Ardy's Anatomy

Eternity

2012-01-27T01:30:00.002+08:00

I will love you my whole life, you and no other.

Letting go

2011-11-14T13:20:00.000+08:00

Revive

2011-10-31T10:30:00.002+08:00

Have I ever told you I love you?

No.

I do.

Still?

Always.

Missing life

2010-12-24T03:00:00.004+08:00

There are many things that I miss. I miss my flat, well-toned stomach. I miss playing basketball. I miss going to warehouse sales scouring for excellent bargains. I miss not spending too much time in front of my laptop. I miss reading my books, and rereading some of them, especially about Anne. I miss catching up on my sleep. I miss waking up at noon, and lying in bed for the whole day on Sundays. I miss working out late at the gym and being complimented by gay men in the locker room. I miss driving my old green car, a lot.

I miss hanging out with my friends, talking about sports and girls. I miss Dorai and his soups, with the warmth of friends. I miss pouring out my soul and listening to wounded souls. I miss plucking the guitar, and playing a song that melts my heart. I miss the deep sea, and the creatures inhabiting it. I miss watching cartoons on Saturday mornings. I miss driving two hours to be with someone and have crazy sex all night long, a lot.

I miss the thrill of winning, and losing. I miss watching the stars at night and thinking about absolutely nothing. I miss being close to God. I miss my old room with the nice comfy bed in JB. I miss my stash of porn, well-hidden under that comfy bed. I miss opening the fridge to find some snacks to munch while watching Grey's. I miss my old orange cat, Rimau Taring, a lot.

I miss catching a plane to another country with no plans beforehand. I miss sleeping in cheap inns and eating lousy food. I miss admiring the pretty and cute girls at the train and bus stations. I miss bargaining for cheap handicraft products, and flirting with the salesgirl. I miss getting seasick and throwing up bits and chunks. I miss eating fresh cherries and apricots, a lot.

I miss blogging, and writing about things in my mind. I miss reading interesting blogs, blogs that inspire me to write even more. I miss watching Aerosmith's Crying, Amazing and Crazy music videos with a young Alicia in it. I miss the rush of the wind on my face while rollerblading downhill on St. Kilda Road. I miss walking down the pier at night, listening to the waves crashing down the rocks. I miss waiting for the mailman to deliver the letters from across the ocean. I miss watching Martina and Anna playing doubles at the Australian Open. I miss sitting under the tree at the park and writing my journal, a lot.

And I miss spending the day with you, eating jellies and doing absolutely nothing at all.

Bundle of despair

2010-08-12T23:30:00.002+08:00

A friend recently saved a kitten from a certain death from being devoured by carnivorous giant red ants, the ones you normally seen in movies. The kitten was waiting to get into kitty heaven when he was rescued and brought to the vet. Thankfully, he survived to tell the tale to his offspring, where he battled carnivorous giant red ants and lived to talk about it.

Unfortunately, the same can't be said for the babies being discovered in dumpsters, drains, toilets and sidewalks. Most of them were already dead when they were found, blue, red and green were their colours. Their photos were splashed in the major newspapers, with hope that more people will buy the newspapers to look at the photos closely. Yes, I do not see how seeing dead babies will deter horny teenagers from having rampant sex with no regards to safety, or the oblivious fact that it can lead to unwanted pregnancy and dead babies.

The majority of the community are appalled and shocked, and voices are raised in various government departments and agencies and coffee shops, but they are just voices that will be blown away by the passage of time. Little do they know that deep in the bustling city with the tall buildings and trains, or somewhere in the remote village with broken roads and old bicycles, young couples are celebrating their undying love that ironically, might lead to a dead baby. If only they knew.

And probably nine months later, or probably lesser, a young girl will be in a secluded room, or toilet, giving birth alone to a child she had never wanted in the first place. And if she is lucky, the boy she surrendered herself to will be there by her side to help wrap the baby in a towel, and place the infant inside a garbage bag before abandoning their lovechild, alone and unwanted, and probably dying, someplace dark and cold.

It seems very hard to understand what is going through their heads during the whole ordeal. Being human, they must be overwhelmed with guilt and regrets, shame and fear. But can a human do such things to a poor defenseless baby? A baby with a soul of it's own, coming into the world with such hope and expectations. But departing the cruel world in a matter of minutes, in despair and destitute.

So how do we prevent this from happening? How do we stop the papers from publishing these images that will haunt us for as long as we can remember? How do we get those thick-skull politician into doing something worthwhile to help make the world a better place rather than fight and talk about matters that only concern their well-being?

These babies deserve to live. There are many couples, and good-hearted individuals out there who are willing to adopt them and give them a roof over their heads, food into their bellies, and love inside their hearts. And there is also OrphanCare, who can give these babies a second chance at having a family. The baby hatch was established, not so that couples can freely have sex, get pregnant and have babies at will with the ease of mind that someone else will take care of their babies. It is a place where mothers can leave their babies without fear of prosecution so that these babies will be safe and sound, and most importantly, alive.

Soon, we will be able to erect a monument, or build a wall to remember these babies, looking at the rate of abandoned babies being found daily, dead and alive. It will serve as a reminder, on how sometimes, animals are better than human, and humanity and compassion can be overrated at times.

And I wouldn't be surprise if tomorrow's headline reads, "Baby found dead: eaten alive by carnivorous giant red ants".

The decision

2010-07-09T11:30:00.002+08:00

The city of Cleveland has had it's fair share of heartbreaking moments in sporting history. They last won a major championship in 1964, when the Cleveland Brown defeated the Baltimore Colts for the NFL title. 46 years later, they are still searching for another major championship, and it looks like the wait will be longer now that their best bet at winning one has ditched the city he called home for 7 years.

Yes, LeBron James has left Cleveland for Miami. He will be joining Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh, and with the three of them playing together in the same team, he hopes to win the coveted ring, which Kobe Bryant has on each of his fingers on his left hand. Yes, Kobe has 5 rings now, 5 championships that puts him one shy behind Michael Jordan. James, with all his MVPs and fantastic stats, will never be the greatest player ever if he doesn't start winning those rings. We can talk all day long about legacy and greatness, but without those rings, James is just another great player in the same boat with Steve Nash, John Stockton, Karl Malone, Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing, Reggie Miller, Allen Iverson and the list goes on and on.

And James wouldn't want that. That's why he is taking a paycut and ditching a city he called home for the past 7 years, an organisation who has bend over backward multiple times to give him everything he wanted, yet still fall short on delivering him the perfect support for a Championship win. Not to say he would never win one with Cleveland, but he prefers to take his chances with Wade and Bosh alongside him.

So, while Miami is building a dynasty, Cleveland is left devastated. Among others notable event in Cleveland's sports Hall of Shame:

The Drive - 1987 AFC Championship Game: Browns vs Broncos, leading by a touchdown with 5 minutes left, but John Elway lead his team 98 yards to tie the game and win in overtime.

The Fumble - 1988 AFC Championship Game: Browns vs Broncos, with 1 minute left on the clock, Earnest Byner was on his way to score the game-tying touchdown, but lost a fumble at the 3-yard line.

The Shot - 1989 NBA First Round Playoffs Game 5: Cavaliers vs Bulls, Michael Jordan scored the buzzer beater to win the series.

The Move - 1995: The Brown's owner decided to move the franchise to Baltimore, which led to plenty of lawsuits and ultimately, the suspension of the franchise for 3 years.

And now, the latest one to enter the list.

The Decision - 2010: James announcement - "This fall I am taking my talents to South Beach and play with the Miami Heat. The major factor was the best opportunity for me to win, to win now and for the future also. Winning is the most important thing for me. I feel like is going to be the best opportunity."

With Wade and Bosh alongside him now, it's a whole lot easier to win.

Lost

2010-07-08T23:45:00.001+08:00

I have always wondered, what is it that I am searching for in my life?

When I was younger, all I wanted was money, so that I can buy all those nice toys and chocolates and sweets. I was obsessed with possessing plenty of toys. I wanted all those little army guys in green so that I can build my own army and conquer the world. I wanted all those nice trucks and vehicles, and also the guns and knives and even dolls. Yeah, barbie dolls especially, so that I can take their clothes off.

So I cheated, stole and lied. Anything to get me those toys. I didn't know why I do all that. Don't ask me why. Up to this day I'm still wondering why I did what I did. Maybe in a sick way, I was sick. I had psychological problem. That makes sense, I guess.

All that changed when I started to go to school. I still wanted money, but this time around, I worked my way around for it. I did chores, helped a few teachers, started my own small business selling tidbits and stuffs to my schoolmates, and invested in stocks. Well, okay, I didn't invested in stocks, but I wish I had done that. Unfortunately, I didn't get rich doing all that, although getting rich was not my aim. I didn't know why I do all that. Don't ask me why. Up to this day, I'm still wondering why I did what I did. Maybe I wanted to be independent, maybe I wanted more money. The weird thing is, I can't even remember what I used the money for. One thing for sure, I didn't invest them into stocks.

After school was even worse. That was the time when I was totally clueless about my life. No directions, no goals. So I drifted around, making bad decisions that effected my life, and making mistakes after mistakes. Sometimes making the same mistakes twice. And over and over and over and over and over and over again.

Nowadays. money was never the objective. I don't care about it that much anymore. Of course, I would love to earn more, but I'm not obsessed about it anymore. I found myself easily contented. I have grown into a typical slob. Sit me in front of the TV, feed me some junk food, and I'm happy. The couch has my ass mark written all over it. I'm still clueless about what I want.

In life, you need to have directions. You need to know where you are heading. You need to know how to get to where you are heading. They always say it's the journey that matters, not the destination. But what if you don't even have a destination. You're walking through your life, a journey on your own, with no destinations. So you're basically just walking around in circles. And in the end, you don't get what you want, and to where you want to go, because you just don't know.

Of course, it would be a whole lot easier if you can fly. Then you can go anywhere you want, in any directions, without the hassle of following a particular path. A road less traveled, that would be the deep blue skies. But unfortunately, I have yet to grow wings, nor invented any rocket-jet backpack.

But, when you're feel like you're done, and the darkness has won, and your world comes crashing down, and you can't bear the thought, you are not alone. Because I am there with you.

And we'll get lost together.

Two is better than one

2010-03-07T03:30:00.000+08:00

There is no such thing as a simple solution in life. There is no such thing as a perfect formula to solve all your problems. The Wizard of Oz is a fraud, he can't solve your problems, he can't give you what you want. He might be able to trick you into thinking that he knows, when the truth is he has his own problems which he himself couldn't solve. But who doesn't?

You could be the 7-year-old boy eyeing the forbidden cookie in the cookie jar up the counter where he can't reach. You could be the 14-year-old girl thinking about having sex with her boyfriend but afraid that she is too young and her boyfriend might not be serious. You could be the 21-year-old man thinking about how to tell his father that he is gay and in love with his boyfriend. You could be the 28-year-old man wanting to get married but not having enough money for the wedding and having to resort to loan sharks. You could be the 35-year-old woman stuck in a dead-end job, single and not knowing where her life is leading. You could be the 42-year-old man trapped in a loveless marriage with 5 children. You could be the 49-year-old woman with terminal cancer, knowing that she can die anytime, yet having all these unfulfilled dreams.

Or you could be the 54-year-old man, who just found out that his 21-year-old son is gay, and planning to elope with his boyfriend.

How do you deal with all these problems? How do you solve them? Do you run from them, knowing that putting them at the back of your mind doesn't solve the problems? Or do you try to forget about these problems by turning to drugs and alcohol?

It is never easy when faced with such problems. Suppressing them deep inside of you will only makes it worse. And it's even worse when you have to face it all alone, not having anyone to talk, to share and unload, and to cry on their shoulder.

Yes, loneliness sucks. Being alone sucks. Not having good friends sucks. Not being able to face the day sucks. And Mondays suck too.

Wouldn't it be nice if x=y where x is problem and y is solution? Unfortunately life is not maths, and unless you believe that the answer to life, the universe and everything else is 42, you are on your own. It is your life, and no two lives are the same with each other.

So how do you deal with these problems?

For starters, you get someone to listen to you. Because, just maybe, two is better than one.

Green

2009-08-10T01:10:00.002+08:00

How do we change the world? Is it even possible to change it? Don't you have to be the President of the United States to do so?

Not that he has done anything much to change the world. Maybe it's true what people said about him. That he is too young, too green. And the world is already red and blue. With a tinge of pink somewhere is eastern Russia, and a shade of gray somewhere in central Asia. Green is not the colour to be to change the world. Green is only good to be associated with trees, and forests, and my old car. Although the car is quite dirty and has been unwashed for more than three months now.

And what about the promises made about changing the world? About making the world a better place? About having a greener world, where everyone recycle, reduce and reuse? Now we are talking about getting green. Suddenly green is the new pink. And everywhere you go, you see green. And everyone is obsessed about saving the rhinos. And the pandas and tigers. No more forest burning. No more pollution. No more constructions. But we all know those are just lies. And in a way, we play a part in those lies. Because we are the ones burning the forest and polluting the earth. We are the ones littering and driving around in our cars.

Maybe I should stop using my old green car. Maybe I should cycle to work. But I need a new bicycle then.

Maybe I'll buy a green one.

Above and below

2009-08-08T01:00:00.004+08:00

It’s not rocket science, and you don’t have to be a genius to do it. It’s as simple as tying your shoelaces. But then again, no one does that anymore, except probably for school kids. Even those kids nowadays prefer those Velcro shoes, no more untied shoelaces. No more, “hey, your shoelaces are untie,” and you look down and POW, one big smack right up your chin. Yeah, old trick of the book, plenty of villains got away with that trick. Including the Ocean Master, half brother of Aquaman.

But if Aquaman can breathe on land, then that can only mean one thing. The world is not fair. Here I am gearing myself up to go underwater, with equipments that cost more than what I make in three months, and back-breaking tanks, with some contraption stuck in my mouth, and there goes Aquaman surfacing and climbing into the boat. “Enjoy the deep,” he told me.

I don’t see him putting anything in his mouth, nor is he wearing any tanks or breathing apparatus to help him breathe above ground. You dump a fish on land, and it will gasp for air and die after a while. But you don’t see Aquaman gasping for air. And he is still alive, as far as I can see. He is even smoking a cigarette now. I bet he can’t do that down there. Yeah, smoke all you want, Aquaman. Better even, fill up your lungs with the natural goodness of tar and tobacco. Maybe one day, I will see you gasp for air, with your tar-filled lungs bursting for oxygen, and your smirk turned into agony, and your face turning blue. Now that would be a sight.

And then maybe, just maybe, the world is fair again.

This, that, and the other

2009-08-06T00:45:00.003+08:00

This is what we all look for. A good friendship, between a man and a woman. Now, a lot of skeptics out there do not believe in friendships between a man and a woman. Now, I'm not talking about those run of the mill, typical hi-bye friendship, this is more like the close-knit, share everything kind of friendship. There is always something at stake when it comes to those kind of friendship. How can those two be so close without developing feelings for each other? And what about the physical attraction? Unless one party resembles a beach whale (no offense to any whales out there), there must be some sparks, if not a big one, at least a small tiny spark that of course, could ignite into a bigger one.

Nevertheless, despite of all that, sometimes, it does work. The friendship, not the spark. Years of being there for each other, talking to each other, accompanying one another to the movies, having dinner together, those ought to create a sense of comfort and security between the man and the woman. A sense of knowing that there is a line drawn somewhere, and that line will always be there, for friendship sake. Cross the line and things will never be the same again. Ever.

That rarely happens, but in certain circumstances, it does happen. Let say, for experimental purposes, the man and the woman decided to have a physical relationship, maybe out of desperation, or even probably boredom. Hey, it happens, okay. There are instances where you have not had a working relationship for a very long time, so you start to look closer, say under your nose. And you suddenly realised that you have been friends with her for so long now that why not just sleep with her? It doesn't have to be a complicated relationship. You already have this going on with her, now all you want is that.

So the both of you come up with a set of rules to make sure that the friendship stays intact, plus you get the bonus of having a physical relationship. Three simple rules:

1. No calls the day after that
2. Spending the night is optional
3. No good night kiss

Now, these rules are important. It eliminates the pressure of feeling the need to be responsible, when you are not a couple. You are just friends, and will remain so. Most of the time, one party is expected to call the day after sex, probably to say something like, "last night was a mistake," or "last night was wonderful, I'm already missing you," or "are you free tonight?" And there is no need to spend the night after having sex, you can just pick up your clothes and head home. But since it is optional, of course you have the liberty of sleeping over (and there is always morning sex, but we all know how that's going to end). And most importantly, you don't feel the pressure of kissing your date goodnight when it wasn't even a date to begin with. It's just two friends, having dinner together. So no good night kiss. Simple as that.

Of course, now that you have this and that, things couldn't be better. I mean, you're still friends, and you're having sex with your friend every now and then. But beware, it won't last for long. Sooner or later, this and that won't be sufficient enough. Because sooner or later, you would want the other. And that's when things get complicated.

Because you see, the other is simply, a total relationship. Commitment and responsibility. Calling every day, kissing goodnight, spending the night. Those are all in the other. And now that you have this, that and the other, you are now officially, a couple.

Not that there is anything wrong with that. But if things didn't work out, then just remember, you might lose this. And you will definitely won't have that with her anymore. Ever.

A tribute

2009-06-17T20:30:00.003+08:00

Finally, a complete collection.

After 3 finals at Roland Garros, Roger Federer finally won his first French Grand Slam title. Too bad it was not Rafael Nadal at the opposite end. Instead, Robin Soderling measured up to his big upset of Nadal to reach the finals. Alas, he succumbed to a hungrier and more determined Federer.

No more tears of disappointment and sadness, it's tears of joy this time around. And what a joy it was to see him finally lifting the Coupe des Mousquetaire. Winning the title also made him only the sixth man to achieve the career grand slam and put him level with Pete Sampras with a record of 14 majors. And bearing any upsets, he might surpass that mark by winning on grass in a few weeks time in Wimbledon.

Federer's Grand Slams record:

1. Wimbledon 2003: Only 21 years old, he beat Mark Philippoussis 7-6 (7/5), 6-2, 7-6 (7/3) and claim his first grand-slam title.

2. Australia Open 2004: Federer celebrates becoming world No 1 by outclassing Marat Safin 7-6 (7/3), 6-4, 6-2 for his second grand-slam title.

3. Wimbledon 2004: Defeated Andy Roddick 4-6, 7-5, 7-6 (7/3), 6-4 for his second of many Wimbledon titles to come.

4. US Open 2004: Federer becomes the first man in history to win his first four grand-slam finals - and the first man in 16 years to claim three Majors in one year - with a 6-0, 7-6 (7/3), 6-0 rout of Lleyton Hewitt, his first victory in New York.

5. Wimbledon 2005: Three in a row, and the victim is none other than Andy Roddick, beating him 6-2, 7-6 (7/2), 6-4.

6. US Open 2005: Defeated Andre Agassi 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (7/1), 6-1 to defend his title.

7. Australia Open 2006: Federer recovers from a poor start to sink unfancied Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis 5-7, 7-5, 6-0, 6-2 for his second title in Melbourne.

8. Wimbledon 2006: Federer takes his winning streak on grass to 48 matches by beating arch rival Rafael Nadal 6-0, 7-6, (7/5), 6-7 (2/7), 6-3 for a fourth Wimbledon crown.

9. US Open 2006: Hi Roddick, bye Roddick. Third title here by beating Andy Roddick 6-2, 4-6, 7-5, 6-1.

10. Australia Open 2007: Federer becomes the first man since 1980 to win a grand slam without dropping a set as he sees off Fernando Gonzalez 7-6 (7/2), 6-4, 6-4 for a third title in Melbourne.

11. Wimbledon 2007: Federer emulates Bjorn Borg by winning a fifth straight title here, beating Nadal for the second year in succession in an epic five-setter - 7-6 (9/7), 4-6, 7-6 (7/3), 2-6, 6-2 - that lasted close to four hours.

12. US Open 2007: Beat the joker Novak Djokovic 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (7/2), 6-4 for his fourth consecutive title in New York.

13. US Open 2008: Federer recovers from his Roland Garros and Wimbledon heartbreak months earlier to win a fifth straight title at Flushing Meadows, beating Britain's Andy Murray 6-2, 7-5, 6-2 in the final as a second seed.

14. French Open 2009: Federer grabs the elusive title at Roland Garros by beating surprise finalist Robin Soderling 6-1, 7-6 (7/1), 6-4.

With more Slams to come, for sure. Go Roger!

Eight goals thriller

2009-04-22T23:20:00.001+08:00

Liverpool can't seem to get enough of scoring 4 goals in a game. It started sometime in March when they demolished Real Madrid four goals to nil in the Champions League. Four days later, they trashed Manchester United in their own backyard for what could have been the turning point of the season for them. Of course, with only a few more games left in the season, anything can happen.

They continued their 4 goals demolition against Blackburn, with Torres scoring a brace. Then came the moment of truth, the Champions League quarterfinals against Chelsea. Being 2 goals down from the first leg, they needed a miracle to reach the semifinals.

And it almost happened.

The only problem was they also conceded four goals in that game. And Chelsea got away that night to set a date with Barcelona, leaving Liverpool to lick their wounds, and leaving them with only one silverware left to salvage their season.

The Premier League title.

And first on their hurdle - Arsenal, who were also a victim of Chelsea in the semifinals of the FA Cup. They game was not short on goals, with Liverpool again scoring 4 goals with both Torres and Benayoun on target twice. But all their hardwork were undone by their defensive errors, and the brilliance of Andrei Arshavin, who scored all 4 goals to salvage a point for Arsenal.

With 5 more games left, Liverpool cannot afford to drop anymore points if they want to overthrown Manchester United as the league's champion. Of course, they can still win all their remaining games and still be second in the league. It's all up to United to screw up, and drop points along the way.

And let's hope they do so.

Foiled yet again

2009-03-22T23:45:00.002+08:00

Six wins in eight meetings. And the latest one in the semifinals of the Indian Wells Masters series tournament.

World number four Andy Murray defeated world number two Roger Federer 6-3, 4-6, 6-1 to reach the finals of the tournament and set a date with world number one Rafael Nadal. Nadal disposed Andy Roddick in straight set.

Murray was helped by Federer's 32 unforced errors. Federer has been in a slump eversince winning the US Open title last year, ironically by beating Murray at that time. He has since lost 4 straight to Murray, and has not won any titles.

In the women's finals, Ana Inanovic will be looking to defend the title she won here last year against Vera Zvonareva.

Yet another rematch

2009-03-20T23:45:00.001+08:00

It's like a match made in heaven.

In the past 5 seasons of Liverpool's involvement in the Champions League, they have been pitted with Chelsea 5 times, once in the group stages and the other 4 times in the knockout phases.

2004/05 - Semifinals, Liverpool won
2005/06 - Group stages
2006/07 - Semifinals, Liverpool won
2007/08 - Semifinals, Chelsea won
2008/09 - Quarterfinals, Hopefully a win for Liverpool.

5 times in 5 years, what are the odds of that? Of course, with English team doing better each year and having more representatives in the Champions League knockout phases than other nations, it's inexplicable that one of them will face the other. And if everything works out well, we might have 3 English teams in the semifinals.

The draw for the quarterfinals:

Manchester United vs Porto
Villareal vs Arsenal
Barcelona vs Bayern Munich
Liverpool vs Chelsea

Pundits are predicting the first semifinals to be an all-English affair, with Arsenal and Manchester United locking horns to be in the finals in Rome. While the general concensus for the finals is a showdown between United and Liverpool. Now wouldn't that be just great?

Of course, Liverpool need to get pass Chelsea, and the winner between Barca and Bayern first. Chelsea has changed manager numerous times since their last encounter in 2004/05 season, with Gus Hiddink being the third manager in charge of their latest encounter. Surprisingly, it was Avram Grant who led a successful Chelsea squad past Liverpool last season, while the self-proclaim chosen one, Jose Mourinho failed in all of his attempts. Grant got the sack last season, when Chelsea decided to go with a world class manager in the form of Scolari, but the celebrated manager only lasted for a few months before he was replaced with Hiddink.

The quarter-finals will take place on April 7-8, with the return legs the following week.

Icing on the cake

2009-03-14T23:20:00.000+08:00

It has to be something momentous, something huge, for me to start writing again. And I have finally find the reason to start again. I wanted to write about the Australia Open, but the heartbreak of seeing Federer losing the finals to his arch-nemesis Nadal was too much for me.

But tonight, seeing Liverpool trashed Manchester United 4-1 at Old Trafford is simply joyful. Especially when it came after the midweek game win against Real Madrid. Just the kind of boost that Liverpool needed after a bad run of results. Hopefully this will give them the motivation to go and win all the remaining matches left for the season.

Of course, it helps to have Gerrard and Torres fully fit and playing at their best. Like it or not, those two are instrumental in making sure Liverpool are back to the top. Problem is, Torres has been struggling with his hamstring injury all season long, and so does Gerrard.

Liverpool will be facing Aston Villa next, and it is important to keep winning to challenge for the title. Anymore stumble, like the ones they did against Middlesbrough and Manchester City, will resulted in a premature end to their title chase. Not to forget, they still have the Champions League quarterfinal to look forward to, and chances are, they might draw another English team.

The season is coming to an end, but it feels like Liverpool's season has just started.

The last day of the year

2008-12-31T19:00:00.001+08:00

It's that day again, the last day of the year.

It happens every year. The same old routine. People wishing others happy new year, people making new resolutions, people driving around in their cars honking everyone else, and people partying like it's the end of the world. It never changes.

I guess some things will never change.

Unless of course, if you win the lottery, or the Power Root instant millionaire contest, and be so rich beyond your wildest dream. Then things will change. For you at least. You won't be worrying about ushering the new year, or even having to work ever again. Why should you? You're rich, and you have money to burn. Let your money work for you.

Oh yes, things will definitely change.

But for the rest of us, it will be the same old routine. The same old job with a 2% pay increase for the new year. That is if you're still have a job. There will be some of us who's unlucky enough to be retrenched. Yes, the economy is not good. Companies are cutting cost everywhere. And that means cutting jobs.

Not a very good year ahead, you might think. And you may be right. But that doesn't mean the world has to stop revolving. Somehow, life will always find a way to be right again. It's the wheel of life, you'll be down sometimes, but most of the times, if you're lucky enough, and determined, you'll be on top. And you'll look down upon the world and thank the blessings that you have received, the roof on top of your head, and the food that you eat everyday. And most importantly, the people that makes your life bearable. Your family and friends. The stranger who said thank you for helping him out while he was in trouble.

So thank you 2008. Thank you for being kind to me. Thank you for blessing me with happiness and a perfect life. Well, it might not be perfect, but to me, it is one. Thank you for completing me, and thank you for making the world a better place. Well, it might not be the best, but it could have been worse.

Let's hope for better times, and better things to come in 2009.

Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition

2008-12-20T02:00:00.003+08:00

Let the music be my mood for tonight.

It's funny how you can never fall asleep when you know that you really have to get some sleep. Like the night before an important exam, or the night before your wedding, or even the night before your big trip that you have been planning for months. Of course, it's understandable if you do not get any sleep at all on your wedding night, as couples always do. Your wedding night is supposed to be magical, with plenty of exploring to do, plenty of whispers to share. But then again, you might just be too tired for anything, and sleep like you never slept before. Not that it's a disaster or anything, afterall, you have an eternity of nights to explore and whisper to each other.

It's weird how some people can be really outspoken in writing but act the opposite in the real world. It's like they have split personality, behaving in a certain manner at a certain time. Like a vampire ravaging the night for fresh blood but lies asleep and weak during daylight.

It's mind boggling the way the world works. You always see bad people live happily ever after, be very rich and prosperous, while good people get all the dirt and live miserably for the rest of their lives. It's like karma is working in an amusing way, making sure that bad things always happen to good folks, while good things keep on happening to bad folks.

It's like we're living in a twisted world.

Have you even wonder if there is a parallel universe? Where there is the same world, the same people, the same buildings, but with a different story. A totally completely different story? It's like an alternate timeline, another possibility for the road that was not taken, for the choices that weren't made. Like the movie Sliding Doors, where two possibilities existed when Gwyneth Paltrow missed the train. Both have different consequences, with different story. However, the two universe converge into one reality in the end, with different results.

Just like what the Monty Python boys always say.

Last 16 draw

2008-12-19T19:45:00.000+08:00

These are the draws for the last 16 of the Champions League:

Real Madrid vs Liverpool
Chelsea vs Juventus
Arsenal vs AS Roma
Inter Milan vs Manchester United
Lyon vs Barcelona
Atletico Madrid vs FC Porto
Sporting Lisbon vs Bayern Munich
Villareal vs Panathinaikos

It would be interesting to see Alex Ferguson and Jose Mourinho matching up again. Mourinho is still in his first season with Inter Milan, and would love to have a go at Ferguson again. Inter Milan is sitting comfortably on top of Serie A at the moment.

Liverpool's reward of finishing top of the group in the qualifying round is a date with Real Madrid. Real might be struggling in the Spanish League, but that doesn't mean it's going to be an easy task for Liverpool. But nothing that Gerrard and co can't handle.

Both Arsenal and Roma are struggling in their local league, and it would be interesting to see who would win this clash. While Chelsea will be reunited with Claudio Ranieri in the form of Juventus when the two teams battle it out for a chance to play in the quarterfinals.

The ties take place on February 24/25 and March 10/11 with the final on May 27 in Rome.

When fine is not good enough

2008-12-06T17:00:00.000+08:00

So everything is not fine?

Things are not going the way you wanted them to be. Your life seems like a big hole, there's nothing concrete, there is no substance, there is no meaning at all. You grasp for something tangible, something real, but all you get is a shadow of your great self. Just a wisp of something you imagine you would be, and that's all you have.

Nothing more, nothing less.

So you seek deeper, you seek for your inner self. You seek for the meaning of life. You demand some answers, you demand justice.

But you don't even know the questions.

All you know, the answer might be 42. That's what the book says. The question is not important. You can travel the whole galaxy looking for the answer, but in the end, it will always be 42.

But that is besides the point.

Do you notice how people always ended up saying that they are fine when asked about their well-being? You ask them "how are you?", and most of the time, the immediate answer is "I'm fine, thanks". That's the simplest way to answer it anyway. No more explanation is needed, and you're not even sure if they were sincere when asking you in the first place.

The truth is, you're not fine. You are never fine. Things might be fine for a while, but in the long run, you always get back to where you started, which is nowhere. So how the hell do you get away from nowhere? You seem to be moving in circles, you can go a thousand miles away, yet you always return to the exact spot where you began. You seek for that place, for that piece of puzzle to complete your life, to complete yourself, and most importantly, you seek for something that means everything to you.

So in the end, what do you seek?

Extraordinary, and not just fine. But where do you find it?

Now that, is the question to the answer.

A free lunch

2008-11-30T23:45:00.002+08:00

I love Sundays. It's always sunny on Sunday. Maybe not all the time, but most of the time, it is sunny. Probably that's why the called it Sunday. Sunny day. And today was no exception.

And Sunday is always associated with lazy. Time goes on as slowly as possible. You wake up in the morning, yet it feels like it's not the time to get out from bed yet. So you laze around in bed, until it's afternoon.

And then you realized, you just wasted a whole morning.

But that's okay, because it's a Sunday. Sunday mornings are meant to be wasted. No point getting up too early in the morning, unless of course if you want to catch Justice League Unlimited on TV. But not me though, Powerpuff Girls are on all day long this weekend, so I got enough dose of cartoons to last me a week. So it's the bed and me, and my pillows.

Of course, come afternoon, you know it's time to get out of bed and hit the shower when your stomach starts growling. But there's nothing in the kitchen worth eating, except for some expired yogurt and leftover pizzas from last week. And you don't feel like eating out, can't really decide where to go, what to eat. It's such a hassle.

So what is the best thing to do? For me, easy. There's only one place: Carrefour Subang Jaya. Not only can you do your weekly grocery shopping at a low price (guaranteed, or they'll return back twice the difference to you, as stated on their walls), but you also get to sample a host of products, free of charge. All you need to do is grab a trolley, or a basket, and come in before 12 noon. The place is not that crowded yet, and there's enough food for everybody. Start walking the aisle. For me, I headed to the can section, where the soup stall is located. For starters, Campbell soup, hot from the stove. Next to the soup stall, Prego is there with their delicious spaghetti and sauce. And not for from there, a pretty girl is making fried rice with Seri Aji Thai Fried Rice. Walk around the corner, and you'll find TC Boy tuna sandwiches waiting for you.

Need a drink by now? Head to the drink section, there are plenty to choose from. There are Milo, Soyabean, Yogurt drink, Sprite and even Anlene. Then you can have some mushroom with black pepper oyster sauce, grilled fish, and even fried tempura and some light snack such as twisties and rice crackers. And while you're eating all these, keep an eye on the mobile Nescafe man, who moves around with a Nescafe dispenser on his back, distributing a cup of hot aromatic Nescafe to shoppers.

Last but not least, don't forget the desserts, with different flavours of ice cream to begin with, and some dried prunes to help with your digestion. Then another ice cold Sprite to wash everything down, and you're set for the day. A good lunch, and most importantly, a free one.

And yes, one last thing, grab that one cup of Yogurt(to replace the expired one in the fridge), put it in your trolley, or basket, and head out to the cashier.

Such a nice sunny Sunday. Don't you just love it?

Enlightenment

2008-11-06T21:45:00.002+08:00

I have found the cure to constipation. Give me a Nobel Prize, give me an Olympic gold medal. I don't mind either. Not that I am constipated to begin with. My faculties are functioning well, thank you. An apple a day keeps the doctor away, or so they say.

I eat apples everyday, yet the doctor is always around. Can't seem to be far away from the doctor. Unless of course if I am a invisible, then I can hide from the doctor, and eat all the apples I want.

No, apples are not the cure to constipation. Nor are bananas. You might think they are, but they only work occasionally. Tennis players eat bananas during breaks, a bite at a time. Then they wrap it back up, and keep the banana in their bag. Not basketballers though. Basketballers drink Gatorade, with most of them preferring the orange one. Every timeouts, there's a cup of Gatorade in their hand. I love Gatorade, but 100 plus is cheaper here. So I drink 100 plus. I buy two bottles everytime I'm down in Carrefour, because that's the limit one can buy. It says so on the shelf: Limit two bottles per customer. Not that I'm complaining, because two bottles can last me for quite a while.

Unless of course if it's a hot day. There's nothing like a tall glass of cold 100 plus to quench your thirst. Or if I'm too lazy to eat dinner, like tonight. Never heard of anyone being too lazy to eat before. It's not like there's no food at home. There's plenty of food. But the act of getting the food and putting it in my mouth, well, I just don't have the stomach for it, literally speaking. Or come to think of it, I think I lost my appetite after taking that cure to constipation that I was talking about earlier. Not that I am constipated or anything, but I've already said that too.

So what is it that's so good that it can cure constipation, and also causes you to lose your appetite? It's available to you once a week, and it runs for about 40 minutes or so. Two words.

Ampang Medikal.

Invincible no more

2008-10-26T23:55:00.003+08:00

It wasn't a pretty win, but a win nevertheless.

Come to think of it, it was a historic win.

Xabi Alonso scored the only goal that mattered to end Chelsea's 86-game unbeaten home league record and put Liverpool as the sole leader in the English Premier League. It was also Chelsea's first defeat under new boss Luiz Felipe Scolari, who took charge of the team at the start of the season.

Liverpool so far has signalled out their title intentions, by beating Manchester United, and now Chelsea in what might be a very close race to be the champion of England. Even Hull City is in the running at the moment, but it is still too early in the season, as Jamie Carragher puts it.

But to break Chelsea's long standing record, and at the same time to score your first goal at Stamford Bridge eversince Rafa Benitez is in charge, that must be something.

I hope it's a sign for more good things to come.

Hull on cloud nine

2008-10-25T23:55:00.003+08:00

A year ago, Hull City was playing in the English League Championship. Today, they are joint top in the English Premier League, albeit temporarily. Their bubble might burst anytime soon, but for now, they have won four straight game, and sit snugly at third with 20 points.

They are practically halfway to securing their top flight status with only 9 games played. 40 points are normally needed to be safe. With 29 more games to be played, it's considerably safe to say that Hull City will still be in the Premier League next season.

Nobody predicted that Hull will be doing so well so early in the season. Well, nobody also predicted that Spurs will be rooted at the bottom of the league searching for their first win too, but look at where they are right now. Until Juande Ramos gets the boot, Spurs will continue to struggle and might be in for a long hard battle of avoiding relegation. But that is another tale to tell.

Hull City meanwhile, keep on defying the odds and performing well playing away from home. So far they have chalked up wins against Newcastle, Arsenal, Spurs and their latest away win were against WBA. Their only blot so far were to concede 5 goals at home against Wigan.

The best part is, it's not that Hull played a totally defensive game. They do defend deep, but are also adventurous and can hold the ball for a long period of time. Their counter attacks are dangerous, and they have good players who are unselfish and pass the ball around really well. They also have a very good goalkeeper, Boaz Myhill, who made several good saves against WBA and has so far kept 3 clean sheets.

They will be entertaining Chelsea at home next Wednesday, and come Saturday, will be away at Manchester United. Most probably, they will lose both games, but my bet is, it won't be without a fight.

The tigers number one fan! How ironic!

Sorry ass Spurs

2008-10-24T19:00:00.003+08:00

Yet another defeat, and rooted at the bottom of the league with just two points to show out of 8 games.

How worse can it get?

With a modest 4th place finish set for the year, the Spurs are surely not heading that way. They started the season on a losing end, and only got their first point away at Chelsea. After that game, manager Juande Ramos was still optimistic. The worst has passed, and it is time to move up the table. And so he thought.

A draw and 5 more losses followed, and to compound the misery, Spurs were outplayed and lost to Udinese in the UEFA Cup last night.

It doesn't take a genius to predict Spurs downfall. The arrival of Juande Ramos was thought to be a good sign to come. After all, he was the architect of Sevilla revival, and under his guidance, Sevilla went and win the UEFA Cup twice and did fairly well in the competitive Spanish La Liga. He also won his first silverware with Spurs when they beat Chelsea in the League Cup finals last year.

So it was understandable when Ramos predicted a top four finish. He has a good squad at his disposal, plenty of money to spend on new players, and the backing of the board. That's when everything starts tumbling down.

First of all, you don't sell your top strikers. Not only he sold off Robbie Keane, who with 15 league goals last season became the first Spurs player to score double figures in the Premier League in six consecutive seasons, Dimitar Berbatov also left for a greener pasture. Not that they could do anything about that, since Berbatov was really keen on a move to Manchester United. To fill in the void, Spurs bring in Darren Bent and Roman Pavlyuchenko, and both of them have yet to click playing together. Spurs spent £47.9 million on players like Luka Modric, Giovani do Santos, Heureolho Gomes and David Bentley combined. With that much money spent, it's amazing they are still rooted at the bottom when clubs like Hull City are flourishing well without spending half that much.

Players morale must be at a high time low in the dressing room. Recently David Bently vented out his frustration, with the result of him being omitted from yesterday's game. Jonathan Woodgate meanwhile warned his teammates not to repeat what Leeds United did in 2003.

Spurs are up against Bolton next, and their next two games will be against Arsenal and Liverpool. For now, their future look very bleak. Shebby Singh, a self-confessed Spurs fan, must be cursing in his sleep.

For once, I think he might fancy his chances of being the next manager of Tottenham Hotspurs.

Only in Ampang

2008-10-17T22:45:00.002+08:00

I was unfortunate enough to be home on a Thursday night and spent my time in front of the TV. And since there was nothing much to watch, I switched to NTV7 and saw Ampang Medikal for the first time.

A lot have been said about the show. Critics have been harsh, with no mercy spared. And I can't really blame them. The show simply lacked a lot of things. It's like it's been done for the sake of making a series about a bunch of medical interns living their lives. Something out of the ordinary, something new in the local scene.

The only thing new is how suck they can be.

The main character, Dr Siti, is the Meredith Grey of Grey's Anatomy. Now, don't get me wrong. I'm simply saying she is Grey because she narrates at the start and at the end of the show. Just like Grey. But that's the only similarities they have. Yes, Siti might have plenty of problems, especially when it comes to love, but her problems exist because men tends to fall in love with her.

And what's up with that? Everybody seems to be in love with her. Married men flocked to her like sheeps flock to grass. They know it's forbidden, they know they can't have her, yet they are still chasing her. I think in the hospital itself, there are more than two men vying for her love. And oh, she is engaged, if you're wondering.

Another noticeable bit about the show is the bad editing. One thing I cannot tolerate is the fact that I have to increase the volume of the TV to maximum to hear what the heck they are talking about. And to think that I have not gone deaf yet. It's bad enough that the acting sucks, there are noises in the background and at times, it is very hard to hear what they are saying.

And what's with the camera angle. Some of the scenes were shot haphazardly that you can't help but wonder if the cameramen were high on glue while filming.

The only thing I like about the show is the underlying theme, But the message come across badly. Yesterday's episode was about parents-children relationship. In one end, you have a mother who was about to give birth to twins. But due to complications, she has to choose one twin, while the other one will die.

Then there was Dr Maznah and her fight for custody for her son. Apparently her ex-husband is getting married again and moving to Australia and planning to take the son with him. And we also found out that the ex gave her something more than just the title janda. Apparently, he also left her a souvenir in the form of some disease.

Then there was Dr. Siti's father who was hospitalised in the ward. From what I can fathom, he is separated from the wife (most probably divorced) and Dr Siti never knew that he kept in touch with her mother. I don't think Siti has a relationship with her mother. From the looks of it, she hates her mother. And so she was angry when she found out that her father is on talking terms with her mother.

In the end, it's all about choices. See the similarities with Grey's Anatomy? I won't be highlighting that now, since this is only my first time watching.

More reason to make plans on Thursday nights now.

Gooners shocked

2008-09-28T03:00:00.001+08:00

Arsene Wenger 12th year anniversary in charge of Arsenal was spoilt when his team was shocked by newcomer Hull City at the Emirates. Prior to the game, Arsenal was riding on a 17 months unbeaten record at home, with West Ham being the only team who has beaten them previously.

Now Hull City can proudly add themselves to the list, after a courageous display of football.

Arsenal led early in the second half when Paul McShane put the ball into his own net after a neat cross by Theo Walcott created havoc in front of the goal. But Hull replied soon enough, with Marcio Geovanni letting fly a rocket into the top corner from 30 yards. Four minutes later, Hull was in front when Daniel Cousin headed the ball pass Almunia from a corner.

From then on, it was Arsenal pushing and pushing for the equaliser, and even with four extra minutes of stoppage time, failed to score that important goal.

It's a famous win for Hull City, and must have been their biggest win in their 104 years of history.

Victory in Merseyside

2008-09-27T23:55:00.003+08:00

Robbie Keane is still looking for that elusive first goal in a red shirt. And he was thinking that the omens might be good this time around. Liverpool was playing Everton, the 208th Merseyside derby for the two teams. And Keane has a good record against Everton. He scored a hat-trick against the Toffees back in 2003. And a few years back, the previous incumbent of the number seven shirt - Harry Kewell - registered his first goal against the team across Stanley Park.

But who needs Keane, when you have Fernando Torres supplying the goals. Keane was instrumental in today's game, but it was Torres who took the limelight again. He scored two goals in the span of 4 minutes in the second half to win the game for Liverpool. It might have even been a hat-trick, if his third goal was not ruled offside.

Everton barely had any shots on target, and they played with 10 men when Tim Cahill got his marching orders in the 80th minute for a late challenge on Xabi Alonso. Everton is still looking for their first home win this season, after losing their first two games at home.

In another match, Chelsea did what Liverpool failed to do last week by scoring not only one, but two goals against the hapless Stoke City. After being the man of the match in last week's game, Thomas Sorensen failed to repeat his heroics when Jose Bosingwa and Nicolas Anelka put the ball pass him.

Meanwhile, Manchester United was gifted with a penalty to break the resilient Bolton and Christiano Ronaldo duly scored his first goal in the league. Wayne Rooney added a second after coming in as a substitute. But it was a game for United to win, as they dominated the whole game. And Robbie Keane is not alone in his search for his first goal for his new club, as Dimitar Berbatov is yet to score for Manchester United.

Liverpool is up against Manchester City next in the league, and it will be tough preserving their unbeaten run with Robinho and Shawn Wright-Philips playing so well. But with Torres scoring again, and Keane desperate for his first goal, it would be an interesting match to watch.

Why did the chicken cross the road

2008-09-26T23:45:00.002+08:00

Tell me if this is not funny! Got this in the mail, and thought I shared it with you all.

BARACK OBAMA:
The chicken crossed the road because it was time for a CHANGE! The chicken wanted CHANGE!

JOHN MCCAIN:
My friends, that chicken crossed the road because it recognized the need to engage in cooperation and dialogue with all the chickens on the other side of the road.

HILLARY CLINTON:
When I was First Lady, I personally helped that little chicken cross the road. This experience makes me uniquely qualified to ensure -- right from Day One! -- that every chicken in this country gets the chance it deserves to cross the road. But then, this really isn't about me.......

GEORGE W. BUSH:
We don't really care why the chicken crossed the road. We just want to know if the chicken is on our side of the road or not. The chicken is either against us, or with us. There is no middle ground here.

JOHN LENNON:
Imagine all the chickens in the world crossing the road together, in peace.

BILL GATES:
I have just released eChicken2008, which will not only cross roads, but will lay eggs, file your important documents, and balance your check book. Internet Explorer is an integral part of the Chicken. This new platform is much more stable and will never cra...#@&&^C% .......... reboot.

BILL CLINTON:
I did not cross the road with THAT chicken. What is your definition of chicken?

AL GORE:
Chicken shall not shit while crossing the road. This is for a green environment.

LEE KUAN YEW:
We have installed crossing lights at all traffic junctions. All chickens should follow instructions while crossing the road.

SAMY VELLU:
Gantry points have been set up. All chickens wanting to cross the road are advised to top up their cash cards first.

NAJIB RAZAK:
What chickens? I don't know any chickens... especially those from Mongolia.

ABDULLAH BADAWI:
We have to be fair to all chickens. Some want to cross over the road, some do not. ........ zzzzz .......zzzzzz ....... Now what were we talking about? Ah yes, chickens. We will form a Royal Commission to decide whether it is right for them to cross the road.

MAHATHIR:
Now even non-bumi chickens want to cross the road! How can they disrespect and disregard bumi chickens? We must be allowed to cross over first. It is our special privilege and no one can challenge that!

ANWAR:
We have enough chickens waiting to cross over in September.

SHAHRIR:
All foreign chickens are welcome in Malaysia but they must not cross over the road within 50km of the border.

Habeas corpus

2008-09-25T23:45:00.001+08:00

When you were a small kid, do you spend most of your time in front of the TV? Or were you the type who goes outside and play with the other neighbourhood kids? I only ventured outside when I was 10 years old, and that was because we moved to a new town where the neighbours are friendlier and the kids are aplenty.

So I made new friends, and played all sort of games and did all sort of mischief with them. Cycled from east to west, and jumped into mudholes and streams. But I still have my regular dosage of TV, with cartoons always the top priority. I guess that's why I'm still hooked to cartoons even until now, life is just different without them. Of course, the cartoons nowadays are a whole lot different from the ones back then. There are more silly cartoons nowadays, and the jokes are a little harder to understand if you're a five year-old kid. Back then, the theme is simpler, with good always prevailing over evil, and there is always a moral in each episodes.

A was also hooked to Sesame Street back then. I just love Big Bird, Snuffy, Bert and Ernie (rumors have it that they are a gay couple), Kermit the Frog, Cookie Monster and Count Von Count. I think I learnt quit a lot from watching the show.

And you know how in each episode there is the word of the day, and also the number of the day? Well, if you read the newspaper and watch the news for the past week, you will notice that the word of the day for last week is habeas corpus. Personally, I have no idea what it means, because that word has never been the word of the day in Sesame Street. But you can always google it and find the meaning online.

As for the number of the day, that would be 47, because that is the number that the word habeas corpus appeared in the newspaper (The Star) last week. And I know this because I actually counted it.

What? You don't believe me? Well, feel free to count it then!

The songs in my head

2008-09-24T23:40:00.001+08:00

It's amazing what some songs can do for you. Some songs can inspire, some can invoke certain memories and feelings. Some songs make you happy, some songs make you sad. And some songs, when inserted in the background of a scene on TV or movies, can really make a big difference.

Makes you wonder, if you can have a song playing in the background of every major events in your life, what would it be?

I have this weird habit of listening to the same song over and over again, until the words and tune get stuck inside my head. There are plenty of songs inside my head, playing over and over again. I guess that's why I don't need to stick those earphones into my ears to listen to music everywhere I go, because all my favourite songs are stored inside my head.

But if you think that's weird, there's more. There comes a certain time in my life, when suddenly a song will be played inside my head, with no reasons at all. And somehow, the song just complete the moment. Like I'm in a movie or something. Maybe I watch too much TV. Or maybe I imagine things too much. Or maybe I'm just plain weird.

I remember when I broke up with my ex a few years back, I had My Immortal by Evanescence playing inside my head during the break-up. And it was such a tragic, sad song that it almost drove me crazy. And nowadays when I listen to the song, I can't help but to remember that day. Not that it invoke anymore feelings, it's just a bittersweet memory.

And when I run, I have High by James Blunt playing in my head. Somehow, it is such a calm song and it provides the right rhythm for me to run. Yes, I know, I might be influence my the music video where a man was running throughout the song. But that's the song that transfixed me to keep running, even when my body is telling me to stop.

Other songs that keep on repeating over the years are Linger by Cranberries, Painting in My Mind by Tommy Page, Everytime by A1, Here With Me by Dido, Wherever You May Go by The Calling and You Were Meant For Me by Jewel. Yes, most of them are sappy sad songs, but that's because I'm a sappy sad person.

And because I'm in no mood for happy tunes now.

The lamb has left the building

2008-09-22T22:00:00.002+08:00

Well, not entirely true. The lamb is still in the building, just at another location. A better place, come to think of it. Because it has fulfilled it's destiny, which is to be at that other location.

And no, it's not really a whole lamb. It's just a leg of lamb. Roasted to perfection.

Have you ever eaten a whole leg of lamb the barbaric way? You grab it by the bone, and start biting and munching away, spreading grease all over your face, and spilling lamb juice all over your body. I have, a couple of times. But not last night though. Company, Ardy. Remember, we have company. So I carved my lamb nicely, used fork and knife to cut it into smaller pieces, pour some mint sauce over it, and chew on it with my mouth close. Such a waste to eat it like that!

It should have been eaten the barbaric way, that's the right way for it.

And if the leg of lamb was not enough, there were roast chicken, potato salad, coleslaw and baked pasta, just to complete the meal.

Picture perfect!

The star of the show

Gone in 10 seconds!

Roadblock

2008-09-21T05:05:00.003+08:00

If you watch The Amazing Race, you will know that a roadblock is a task that only one person may perform.

So what does a roadblock means in football?

Well, it is when Liverpool failed to win at home when playing newcomers Stoke City.

No goals, and just one point to show.

After spending the week on a high by beating Manchester United and Marseille, Liverpool was brought down to earth by the resilient Stoke City players. Having 76% possesion of the football and 19 corners, none of their players managed to find the back of the net. Well, Steven Gerard did, from a perfectly taken freekick, but his goal was disallowed because the linesman had an itch on his armpit, and accidently raised the flag to scratch the itch. The referree, seeing the flag being raised, disallowed the goal. It would have been Gerrard 100th goal for the club, but I guess his 100th goal would just have to wait for another game.

With 11 players behind the ball, Stoke City defended deep and well to deny Liverpool any scoring oppurtunity. Liverpool had 30 shots on goal, but most of them were from long range and out of target. Robbie Keane had a few good chances, but none really counted. He remain goalless for his new club, and suddenly the £20 million Liverpool paid for his services seems a little too much.

While everyone in the red shirt were pushing the ball forward, Pepe Reina was seen having a ciggarette and drinking a couple cans of beer while lounging in between his goalpost. Must be lonely with his defenders playing as midfielders, leaving him all alone at the back. Rory Delap occasionally threw the ball to Reina, but Reina was up for it and caught the ball easily. It's amazing that Reina didn't join the other Reds up front since he really had nothing much to do standing in between the goalpost. He might have been able to score the winning goal, since everyone else was just plain unlucky (except for Keane though, he was pretyy useless).

So there you go, a roadblock along the way. Would it matter? Probably so, if Liverpool is looking to win the title. Because dropping points while playing in Anfield against lowly teams would definitely come to haunt you later on in the season.

Ezora revisited

2008-09-18T22:15:00.002+08:00

I know this post has been long overdue. Blame it on the Teen Titans, they are all I think about and watch nowadays.

But better late than never, right? And I owe it to some people out there to tell them the ending.

After a grueling 60 episodes, Ezora finally said goodbye to Malaysia and fly to London to be with one of her love interest. Yes, she chose Adreen instead of Reza, after going from one man to another. It was a complicated relationship. Ezora married Reza, but later separated when Reza married Leeya. She then got together with Adreen, only because she pities him and wanted to help him out. But in the end, it was Adreen that she chose. I guess love is weird, in a twisted kind of way.

The fate of Leeya wasn't that good. Her plans to marry Badree backfired, instead she was beaten by Badree when he discovered that she knew about his plan to kill Madam Ezah. Yes, Badree choked Madam Ezah to death, and he now rots in prison. Meanwhile, Leeya rots in a mental institution. I guess the shock of being beaten by someone whom she was supposed to marry was too much for her to handle. But then again, the whole family is cuckoo, so it wasn't a suprise that Leeya followed suit.

Lisa and Josh were given a lifeline, when Johan surrendered himself to the police and admitted that he killed Ringo and Fendi. Lisa, who turns out to be Madam Ezah's grandaughter, turned a new life and chose Josh to be her life partner. Good ending for the both of them.

Amy, Fara's psycho sister, was foiled in her attempt to kill Adreen and Fara. It turned out that she was acting on the orders of Madam Ezah, and also pursuing a personal vendetta against Adreen. She could never forgive Adreen for marrying Sara instead of her.

Bob and Kak Ton patched things up after the discovered that the baby Karina was carrying was in fact Maniam's and not Bob's. In a funny twist, Karina gave birth to an Indian boy, much to the chagrin of Bob and Kak Ton. The fate of Karina remains unknown, most probably she and Maniam got together and live somewhere near Thailand. Kak Ton decided to adopt the baby, since she can't have one anymore.

Back to Madam Ezah, it turned out that she chopped up her daughter's bones to create an amulet of protection using the art of black magic to ensure that she is untouchable in her quest for power. Somewhat of a psycho, she manipulated and lied her way around people, even pretended that she has gone crazy when her past was revealed to everyone. While plotting for Ezora's downfall, she continues to use Ezora's kindness for her own good. In the end, she died with her eyes wide open, her face contorted in a shocked expression. During her burial, a snake appeared on her body, and the grave rejected her by spewing hot lava and boiling water. Okay, maybe not that, but something of that sort. A little spooky, I must say.

All in all, Ezora managed to entwined me to the couch for far too long than I expected. The series wasn't that bad, the plot was good with so many twists and turns along the way. The ending was kinda expected, but in the end, good always prevails over evil.

And I guess, that is the moral of the story.

Frontpage: The truth behind the news

2008-09-17T14:00:00.002+08:00

It's been a while since a really good local show surfaced on our TV screen. A few months back, we were treated with the out-of-this-world Ghost on 8TV. It was quiet since then, with the occasional TV3 dramas filling up my thirst for local dramas, but nothing good to shout about.

Then there is the highly publicised medical drama, Ampang Medikal which is shown on NTV7. I am not going to say anything about that, since you can read all about it here.

And just when I was about to give up hope on our local scenes, Frontpage comes galloping around and my faith in local dramas has been restored. The first episode aired on September 7 and I have to say, it was so good that I can't wait for the next episode. And the next one was even as good as the first one, so now I look forward to my Sunday nights.

So what is Frontpage all about? It revolves around a group of investigative journalists who do whatever it takes to get a story. The best part about the story is each episode is based on actual news headlines that had appeared over the last 20 years. And I think the team of writers, led by Mira Mustaffa really outdone themselves with superb scripts for the show.

If you have yet to watch a single episode of Frontpage, worry not cause nowadays you can catch it online. And if you're at home on Sunday nights, remember to catch it on NTV7 at 9.45pm.

By the way, did I mention that Cheryl Samad is also in Frontpage?

Is he worth £20 million?

2008-09-14T23:45:00.003+08:00

Four games into the season, with no goals to show so far. Yes, it is still early to judge Robbie Keane, but with a price tag of £20 million, a lot of expectations are on him to shoulder the scoring load for Liverpool this season. And so far, he has done none of it yet.

The arrival of Fernando Torres last season really helped Liverpool in the scoring department. Torres justified the £26.5 million spent on him with a record breaking 33 goals in his debut season. And it didn't take long for him to get settle down in England, scoring his first English Premier League goal on his Anfield debut in a match against Chelsea. And from there on, he never looked back.

Keane has been playing in England for years now. He was with Wolverhampton, Coventry City, Leeds United and Tottenham in a career spanning close to 10 years. Of course there was that half season he spent with Inter Milan, but that was a big flop for him. He only survived a few months there with 9 games under his belt and no goal to show.

He might need some time to settle in and get used with Liverpool style of play, but with his experience playing in the Premier League, it shouldn't be long before he can get that first elusive goal. Liverpool is on track at the moment, winning 3 games and drawing one. But the icing on the cake was last night game when they finally beat Manchester United 2-1. It was their first league win over Manchester United since April 2004. And if they can keep playing on like they did yesterday, they might be one of the front-runners for the title this season.

It is still too early to predict anything. But there's no harm to have a little hope.

Picture perfect!

Back to winning ways

2008-09-11T23:45:00.004+08:00

It's good to see him winning again. Especially after he had such an unlucky year, losing the Australian Open in the semifinals, then trashed by Nadal in the French Open finals, and again losing to Nadal in that epic Wimbledon finals.

He finally got it right in the US Open. Seeded second for the first time in four and a half years, Roger Federer finally won his first major title of the year. And in doing so, he became the first man to win five Slams in a row at two different events, having also completed the feat last year at Wimbledon. No one had won five US titles in a row since Bill Tilden in 1924.

Federer dispatched sixth-seeded Andy Murray, the conquerer of the world's number one Rafael Nadal in the semifinals, 6-2 7-5 6-2. Murray went into his first Grand Slam final with a 2-1 lifetime record against the champ. But trying to become the first British man to win the US Open since Fred Perry in 1936, he never had a chance. He might have played the perfect game in his win against Nadal, but against Federer, he was out of sorts.

Federer hit 36 winners compared to Murray's 16 and he earned nearly half his points at net, a skill he honed while winning the Olympic gold medal in doubles. He only took one hour and 51 minutes to finish the match, which in fact was one of the easiest match he had on his way to winning the title.

In the semifinals, he beat Novak Djokovic 6-3 5-7 7-5 6-2 in nearly 3 hours, and had to rely on his strong servis game to hold onto his serve. He mustered 20 aces along the way, while limiting his errors to 28 compared to Djokovic's 47 errors.

The quarterfinals was also a close game, with Federer beating Gilles Muller 7-6 6-4 7-6 in two hours and 30 minutes. Muller, the big server from Luxembourg led the tournament with 128 aces but Federer managed on to win the match by limiting his errors.

He had his toughest match in the Fourth Round, where he needed three and a half hours to beat Igor Andreev from Russia in five sets, 6-7 7-6 6-3 3-6 6-3. It was a tense match where Federer had an error strewn game, committing 60 unforced errors but he made that up by hitting 66 winners to claim the match.

Federer's 56th career crown moved him into sole possession of second place on the all-time Slam title list, one more than Roy Emerson and one below the career record 14 won by Pete Sampras. Up next will be the Australian Open for him to equal Sampras 14 amazing feat. It won't be easy, but as long as he believes in himself, I'm sure he will be the greatest ever player in the history of tennis.

When the holding gets tough

2008-08-21T23:50:00.003+08:00

As expected, the Jamaicans are in the finals of the 4x100m relays. Both the men and the women. And they look good for the gold, barring any mishandling of the baton. Like what happened to the U.S. The Americans found out that they just couldn't handle the baton properly, the hard way.

First, the men dropped the baton. Tyson Gay just couldn't connect with Darvis Patton and he ended up empty handed. Tyson Gay will now leave Beijing without running in a final. He failed to qualify for the 100m finals a few days back. Then the women followed suit. Lauryn Williams now has two Olympic baton drops on her resume. She and Marion Jones had a slip-up in the 2004 Olympics, a blunder that cost the U.S. a gold medal. Not that it mattered though, since if they did win the gold, it would have been stripped anyway because of Marion Jones involvement with a certain drug.

It must be heartbreak for the Americans, who see themselves as favourites to win the sprint events. Instead, they keep falling short of expectations. For the first time in Summer Games history, the U.S. will leave an Olympics 0-for-6 in the sprint races: the men’s and women’s 100s, 200s and 4x100 relays.

Now Jamaica has the chance of emulating the 1984 U.S. sprint team, which went 6-for-6 in the Olympic sprint races.

Ops! I think I drop something!

You're supposed to hold it, not drop it!

Lightning does strike twice

2008-08-20T23:00:00.003+08:00

The fastest man in the world did it again. And it was as impressive as the first time.

Usain Bolt of Jamaica broke the world record by winning the 200m in 19.30 seconds, becoming the first man since Carl Lewis in 1984 to sweep the 100 and 200 gold medals at an Olympics. Bolt is also the first man ever to break the world records in both sprints at an Olympics.

He was way ahead of the other runners, but instead of slowing down like he did in the 100m race, he went all the way eyeing the old record of 19.32 seconds set by Michael Johnson in Atlanta in 1996. Churandy Martina of Netherlands Antilles was second, 0.52 seconds behind Bolt. But he was later disqualified because of lane infringement, together with Wallace Spearmon of the United States.

Bolt still have another event, which is the 4x100m relay. Jamaica is one of the favourite, with Asafa Powell also in the team. So far Jamaica has caught the headlines with the sprinters winning gold in the sprint event. The women won the 100m and 400m race, and they are also favourite for the 200m and the 4x100m relay.

Another new world record for Bolt

Bolt crossing the line way ahead

Who is Ezora?

2008-08-18T01:45:00.001+08:00

So Kiah binti Dogol turns out to be just another makcik with a good heart. But that doesn't stop me from watching, since the end is near and the jigsaw puzzle is almost complete.

As it turns out, Edreen is not the son of Johan and Salmah the maid. Salmah the maid was caught in close proximity with Tony and they were married and had a son, which turned out to be Edreen. So Edreen is not the grandson of Madam Ezzah. In fact, Edreen has no blood relation to Madam Ezzah.

Meanwhile, Fara turns out to be the long-lost twin sister of Sara, the late wife of Edreen. Their parents went their own separate ways after the mother gave birth to the twins, and Fara went with the father while Sara went with the mother. The mother remarried and had a daughter, Amy, who turns out to be Edreen's ex-girlfriend.

To sum it up, Edreen had a relationship with Amy, wanted to marry Amy but was stopped by Madam Ezzah. Amy was heartbroken and she went overseas to heal her broken heart. Edreen then went out with Sara to heal his wounds, but ended up falling in love with Sara. They married without Madam Ezzah's blessing. Madam Ezzah then arranged for Sara to be killed, and she died in a car accident.

When Fara knew all these, she wanted to avenge her sister's death and infiltrated the family by pretending to be in love with Edreen, and working at the hotel. But she ended up being the loser in her own game, when she fall for Edreen and got into a pickle when Edreen, who was supposed to marry Ezora, chose Fara instead. This of course, infuriates Madam Ezzah, who wanted Edreen and Ezora to be married.

Edreen being a man, couldn't decide who to choose. He knows he's in love with Ezora, he's been in love with Ezora since the day he first met her. But Fara reminds him of his first true love, and that puts him in a dilemma. But Ezora is just marying Edreen as a sense of responsibility, when her heart will always be with Reza.

It was then revealed that Ezora might not be Madam Ezzah's granddaughter. For all we know, she might even be Madam Ezzah's daughter, since Pak Zaki and Madam Ezzah were known to have a relationship. And then there is the question of Lisa, who is not Ezora's real sister. Could Lisa be Kak Ton's daughter? We all know Kak Ton had a daughter once, although it has not been revealed yet.

Eight more episodes to go. Two more weeks. And all questions will be answered. Stay tune for more updates.

The end of a hope

2008-08-17T22:00:00.001+08:00

A few hours ago, the whole nation was hoping for our first gold in the Olympics. The signs were good. Lee Chong Wei is seeded second, and he played a solid game going through to the finals. But he is up against the world's number one, Lin Dan from China.

Can a Malaysian be mentally strong enough to win away from home?

We saw Venus Williams crumbled under pressure when being heckled by the big Chinese crowd. In the game against Li Na, she lost the handle, committing so many unforced errors and double faults on her way to the exit.

And the Chinese crowd can really be zealous and rowdy. They cheer on every mistakes you make, and disrupt your concentration so bad that you started to make more mistakes.

And that was what exactly happened to Chong Wei. He lost the first set tamely to Lin Dan, 12-21. From the moment the game started, Lin Dan was in control. He played a perfect game, ripping Chong Wei apart mercilessly.

The second set had the same story. Lin Dan raced to an 8-0 lead before Chong Wei finally got on the scoreboard. It ended as quick as the first set, with Chong Wei soundly defeated 8-21. All those expectations, all those hopes, in the end were too heavy for Chong Wei to carry on his shoulder.

Yet another silver medal. And another four years wait for our first gold.

The World's Fastest Man

2008-08-17T02:20:00.004+08:00

Manuel Uribe is no ordinary guy. The 42-year-old former mechanic, who has been bedridden for six years, stuffed his face with burgers, pizzas and fizzy drinks and his weight balloons up to
560kg, which is a Guinness World's record.

The World's Fattest Man however went on an intensive diet and dropped down to 320kg, all in the name of love. He plans to marry his longtime girlfriend, Claudia Solis soon and wanted to be able to stand on his two feet while being married.

"We are a couple. We have sex, and in the eyes of God we are already married," he said. Exactly how he does it still remains a mystery, considering the amount of fat covering his private part.

While Uribe is busy gorging snacks and being moved around on his bed with the aid of a forklift, on the other side of the world, another man grabbed the headlines for being the world's fastest man.

Jamaica's Usain Bolt smashed his own world record on his way to an emphatic victory in the Olympic 100 metres final.The 21-year-old clocked 9.69 seconds to win the event and cap an astonishing rise to the top of his sport. No man had ever run below 9.7 seconds before, with Bolt's 9.72 set earlier this year the previous best.

More astonishing even than his time was the fact that Bolt eased down and started to celebrate all of 15 metres from the line.

"I didn’t come here to run the world record because I am the world-record holder," he said. "I came here to win."

And win he did. It took him fewer than 10 seconds to run 100 meters but at least 10 minutes to complete his victory lap.

Up next will the the 200 metres race. If he wins the event, he’ll become the first man to capture the gold in the 100 and 200 since Carl Lewis in 1984. Without anyone as talented as Lewis around to challenge him in the 200, he might be competing against history.

15m to the finish line and Bolt already celebrating

See how far he left the competitors behind?

Proud to be Swiss

2008-08-16T23:45:00.003+08:00

Roger Federer finally did it. He finally won a medal in the Olympics. And it is gold in color. And no, it wasn't in the singles.

Federer won the gold teaming up with fellow countryman Stanislas Warinka in the men's doubles tournament beating the Sweedish pair of Simon Aspelin and Thomas Johansson 6-3, 6-4, 6-7 (4), 6-3.

For Federer the victory was a moment to savor in a frustrating year. He lost in the quarterfinals of Olympic singles, his Grand Slam total has been stalled at 12 since last September, and his 41/2-year reign atop the rankings will end Monday when Rafael Nadal becomes No. 1.

But he’s now a medalist for the first time in his three Olympics. It must have been a big relief for the man who was untouchable at the top of the world for so many years. And I hope it is a sign for better things to come for Federer.

In the men's singles finals, Rafael Nadal will be up against Chilean Fernando Gonzales, the bronze medalist four years ago in Athens for his first Olympic glory. While Dinara Safina and Elena Dementieva will play for a gold medal in an all-Russian women's singles final. Dementieva beat a third Russian semifinalist, Vera Zvonareva, 6-3, 7-6 (3), and five minutes later on an adjacent court, Safina defeated Li Na of China 7-6 (3), 7-5.

In the women's doubles finals, Venus and Serena Williams will play Anabel Medina Garrigues and Virginia Ruano Pascual of Spain. The Williams sisters won the gold eight years ago in Sydney, but sat out of the game four years later in Athens due to an injury to Serena. They are back and raring for another gold to add to their collections.

The golden smiles

Fascination with holes

2008-08-15T23:45:00.001+08:00

I was never a fan of Anwar Ibrahim. Please note the tense in that sentence, because it is meant that way.

To me, Anwar is just someone who is ambitious enough to challenge Tun Dr. Mahathir when he was the Prime Minister of Malaysia, and paid for his folly sulking in prison for a few years with charges so absurd only an idiot would believe that he actually loves ass. Well, whether he really did it with his step-brother that time still remains a mystery, but that is besides the point. The point is he was too ambitious and had his own grand plan that something had to be done to cut him short.

And so came the sodomy charges, and a few corruption charges as well.

But come on, I think almost everyone in politics are corrupt, one way or another. It's very hard to stay clean in politics. Anything that involves power and a lot of money is bound to be corrupted. And that is a fact, an undeniable fact.

Anwar is a free man again, and he is continuing his quest to become the next Prime Minister. But as always, he won't have it easy. Another sodomy charge follows suit, and this time around, his former coffee boy lodged a police report that he was sodomised by Anwar.

I do not know about you, but there is something fishy about all this. First of all, I think the boy is despicable. It looked more like consensual sex to me, and there he went lodging a report about how he was the victim, when all you know, he can always say no when Anwar wanted to do it. The man is almost thrice his age, and not like he was pointing a gun to him and asking him to bend over. There's definitely something rotten going on here, and I hope for once, truth and justice will prevail.

One thing for sure, I am now rooting for the boy to burn in hell.

On a related note, a man in Hong Kong had to call the police to try and free him after his penis got stuck in a park bench after he had apparently tried to have sex with the bench. Emergency workers took four hours trying to free the man after he attempted to use a hole in the exercise bench to masturbate in a deserted park after dark. Eventually they had to take him to the hospital with the bench's eight-foot-long metal base still attached to him after attempts to free him by draining blood from his penis failed.

Doctors said the 42-year-old was lucky to still have a penis after the embarrassing incident. Bet he won't be having anymore dates with the park bench. Maybe he can move on to that tree with the hole near the park. It could be another pleasant experience, depends on the size of the hole.

And how are these two related with each other? Both of them involved inserting a penis into a hole. Go figure.

A first time

2008-08-14T23:45:00.001+08:00

There's always a first time for everything.

I remember the first time I had sex. It seemed like an eternity ago. It feels like I've been doing it for a very long time, when in truth, most of the time it took place in my head.

Then there was the first time when I dived into the sea. I even played Uno underwater, and stayed below for almost an hour.

And James Blake has never beaten Roger Federer before. He has now, in the quarter-finals of the Olympics games. The No. 8-seeded Blake, a first-time Olympian at 28, was the lone U.S. male to survive the first round of singles. He had won only a single set in eight previous matches against Federer.

Roger Federer has never won an Olympic gold medal in the men's single tennis before. He won't now, no thanks to Blake. Come to think of it, he has never won any medals before in the Olympics. This is his third Olympics. He lost in the semifinals in Sydney 2000 while four years later, was ousted in the second round in Athens.

Winning the gold is one of his targets for this year. He has one more left, which is to retain the US Open he won last year.

But with the kind of slump he's in, it will be a tall order.

Come August 18th, Rafael Nadal will replace him as the new world number one. Nadal made it to the semifinals of the Olympics, and he will be facing Novak Djokovic next. Winning the gold will just be an icing to the cake to the great year he had so far. Winning the French Open, Wimbledon, becoming the world number one, and a gold medal. Perfect year.

Federer still has a chance to make amends in the doubles. He and Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland advanced to meet Mahesh Bhupathi and Leander Paes of India in the quarterfinals. But if he played like he did today, there is little chance of him getting a medal at all in Beijing.

Roger, Roger, where art thou?

2008-07-31T23:45:00.002+08:00

Roger: I'm still here, Ardy.

Ardy: Oh, thought you left already. So you want to tell me more about the game today? You needed three sets to get through your first match. Then, you lost for the first time in your career when you didn’t drop a game on your serve.

Roger: It's disappointing, losing without getting broken, but it's not the first player it has happened to, especially to a guy like Ivo.

Ardy: A tough lost, nevertheless. You were really unlucky in the third set. The buzz now is about you being replaced as the World's number one by Rafael Nadal. What are your thoughts on that?

Roger: I don’t care.

Ardy: Really? But it will mean the end of your streak of being number one for a record of 235 consecutive weeks. That is four and a half year which is one long record! I'm sure it means something to you.

Roger: Look, he’s doing well and I have done well in the past. This year was hard, I guess, with the start of the year. But nevertheless, I still think it’s been a good year. I just hope I can show it now at the Olympics and the U.S. Open.

Ardy: So you're looking forward to the Olympics then? I heard you were planning of boycotting it?

Roger: No, that was before. It's a tough trip we've got up in front of us now, going back to China and coming back to the (US) Open.

Ardy: Indeed it is. So are you saying these two tournaments will be the only ones you're concentrating for?

Roger: I'm looking forward for the next two tournaments. Those are really the ones that can make this season from a good one to a great one again. I hope I can manage to pull off something in the next couple of weeks.

Ardy: So how are you holding on at the moment? Eversince that epic finals in Wimbledon where you lost to Nadal, your game has been on a downward spiral.

Roger: So far it's OK. I guess I'll analyse and assess my game after the US Open. For the moment it's just all a blur. So many tournaments in a row, big tournaments in a row, it's hard.

Ardy: Well, all the best to you then. Hopefully You'll strike gold in the Olympics, and win the US Open again.

Roger: Thank you.

Kiah binti Dogol

2008-07-30T23:45:00.000+08:00

I am perplexed.

Who is Kiah binti Dogol? This is the first time she appeared in my life, and for the life of me, I can't remember who she is.

Now, I know for a fact that she is a relative of Fara, the klutzy reporter who is trying to unearth the history of Madam Ezzah's crazy family. It is indeed a crazy family, what with cousins marrying cousins, mother killing daughter, son back from the dead seeking revenge. Complicated? Wait till you hear the whole story.

Madam Ezzah has two children. Johan, the eldest, had an affair with the maid, Salmah, and they have a son, Edreen. Salma, the second child, married Pak Zaki, and has a daughter Ezora. Salma later had an affair with Ringo, and Leeya was born. In the meantime, Mona, Salma's best friend married Tony and they have two kids, Badree and Joshua. However, Badree and Joshua could be anybody's son, since Mona was known to sleep around, even with Pak Zaki.

But wait, there is more.

Ezora then married Reza. Reza married Leeya. Ezora then left Reza, and got together with Edreen. They moved away and have a daughter, Aishah. Leeya, in the meantime, is sleeping with Badree.

Still not confused?

Ringo killed Pak Zaki. Johan, who was assumed dead (killed by Madam Ezzah), is back and roaming the streets with his booming voice and hat covering his eyes. Oh, and he sold his soul to the devil, hence the reason why he is back from the dead with black magic skills (he can disappear the moment you turn your back away from him).

Now, Madam Ezzah has a shady past. She was married twice, and is rich beyond measures. She is believed to kill both her children, so that she can inherit her late husband's estates. She kills anybody that gets into her path, and has no regrets for her actions. She's like Tony of the Sopranos, Michael Scofield of Prison Break and Hannibal Lectar of Silence of the Lamb.

But I think Madam Ezzah has met her match, in the form of an old lady by the name of Kiah binti Dogol.

With a name like that, Kiah binti Dogol is indeed the women everyone should fear. And yes, I know I said Ezora sucks, but with Kiah binti Dogol around, how can I stay away anymore.

Damn you, Kiah binti Dogol!

The truth about men

2008-07-29T23:45:00.002+08:00

Mothers out there, here are some words of wisdom to impart to your daughters.

1. Don't imagine you can change a man - unless he's in diapers.

2. What do you do if your boyfriend walks-out? You shut the door.

3. If they put a man on the moon - they should be able to put them all up there.

4. Never let your man's mind wander - it's too little to be out alone.

5. Go for younger men. You might as well - they never mature anyway.

6. Men are all the same - they just have different faces, so that you can tell them apart.

7. Definition of a bachelor: a man who has missed the opportunity to make some woman miserable.

8. Women don't make fools of men - most of them are the do-it-yourself types.

9. Best way to get a man to do something, is to suggest they are too old for it.

10. Love is blind, but marriage is a real eye-opener.

11. If you want a committed man, look in a mental hospital.

12. The children of Israel wandered around the desert for 40 years. Even in biblical times, men wouldn't ask for directions.

13. If he asks what sort of books you're interested in, tell him checkbooks.

14. Remember a sense of humor does not mean that you tell him jokes, it means that you laugh at his.

15. Sadly, all men are created equal.

A sad world

2008-07-28T23:45:00.002+08:00

It's despicable.

The problem with reading the newspaper is there are always bad news and bad things happening around us. Nothing much that gives you that feel-good factor anymore. It's always some politicians doing this, another politician doing that, the Prime Minister saying that, some ministers saying this, and all sorts of unholy things.

Worse are the crimes and robbery reported in the newspaper. Murders are aplenty, robbers roam the streets while rapist and kidnappers are stalking the children. And these are the reported ones. I'm sure there are plenty more of unreported cases which are not highlighted in the newspaper.

But the worst of them all has to be this. How low can you be, to rob a children's home? What were you thinking? Easy prey? Loads of hidden cash inside? In the end, they drove away with the centre's van, depriving the home of its only mode of transportation.

I do not know about you, but reading such news makes me want to turn into the Incredible Hulk, and smash things up. But then again, I'm no hulk.

I'm not even close to being a Batman. So all I can do is rage away at home, while
imagining the things that I might do if I am indeed Batman.

Where is Batman when you need him?

The heart of the matter

2008-07-19T23:45:00.000+08:00

Quotes from last week's episode:

Meredith: [narrating] In life, only one thing is certain, apart from death and taxes. No matter how hard you try, no matter how good your intentions, you are going to make mistakes. You’re going to hurt people. You’re going to get hurt. And if you ever want to recover... there’s really only one thing you can say.

Meredith: Where would we go?
Derek: Wine country.
Meredith: Wine country sounds like a couples' place.
Derek: Well, there's wine, there's country, and you wouldn't see any of it. We'd be in bed all weekend.
Meredith: Oh, a weekend of sex.
Derek: Now you're paying attention.

Izzie: Callie. Hey. Hi.
Callie: We have to talk.
Izzie: Okay. Um, about?
Callie: George told me.
Izzie: He told you?
Callie: Everything. Cafeteria, noon, you and me. Be there.

Izzie: What did you say?
George: Um, I didn't expect her to forgive me. I expected...rage, uh, bloodshed.
Izzie: No, she's saving all her rage and bloodshed for me. She's gonna kill me in the cafeteria at lunch.
George: No, she wouldn't.
Izzie: She breaks bones for a living, George. She's crazy.
George: No, she's not crazy.
Izzie: Well, she is if she thinks I'm not gonna put up a fight.

Norman: So is he the one you call, uh...McDreamy or, Mc, uh, Sleazy, or Mc, uh, wait a minute, what is it?
Meredith: Norman, we have labs to deliver.
Norman: Yeah.
Meredith: Labs and discharges.
Norman: Uh, this one's being discharged to hospice?
Meredith: When there's nothing else we can do.
Norman: So we have to tell someone they're dying?
Meredith: Don't worry. I'll teach you the protocol.
Norman: McSteamy! He's the one you girls call McSteamy.

Cristina: I'm not a bad resident, am I?
Meredith: Don't ask me. I lost a patient today.
Cristina: Oh, you killed someone?
Meredith: Lost. Literally can't find.
Cristina: Shepherd says I'm selfish and competitive. What the hell is wrong with that? I kick ass. I'm an excellent resident.
Meredith: I'm not. In addition to losing my patient, I also lost my intern. Turned around, he was gone. AWOL.
Cristina: See, what... what is wrong with these interns? We weren't like this.
Meredith: We were great interns.
Cristina: I was great. You were... you were good.

Izzie: What, I'm invisible now?
Alex: What do you want?
Izzie: So you hate me now, too. Well, join the club.
Alex: You and O'Malley? O'Malley!
Izzie: What? What is it that I did that is so horrifying? I fell in love, Alex.
Alex: He's married.
Izzie: Yeah, so? You're carrying a big ol' torch for Ava or Jane Doe or whatever it is that you call her, and she's married. So what gives you the right to judge what I do? Why do you even care?
Alex: You told me you weren't ready yet...after Denny... to be with anyone. And then O'Malley? O'Malley. And then you tell me like I'm one of your chick friends. Come on.

George: Callie...you can't...just forgive me. What I did to you...is unforgivable.
Callie: That's how it works. That's what "I forgive you" means.
George: No, see, I...I think it means you don't forgive me. I...you don't know how to talk to me right now. I mean, look, you don't...you can't even look at me. You're so angry that...I think the only way you can deal with me is to say you forgive me and...what, we pretend it didn't happen?
I...it happened. And you don't forgive me.
Callie: You're right. I don't.

Meredith: You can say anything to me.
Derek: I want to marry you. I want to have kids with you. I want to build us a house.I want to settle down and grow old with you. I want to die when I'm 110 years old in your arms. I don't want 48 uninterrupted hours. I want a lifetime.
(Meredith takes a step back)
Derek: Mm-hmm. Do you see what happens? I say things like that, and you fight the urge to run in the opposite direction. It's okay. I understand. I didn't, but now I do. I do...you're just getting started. And I've been doing this for a long time. Deep down...you're still an intern. And you're not ready.
Meredith: I'm not ready right now. But things could stay the way they are... And I can get ready. I'll get ready.
Derek: Things can stay the way they are. We can still meet in the elevator or the on call room. And maybe you'll be ready. And I'll wait. I'll wait until you're ready.
Meredith: Okay, then.
Derek: Yeah, but what if...what if while I'm waiting I meet someone who is ready to give me what I want from you?
Meredith: What if you do?
Derek: I don't know.

Meredith: [narrating] Forgive and forget. That’s what they say. It’s good advice, but it’s not very practical. When someone hurts us, we want to hurt them back. When someone wrongs us, we want to be right. Without forgiveness, old scores are never settled… old wounds never heal. And the most we can hope for, is that one day we’ll be lucky enough to forget.

The weak shall inherit the earth

2008-07-15T23:50:00.003+08:00

I do not know about you, but one thing I cannot tolerate at all is a man hitting a woman. Or to be specific, a husband hitting his wife.

It's despicable. A cowardly act. Like a big bully in the school yard. Just because you are bigger and stronger, you think you can go around and hit other people. And just because you think you have the power over your wife, you can treat her like a slave, push her around and beat her up. But I'm getting ahead of myself here.

I am an avid follower of Kisah Benar(also known as Neraca). In case you have no idea what that is, it is a TV series showing on TV3 every Monday to Thursday at 1pm. Yes, I'm one of those fortunate ones who stays 5 minutes away from where I work. Hence lunch is always a home affair, with the bed and TV being my lunch partners most of the time.

Hence my addiction to Kisah Benar. I think I've watched almost every single episode of that series, to the extend of repeating them again, twice. Kisah Benar, as the name suggested it, is based on true stories, with some embellishment and exaggeration added in for some sugar and spice. Some of the episodes are plain ridiculous and stupid that you feel like smashing something after watching them.

Today's episode was one of them. It was about a man who treated his wife like shit and fool around outside with other women. To make matter worse, he was not working, so his source of income was from the wife. The wife always ended up late to the office, because she had to send their two kids to school, by bus. She has a car, under her name, but the husband drives it like he owns it. She almost got fired because of this, and practically had to beg to the boss to give her another chance. Then, after work, she had to take the bus and fetched the kids from school, while the husband happily talked to other women on the phone at home. There was once when the husband dumped her and the kids out of the car in the middle of nowhere!

One day, the husband was so desperate for money that he stole the kids savings. That was the last straw. The wife finally lost her patience, and a fight ensured. Of course she got beaten up, yet again. She finally told her brother (a tough macho guy) who came and paid them a visit, and beat up the husband to a pulp. He finally realised his errors, and apologized to the wife.

I think, women should not tolerate men who act like a barbarian, husband or not. Especially those who do not respect you, and feel all so mighty and powerful that they can do anything that they want. In the show, I think the wife should have bolted out of the door at the first sign of abuse. Granted that they have been married for 10 years, and have two kids. But what kind of a father is that? Won't you rather your kids to be fatherless than having an abusing one running around beating up everybody in the house?

That's the sickening part. I don't know which one I hated the most, the husband for being an abusive barbarian, or the wife for being a timid and ever-so-obedient wife. But that's the thing, in the real world, this kind of things do happen.

And to me, that is the most sickening part.

What goes up, stays up

2008-07-13T23:45:00.003+08:00

I was out getting my dinner at the friendly neighbourhood mamak when I was told that they have increased their price for most of their food. Being friendly and all, we chatted about the global price increase, and how its effect on the people.

Mee goreng used to cost RM3.00 and now it is up to RM3.50. A big increase, but this is because the price of yellow noodles has increased significantly. Roti canai is up 10 cents to 90 cents, while my favourite plain tea also share the same fate. But I don’t really blame them. Their prices are still considered cheap, if you compare to other places. Roti canai at 90 cents? Most places now are up to RM1.00, while their plain tea is RM1.10.

It’s disheartening to find this increase taking place before our own eyes. We read about it, and somehow we know that it is going to happen. It's a good thing I won't be spending my money to eat out anymore starting next month. With an impending move looming ahead, I'm looking forward to settling down to new routines, and habits. Old habits die hard, but then again, adjustment must be made or I might go bust in no time.

When I was in Semporna last weekend, I was shocked to discover that the drinks are costly over there. A normal glass of ice tea cost up to RM2.00. While drinks with milk such as Milo and Nescafe cost up to RM2.50. It doesn't help with the abundance of tourists swarming the place. It makes me wonder how the local survive down there. But I guess the expensive meals are reserved for tourists from out of town. The locals know where to shop and eat, and I was proven right when upon exploring, I stumbled into a goldmine, so to speak. Cheap delicious local food.

I've always make it a habit of not frequenting places that overcharges. There is a big difference between expensive and moderately priced, depending on the food quality and volume. And I think RM3.50 for a plate of Mee Goreng is still acceptable.

Another two weeks, then it's good home cook meals for me. Heavenly.

Let the truth sting

2008-07-12T23:45:00.004+08:00

Quotes from last week episode:

Meredith: [narrating] Doctors give patients a number of thing. We give them medicine, we give them advice and, most of the time, we give them our undivided attention. But, by far, the hardest thing you can give a patient is the truth. The truth is hard. The truth is awkward and very often the truth hurts. I mean, people think they want the truth. But do they really?

Meredith: Hey, I just heard. Welcome back.
Alex: Is it true? Really old guy woke up?
Izzie: He has a name.
Charlie: This time tomorrow, you can call me really dead guy.
Izzie: Guys, I don't think Mr. Yost knows who you are.
Charlie: Sure I do. That's Meredith. She and the brain doctor are always running hot and cold. And you're, uh, Alex. You still got a thing for that old patient of yours? I was semi-comatose, blondie. I could still hear you guys.
Izzie: Get a CT, a CBC and chemistries. Your kidneys may be working again, which may be why you woke up. That's good news.
Charlie: Oh, it just means now I got two things to do today, take a pee and die.
Izzie: Nobody's dying.

Mark: Do you ever feel old?
Derek: I'm young. I'm a fetus.
Mark: Nah, I mean you ever feel like there's gonna be a time when new techniques pass you by?
Derek: I'm a genius and a scholar.
Mark: Shut up.
Derek: Meredith isn't telling Cristina about us. And, well, she tells Cristina everything.
Mark: I thought you broke that off.
Derek: I meant to.
Mark: You think she's gonna want to get back together.
Derek: No.
Mark: You think she's gonna grow up and get all whole and...want a relationship.
Derek: I do not.
Mark: You're a bad liar.
Derek: You're old.
Mark: I'm just gettin' started, my friend.

Alex: I saw the whole thing, Yang. You can stop pretending.
Cristina: Oh, I'm not pretending. I'm sad. I'm very sad. Me so sad.
Alex: Maybe I should try it, see if I can get Grey to take my new intern.
Cristina: No. Hey, forget it. Sad is mine. Go find your own pretend emotion.

Cristina: Hey. I heard about really old guy. What's the matter? Couldn't find his LVAD wire?
Izzie: It was a coincidence, and he's still alive.
Cristina: Well, have fun with really old guy. I'm off to do Meredith's hemi-glossectomy.

Charlie: A person wants to die, you let them. It's polite.
Izzie: Not in a hospital, it's not. In a hospital, it's a lawsuit.
Charlie: I don't like you.
Izzie: Really? 'Cause I thought we were BFFs.
Charlie: You know what? Just for that, I'm dying right now.
Izzie: That might make you poop your pants, but it's not gonna make you die.
Charlie: Oh, damn it.

George: Izzie...
Izzie: What? What is there to say, George, I'm a blondie. I'm the other woman. I'm a bad '50s cliché?
George: No, no, no. We're not in this together.
Izzie: Wow. Great. Well, thank you for letting me know.
George: Hey no, no. No. You don't get to be mad here.
Izzie: Seriously? We said...
George: No, no, no, no. There is no "we. " It's just me. I'm the one who has to tell Callie. I'm the one who has to destroy her. This is not about you and me. This is about her and me. I'm ending a marriage to a wonderful woman. Me. I'm the one. It's not you. You... it's not something you just blurt out. It's not. I'll do it. I will do it. You have to back off and let me do it.
Izzie: I'm sorry.

Alex: I'm sorry I unloaded on you, Norman. You know how it is? Heat of the moment.
Bailey: Don't apologize to him.
Alex: What?
Norman: Oh, Dr. Bailey's right. It...
Bailey: Shut up, Norman. I'm not talking to you. He got in your way. He's been doing it all day, and when that happens...when an intern gets in the way of a resident...you're not doing what's best for your patient. Now you almost missed diagnosing that kid today because Norman here thought it was drugs. So don't apologize. He should be yelled at.
Alex: Dr. Bailey... he's as old as the hills.
Bailey: I don't care how old he is, Dr. Karev. He's still an intern, and interns are basically teenagers. We are not hard on them because it's fun. We're hard on them because this is a life-and-death job. They need to learn that. There is a reason why we have a pecking order in a hospital. It saves lives.

Meredith: You're damn right I know, surgery stealer.
Cristina: So, person-who-is-sleeping-with-Derek?
Meredith: How'd you know that?
Cristina: What, you think I'm too fragile to handle your sex life?
Meredith: Well, he did leave you at the altar. And I'm your person.
Cristina: How, by...by "protecting me"? That's not how to be my person. That's not what we do. You know that. I'm dealing. Okay? The best I can. So if you need to take care of someone, you're gonna need to take care of someone else. Okay?
Meredith: Fine. But you owe me a surgery.
Cristina: Yeah, well, you owe me sex details.

Cristina: What are we supposed to say? We didn't even know the guy.
Izzie: We ate lunch in here for a year. The least we can do is say a few kind words about him.
George: Me? He...he didn't snore too loudly...
Meredith: He, um... never complained. And he always took his meds.
Alex: Hardly ever farted.
Meredith: Alex.
Alex: Fine. Uh, he had 12 surgeries this year, and he...he lived through them. That's...that's impressive.
Izzie: Thank you, Alex. Cristina?
Cristina: Uh, I got to practice stuff on him...central lines and IVs...it was good practice.
Izzie: Um...Charlie, the truth is...you were a bastard. You were. You were mean and stubborn and just...a bastard. But you were a bastard who knew what you wanted. And you stuck to your guns and proved that if you want something badly enough, if you're...determined enough and patient enough, eventually it will happen. It will. And that gives me hope, so...thanks for that. Bye-bye, Charlie.

Meredith: [narrating] The truth is painful. Deep down, nobody wants to hear it, especially when it hits close to home. Sometimes we tell the truth because the truth is all we have to give. Sometimes we tell the truth because we need to say it out loud to hear it for ourselves. And sometimes we tell the truth because we just can't help ourselves. Sometimes, we tell them because we owe them at least that much.

A year later

2008-07-11T17:18:00.006+08:00

Today marked my first anniversary as a blogger. A year ago, a good friend of mine persuaded me to blog, to the extend of creating this blog and passing it to me. Hence Ardy's Anatomy was born, and I started writing, mostly about stuffs in my head. Yeah, there was a time when my head was a huge treasure chest, with plenty of surprises and adventures just waiting to be discovered and shared.

That seemed like a lifetime away. Looking back, I can't even remember myself at that point of life. I think I was slightly unhappy at that time. A little overworked, but enjoying the challenges. Lonely at times, but how can you be lonely when you have such great friends to keep you company?

Yes, friendships. They are the salvation to a broken heart, a cure to loneliness, and a light in growing darkness. They keep you sane most of the times, and fill your days with joy and laughter. Of course there are the occasional blips somewhere along the way, but you tend to get through them. And as you do, the bond of friendships grow stronger, and it makes you wonder, how lucky you are to be blessed with such friends.

If you are given the opportunity to go back in time and visit your past self, what would you tell yourself? Would you lead your past self to road to riches, or would you impart wisdom that you've acquired through aging? Or would you just sit back, and watch yourself do the things that you did years ago?

I saw myself a few days back. I was standing at the end of a long clear road, and there at the other end, stood my past self. He was staring at me. He looked eager yet tired. Something must be bothering him, I thought. I tried talking to him, but the distance was too far that I couldn't get my words across to him. So we just stood there on opposite ends, staring and thinking.

How do you heal a broken heart? No, you do not drink until you're drunk, or sleep until you're sore. Nor do you jump into another relationship. You heal it by letting the best cure work it wonders. Time.

Let time heal the pain. In time, you'll feel better, be better. In time, you'll look back and reflect on your mishaps. And learn. And live.

If I get a penny for every tears that I drop, I will never be a millionaire in my lifetime. Maybe I need to cry more. Not for me, but for others. For the world. But it's such a beautiful world out there. Maybe I should be more pessimistic.

One day, one fine day, you will realise, that the world does not revolve around you. One day you will realise that the world is round.

And what goes around, comes around.

The king dethroned

2008-07-08T11:45:00.001+08:00

Unbelievable.

How do you stop someone who kept on hitting baseline winners all over the court?

By converting the break points opportunities that you've got.

Unfortunately, Roger Federer did not. And that was why he lost. That, and the fact that Nadal played like he never played before on grass.

Federer had 13 break points opportunity, but he converted only one in the greatest finals ever played by the two greatest players of all time.

Nadal beat Federer 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-7 (8), 9-7 on Sunday night in a rain-interrupted match with 4 hours, 48 minutes of action, the longest men’s championship match in the history of Wimbledon, a tournament that began in 1877.

Federer lost despite serving 25 aces and smacking 89 winners, 29 more than Nadal. But he was more erratic than his opponent, committing 52 unforced errors, compared to 27 for Nadal. And those errors were costly errors, most of them committed at crucial times during the game.

Federer failed to surpass Borg by winning a sixth consecutive title or equal Willie Renshaw’s record of six in a row from 1881-86. He also had his Wimbledon winning streak snapped at 40 matches, while his overall grass-court streak stopped at 65.

Nadal broke Federer in the first set and never looked back from there. In the second set, Federer managed to break Nadal, but it was to no avail when Nadal broke back and clinched the set. The third and fourth set were close, with Federer winning the tie breakers twice. In the fifth set, the game was finally over when Federer hit a forehand into the net, ending the nail-biting finals and relinquishing his crown to his nemesis.

Nadal's first Wimbledon title. And it won't be his last too.

Grassman vs clayman

2008-07-04T23:45:00.000+08:00

Marat Safin didn't stand a chance. He might have beaten Roger Federer twice, but that seemed so long ago, the first time in 2002 in Moscow and another one in the memorable Australian Open 2005 when Safin won their semifinal in five sets after saving a match point.

Safin went on to win the title by beating crowd favourite Lleyton Hewitt in the finals. But he has since plunged in the rankings, now ranked at 89th in the world.

But recent form has seen Safin beat world No. 3 Novak Djokovic along the way and with erratic inconsistent play, he managed to set a date with Federer in the semifinals.

But that was as far as he went. Federer dispatched him easily in straight set 6-3 7-6 6-4, winning his 65th straight game on grass, and appearing in his sixth straight finals in Wimbledon. He is now one win away from his sixth consecutive Wimbledon title and 13th Grand Slam championship.

So who might he meet in the finals on Sunday? None other than Rafael Nadal, the world No. 2, the conquerer of Federer. Nadal has an 11-6 career edge over Federer, but the Swiss star leads 5-2 on surfaces other than clay. Federer has not dropped a single set in this year's tournament, and he is looking sharp and hungry for the title. Nadal has met Federer twice in the finals previously, but fell short everytime. Last year he lost to Federer in five sets.

Will it be third time lucky for Nadal?

Personally, I don't think so.

Love/Addiction

2008-07-03T23:45:00.002+08:00

We are all addicted to something throughout our lives. Be it love, sex, coffee or even booze. And it's never easy to kick the habit once you're in it. So what do you do? How do you kick the addiction?

There first step is by admitting that you have a problem. Because believe me, once you're aware of it, then you'll know what you need to do. Eventually.

Enjoy the quotes!

Meredith: [narrating] In the hospital, we see addiction every day. It's shocking how many kinds of addiction exist. It would be too easy if it were just drugs and booze and cigarettes. I think the hardest part of kicking a habit is wanting to kick it. I mean, we get addicted for a reason, right? Often, too often, things that start out as just a normal part of your life at some point cross the line to obsessive, compulsive, out of control. It's the high we're chasing, the high that makes everything else fade away.

Mark: What's wrong with the chief?
Derek: He's a junkie.
Mark: Him? You're the one who looks all strung out.
Derek: I'm just tired.
Mark: Let me guess. You and Meredith are back together, and you've been up all night doing the horizontal salsa.
Derek: Mambo. Horizontal mambo. And Meredith and I, we're just friends.
Mark: Sexy friends?
Derek: You're like the worst, most juvenile human being I've ever met in my life.
Mark: You know the first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem?
Derek: How many nurses have you slept with this week?
Mark: That's not a problem, man. That's an adventure.

Meredith: Mrs. Burke. What a surprise to see you here. Are you visiting someone?
Jane: You're the maid of honor. Miss Grey.
Meredith: That's me.
Jane: When you stood up in front of Preston's friends and loved ones and you said, "It's over. It's over. It's so over" were you trying to smash the hopes of the best man, or were you just trying to be funny?
Meredith: I...
Jane: Because making light of that situation would be inappropriate. And to use that moment to send a message to your boyfriend... well, that's... selfish. So were you being inappropriate, or were you being selfish?
Meredith: I, uh... am, uh...I apologize for that, Mrs. Mama, ma'am. I'm just gonna go. Okay.
Jane: Miss Grey?
Meredith: Yes, ma'am.
Jane: When you report back to Cristina, would you tell her, please, that I am waiting for her and that I will continue to wait for her?
Meredith: Yes, ma'am.

Cristina: She keeps staring at us.
Meredith: I know.
Cristina: Make her stop.
Meredith: You make her stop.
Cristina: You're her sister.
Meredith: I'm an only child. You're her resident.
Cristina: If you have time to stare, you have time to get me coffee, so move, move, move. Two, stay.
Meredith: Now see? If you could just do that with mama...

George: Mrs. Burke!
Jane: I don't think I know you.
George: I'm George O'Malley. I'm a friend of Burke's. I was Burke's guy.
Jane: Hi, George O'Malley...Burke's friend, Burke's guy. Please sit.
George: I guess I have a minute. You know one time he let me live on his sofa when I had no place else to stay? How is he? Is he...okay?
Jane: He's Preston. He's a gentleman. And so... he doesn't like to talk about it. And I just really don't know what to say to him.
George: Maybe, uh...I don't know. Maybe you can tell him that he dodged a bullet. I mean, marriage is...once you're in, you're in. Burke is smart, you know? He didn't make a mistake. 'Cause it's a mistake that, you know, it's hard to take back. Which, even if you want to take it back, you can't. So you can tell him that.
Jane: Once you're in, you're in. Make sure you have that engraved on your wedding ring when you get married.
George: Oh, I'm already married.
Jane: You're already married? George O'Malley...Burke's friend, Burke's guy...staying in a marriage out of obligation? That's no way to live. That's no way to love. But I think you know that.
George: I do. Sometimes I do.

Derek: He's not returning my phone calls anymore.
Jane: He's doing his best. Do you think...do you think she really loved him...Cristina?
Derek: I...I think she loved him the best that she knew how.
Jane: And that would not have been enough for you either?
Derek: No. It wouldn't have been enough for me either.
Jane: So you would've ended it, too?
Derek: Well... burke and I are...are built differently. He's stronger than I am. He was strong enough to... and, um, we're not built the same.
Jane: Honorable men are all built the same.
Derek: And you think I'm an honorable man?
Jane: Do you know when to walk away? Do you know when not to take less than you deserve? If you do, then you're an honorable man.

Lexie: Um, Dr. Grey...I was wondering, do you know where the thermometers are? 'Cause...
Meredith: Do you really not know where the thermometers are, Lexie? Or are you just looking for an excuse to talk to me?
Lexie: I...
Meredith: Simple question, Lexie. Are you an idiot or a stalker? Okay, that was a mean thing to say. I'm aware of that because I'm generally not a me but I'm a person who just doesn't want to know you. And you are a person who's making that very difficult. So please, just stop making it so difficult for me to not know you. Okay?

Callie: So I take it you still want to talk?
George: Yeah, I do.
Callie: No.
George: No, I...
Callie: No, you don't. George, please. Just...please, please don't say anything. Please. I am asking you as your wife. I am asking you not to say anything. I am asking you to just not. Not tonight. I am your wife. Do this for me?
George: Okay.

Meredith: [narrating] Still, they say you don’t kick the habit until you hit rock bottom, but how do you know when you’re there? Because no matter how badly a thing is hurting us, sometimes letting it go hurts even worse.

The eternal bridesmaid

2008-06-30T23:45:00.000+08:00

They said three times a bridesmaid will never be married. For Michael Ballack, he has been second fiddle for four times now.

With Spain beating Germany in Euro 2008 finals, Ballack was again on the losing end. Four major finals, four silver medals. Will he ever win anything to amount to his massive talents and skills?

Ballack was on the losing side in the World Cup finals in 2002, while in the prestigious Champions League, his Bayer Leverkusen team was beaten by Real Madrid in the 2002 finals, and 6 years later, with a talented Chelsea team, they lost in the penalty shoot-outs to Manchester United. He was also a loser with Chelsea in the League Cup finals, and also second best in the Premier League title race this year.

And yesterday, the German captain lost another major finals, making him one of the biggest loser of his era. Turning 32 this year, he knows he hasn’t much left when it comes to lifting trophy, with the 2010 World Cup being his last chance of international glory. That is, if he stays healthy and fit for the tournament.

His effort for his country is beyond reasonable doubt. He has scored 35 goals in 87 appearances, a feat so impressive for a midfielder. Even the likes of England’s Gerrard and Lampard dwarfed compared to his statistics, but then again, England was nowhere to be seen in Euro 2008.

The finals itself was one sided. Germany started well, but once Spain’s midfielders started to take control under the leadership of man-of-the-tournament Xavi, Germany looked out of sorts and tired. Spain managed 13 shots on goal, with 7 on target. Germany only had 4, with only one reaching the hands of Iker Casillas.

Finally it looked like Germany’s luck has deserted them. They ride through the knockout stages thanks to individual efforts from certain players. In the quarterfinals, Ballack and Bastian Schweinsteiger were instrumental. The semifinals saw Germany shrank back to a team that made the most out of very little, with Turkey pushing them until the dying minutes of the game. And Jens Lehmann, well, what can be said about the German goalkeeper? He fluttered often enough, talking big everytime when a microphone is shoved up his face, yet delivering zero.

After 44 long years, Spain finally lifted their first silverware in the international scene. The finals was Fernando Torres moment of glory, when the striker, who scored 33 goals for Liverpool last season, finished superbly in the first half to secure a deserved victory over Germany. And with the bulk of their players in the 20s, they are destined for more greatness and glory.

Euro 2008 had a worthy winner in Spain. Spain was by far the best team, undefeated throughout the tournament. Gone were the pretenders in the likes of Portugal and Holland. No more upsets such as in 2004 when Greece defied the odds to lift the trophy.

The best team finally won the tournament.

The grass is greener on the other side

2008-06-29T23:45:00.000+08:00

A week into Wimbledon, and the seeds kept on tumbling.

Plenty of shocks were served in the early rounds of Wimbledon, causing destruction rarely witnessed so early at a grand slam tournament.

In the men’s draw, the biggest to fall first was Novak Djokovic. The third seed was sent packing by Marat Safin, who is unseeded in the tournament.. Djokovic came to Wimbledon full of confidence, and a mouth watering encounter with first seed Roger Federer in the semifinals is expected to be one of the highlights of the tournament. Instead, Safin stole the limelight and crushed Djokovic 6-4 7-6 6-2.

Sixth seeded Andy Roddick was next, beaten by Janko Tipsarevic 6-7 7-5 6-4 7-6. And for the first time since 1926, only one US male player, No. 102-ranked Bobby Reynolds reached the third round at Wimbledon. He lost his third round match against Feliciano Lopez.

Federer and Nadal are still around, keeping up the tradition of meeting in the finals. Nadal beat Federer in the French Open a few weeks ago, and Federer is looking to extend his winning streak on grass to 66 with the conclusion of the finals. Of course, winning the title will make him the first man in the open era to win six Wimbledon titles back to back.

In the women’s draw, the new world number one and first seed Ana Ivanovic was sent packing by unknown Zheng Ji 6-1 6-4, while third seed Maria Sharapova lost 6-2 6-4 to Alla Kudryavtseva. With the top seeds out, the Williams sisters are seen as the favourites to meet in the finals.

Out of the 16-seeded players in both draws, only six from the men side made it to the fourth round while eight from the women’s draw made it through. There are plenty more of actions coming up, with the No. 1 seed up against the 2002 champion Lleyton Hewitt in the fourth round while Nadal is up against No. 17th seed Mikhail Youzhny.

A change is gonna come

2008-06-24T23:45:00.003+08:00

Things change. People change. The whole world changes. Nothing remains the same. Not for long.

The first episode of the new season was superb, as always. Some old faces left, and more new faces were introduced. Remember those new faces, because some of them will be sleeping with some of those old faces.

Enjoy the quotes!

Meredith: [narrating] In the practice of medicine, change is inevitable. New surgical techniques are created, procedures are updated, levels of expertise increase. Innovation is everything, nothing remains the same for long. We either adapt to change, or ... we get left behind.

Meredith: Have you seen Burke?
Cristina: No. Have you seen Derek?
Meredith: No.
Izzie: Wait, you haven't seen either of them since the wedding?
Meredith and Cristina: Nope.
Izzie: And you're all fine?
Meredith: Yep.
Cristina: Yep.
Izzie: Wow. You're either incredible healthy or completely messed up.

George: I don't respond to being called a number.

Derek: How is Meredith, anyway?
Cristina: Fine.
Derek: She's always fine. That's her problem.
Cristina: We're fine people. We do fine. We're fine.

Mark: I didn't come to Seattle for Addison, I didn't come to Seattle to be chief. I came to Seattle for you, okay? I came to Seattle to get you back... I know I wanna take that back, but now, it's been said..
Derek: Yeah... maybe we should have a drink.
Mark: We could?
Derek: Yeah.... Not today.

Izzie: Don't you see? I'm Bambi. I'm Bambi, George. If anyone in this situation is a sad little cartoon character, it's me. I'm all alone in the forest, all alone in the forest, George. And my mother's been shot by a hunter and where are you? Where the hell are you?
George: I'm on my way to surgery.

Meredith: I...uhm....
Derek: You're not ready for this.
Meredith: No.
Derek: I asked for too much.
Meredith: I think so.
Derek: So, this is it?
Meredith: Yeah.
Derek: We're breaking up?
Meredith: We're breaking up.

Derek: We're broken up.
Meredith: It's done.
[They start kissing]
Derek: Break-up kiss.
Meredith: Break-up kiss.
Derek: Lets have break-up sex.
Meredith: Yeah, lets have break-up sex.

Meredith: [narrating] Change; we don’t like it, we fear it, but we can't stop it from coming. We either adapt to change or we get left behind. And it hurts to grow, anybody who tells you it doesn’t is lying. But heres the truth: the more things change, the more they stay the same. And sometimes, oh, sometimes change is good. Oh, sometimes, change is ... everything.

(The nice song at the ending is called "To build a home" by Cinematic Orchestra)

Jinxed no more

2008-06-23T23:45:00.002+08:00

Spain is in the semifinals of Euro 2008.

Now that, even though expected of the Spaniards, is quite a surprise. Spain has always entered a major competition as one of the favourites, given the abundance of talents in their team, but has only made it to the semifinals twice before, the first time in 1964 and they won that match over Hungary 2-1 in extra time, and 20 years later in 1984 when they defeated Denmark in the penalty shoot-out only to lose to France in the finals.

Apart from those two achievements, Spain has always faltered when the going gets tough, disappointing the whole of Spain until they do not put much hope whenever Spain is playing in the big tournaments. Until last night, of course.

The omens were not on their side for their quarterfinals match against Italy. Italy started their campaign on a weak note, trashed by Holland, drew with Romania and finally hitting the right note by beating France to qualify for the knockout stages. Suddenly Italy, the current world champion, seems the favourite to conquer the Spanish.

Spain had a perfect record in the group stages. Three wins out of three. Holland won all three games too, and they lost their quarterfinals match. Croatia won all three games too, and they lost their quarterfinals match too. Will Spain follow suits?

And their quarterfinals match was set on June 22, a date that marked doom for the Spanish team. On June 22 1986, Spain lost to Belgium in the World Cup quarterfinals. On June 22 1996, it was England that halted their run, again in the quarterfinals. And on June 22 2004, they were undone by the Koreans, also in the quarterfinals. And all losses were in the penalty shoot-out.

So when the match this morning went into shoot-out, it was like fate was not on Spain's side. It was like Italy was purposely playing for the draw so that the match would go into penalties, knowing that they had all the luck and signs to win it.

But they have forgotten one fact.

Spain has Iker Casillas.

There's something about Gus

2008-06-22T09:00:00.000+08:00

I just have a thought. If ever Malaysia wants to qualify for the World Cup, and reach the semifinals, all they need to do is hire Gus Hiddink as their coach.

It's a sure win plan.

Hiddink is a miracle. A master tactician. A superb coach. In World Cup 1998, he guided the Dutch team into the semifinals. In World Cup 2002, he guided South Korea to the semifinals. South Korea, a football team from Asia! Along the way, the Korean disposed the fancy Portuguese, Italians and Spanish. They were undone by Germany in the semis, but reaching the semis was a big achievement for them already. Gus Hiddink was a hero, and he will be welcomed and treated like the king anytime he wishes to move to Korea.

In World Cup 2006, he tried his hands at the Aussies, guiding them to the second round. They lost that match to Italy, who went all the way to win the Cup.

And now, in Euro 2008, he's at his best again with Russia. The Russians already disposed off the talented English team during the qualifying, outplaying the idiotic Steve McLaren and his dummies. McLaren has been out of job eversince, and recently, he has agreed to coach a Dutch team FC Twente. No team in England wanted him, for his crimes against the nation.

And earlier this morning, Russia beat the Netherlands 3-1 in extra time to advance to the semifinals. Another major semifinals for Hiddink. Another giant killer to add into his already impressive resume. Holland was one of the clear favourites to reach the finals of this tournament. The trashed Italy and France comprehensively and beat Romania using their second strings in the group stages. But as always have been the case, they peaked too early, and stumbled in the knock-out stages. Under-achiever, that will always be remembered of them. They have world class players from world class clubs, but yet again, their poor defence was their undoing.

If we can pay billions to put an idiot into space, I'm sure we can pay Hiddink the right amount of money to guide us into the World Cup. And I think having a Malaysian team in the World Cup is worth a thousand more than having a Malaysian in space. Anyone can be in space nowadays, with the right amount of money.

But to qualify for the World Cup, and do well in it, now that is indeed something huge.

Luck of the Turks

2008-06-21T13:00:00.001+08:00

Move aside Irish people, you are no longer lucky!

Who needs four-leaf clovers, or leprechaun, or the colour green. All you need is a bunch of football players from Turkey, and you can ride your luck all the way to the finals.

There is no such thing as luck of the Irish. in 2002, Republic of Ireland made it as far as the second round in the World Cup. They lost that game to Spain in the penalty shoot-out. So much for luck in that game.

Fast-forward to 2008, another Championship: Euro 2008. There is no Republic of Ireland. But there are the resilient Turks.

Turkey was drawn into Group A with host Switzerland, Portugal and Czech Republic. They lost their first game 2-0 against Portugal. In their second game against the Swiss, they won 2-1 thanks to a last minute goal that sealed the victory. But the best was the final game of the group against Czech Republic. The Czechs looked home and dry with a 2-0 lead, but if they think they were cruising into the quarterfinals from there, they were wrong. The Turks scored 3 goals in the last 15 minutes, with 2 goals coming in the last 3 minutes of the game. They had plenty of help from Petr Cech, the so-called best goalkeeper in the world, whom ghastly error gifted the Turks the equaliser. A comeback completed. A date with Croatia set.

The game against Croatia ended goalless after full time. Both sides had good chances to clinch it, but neither managed to score the elusive goal. Croatia had the better of the chances, squandering chance after chance, with the aid of the Turk in-form goalkeeper, Recber Rustu. Extra time beckoned, and just as the game looked set to move into penalty shoot-out, Ivan Klasnic scored what could have been the winning goal with less than a minute left on the clock when Rustu did a kamikaze and flapped at his own goal. It was over, Croatia is going to the semifinals.

Not only the commentator was bamboozled, everyone else watching the game thought it was over too. Not for the Turks though. They had one last trick up their socks, and with practically the last kick of the match, Semih Senturk crashed home the equaliser in stoppage time. The referee blew the whistle. The game was going into penalty shoot-out.

Croatia up first. Wide. Turkey scored. 1-0.

Both teams scored. 1-2.

Another wide attempt from the Croats. Turkey had no such problem. 1-3.

Mladen Petric needed to score from the spot. Rustu was up to it, and saved. Turkey won.

The Czechs and the Croats might blame it on their bad luck, but Turkey is riding their good luck to set a date with the Germans in five days time. In World Cup 2002, Turkey made it as far as the semifinals where they were thwarted by Brazil. Beating Germany might be a tall order for the Turks, but with the luck that they are having at the moment, anything is possible.

If Greece can defy the odds and won Euro 2004, there is no reason that Turkey can't do the same.

A fresh season

2008-06-20T19:30:00.003+08:00

It has been a long wait, a very long wait. But finally the wait is coming to an end.

Come tomorrow, Season 4 of Grey's Anatomy is debuting on our local screen. Well, that's what the snippets on TV are saying. Saturday - 9.45pm. I might be wrong, since a check through the website yields nothing. It's either they have not updated it yet, or they simply don't care. A tad frustrating, if I must say.

Let's recap what happened in last season's finale. Preston and Christina were getting married, when Burke got jilted and he took it as a sign to leave everything behind. Yes, there will be no more Burke in Season 4.

Meredith and Derek were on the verge of a break-up. Something about Derek meeting a new girl at the bar (which turns out to be Meredith's little sister!). More on that in the show.

George and Izzie were having an affair. Well, Izzie is in love with George, but George is married to Callie. Does George has feelings for Izzie too?

Not to forget, George failed his exam. Will he repeat the whole thing and be an intern again, or is he moving to a new hospital to cool things off with Izzie and gain his wife's trust back?

The race for chief is getting hot, with Addison being told that she is out of the race, hence her departure from the hospital for good. But despair not, for you will see her an hour after the show, in her own show - Private Practice. More on that later.

Derek was offered the post, but he declined. Does that mean the Chief will still be around? Isn't he supposed to quit and be with his wife? Or could Mark be the new chief?

Mark was hoping that Addison would want to be with him, but alas! Addison if off on her new adventure and Mark is left picking up the pieces (and the other nurses).

Alex, well, Alex missed out on the girl that could have been the one. After rejecting Addison, he rejected Rebecca Pope (a patient) and now he has no one. Poor Alex.

I can't wait to watch the first episode of the new season. There will be new faces on the show, new romances, new twists, and new dramas. So if you don't have a reason to stay home on Saturday nights, now you do!

Grey's Anatomy airs every Saturday on NTV7 at 9.45pm.
Private Practice airs every Saturday on NTV7 at 10.45pm.

Two hours of ecstasy!

G for glory

2008-06-19T23:45:00.001+08:00

Things were looking great. You had a good date, a good romantic dinner, and as you drive your date home, you asked her if she would like to stop by your place for a cup of coffee, or tea, depending on her preference.

She said yes.

Thank God you had the place cleaned up this morning (mental note: thank mum later for dropping by and tidying up your mess). Mum even probably changed the bedsheet. Nothing beats a newly-washed fresh bedsheet.

Let's skip the coffee (or tea) and the small talk.

She's in your bedroom now, admiring your stuffed toys collection (okay, maybe that's a bit too much, but hey, it's a good way to get a girl into your bedroom. Read: "Want to check out my Pokemons and Barneys?").

You excused yourself to the bathroom, hastily and quietly flossed, brushed your teeth and rinsed your mouth with Oral B mouth-rinse. All in 3 minutes. You got out and see your date getting comfortable on your bed among the purple Barney and the big fuzzy teddy bear. This is it, you thought. It's showtime.

So you joined her in bed, talked a bit, get her into the mood, then kissed her. She responded, and you got into business. After what seemed like an eternity of exchanging saliva and tongue wrestling, your hands slowly and carefully crept in between her legs. You rubbed her panties gently, feeling the tinge of roughness (mental note: she shaved a few days ago) and letting your fingers wander at ease.

Let's skip the foreplay (What! No details! What a rip-off!) and fast-forward to 20 minutes later.

She's naked now. You're naked too. You're on top of her. It feels right. She's wet enough, you're as horny as ever. Her slow moaning is driving you crazy (mental note: this is my lucky night!).

You start off slowly, then it gets faster. She's moaning louder now, and she's telling you to go faster. You push as hard as you can, and you can feel it being over soon, so you slowed down a bit, bidding your time. But she tells you don't stop, go faster, so you blank your mind with more mental notes (mental note: keep her panties as souvenir).

Then it was over. It was good; no, it was great for you, that's for sure. Your best sex ever (mental note: it's only my third score). As you lie on your back watching the ceiling, and counting your blessings, she climbed on top of you, ready for the next round.

The next round? But you just shot off everything you got. There's nothing left, only a limp purple Barney on the floor. And she's hungry for more. Claimed that you didn't hit her G-spot. Said she hasn't had orgasm yet.

But you're not in the mood anymore. Your Barney is not responding; it has packed it's balls and left for the night. You're practically ball-less for the night.

Obviously, she was disappointed. You wished you has last longer like that man you saw on TV the other night. You wished you had bought a yellow Barney instead of the purple one. You wished that women can reach orgasm as fast as men can.

Well, if your have £800, you can get your girl to do a G-shot, then maybe, sex won't be one-sided anymore.

Any takers?

Celtics 4 Lakers 2

2008-06-18T23:45:00.001+08:00

Game over.

No one could have predicted the final score. It was one of the most lopsided score in NBA finals history.

131-92.

Boston’s 39-point win surpassed the NBA record for the biggest margin of victory in a championship clincher; the Celtics beat the Lakers 129-96 in Game 5 of the 1965 NBA finals.

The Celtics shot 49% from the field, shooting 43-for-87 compared to the Lakers 42% out of 27-for-64 shooting. Ray Allen was hot from the arc, shooting an NBA record-tying 7-for-9 from the three-point line and scoring 26 points. Kevin Garnett had 26 points while Paul Pierce, the finals MVP, had 17 points. Rajon Rondo had 21 points, eight assists, seven rebounds and six steals for the Celtics.

Bryant, the regular season MVP, finished with 22 points on 7-for-22 shooting. Not much help from his teammates this time, with Odom only managing 14 points while Gasol only with 11 points. The Lakers came out from the locker room for the second half trailing by 23 points, and by the 4th quarter, they were resigned to the fact that it was over by then.

It was a different story for Boston Celtics. A year after winning just 24 games, then drawing bad luck in the draft lottery, the Celtics completed the most dramatic turnaround in NBA history with a Game 6 blowout that was equally impressive. It was also the 17th title for the league’s most-decorated franchise.

A good ending for a good season.

My hope for next season: to see the Rockets win in the first round of the playoffs.

Celtics 3 Lakers 2

2008-06-15T23:45:00.001+08:00

The Lakers are still alive.

Facing elimination, they managed to dig deep and prevent Boston from celebrating on their own turf, forcing Game 6 and bringing the game back to Boston.

Kobe Bryant lead the home team with 25 points, and he had plenty of help from his teammates. Four other Lakers were in double figures, with Lamar Odom coming alive with 20 points from 8-for-10 shooting while Pau Gasol had 19 points and 13 rebounds.

No team has overcome a 3-1 deficit in the finals to win a title. The first 28 failed, and now the Lakers, who blew a 24-point lead and lost Game 4 and nearly squandered a 19-point lead in Game 5, have a chance to do something extraordinary.

Paul Pierce had a massive game, with 38 points, 6 rebounds and 8 assists. He kept the game close for his team, with a pair of free throws to cut the Lakers lead by two with less than two minutes to go. But with less than a minute left on the clock, Bryant poke the ball out of Pierce's hand and finished the play with a dunk to put the Lakers up by four.

With the score now at 100-95, Bryant missed one of two free throws with 16 seconds left, and Eddie House nailed a three-pointer to make it 101-98 with 14 seconds left. Fisher then made two free throws and stole Boston’s last pass to ensure that there will be another game in the series.

Game 6 will be in Boston on Wednesday.

Celtics 3 Lakers 1

2008-06-13T23:45:00.001+08:00

A hole is a hole, doesn't matter how deep it is.

Unless of course, it's a hole that you dig yourself.

The Lakers put themselves into a deep hole when leading as many as 24 points, they let Paul Pierce and his merry men cut the lead, and in the end, did a comeback that would embedded into playoffs history. Celtics beat Lakers 97-91, and the Lakers now trail Boston Celtics 3-1, and no team has ever dug its way out of such a hole in the Finals.

Lamar Odom, who struggled in the first three games of the finals, came alive in this one with 19 points, 10 rebounds and four assists. But he did most of his damage in the first half, and when the going gets tough, he disappeared down the stretch. Nobody was willing to shoulder the burden, and it was up to Kobe Bryant to keep the team alive.

Bryant however shot 6-for-19 from the field and scored 10 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter. The other Los Angeles starters all reached double figures, but their contributions were minimal down the stretch. Bryant shot 4-of-8 and his teammates went 4-of-13 for eight points in the final period. That was when the game was lost.

And now Boston Celtics is just one win from another NBA title.

Pierce scored 20 points, Garnett had 16 points and 11 rebounds and Ray Allen had 19 points. The trio had plenty of help from the bench in the fourth quarter, first from Eddie House who hit a jumper to put Boston up by one late in the fourth, and later on James Posey hit a dagger right into the Lakers' heart with a 3-pointer with less than 2 minutes left.

Game 5 will be in Staples Center this Monday.

Celtics 2 Lakers 1

2008-06-11T23:45:00.002+08:00

The Lakers were rescued by the sharp-shooting of Sasha Vujacic.

Vujacic turned saviour when the rest of the Lakers starters (not including Kobe) combined for only 22 points, making just a pitiful 7 of their 28 shots. Vujacic came of the bench to shoot 7-for-10, including 3-for-5 from the 3-point range.

Kobe Bryant, as usual, led the team with 36 points, but apart from these two players, there rest of the Lakers didn’t help much. Lamar Odom continued his woeful shooting throughout the series with a disappointing game and only 4 points and 5 turnovers, while Pau Gasol was nowhere near his best.

Boston didn’t fare well too, with Paul Pierce scoring only 6 points from 2-for-14 shooting while Kevin Garnet scored 13 points from 6-for-21 shooting. Ray Allen was the only hot shooter for Boston, and his 25 points managed to keep the game close for the Celtics. The final score was 87-81, and they made everyone at the Staples Center fidgeting in their seats until the final horn sounded.

They had a reason to be so. No team in NBA playoff history has ever overcome a 0-3 deficit. And the Lakers made sure that they do not have to be the first one to do so.

Game 4 will be at the Staples Center this Friday.

Double Mac Me

2008-06-10T23:45:00.003+08:00

What is better and bigger than a Big Mac?

They claimed it's the Mega Mac.

Personally, I think it might be bigger, but it's definitely not better. A Big Mac value meal costs RM9.90 and if you add another RM4, then you get yourself a Mega Mac.

Eating this would be a little tricky.

You might as well get a Big Mac, and a Fillet-O-Fish for the same amount (Fillet-O-Fish is only RM4). This way, you get two burgers for the same price.

Unless of course, you prefer Carl's Junior, and you don't mind paying more for a bigger and tastier burger.

Celtics 2 Lakers 0

2008-06-09T23:45:00.003+08:00

Boston Celtics is two games away from being crowned as the new champion. While the Los Angeles Lakers need to dig deep to keep the series alive.

Trailing Boston by 24 points with less than 8 minutes left, the Lakers got within two before losing 102-108. They finally decided to play some ball late in the fourth quarter, however, it was a little too late as they ended up being on the losing end.

Only three teams - Boston in 1969, Portland in 1977 and Miami in 2006 - have overcame a 0-2 deficit to win the title. The question now will be, can Kobe Bryant lead the Lakers to be the fourth team to do so?

Celtics got plenty of help from the bench in game two. Leon Powe, a second year reserve had the game of his career, scoring 21 points in 15 minutes while Posey and Brown added 8 and 6 points respectively. The Lakers bench? Well, they managed 23 points among themselves, two more than what Powe alone had.

As usual, Boston big three carried the team with a total of 62 points while Lakers big three (Kobe, Gasol and Odom) had 57 points. Boston also went to the line 38 times compared to the Lakers 10. The big difference managed to unsettle Phil Jackson, but he short stop of accusing the officials of being one-sided.

Game 3 will be in Los Angeles on Wednesday.

Ana and her legs

2008-06-08T23:10:00.001+08:00

Simply superb, don't you think?

All Hail the new Queen

2008-06-08T15:00:00.000+08:00

It was a sad day when Justine Henin announced her retirement from tennis at the age of 25 with immediate effect last month. She retired while being on top, an abrupt ending to a career in which she won seven Grand Slam singles titles and spent more than 100 weeks ranked No. 1.

In addition to her four French Open titles, Henin won the Australian Open in 2004, and the U.S. Open in 2003 and 2007. She has been ranked No. 1 since Nov. 13, 2006, except for a seven-week period last year when Sharapova held the top spot, and won nearly $20 million in career prize money.

Last year, she trashed Ana Ivanovic 6-1 6-2 to retain the French Open title she won for the past two years. She also won the US Open last year by beating Svetlana Kuznetsova in straight set.

With her shocked retirement, the No. 1 spot was up for grabs, and the French Open was the decider for these playes: Sharapova, Kuznetsova, Jankovic and Ivanovic. But Sharapova packed her bags early on, while Ivanovic beat Jankovic and Kuznetsova lost to Safina. That leaves Ivanovic as the sole survivor, and she reached the final for the second consecutive year.

With this being her third Grand Slam final, she was more prepared than her two previous finals, where she lost to Henin and Sharapova (US Open). Her opponent this time was Dinara Safina, a surprise finalist after despatching Kuznetsova, Dementieva and Sharapova along the way. But there would not be a choke this time, as a precised and composed Ivanovic wrapped up the game in style in straight set, 6-4 6-3.

Her first Grand Slam title to accompany her at the top of the women's ranking.

Isn't she adorable?

Another Federer vs Nadal final

2008-06-07T23:45:00.001+08:00

Don't put your money on Roger Federer.

The Swiss, who has won 12 grand-slam titles but has never triumphed at Roland Garros, has been beaten by the Spaniard in the final for the past two years.

Nadal is 10-6 against Federer - including 8-1 on clay, and 3-0 at the French Open - making him the only active player to have faced the Swiss star more than four times and compiled a winning record against him.

For each of the past four years, Federer has come to Paris knowing that he needed a French Open title to complete a career Grand Slam, something only five men have accomplished: Andre Agassi, Don Budge, Roy Emerson, Rod Laver and Fred Perry.

In 2005, that pursuit ended in the semifinals against Nadal. He was beaten 6-3 4-6 6-4 6-3. In 2006, he made it to the final just to lose to Nadal 1-6 6-1 6-4 7-6 while in 2007, it was the same story when he lost 6-3 4-6 6-3 6-4. And in 2008, he has another shot at it. But this time, he will be facing a stronger and improved Nadal.

Nadal is on fire. He’s 27-0 for his career at the French Open, winning 81 of 88 sets. He’s dropped zero sets through six matches this year, and only 36 games, the third-fewest lost by a man en route to a Grand Slam final in the 40-year Open era (the only lower totals were both accomplished by Borg at the French Open).

He’s won 114 of his last 116 matches on clay. He’s 40-0 in best-of-five-set matches on the surface and was pushed to five sets only twice in that span. He’s 21-1 in clay-court finals. And that one lost was to Federer, in 2007 Hamburg Masters, 2-6 6-2 6-0.

Impressive stats, isn't it?

But is he invincible?

Looking at the way he's been playing at the moment, I would say yes. Federer will need plenty of luck, and some sort of a miracle, to claim his first French Open title.

Celtics 1 Lakers 0

2008-06-06T23:45:00.001+08:00

The Finals have began. And Boston Celtics drew first blood.

Celtics closed out the Lakers 98-88 in Game One of the Finals. Eventhough they finished with the league best record with 66 wins, they are the underdog in this series. Their performance getting to the Finals raised a lot of questions about their credibility. They needed 7 games to shut down the Hawks and the Cavaliers, and were lucky to get past the Pistons in 6 games.

Lakers meanwhile, swept the Nuggets, closed out the Jazz on the road and trashed the defending champion Spurs comprehensively. They have the league MVP in Kobe Bryant, and a very young team.

Bryant didn't have a good game though. He was 9-26 from the field and only scored 24 points. During the regular season, he also had a tough time against the Celtics, shooting 15-for-46 and averaging 25 points. Boston won both games. Could it be finally the Celtics are showing their defensive mettle, with Kevin Garnett, the league defensive player of the year leading the way?

But Bryant didn't get much help from his teammates. The Lakers wound up shooting 41.6 percent - far below their postseason field goal percentage of 47.8 percent. And they were outrebounded 46-33.

There was drama during the game, when Boston's captain Paul Pierce shook off a sprained knee and scored 22 points. He was carried off from the court midway through the third quarter when he was bumped from behind by his teammate accidentally, that left him sprawling on the court and unable to get up. But he returned soon after, and drained two consecutive 3-pointer that put Boston up by 4 points at the end of the third quarter. They never trailed after that.

The Lakers aren’t in trouble just yet. Losing the opening game of the Finals doesn’t spell instant doom. The Lakers still have Bryant, and he doesn’t typically follow a poor-shooting game with another.

Game 2 is on Sunday, and looking at the way it is, it's going to be another cracker.

Interlude (7)

2008-06-05T23:45:00.001+08:00

Two weeks.

Two long weeks.

That is how long he will be away from her. That is how long he will miss her smell and touch. That is how long he will miss her warmth and kisses.

Which is unbearable, so to speak. He knows the nights well, for he has spent most of his time alone with his thoughts. He knows the lonely shadow who constantly hovers around the room, moving with the speed of the ceiling fan above him. It is the comfort of years being spent in his room, with his own mind and shadow.

Yes, he might be content with all that, but deep inside, he knows one undeniable truth.

He misses her.

More than he can imagine.

Up, up and away

2008-06-04T23:50:00.003+08:00

It was such a depressing day.

It started with the heavy downpour late in the evening. The skies were so dark that it might as well be midnight. It was like the rain came down with a vengeance, pelting everything in its path with such malice that the only reasonable thing to do is to stay indoors.

Then, the news came. Oil price will be up by 40% come midnight, and suddenly, there was pandemonium everywhere. People seemed to be rushing out to fill up their vehicles, paying the last RM1.92 per litre one more time before it is no more.

For come midnight, the new price will be RM2.70 per litre. Which is still, as the Prime Minister repeated for the hundredth times, the cheapest in the region. It must be a decision that he dreaded making, because as of now, he must be the most hated man in the country. Not that it was entirely his fault, but then again, there are bulls-eye marks all over his body. And I wouldn’t be surprised if the membership of his hate-group balloons overnight due to the announcement.

Cheapest in the region. Yes, our fuel price might be of that, but that is not a good reason to justify the big hike. Over and over again, everytime when there was a hike, the same reasons have been used. We are lucky to have a government kind enough to be subsidising some part of the fuel, hence the cheapest in the region tag.

But what’s in everybody’s mind is this, how long can this go on? With the price of crude oil in the international market rising each day, it is inevitable that fuel price everywhere starts to increase. There is nothing much that we can do, as we let the fate of the matters in the hands of speculators and oil barons.

Can we find an alternative to fuel? In this country, driving is a necessity because we don’t have a comprehensive public transportation system. Taking the buses might be a cheaper alternative, but it’s so time consuming that you ended up weighing which is better, to waste your time or your money. The LRTs and trains are better, but at times they are so packed that it's such a hassle just to get into one.

But what we fear most is the chain reaction of the price hike. With fuel playing a big part in almost everything, prices of goods and services will surely go up. The government can assure the people about controlling this and that, and giving the best to the people, but how many times have we seen this method failed miserably. It's the same with the empty promises made during the election, they were just empty.

On another note, it was ironic how cars were queuing up at petrol pumps for hours just to fuel up. Don't you think that letting the car idle for such a long time doesn't burn fuel? There were even fights when some cars were spotted cutting queue. But the worst of the lot is the petrol pumps which put up sign "out of petrol" just so that they can make a bigger profit the next day.

It's still too early to see the impact on the fuel hike. The shock might stay for a week, or even a month. But life has to go on, and adjustments must be make. Maybe public transport doesn't seem that bad after a while.

Or maybe an investment on a bicycle might be good in the long run.

Out of nothing

2008-06-03T23:45:00.002+08:00

Suddenly time stands still.

It is raining outside. The drizzle breaks the silence of the night, and the darkness is broken by the occasional flashes of lightning. Apart from mother nature making her presence felt, it is completely serene. The night breeze is cooling, and somehow it feels that the second hand on my alarm clock is moving so slowly, that it might as well stop moving.

It has been a slow night. The fact that I have skipped dinner does not help at all. I am suddenly craving for something meaty, like a piece of a medium-rare steak or a nice leg of lamb. Maybe a nice fat hamburger might end this hunger, but the thought of braving the cold night in this light drizzle turns me off completely.

At least I know I'd rather be hungry than moving.

But it's not helping at all.

It's easier to keep my mind occupied to chase away the hunger, but there are always flashes of food when I blink my eyes. And the growling in my stomach reminds me of my predicament. A quick look around the room reveals a pack of biscuit under the bookshelves at the corner of the room, but it looks so dry and unappetizing.

Sleep will cure this madness. Sleep will bring me the piece of steak I desire most. Sleep will bring me that leg of lamb with a side of mint sauce and baked potatoes.

Sleep is what I need then, and not food.

Wallace led to Pistons downfall

2008-05-31T11:25:00.002+08:00

The Celtics finally managed to do something that they have not done during the past 2 series.

The finally won away from home.

With that accomplished, they closed down the Pistons 4-2 to emerge as the Eastern Conference Champions and set a date with the Los Angeles Lakers for bragging rights as the World's Champion. Lakers earlier routed the defending champion San Antonio Spurs 4-1 where Kobe Bryant shows why he is the league MVP by carrying his team to the first finals for the Lakers since 2004.

Celtics started strong in game 6 today and led up until the middle of third quarter, where Pistons had a 10-2 run and started to pull away as many as 10 points in the fourth quarter. Just when it seemed the Pistons might be in control with a 70-60 lead early in the fourth, the Celtics scored nine points in less than 2 minutes and went on a 19-4 run that put them ahead 79-74. No thanks to Wallace.

Wallace really had a bad game. He had 5 fouls, 4 points out of 2-12 shooting with 0-6 from the three-point line, and 3 turnovers, one of them was a poor pass after a defensive rebound that turned into a basket for the Celtics.

And when they were down by 6 with less than a minute left, Wallace attempted a three which missed badly, and when Tayshaun Prince committed a turnover off a steal from Posey, it was as good as over for the Pistons.

But it's good to see Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce in the finals. They deserve to be there, after playing in the league for so many years. Garnett was with the Timberwolves for 12 years, and never made it to the finals. Allen was with the Supersonics and it was even worse there. While Pierce has been with the Celtics for 10 years now, it is the team that drafted him in 1998.

So it's going to be Celtics-Lakers finals. Boston has 16 NBA titles, the Lakers 14. Their rivalry, while most recently heated in the 1980s, goes back to the days of Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain. In the 1980s, it was Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. This year, it's going to be Kobe Bryant and Paul Pierce. Another history in the making, more Hall of Famers creating histories.

Whatever it is, it is definitely going to be a great finals.

Cruel Intentions

2008-05-30T21:00:00.001+08:00

In the game of seduction, There is only one rule: Never fall in love

One of my all time favourite movie is Cruel Intentions. It is something that I can watch time and time again, and everytime, it feels like it's the first time I'm watching it. The plot is superb, with a perfect mix of satire, wit and drama. The writers really did a great job, there is never a dull moment in the movie, and the lines were delivered with perfection and grace.

While Sarah Michelle Gellar played the evil and cunning Kathryn, Reese Witherspoon was Annette, the epitome of goodness in the movie, a virgin and she upheld such moral values that shamed the Brady Bunch. Ryan Phillipe as Sebastian was as charming as ever, and witty as well as handsome, a potent combination to any girl out there. Of course he can be easily mistaken as swinging on the wrong side, what's with his golden curls and red cheeks. Not your typical macho bad boy with long hair and unshaven face.

The soundtrack for the movie was sublime, with songs from Placebo, Counting Crows, Craig Armstrong and my favourite, The Verve. You can't help but feel for the characters as the songs compliment them at the right moments.

There are many scenes in the movie that I love, but the one scene that really took my breath away was the one when Annette was on the escalator, and as she moved up, Sebastian was standing and waiting for her at the top. And to add perfection to the moment: Colorblind by Counting Crows was playing in the background.

Annette: I'm impressed.
Sebastian: Well, I'm in love.

And then they kissed with so much passion that it looks like they were trying to eat each other.

And of course there was the part where Kathryn kissed Cecile to let her feel what first base is all about.

But I think Kathryn has the best lines in the movie. Don't believe me? Here are some quotes to proof my point:

Kathryn: She's quite cute, you know. Young, supple breasts, a tight, firm ass... uncharted booty... Be her Captain Picard, Valmont. Boldly go where no man has gone before.

Kathryn: I hate it when things don't go my way. It makes me so horny.

Kathryn: Eat me, Sebastian. It's okay for guys like you and Court to fuck everyone but when I do it, I get dumped for innocent little twits like Cecile. God forbid I exude confidence and enjoy sex. Do you think I relish the fact that I have to act like Mary Sunshine 24/7 so I can be considered a lady? I'm the Marcia fucking Brady of the Upper East Side, and sometimes I want to kill myself. So there's your psychoanalysis, Dr. Freud. Now tell me are you in, or are you out?

Kathryn: You were very much in love with her. And you're still in love with her. But it amused me to make you ashamed of it. You gave up on the first person you ever loved because I threatened your reputation. Don't you get it? You're just a toy, Sebastian. A little toy I like to play with. And now you've completely blown it with her. I think it's the saddest thing I've ever heard.

Kathryn: Tastes good. So I assume you've come here to make arrangements, but unfortunately, I don't fuck losers.

Kathryn: Sebastian, that little wager you mentioned earlier. Count me in.
Sebastian: What are the terms?
Kathryn: If I win, then that hot little car of yours is mine.
Sebastian: And if I win?
Kathryn: I'll give you something you've been obsessing about ever since our parents got married.
Sebastian: Be more specific.
Kathryn: In English, I'll fuck your brains out.
Sebastian: What makes you think I'll go for that bet? That is a 1956 Jaguar Roadster.
Kathryn: Because I'm the only girl you can't have, and it kills you.
Sebastian: Put it away
Kathryn: You can put in anywhere.
Sebastian: [Bites his lip] You've got yourself a bet, baby.

But the best bit of the movie, is of course, the ending. Sebastian died, Kathryn was exposed, and Annette got the 1956 Jaguar Roadster. It might not be a happy ending, but it's definitely a good ending.

Sebastian charming himself into Annette's panties

Interlude (6)

2008-05-29T23:30:00.002+08:00

She was in my dreams last night.

I have not seen her for more than 10 years. In fact, I have not been in contact with her for that long too. The only face I still remember is from an old photograph, and I have no idea how she looks like nowadays.

Yet, I know it was her last night.

I only remember her thick and wavy hair in the dream. The rest was a big blur, and I have shady images of her face in my mind. But her presence was so strong that I woke up looking for her.

But all I found was myself alone in bed.

Ezora is not the new Bella

2008-05-29T19:40:00.000+08:00

After a grueling 60 episodes, Bella finally met her doom when she succumbed to her death just before gaining her revenge over the three stooges. She was cackling madly, and gloating over her victory while babbling incoherently and at the same time, pouring some gasoline over her captives. With a lighter ready in hand and a gun in the other hand, she managed to make them begged for their life, and just before her moment of glory, she dropped to the ground, paralysed from the waist down, and if that wasn't the cue, the whole gang burst out into the screen, I mean into the room.

With her final breathe, she told her husband that she loved him, even after what he did to her.

The end.

And I can't believe I stayed on for 60 episodes. I know I can be addicted to TV, but never to this kind of dramas. And I tell you, there were plenty of dramas along the way. Too much for me to handle, come to think of it. But stayed I did, and when it was over, a huge sense of relief washed over me. Never again will I commit myself to such arduous task. To rush home from work early, and stayed glued in front of the TV at such hours, just thinking about it send shivers down my spine.

Overall, Bella wasn't that bad. The storyline was a bit flawed, but acceptable. Some of the characters were just redundant, but the lead characters were superb. I would have preferred another ending, where the bad guys get burned (but not dead) and Bella didn't die but lose her mind and had to be admitted to the mental hospital.

Don't you think that would be a better ending?

Anyway, now that Bella is over, another drama is filling up its spot, and from the look of it, I'm glad it sucks because that means I won't be glued to it. Okay, I admit, I saw a few episodes already, but that was purely because I am so used to be watching TV at that hour. But now that I know it is not worth my time, I won't be watching it anymore.

Yes, Ezora sucks. Simply because she is engaged to her long-time sweetheart, who went to the city to work and somehow got engaged to another woman (who is rich and also a bitch). So now the guy is juggling between two fiancees, and I think he is planning to marry both of them.

Well, I'm not going to stay and find out how this will end. But if you do, let me know. Simply because I'm just curious.

Down and almost out

2008-04-22T20:55:00.003+08:00

I had a good piece about the NBA playoffs ready to be posted, when I suddenly realised that my favourite team is on the verge of being knocked out of the first round.

Not that there's anything new with that, since the Rockets with Tracy McGrady have never make it pass the first round before. Come to think of it, McGrady has never made it to the second round in his 10 years playing in the NBA. He was knocked out when he was playing for the Toronto Raptors, Orlando Magic and now, I think he has jinxed the Houston Rockets as well.

What more can I say?

Rockets managed to finish a respectable fifth in the highly competitive Western Conference and managed to grab homecourt advantage against their first round opponent - Utah Jazz. Being eliminated by Jazz last year in 7 games, I'm sure revenge must be in some of the senior players mind, especially McGrady. But they fall in the first game, trailing throughout the whole game and shooting at a miserable 37% from the field. The main culprit: McGrady and Bobby Jackson, who is starting in the absence of point guard Rafer Alston.

And if I thought the first game was just a minor hiccup, they proved me wrong by losing the second game. So there goes the homecourt advantage. There goes the whole season just like that, and suddenly, 22 games winning streak seems like an eternity away. What's good is a streak if you can't just hold it up long enough to get you far in the playoffs?

Not that there is no chance for a comeback. There is still 5 games left in the series, and anything can happen. But statistically, it's a bit far-fetched. The Jazz is 37-4 during the regular season playing in Salt Lake City. That means they only lost 4 times, and that is indeed an impressive record. The only bright side about this is one of the losses is to the Rockets, so maybe there is still hope.

But in order for that to happen, they need to shoot better, distribute the ball more and one thing for sure, McGrady needs to step up and carry the team on his shoulder.

That, in my opinion, is the only way they can break the jinx.

Just breathe

2008-04-18T21:15:00.000+08:00

Breathe, just breathe.

Pain is just a state of mind.

Even if my body is feeling the full wrath of it. But I have a strong mind, and I should be able to numb the pain away.

Theoretically.

For now, all I need to do is just breathe.

Ghost

2008-04-10T03:15:00.005+08:00

I have always wanted to write about it, but I kept telling myself to wait for the next episode, and each episode, I kept telling myself that. Until finally, there were no more episodes.

You see, everytime when I thought I had everything figured, there was another curve ball thrown, and everything went back to square one. Yes, the plot was that good, it was so good that I think it deserve a mention.

The plot was extremely good.

There, I've mentioned it.

But hang on, not only was the plot good, the songs in the series were definitely good too. I especially love the opening theme, and I've been searching for it with no luck so far. I think they should have a soundtrack for it, although it's unlikely, since it was only a 10 episodes series. Nevertheless, I would be the first one to buy it if word of the existence of the soundtrack is true.

If you think the plot and the songs were good, wait till you see the lead characters. There is absolutely nothing wrong with Cheryl Samad. I think she played Eza really well, and the way she brought Eza to life, it was absolutely magnificent. But don't believe every word I say, since I might be bias considering I've had a crush on her for ages now. I love her sad and terrified face, and when she cried in the show. You don't get to see that often, and I can really feel her sadness or anger. I wonder if she is seeing anyone at the moment. I wonder if she would be interested in me. I wonder if she would be sad if she misses me.

Not that it will ever happens. But I digress. Now where was I?

Did I mentioned I watch the series because of her?

Apart from Cheryl, Nazrudin Rahman also played a big part in the series. You might remember him as the cheery and happy guy from other 8TV series, namely KL Lights, and also Realiti. You just can't help it but laugh when you look at him. He has such a funny face, that it is weird to see him sad and angry in this series. But that proves that he can act, and act well he did.

Ghost is basically not your typical Malay series. Unlike Bella, and other such dramas from TV3, where there are lots of rich people, corporate battles and love triangles, it is more relaxed and provide a fresh insight to the imagination. You'll be wondering about the connections of each characters, and how the story would end. Of course, anything is possible, until you watch the final episode. It is such a mind blowing experience that it feels like you're watching CSI or Criminal Minds.

I know a lot of people have reservations about mixing English and Malay in dramas, but I think it is perfectly normal. We converse in both languages in our everyday's life, and what is wrong with portraying our unique Malaysian life in a series? Of course, there are limits to everything, but I think Ghost shows that you can mix about anything as long as you do it correctly.

Of course, it helps a lot having Ng Ping Ho of the Kopitiam fame as the director.

So what is it all about? Basically, it's about Zack Imran, a famous movie star, who died in a car accident. He was drunk, and he smashed his car and died. But that wasn't the whole truth. He was murdered, and that was why his soul still wander around. To find his killer.

Enter Eza, a young and smart journalist for a tabloid newspaper. After being dumped by his boyfriend, she encountered Zack at the parking lot, and offered him her place to stay for the night, since he looked lost and disorientated. Little did she know at that time that Zack has died, and she was the only one who can see and communicate with him.

After convincing Eza to help him, their investigation revealed more about themselves that they would like to admit. Zack wasn't an angel when he was alive, and the deeper they went into it, the more Eza got to know about him. Bad stuffs. And the suspects were plentiful. Almost everyone introduced in the series have reasons to kill Zack.

But I'm not spoiling it up for you. For those of you who missed the series (it was aired on 8TV Sunday at 10.30pm), you can still catch it here. Watch them all, there are only 10 episodes anyway.

For now, I'll leave you with the opening theme, written by Douglas Lim and Chelsia Ng.

Hot yoga

2008-03-31T23:55:00.003+08:00

Two muffins were in an oven. One muffin said to the other, "Is it me, or is it hot in here?"

The other muffin said, "Holy shit! A talking muffin!"

I can really connect with the muffins. Or cupcakes. Or any other delicious food left heating up in the oven, or microwave. Because last night, I was sitting in an oven. Figuratively, of course.

There were 8 of us, including the hot (pun not intended) instructor, in the oven, I mean, in the studio. The temperature was slowly rising, until it reached 40 degrees Celsius. By then, I was basically losing water like a morning drizzle, slow at first, and it got heavier as we went on. There were 26 postures and each of them requires a certain degree of flexibility and strength. And balance.

I have to say, it was a good session. At the end of the session, every muscle in my body was screaming curses at me. But it does feel great. It isn't like doing weights, where you pushed your body to the limits, and your muscles ache and get sore for two days after the workout. This is more like, a relaxed work-out, but almost with the same results. It's a total body workout, and at the same time, you get the health benefits thrown in. Well, that was what the instructor said anyway. But it's believable. If not, I'm sure the founder of this particular yoga won't still be alive and healthy as a fiddle at 62.

I am so tempted to sign in for the classes, but I know I can't afford to pay another RM200 per month for a gym membership. And it's not like I have the time to spare three times a week to attend the classes, since the weekdays classes start at 6.30pm while I'm always not around during weekends. But those two free sessions were really worth it. If anyone of you interested to try it out, you can just drop by at the center, act interested, and ask for the 7 days free pass.

Make sure you wear minimum clothing (preferably just your underwear) since you're going to be wet all over.

A typical lazy Sunday

2008-03-30T17:30:00.002+08:00

Every now and then, it's nice to have some time to yourself to just chill out at home, doing particularly nothing and achieving nothing at the same time. I think the correct term for it is time wasting. You can either nap, surf the web, watch TV, or even read. Or you can just laze around in bed, with minimum clothings, and fantasize about anything in random. Which is what I did just now. But my imagination is a bit dull, I think I have a condition called the lazy mind. You normally get it by watching too many porns at one go, which at the same time numb your mind to any feelings whatsoever.

Which is exactly what I am feeling right now. Nothing.

Which is great, because I don't want to feel anything. My shoulders are aching for constantly thinking and feeling. Weird how the shoulders are involved in this, but when you really think about it, it's like the weight of the world is on my shoulders, hence the aching shoulders. and it's not a good feeling.

But wait, I'm not supposed to feel anything.

I rarely get to spend time on my own now, what with work, and other commitments and friends who need babysitting. Which is great, because a busy life means a meaningful life, isn't it? Don't get me wrong, I do love my life. I love my friends, and I love my job (maybe not wholeheartedly, but there is some love in there). Period. No buts, no regrets.

And it's great to have things to do all the time. Even if it's only running to the shop to get today's newspaper. Or feeding the cat and terrorizing the kitten, clearing the junks under the bed while listening to the music, or fixing the air-con fuse for the car. Sometimes, it's the little things you do in life that makes it meaningful, and fulfilling. Yet, some of us crave for something bigger, on a worldly scale, to be truly satisfied and self-fulfilled.

I guess I'm just the typical lazy guy who just wishes that the world can move at a crawling pace.

The Dinosaurs are back

2008-03-30T16:00:00.002+08:00

This video made me laugh for a good 10 minutes (courtesy from ClutchFans Forum). 4 rockets players, Battier, Novak, Mutombo and Francis did their best dinosaur impersonations in a commercial for "Walking with Dinosours", the live theatrical adaptation.

I think J.E. Skeets summed it up pretty well. Rockets players impersonate Dikembe, Dikembe and the Rockets players impersonate dinosaurs, and dinosaurs knew Dikembe personally, most likely impersonated him behind his back. There. Circle of life complete.

(You have to be a fan to get the joke)

Anger management

2008-03-30T14:30:00.003+08:00

I'm an angry man. I have never dealt with anger properly before. Most of the time, it will just get suppressed deep down my bowels, with the hope that it will exited my system with the rest of my waste products every morning when I go to the toilet.

I just did (went to the toilet), yet the anger still remains. So I guess that did not work anymore.

Come to think of it, it never worked before.

So I did what I normally do when I'm angry. I watch porn. Lots of porns. At least, instead of boiling mad with anger, I'll be boiling mad with desires. And it helped, in a way.

Albeit only temporary.

So I blasted my stereo and listened to songs from TV/Movie themes. Knight Rider, Airwolf, Superman, Charmed, Indiana Jones, Mission Impossible and many more. That helped a bit, keeping my mind occupied for a while. And the mad dancing, in front of the mirror. Naked.

But then I remembered, that was what started it all. No, not the dancing or being naked. The TV. The cold and curt reply. The hurt and anger.

This is not helping at all.

Four hours to my yoga class. If that doesn't work, I don't know what will.

Bella

2008-03-26T21:00:00.000+08:00

I know I'm a slave to TV, but never have I thought that I would leave work early everyday just so that I could catch Bella on TV3 at 6.30pm. The show airs everyday from Monday to Thursday, and I'm counting the days for the final episode, because truth to be said, I'm glued to it just because I want to know the ending.

Not that I can't imagine what's the ending going to be like. Knowing Malay dramas, and knowing TV3 very well, there can only be one typical ending to everything. Good will always prevail over evil.

Bella is about a young girl by the same name who has a filthy rich father who owns a huge company called Paradine. The company has several hotel chains, and is run by the family itself. Bella's father is the CEO, while her uncle and cousins also work there. Things started to get ugly when Shah (Bella's cousin), plotted for the demise of Bella and the ownership of the company.

Shah is aided by his evil mother, and with the two of them plotting and scheming, they managed to kill Bella's father. Now that the father is out of the way, they plotted for Bella's downfall. And this is achieved with the aid of Zahar, Shah's buddy from his college days, who infiltrate himself into a relationship with Bella.

To cut it short, he ended up marrying Bella. Now everything is in place. But wait, Zahar ended up falling in love with Bella, and was a bit reluctant to follow through on Shah's plans. Shah took drastic action by killing Bella, and now he can own the company.

But there is Bella's mother, Datin Mariah, who still holds the bigger share of the company. She needed to be taken care off, so Shah attempted to kill her, but fail. Instead, she was admitted to a mental institution, and left to rot and tell anybody who cared to listen about her evil nephew and how her daughter is still alive.

And lo and behold! Bella is still alive! (well duh! How can you kill the main character in the middle of the series?) Unbeknown to the killers, Pak Hassan, Bella's loyal servant and bodyguard, managed to save her and bring her to safety. With the aid of Dr. Rayyan, Bella's childhood friend, they nursed Bella back to health.

Shah is now the CEO of Paradine. Datin Mariah is in a nuthouse, and Bella is still in a long and deep coma. Zahar is nowhere to be seen, Dr. Rayyan is getting engaged to Dr. Mia and is torn between Bella and his fiancee, and the series don't seem to be ending soon.

So that can only mean one thing. I will be the first one to leave the office indefinitely.

From this moment

2008-03-19T04:00:00.001+08:00

You're the reason I believe in love
And you're the answer to my prayers from up above
All we need is just the two of us

My dreams came true because of you...

Above and below

2008-03-19T02:35:00.005+08:00

Do you want to travel the world? Do you want to be a diver for pearls? Or climb up mountains and touch the clouds above?

I have climbed numerous mountains, and have always enjoy the jungles and the mountains. I started way back when I was in school, and have never looked back since. And I hope my love for it will never die.

Come tomorrow, I will embark on a new adventure, and this time, it will be heading down. Into the ocean, to be specific. I have always wanted to dive, but have never found the time and means to do so. But thanks to the friends that I've made this past few months, I am just a step away from logging in my first dive.

I had the chance of testing the water, so to speak, last November when I went on a diving trip to Pulau Sembilan. Although I wasn't a diver back then, I had the chance of going under for an hour. And I know from that moment on that it is something that I want to do regularly. I wish I had done it sooner, but I guess it's never late than never.

Diving is an expensive hobby. The trips themselves will cost you quite a sum, not to mention the equipments and the boat charter. And it is not something that you can simply pick up, like mountain climbing. You need to attend classes, sit for exams, and finally be certified by a professional trainer. And there are levels that you can attain for if you wish. But each step will cost you more money.

That's why you need to do so sparingly. Unless of course, if you're filthy rich and have nothing else better to do.

At times, I do wish I'm filthy rich and have nothing else better to do.

But then again, I prefer what I have now, even if it's not a lot.

Three times a charm

2008-03-18T22:30:00.001+08:00

Fernando Torres is on fire. But can he fire up Liverpool pass Manchester United this weekend?

After the embarrassing lost to Barnsley that knocked them out of the FA Cup, Liverpool have been winning all their games. That is 7 games in a row. They are up against the leader this weekend, and the weekend after that, their Merseyside rival - Everton.

Beating Manchester United is important, not because they have any chance of displacing the Red Devils at the top, but because every point counts nowadays. They are hanging tightly onto 4th spot, the last spot to the Champions League's millions. They were neck to neck with Everton, until last week when Everton was undone by the brilliance of Brian McBride of Fulham.

So it is important to win the next two games, and consolidate 4th place.

Because after that, it's going to be Arsenal, Arsenal, and more Arsenal. 3 games in a row.

Twice in the Champions League, and another one a league game. 3 consecutive games in a row. If you get it wrong in the first try, you get another chance. But getting to the semifinals of the Champions League is extremely important for Liverpool. It's their only chance of a silverware this season.

And it might save Rafa Benitez from looking for another job this summer.

So where does Torres fit in all this?

Torres, will be the one scoring the goals.

The real test

2008-03-16T23:55:00.001+08:00

The Rockets have won 21 consecutive games, the second most in the league history, rivaled only by the 1971/72 Lakers team which won 33 straight with the help of their center, Wilt Chamberlain. They went and beat the Knicks in the finals to lift the trophy.

Now, Rockets are without their center, and also the star player of the team. Yao Ming leads in scoring and rebound for the team, and when he went for surgery a few weeks ago, a lot of people wrote down their chances. No way they can continue the streak without Yao.

But 9 games later, they are still winning. Now they sit at the top of the Western Conference, sharing the lead with the Lakers. Lakers have been revitalized with the arrival of Pau Gasol, climbing their way up the table and becoming yet again a force to be reckon with.

Of course, there is also the Kobe factor.

Tomorrow, it's going to be Rockets vs Lakers. Clash of the top two teams. It's going to be an important game for the Rockets, because this is where their mettle will be tested. This is when their championship credentials will be proven. This is The Game.

And after the Lakers, it's going to be the Celtics, who have the best record in the NBA now, then another encounter with the Hornets. Then it's going to be the Warriors and the Suns.

These are going to be tough games for them. Their shooting percentage has been dropping lately, and they've been relying a lot on their defense. And also unexpected heroes. McGrady has been tanking for the team, but in every game, there have always been the unlikely heroes. Landry and Scola did his part, and so did Novak and Mutombo. And in yesterday's win against the Bobcats, it was Michael Harris, who was one of Rockets' final training camp cuts. And I haven't even heard of him until yesterday.

I will be watching the game closely tomorrow, from the net. And hopefully, at the end of it, I'll be jumping up and down and grinning wildly.

33 in a row? Sounds impossible, but with some luck and hustle play, it can happen again.

And the Rockets might just rewrite history.

Intense moments

2008-03-09T00:30:00.000+08:00

It was the day where the nation decides. The votes have all been cast, they're now being counted. And everywhere in the nation, everyone is glued in front of the TV watching the results as they are being announced live.

So far, it has been a bloodbath, so to speak.

As suspected, BN has won Sabah and Malacca. And PAS has retain Kelantan. And surprisingly, BN has won Perlis easily too. While the upsets would definitely be the lost of Penang to the opposition. Kedah and Perak are very close at the moment, and it's very hard to predict the winner for these two states. While everywhere else, the battle is tensed and heated. One thing for sure, BNs majorities have been significantly reduced.

If there is a time to be worried, now would be a good time.

And if there is a time to be rejoiced, now would be a good time too.

It's no surprise that it's going to be a very close fight. And it's no surprise that there will be plenty of upsets too. I think everyone is sick of watching the BN's commercial which keeps on appearing on TV every 5 minutes or so. And for someone who spends most of the nights in front of the TV, I was brainwashed by the commercial. Brainwashed into hating and loathing the frequency of the commercials.

My vote was based on that, simply for that reason alone.

Well, maybe there is another factor, come to think of it. I am also a sucker to cute Chinese Politicians.

But I digress.

From a landslide victory in 2004 for BN, it is now a different story for them. I think the people are getting sick and tired of the things that have been going on for the past 4 years, and it shows in the results. One thing I notice also is the number of spoilt votes which have increased too. This must be the ones who decided that both parties are incapable of running the country, and they want their voices to be heard.

One thing for sure, people is hoping for change.

And I think, in a few hours more, we might see some big changes.

15 points blowout

2008-03-08T14:00:00.001+08:00

17 in a row. Now if that is not impressive, I don't know what is. Oh, I know. 18 in a row. Now that would be something.

But up next would be the surprise-of-the-season team - the Hornets. Chris Paul and his rag-a-tag band might have a different ball game up their sleeve, what with Peja Stojakovic finding his range again beyond the arc, and Tyson Chandler making himself present in the paint. The hornets are clinging to the second spot in the tough Southwest Division, but it won't be for long now. But I believe the Rockets are not interested in second spot, they are looking for the top spot, and with that, the Western Conference title. Wouldn't that be something?

But a lot has been said about this streak. Will they have what it takes to sustain until the playoffs? With Yao Ming out for the season, what will happen when they are up against the top teams with the big man? The Suns have Shaquile O'Neal and Amare Stoudamire. The Lakers are prospering with Pau Gasol and the soon to be fit Andrew Bynum. And Spurs can always rely on Tim Duncan. And in the playoffs, it's another ball game. You choke, you lose. And Rockets are well aware of this. Numerous first round exits must be painful for veteran players like Tracy McGrady, who never seem to be able to carry his team past the first round. Last year they did well to take the first two games against the Jazz, but in the end they lost the 7th game. And three years ago, it was the Mavericks who dispatched them in 6 games.

Speaking about the Mavericks, they got trashed yesterday morning by an energetic Rockets team. Dirk Nowitzki was suspended for the game, for the flagrant foul he committed on Andrei Kirilenko. The game was close until the third quarter, when the Rockets pulled away and the Mavs struggling with their shots. In the end, it was a huge win, something that they've been getting quite often nowadays.

With 21 games more to go, a lot of things can happen. And that includes a record breaking 30 games winning streak. Hey, it is possible!

All they need is to believe in themselves. Which they are, at the moment.

Looney Toons

2008-03-05T23:00:00.001+08:00

There's something definitely wrong with Newcastle United. They have not won in a very long time. Their last league win was in December last year, and that was a one nil scoreline away at Fulham. They did beat Stoke City sometime in January, but that was an FA Cup tie, which they played twice because the first game ended in a draw.

They have only scored 30 goals while letting in a whooping 53 goals in 28 games. Basically, their goal difference is second worst after Derby. But Derby County is going down, that's a fact. The other two teams with the same goal difference with Newcastle are languishing at the bottom of the league.

So does this mean Newcastle might join in the fray?

Can you imagine Michael Owen, or Mark Viduka, or even Damien Duff playing in the League Championship (the equivalent to the First Division)? Well, they might have better sense and pack their bags to head to a greener pasture before that happens. But what about the rest of the team? Shay Given is a world class goalkeeper. And there's Obafemi Martins, Alan Smith, Joey Barton and Geremi. Imagine Barton playing in the lower leagues? He's already in enough trouble surviving the Premier League, what's with his off-field antics, his drinking and brawling. I think he's still in jail somewhere, but I might be wrong.

And talking about Shay Given, he used to be a very good goalkeeper. There was a time when a lot of big clubs were interested in him, but he remained loyal to the Toons. He's getting old, but he's a goalkeeper! And I thought goalkeeper gets better with age. I mean, look at David James. He was Calamity James when he was with Liverpool, now his Steady James at Portsmouth. And he still dons England number 1, but that is because there's simply nobody else. Heck, they're even thinking of promoting Ben Foster to No. 1. I mean, if that can't be desperate, I don't know what can!

Kevin Keegan must be having sleepless nights thinking about his predicament. He is doing everything he thinks right, motivating and pushing his players to get the results, yet everytime when the final whistle blows, he is left covering his face and avoiding the cameras. Sooner or later, he will get his first win. He knows it. They won't sack him. Not yet. Not now. Maybe not for a very long time yet. Simply because nobody else is interested in the job. So Keegan is stuck with the team, stuck with a bunch of talents who are so demotivated that they can barely keep their head high after each game.

So the question now is, when will he gets his first win?

You want to know what I think? Definitely not this weekend.

Because they are playing Liverpool!

Cabs from hell

2008-03-04T22:30:00.002+08:00

Cabdrivers are assholes. I do not know how they passed their road exams, but they definitely do not know the first thing when it comes to the laws of the road. It's either that, or they just simply don't care, disregarding everyone and everything like they are the king of the roads. Or maybe they have a different set of exams, where they learn how to cheat and break traffic laws.

How often have you been blindsided by cabs who suddenly stopped at the roadside to pick or drop passengers? It can be in the middle of a busy stretch, or a one-way street. Then there are cabs who cut queues, use the emergency lanes, and tailgate others.

And don't get me started on cabdrivers who simply refuse to use the meter, and charge you as they see fit. Have you try to take a cab from Subang Jaya (commuter station and also Carrefoure)? They have a system there, where anywhere around the vicinity is charged a flat rate of RM10. Doesn't matter if it's only 10 minutes away, or just a few blocks away. And try to haggle, and they'll tell you to take the bus.

They really don't care. If you're not going to take their cab, some other sucker will. And they will still get their Rm10. And how much do they charge to get you to KL Sentral? It can be up to Rm40. If you're lucky, you might get away with Rm30 fare. But definitely no meter. They might as well yank out the meter and toss it out in the drain.

Of course, the prices are seasonal. Come the rain, charges can go up by 20%. Come the peak hours, another slight rise. And after midnight, a significant hike. When you think of it, it's amazing how some of them were complaining about how poor they are, and how hard it is being a taxi driver. But I guess those must be the few honest ones, who use the meter and abide traffic laws.

Yes, there are honest cabdrivers out there. And I've encountered them before. Very rarely. They are like an endangered species. You're lucky if you can find one. And if you do, make sure you get their number. Chances are, you might need to get to KLIA one of these days and the number might come in handy.

But for now, I'll stick to the bus.

Webtag

2008-03-03T23:45:00.001+08:00

Another tag by Naiza.

The Linking Tag Rules

1. List out five favourite links - the links can be of business sites, affiliate links or whatever that suits the blogger.

2. Tag five more people to share their links, so hopefully, at the end of the tag, we would be able to share good links with each other.

3. The links MUST be clean. No X-rated sites.

4. List out only FIVE links.

5. You MUST tell the FIVE people you chose.

6. Provide the link back to the person who tagged you.

7. Obviously, it should be an active link.

Well then, my five links would be:

1. Soccernet - Football related, results and news. And more news (I'm dreading the day when the headlines would read: Benitez sacked!)

2. NBA.com - NBA basketball related, results, videos and news. And statistics! I'm a stat person.

3. Yahoo! Sports - For other sporting results, including tennis, F1 and more NBA.

4. Facebook - A no brainer, since lately I've been hooked to it. Seriously hooked. Favourite application at the moment is Superheroes, Hobowars and Friends for Sale.

5. My blog - Well, it's easier to get around from there. I normally read the blogs listed on the sidebar.

Now let see, who should I tag?

1. Spena
2. Najib
3. Hazyr
4. Bakawali
5. Guile

Streaking Rockets

2008-03-01T23:55:00.003+08:00

14 straight win. The longest in the NBA so far this year. And one short of tying the franchise record. And that was an unbeaten February for them, going through the whole month unbeaten.

With Yao Ming out injured for the rest of the season, it looks like a daunting task for the Rockets to keep up with their winning ways. But with Tracy McGrady back to full health, and the Rockets rosters providing ample support, they might just have the chance of progressing far in the playoffs this time around. The West has not been won yet, and any 9 teams at the moment have the chance of winning it. The Rockets are sitting way down on 7th place, but only 2 games separate them from the Spurs who are at the top of the Conference.

The thing is, the lead has been changing for the past few days. The surprising Hornets have been on top, Suns and Lakers alternated a few times, and the rest of the pack are keeping close to them. I wouldn't be surprised to see the Rockets making it to the top, if they keep on playing like they did in February.

I have been particularly impressed with rookie Carl Landry. The power forward has been performing well, averaging 7.9 points and 5.0 rebounds per game with an average of 16 minutes each game. He is also shooting really well, averaging 64.2% from the floor. Other than him, Luis Scola is also doing well, pumping in good numbers for the team, and for the first time in many years, the Rockets finally have a good supporting cast. The recent trade also landed them Bobby Jackson, a 10 years veteran who can provide enough experience and some offense from the bench.

Up next, it's Allen Iverson and the Nuggets at home tomorrow. Then it's the Pacers, and then the Mavericks, which could be the pivotal game that determines which team will finish above the other. But with 24 more games to go, a lot of things can happen. They still have to play the Hornets twice, and Spurs one more time. These might be the games that might shake the standings in the tough Southwest Division.

But if the Rockets keep on playing the way they do right now, with superb defense and workable offense, it could be a good season for them.

And I'm counting on that.