of the crowd were just laughing cos it was 'suppose' to be funny. I doubt they even understood what was happening. Arrgghh. Guess I chose the wrong day.

Storyline wise it was alright. Enough humor packed within the 90 minutes or so to keep you smiling. Especially Spider Pig. Hehe. Typical Simpsons material with all the characters making an appearance. I just didn't leave the cinema feeling satisfied. Felt cheated actually. At least South Park: Bigger, Longer and Un-cut was worth the movie ticket.

Think I'll stop bitching for now. Am sure most of you loved the movie from all the rave reviews but sadly it was a green tomato for me. Would give it 2.5 stars out of 5.

smashing start...

What a great start to the season! A well deserved win by the mighty Red Devils. Edwin van de Sar really proved a point last night by stopping ALL of Chelsea's penalty shots. Hope he keeps this up. It was an entertaining game. I mean not the best but after 2 months plus of no footy it was great. LOL. Both sides were pushing hard to make a dent. Giggsy and Malouda scored superb goals. Sadly it was down to penalties.

I have to admit am impressed with Chelsea's Florent Malouda. Amazing speed and skill. Would have been a great addition to Man Utd. Hes gonna cause a lot of damage this year especially with Drogba. No wonder Mourinho plonked down 14 odd million pounds to get him.

Anyhoo at the end of the day the best team won. Congratulations Red Devils!

Glory, glory, Man United,
Glory, glory, Man United,
Glory, glory, Man United,
As the Reds go marching on, on, on.

ole ole ole...

The English Premier League is about to kickoff tommorrow with the FA Community Shield (formerly known as Charity Shield) between the mighty Red Devils and the arrogant Blues. To me its like a replay of 2006/2007 FA Cup finals not too long ago. This time around both teams should be well rested and raring to go. Plus who doesn't want a winning start right.

Can't wait I tell ya. Been a long 2 plus months. Now we have something to look forward to each weekend. A reason to drink as well. Hehe. The EPL has been going through some big changes lately with new owners and management, tonnes of new players from abroad as well as transfers between teams. Bitter rivalries being brewed as usual and all sorta hype of whos gonna take it this time around and whos gonna bomb. There also the last minute rush to secure transfers before the deadline end of this month.

The Red Devils themselves have already spent close to 40 million pounds (for Nani, Hargreaves and Anderson) and this is without counting in Tevez whos supposed to come in soon at around 20 odd million pounds. Sadly this meant the departure of some existing players. Two of which will be sorely missed. Alan Smith who has heart and determination and young Giuseppe Rossi who has talent and a great future but was never given a chance at MUFC. Can't blame them as they wanted regular first team action and they won't get it at United. At least Smith is still in the EPL while Rossi has gone to Spain.

Alrighty my pick for teams to look out for this season, besides Manchester United of course. ;)

1. Tottenham Hotspur
2. Sunderland
3. Newcastle United

Let the games begin...

Glory glory Man United!!