Deal Or No Deal

I was in the mood for shopping on Friday (and after last Friday, there is only one more working Friday left to the year!) but met up instead with my old roommate for lunch. There were so many people thronging KLCC, what with it being school hols and all. Prada and Gucci have started their sale but I found the Gucci sale a bit disappointing. Anyway, if you don’t already know it, the discount for the first few weeks of Gucci sale is only 30%; it’s always better to shop there in January and end-July/early-August (for winter and summer sale respectively) when the older stock is brought out for clearance. Now that’s what I call a real deal. As it turned out, I did do some damage to my plastic after work on Friday.

On Saturday, I surprised myself with a camera purchase; yes, I was looking for one but I was surprised that I made the decision quite fast. This is not usual for me and a few hours later, I was almost kicking myself for the hasty purchase as I found the same model at KLCC Convention Centre at a much significantly lower price, a whole new unit and in the colour that I much prefer. WTFK indeed. Note to self: always, always, always shop around first. Like I said, I always do this so I don’t know what came over me on Saturday. Not a good deal at all *sigh*

My aunt (and almost the whole clan of her family) came to visit on Sunday. It’s been years since I last saw/met her as she resides in the southern state now. A brief visit it was and I’m not much of a conversationalist among relatives. Wonder when/if we’ll meet again.

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We hosted the Potters on Saturday (the match was not shown live; the Blackburn-Liverpool match was shown instead and I watched it hoping that they’d show any goals scored. For some strange reason, most other goals from other matches were shown but not those scored at the Emirates. Grrr...). We were a depleted team (heck, shrinking and some say no threat at all); we don’t have a striker (what with Dudú out – though he’s been dismal of late - and Bendtner still not back) and were vertically challenged (compared to the Potters’ side which played to defend); Cesc, in the year’s top five players, missed a penalty (his taking it showed how short we are of attacking options); but Shava put mind over muscle and hit the height. Let’s hope he turns his frustration over Russia’s exit from the World Cup to helping Arsenal win and win – though how strange would the World Cup be without the diminutive Russian.

It was also the match where the Russian scored his century of goals, Cesc played his 250th match for Arsenal, Wenger in charge of the 500th game as Arsenal manager and the century of games played at the Emirates. Unfortunately, we have more players added to walking wounded, Rosický included. This is a big, big deal for us: last year we were rocked by defensive injuries, this year, we are rocked by both defensive and offensive injuries.

A special guest was there, still as dapper as ever
Poor baby. Better luck next time, honey. It was a weekend of penalty misses anyway

The Russian hits his century of goals

What a cutie pie he is. Only his second Premier League goal though. More to come hopefully

I share Wenger’s about shaking hands after any match. His opinion is that ‘despite shaking hands being a courtesy, a ceremony, the most important thing is not the ceremony. It is the courtesy of behaviour.’ Hey, it’s a big deal to remain professional before, during and after any match and Sparky couldn’t offer that courtesy.

Rainy Days

It’s the rainy season here in this part of the world and I got quite drenched this morning coming to work. No complaints though: getting a little wet doesn’t hurt although I won’t deny it’s a brief inconvenience. It’s the dark, (slightly) cold, long evenings like these that remind me of winter (no, I don’t miss winter. Having said that, I don’t mind the cold - as long as it’s not too cold).

Hopefully my days of spending long hours in the office are over for now (well, until the next nightmare begins that is). I attended a meeting on Tuesday and was able to return home quite early (such rarity these days) so much so I decided to send my trolley bag off for repair - at long last - I guess I must have looked a sight with the trolley bag in a carrier bag in one arm. Dropped by BSC on the way home and am happy to report that despite being in my sports attire, I was accepted warmly in the shops – and even ended up spending. No complaints and no regrets, I think I got very good bargains from the two stores I visited. It rained as I walked home so I was glad of the brolly. Again, I must have made a sight - in my sports attire, walking briskly at almost 8 pm in the rain with my brolly.

Three more weeks to Christmas and most of the shopping centres are already decked out in elegant Christmas decorations. I don’t celebrate and yet I am in the mood to shop (am I ever not in the mood?!) and envisage and look forward to more (window) shopping days ahead: I definitely need to buy a camera pronto. I’ve been borrowing from a mate for the past two trips and it’s getting embarrassing having to keep borrowing. Dragged myself to a nearby ‘mall’ lunchtime yesterday to browse and plan to check out another plaza in BB on Saturday. The thing about purchasing gadgets in the city is it’s better to pay in cash as credit card transactions cost about 2% more. And I’m not one keen to pay an extra amount if it can be obtained for less.

Three more weeks to Christmas and today I feel like a stuffed turkey, like a non-stop eating machine. Had some lovely laksa and durian cake this morning (yum!) despite knowing a scrumptious lunch was waiting, courtesy of my lovely Peach. Thanks love.

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Well, we got knocked out of the Mickey Mouse cup. No surprises there. Hey, Chelshit lost too. C’mon Arsenal, let’s pick ourselves up and start scoring again. We must stop dwelling on the past, learn from them, yes, but move on in our battle. And oh, will there be a Ruud awakening? Golly. Ian Wright seems to think so. Good move or bad? In the meantime, anyone else wants a tattoo removal? (Beckham comes to mind!)

Macau, A Gambling Mecca

Wednesday, 25 November 2009

The event I had been slaving over for the past few weeks finally concluded on Tuesday and not a day too soon. I had bought flight tickets some months earlier, departing 24 hours after the event conclusion. Met up with my parents at KL Sentral and after prayers and lunch, we boarded the bus to LCCT. There were a lot of people at the terminal when we arrived and the terminal was shrouded in darkness: yes, there was a power failure and we had to wait for more than 20 minutes before power was restored and we could proceed with check-in. We went directly to the gate – can anyone explain the rationale of going up one level to go through immigration/autogate only to descend again?!

After 3.5 hours of a cramped flight, we landed at Macau International Airport. I dare say we were the only non-Chinese non-Caucasian passengers on the plane. The immigration process was painfully slow, slow, slow and we also had to go through a H1N1 check (how can filling up a form prevent/control this pandemic? As it happened, I was coughing and having a cold last week, which I duly declared but no one stopped me. Surely a body scan would have been more effective and efficient?

We took a waiting shuttle bus to the Venetian Macau (the place is magnificent!) and from there, changed shuttle bus at the West Lobby for the Terminal Maritimo (Macau Ferry Terminal). It’s possible to travel for free in Macau by just hopping on and off the complimentary shuttle buses operated by major hotels and casinos. The starting and ending point is the Ferry Terminal. Our hotel also provides shuttle to/fro the Ferry Terminal and the plan was to catch the 2155 shuttle but alas, we couldn’t locate it or rather, we didn’t know where its stop was and not many locals speak English so we cabbed it to the hotel. Hotel rooms don’t come cheap in Macau and weekend rates (Friday and Saturday) cost a lot more – a lot of people from Hong Kong travel in during weekends to gamble. Expect to pay more for Friday/Saturday stay, for rooms with more than double occupancy and for breakfast. Just like in Hong Kong, not all hotels provide breakfast. Our room was lovely (even the bathroom was lovely) and should be so; it was a five-star hotel (I was travelling with my parents you see) and I paid a considerable sum for our room.

Thursday, 26 November 2009

A grey, overcast start to the day. Went out after breakfast. Macau is a bit hilly and before long, Abah was already tired so I suggested that he and Mummy take the hotel shuttle to New Yaohan departmental store instead. I was more keen to explore the World Heritage city.

I walked to Ruínas de São Paulo (Ruins of St. Paul’s) where I spent some time, then it was a quick pop to the Museu de Macau (Macau Museum) before checking out Fortaleza do Monte (Mount Fortress). On the other side of St Paul’s are Na Tcha Temple and section of the old city walls. After checking out some oil paintings and buying some souvenirs, I then continued on to Largo do Senado (Senado Square) – unfortunately some buildings in the square were undergoing repairs (or being beautified for the Christmas celebration?) – before crossing Avenida Alemeida Ribeiro to Edificio do leal Senado (Leal Senado Building).

Next I climbed up the hill (did I mention that Macau is pretty hilly?) to Largo de Santo Agostinho (St Augustine's Square) - Biblioteca Sir Robert Ho Tung (Sir Robert Ho Tung Library), St Augustine’s Church and Teatro Dom Pedro V (Dom Pedro v Theatre) were all here. I continued on to Casa do Mandarim (Mandarin’s House) – unfortunately closed for renovation, Largo de Lilau (Lilau Square) and on to Quartel dos Mouros (Moorish Barracks). Then I retraced my steps and emerged at the Headquarters of the Macau SAR Government which faces Lagos de Nam Van (Nam Van Lake).

After a light lunch, I walked along Avenida da Praia Grande admiring the waterfront casinos. I walked as far out until I reached Torre de Macau (Macau Tower) - I actually saw one person who already made his bungee jump! – then retraced my steps back to Avenida Almeida Ribeiro. After that, I walked to Wynn Hotel and Casino where I caught a shuttle bus to the Ferry Terminal and from there, caught the hotel shuttle back.

We took the hotel shuttle to Starworld Hotel and from there walked to Avenida Dr. Sun Yat Sen where we had dinner at Taste of India, a halal eatery.

Friday, 27 November 2009/Eid ul-Adha

The day started bright and sunny. After breakfast, we took the hotel shuttle to Hotel Lisboa and from there, walked the few blocks to Largo do Senado (because my parents had to yet to visit the area) and Ruínas de São Paulo. Then we walked to New Yaohan departmental store (I know my mum so well) and stayed for lunch at the food arcade. After lunch, we walked to Wynn Hotel and Casino and took a shuttle bus to the Border Gate. From there, we walked the few block to the Red Market – which turned out to be a wet market. Mummy and Abah took a cab back to the hotel while I continued on by foot. I walked until I found Mesquita (Islamic Mosque and Cemetary) – it really was tiny and small. Then I walked along the reservatorio (reservoir) to the Ferry Terminal and caught a shuttle back to the hotel. From there, I walked up Guia Hill to Fortaleza da Guia (Guia Fortress). The Fortress along with the Guia Chapel and Guia Lighthouse are symbols of Macau’s maritime, military and missionary past. Finally, I trudged back to the hotel but went out to explore the neighbourhood after evening prayers (can’t help wondering why there are so many shops selling wedding gowns in the area).

Saturday, 28 November 2009

Alas, our last day in Macau. We left for the airport at 8.30 and it was only a 13-minute ride to the airport. I was surprised to see the queue at the check-in counters (airport tax was already included in the ticket price, yeay). We went in immediately after checking in and I was happy to note there were a few shops worth browsing (but expensive. Why oh why do they call it duty-free when things sold are more expensive than at high street stores?!). we took off about 15 minutes late but still landed in time. Oh another thing I hate about flying AirAsia – the leg-space is so small and I kept getting poked by the person next to me.

I love Macau. It’s charmingly compact and if not for the local Macanese, you’d feel like you’re in Europe with all the Portuguese names and big casinos. Very pleasant indeed and visiting in November is really lovely. It doesn’t rain in winter, I was told. The summer months are the wettest months so if you plan to go, plan your journey. And don’t forget the weekend hotel surcharge and that Macau annually hosts the Grand Prix in November and hotel rates skyrocket then too.

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Well, we lost to Chelshit. What’s The Frequency, Kenneth? Some news from van Persie (and not optimistic news) and an interview with the Captain are all that can make my day now. Anyway, I reckon five wins and two losses are much better than seven draws (Man Sh*tty). Not that a loss is in any way acceptable. But I’d rather lose any day with Arsenal than win with Chelshit or ManUre. Come on Arsenal.

Bitter Sweet

Cesc and Arsenal celebrated his first anniversary of captaincy yesterday with a win over Standard Liege. There was some bloody drama too as Gallas and Shava engaged in a head clash leaving the former dazed (and he was replaced at half-time) and the latter bloodied. Wenger didn’t have to resort to swear words last night as he did very recently over Walcott’s situation. However, we have now lost Gibbs for six weeks (or is it three months?) at least due to broken metatarsal.

How on earth did that not manage to get into the goal??
Head-clash. Ouch

Bloody, bloody head

Nasri breaks the deadlock

Captain shoots wide

Denilson scores a scorcher

Team celebrates

Cesc had also earlier made my week when he said he’s happier than ever at Arsenal and the he could end his career there. Heck, he might even stay at Arsenal for life. Ti amo, Cesc, ti amo.

I like the following Wenger’s wise words: ‘The reality in life is, ‘Do your job, my friend’. That's the reality. And make sure that never anybody can say, ‘You’re not committed every day in your life for what you’re paid for’.’

Less than a week of November remains. We face Chelshit next.

Short

It was a brief and short weekend. A bright start to Saturday it was and I even thought how spring-like it was that I even abandoned my brolly for a while to enjoy the sun – which we see rarely of these days (no complaints though as I don’t mind the rain).

Saturday also picked up where Friday left off, in terms of shopping – yes, the Year-End Sale (Y.E.S.) started a day earlier for me (there is this big SALE sculpture outside Pavilion KL, near the GUCCI store). Isetan sale is splendid, if the amount I managed to spend so far could justify its splendidness. Yikes. I felt like Becky Bloomwood (the fictional shopping queen) on Saturday.

I was dithering over going to TheOrganisation’s annual dinner this year as I was still having a running nose and coughing. Delia’s call helped me decide but as I had given my card to someone else, I sat at another table with other friends. A fun night was had nevertheless – well, come to think of it, (most of) the food served was good and the MC was good too but the musical sketch left a bitter taste in my mouth. I hated the whole thing – the dialogue, the script, the acting, the singing and dancing. It was painful sitting there wondering when it would end.

We left shortly after 11 pm and I tuned in to the match and was unhappy that we didn’t take what few chances we had. There was a lack of focus and I’d like to think it was because of the international matches. Some players were not at their best and we really looked like we missed Robin.

Sunday was spent at the office %#*)%~@#$^. Towards the end of the long day, I was running a fever and had to pop a paracetamol (which I try not to resort to if I could help it) and go to bed early.

It was a short weekend and I want Batman badly to come and save us (because Robin is injured). Oh, Christian Bale would do very well for me (I have this weakness for dark-haired Caucasian males).

Coming Soon To Theatres Near You

I haven’t been to the flicks for a few months now... well, not since the new footie season kicked off. And movie ticket prices have increased since August, I think, so I’m turning to watching alternatives like DVDs and the TV. Oh well, I’m already forking out an extra RM12 every month for my cable TV package so I might as well utilise it. This doesn’t mean I’m stopping my visits to the movies, just limiting them and turning to alternatives where possible.

Anyway, I am proud to present the new winter flicks... coming soon to screens near you.

An Adek and Arzenwengger Production

The Verminator

The next Sylar of Heroes

The next Indiana Jones

The new James Bond in The Footballer Who Loves Me

Why go to the flicks when there’s football? (I must admit I’m quite intrigued with The Box though).

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It’s now safe and legal to put out the charity pictures again. Read about it here, go here for more pictures, and here for the video. I love the Armageddon-like slow-walk scene at the end. And at least they didn’t injure themselves in producing the clip. Heh.

In other news, Dudú signed a new long-term contract and the club released the status of Gibbs injury – apparently he only bruised his foot, phew. Thank God for that. Wenger is as usual the epitome of optimism (which is good as it helps me be more positive too), saying it could have been a lot worse for RvP and Gibbs. Not sure how RvP’s treatment is progressing though apparently the placenta therapist’s clinic could be shut down by the Serbian health department and the therapist herself has gone missing. Whatever. Just get well very soon, RvP. I’ll be praying for you and the rest.

We face the Black Cats this weekend. Come on you Gunners!

All Bunged Up

Just when I thought it couldn’t possibly get any worse, it has. My nose is all bunged up and I’m coughing worse than a smoker with bronchitis. Surely it can’t get any worse but hey it looks like it can. Yes, I’m feeling very sorry for myself.

Just when I thought it couldn’t possibly get any worse with the Arsenal injury list, well, it has. So now we have Gibbs injured, lasting only 21 minutes in the meaningless friendly U-21 match against Lithuania. He’s the latest to join RvP (see you after the New Year, hon), Denilson, Clichy, Diaby, Vela, Wilshere, Djourou, Fabianski and Walcott and we can have another team of eleven, albeit injured team of course. I don’t know if he’ll follow suit on RvP’s unconventional treatment (and hey he’s not the first and won’t be the last to try out unconventional methods). We’ll just have to wait and see how badly injured Gibbs is. To the rest of the Arsenal, go for the green lights!




And just when I thought there can’t possibly be anymore irritating noise from Barça over Cesc, they came up with more. Surprise, surprise. NOT. This time it was Gerard Pique. Apparently he introduced Cesc as the future player of Barça. What’s The Frequency, Kenneth? What will he be at Barça? Playing at the fringes or warming the bench as had Hleb? Will Barça ever learn and just SHUT UP once and for all, por favor?

The conversation went something like this (thanks Elena):

Piqué: Hi, he’s Cesc Fábregas, the future player of the Barça... How are you in the Arsenal?

Cesc: Good, really good, the Arsenal begun very well in the league and champions... I’m very happy, wrong. I want to be still like now, and no have a lesion (?). ... 5 years without titles is a very long time

Piqué: And your future?

Cesc: I see a very good future, but I don’t watch the future, 2 years or 3. I have a big responsibility in the Arsenal and I want to do it well

Piqué: But you have made very big things at only 22 years old. You are the most important player of the history of the Arsenal and you are only 22... You are the captain.

Cesc: Well I wanna win titles ‘cause 7 seasons without titles is a very long time... No doubt Barça will qualify, and be first of the group.

Piqué: I want to be in the same team with you again, like here in the Selección.

Cesc: Thanks.

I’m just tempted to bung up the next person from Barça to emit similarly irritating noise. And remember, a girl with a bunged up nose can be dangerous. Ha!

To cheer me up, can someone bid me Cesc’s poppy jersey por favor? Muchas gracias. Oh, flowers will do too. Cheers.

Seriously, the less time he spends with his national squad the better. And the less international matches there are, the better it is for the Arsenal