Charlie And The Chocolate Factory

In this post, Charlie means Charlie George (he who scored a spectacular 20-yard winner against Liverpool in the FA Cup final – securing Arsenal’s first ever double - and famously celebrated his goal by lying flat on his back with arms aloft. A life size replica is at the Arsenal Museum) and the ‘chocolate factory’ is the Emirates Stadium (where Charlie heads his own stadium tours).

I have mentioned before of my visit to the Emirates Stadium in May and of my stadium Legends Tour. The tour ended at the press room where Charlie entertained questions from those who joined the tour.

Someone asked who he thought should be captain and without hesitation he replied, ‘Cesc.’ ‘Isn’t he too young?’, came the next question. ‘No, he’s alright. Tony Adams was also 21 when he became captain.’

With Charlie George after the Q&A session

And Charlie George also asked (I can’t remember the order of the Q&A session now): ‘Who is the best person Arsenal has signed?’

I was racking my brain when someone answered, ‘Arsène Wenger.’

To which Charlie George replied, ‘That’s right. He’s the best person that Arsenal has signed.’

As I told a Scouser, I’d rather lose with Arsenal than win with ManUre, any time, any day. ABU!!!

By the way, Charlie told us that there is an order as to how jerseys are arranged in the changing room. I can’t quite recall the order unfortunately but I think the goalie’s jersey is placed closest to the door, followed by the captain, the midfielders and the defence (so now that Cesc is the skipper, his jersey may have changed bays). Don’t quote me on the order though as I was too focussed on getting my hands on Fàbregas’ jersey!

~~~~~~~~

Golly, as if the Bangkok protests which prompted closure of their two airports are not enough, Mumbai has now been rocked by shootings.

And in the UK, Woolworths is now set to go under administration.

Chicken Kiev: Second Serving

Arsenal was led by new skipper Cesc as they hosted Dynamo Kiev last night. Ex-skipper Gallas was back and again in the centre of things at the Emirates. He even turned the ball in at one point but was ruled offside.

In the second half, Wenger sent in the pink-booted Bendtner and Wilshire. The latter is now the youngest ever Gunner to play in Europe.

Just as the match looked like it would end in stalemate, Captain Cesc free-kicked a long ball to Bendtner who kept his cool and scored. And seconds later, Olexandr Aliev who earlier pulled an act worthy of an Oscar (rolling around as if in pain before picking himself up with miraculous speed when Kiev regained possession) received a red card for stupidly pushing the referee away at a free-kick.

The Gunners finally slaughtered the chicken kiev to record a familiar scoreline.

BBC Sport Player Rater man of the match on 90 minutes: Arsenal’s Cesc Fàbregas - 7.83 (on 90 minutes).

~~~~~~~~

The US politicians had, towards the end of last week, told the car-makers giants General Motors, Ford and Chrysler to come up with their own recovery plan by 2 December if they want a Government bail-out. Soon after, Citigroup sought emergency funding and was granted a rescue plan. Go here to find out why Citigroup got rescued and not Lehman.

Ahh, if only we get incentive to shop as the Taiwanese do!

~~~~~~~~

I’m sure you’ve seen the new ‘Gucci by Gucci Pour Homme’ ad featuring James Franco (he of the Spiderman fame). I think it was launched as early as August 2008 but apparently it has only hit the Malaysian TV screens. The video clip ad lasts about 30 seconds and Róisín Murphy’s version of Brian Ferry's Slave to Love provides the soundtrack.

This ad follows the ‘Gucci by Gucci’ ad (for women) which featured models Raquel Zimmerman, Natasha Poly and Freja Beha Erichsen with Heart of Glass by Blondie as soundtrack.

I think I prefer the ‘Gucci by Gucci Pour Homme’ ad. How about you?

Captain Fantastic

It’s official. Señor Francesc Fàbregas aka Cesc aka Fabulous Fàbregas has been named yesterday as the new Arsenal captain.

My heart is singing happily now. I’m happy, chuffed, pleased and thrilled.

From the man himself: ‘It is a great honour for me to captain one of the biggest clubs in the world. It is a proud moment. I know it's a big responsibility but together with my team-mates, I know we have the spirit and commitment to get back to winning ways and fulfil our potential.’ And he also told The Sun that his heart and soul is at Arsenal and that he is committed to the club.

All hail the new captain! Captain Fantastic or Captain Fabulous, I’m sure he will do the job beautifully.

Apart from this momentous announcement (and the injury list), it’s business as usual at the training ground.

Makes Me Wonder

The Gentleman was back in the city last week. I only found out about it when I FB-hopped (I mean hopping from one profile page to another). Apparently his mother had a nasty fall at home. Thankfully the helper was around and she was rushed to the hospital. The surgery was successful and she was discharged the following day.

I sent him a text as I climbed into bed and shortly after my mobile phone rang. It was him.

We chatted about our parents, our lives, our respective planned school reunions (and it was then that I found out that non-members to any particular FB group can read the activities and/or messages posted by members of that group; and in shock and with growing horror, I tried to recall all that I’ve written in my group), when he’s due back for good, etc, etc. He’s such a nice, pleasant chap and ever the gentleman. After all that happened (and didn’t), we could still carry out an amicable dialogue in companionable mood. No hard feelings, no grudges, no bitterness. We chatted close to an hour and would have chatted longer had he not run out of airtime.

As we chatted, I wondered why I didn’t just accept his proposal then. Why didn’t I just do it, take the plunge and to hell with the consequences. And while marriage warrants a more thorough thinking through, he does come from a good, respectable family and is a very decent, caring, thoughtful bloke. Sometimes, it still Makes Me Wonder.

Anyway, we are not meant to be. Ever.

~~~~~~~~

Arsenal suffered another defeat on Saturday. I have been just numb with grief and disbelief since.

It Makes Me Wonder how much change they will make to continue fighting. There have been reports of a fabulous Captain Fabulous and frankly, I think it’s an excellent idea.

Because my fabulous Fàbregas is no fibreglass.

Cesc, capitán del Arsenal!

P.S. Monsieur Arsène Wenger, can we please, please, please reinforce our defence? Pronto. Merci beaucoup.

~~~~~~~~

I’m worried about my parents. I remember them to be so big and strong and now they are old and weak with their share of illnesses.

I came upon this forwarded article last week:

‘Have you ever watched your parents as they are asleep? Your father's body once big and strong but now, the big is withered and the strong weakened. Wisps of grey peek out of his hair, wrinkles now ‘scar’ on his forehead and face.’

‘This man works hard every day and would sacrifice anything to make sure his family is provided for and his children get the best education possible.’

‘Or what about your mother, whose soft hands once cuddled and held you close when you were a baby? Now, those hands are dry and rough, bearing evidence of the challenges she faced just for us.’

‘This woman takes care of our daily needs, constantly nagging and scolding us because of her love for us. But sadly, we often misconstrue her love as control and unfairness.’

Let’s make prayers for our parents, whether they are still alive or have departed.

Mumbo Jumbo Hodgepodge

I almost burnt the house down (or blew it up?) on Monday evening. You see, I always refill the kettle with filtered water after boiling and pouring the boiled water into flasks so that I have a ready kettle of water for boiling. But somehow this slipped my mind last Friday. When I came home on Monday, I put the kettle on and left the kitchen to settle my other chores before returning to the kitchen some 15 minutes later. It was only then when I realised I had been warming up an empty kettle all along.

Oh.My.God. Whatever ditsy thing will I do next? Watch this space. (Thank you, God, for saving my life).

~~~~~~~~

I was stumbling in the kitchen in my semi-comatose state yesterday morning when I heard a loud crash boom bang outside which lasted for more than five seconds. An accident, I thought. True enough, I came upon shards and pieces of glasses on my way to the bus-stop and a bumper too (I think). The vehicle must have hit the lamp-post hard, so hard that the lamp-post is now almost uprooted and the edge of the drain next to lamp-post also jutted out from its position. Talk about maximum impact! At the bus-stop was a badly-damaged Honda which had somehow been brought there, facing the oncoming traffic, and a Chinese chap standing next to the car. The highway patrol bike and a tow-truck then came to carry away the debris of the car.

I don’t think the accident caused the extraordinary morning jam that we were later caught in because the accident happened so much earlier. The cabbie took a circuitous route - I was feeling apprehensive as the route was pretty deserted and put away my novel to concentrate on my surroundings but later relaxed when I recognised some of my morning-walk routes and recalled that I had been on the route before some years back.

Well, now at least I know of a fourth route to get to the office.

~~~~~~~~

I watched The Showdown of Champions KL 2008 last night and thoroughly enjoyed it. The players put up entertaining matches. FedEx finally beat Blake in the singles (yeay) then the two teamed up with Björn Borg and John McEnroe respectively (team Europe versus team USA). I was amazed at how fit both Borg and McEnroe were (Borg is 52 and McEnroe is 49), they put me to shame! McEnroe still showed his tantrums, disagreeing with the umpire, much to the delight and amusement of the audience. I was chuckling throughout too.

~~~~~~~~

I’m definitely reverting back to taking my supplements after dinner – I actually threw up this morning (too much info?). Is feeling nauseous and dizzy a consequence of switching to eating my pills in the morning or is it because I’m now eating a different kind of multi-vitamin and my body is trying to flush out the toxic and toxins in my body? Or is it simply because I don’t eat as much at breakfast as I do during dinner and my tummy doesn’t take kindly to digesting those pills after my light breakfast?

Any medical advice/opinion is welcomed and appreciated.

~~~~~~~~

I’m just too lazy to cook these days. I think it’s because I cooked almost daily during Ramadan (and two dishes too!) but gosh Ramadan is definitely over already. OK, I’ve never really looked forward to cooking anyway. I’m amazed with Jamie, he makes cooking look so fun and effortless (but still not fun enough to make me feel enthused). I cook only because I try to eat healthily (yeah, right) but when I’m too lazy to cook, it’s back to those evil instant noodles (they taste so good for something that’s bad for my body). I don’t eat eggs in their form (but I eat cakes and ice-cream that have eggs in their ingredients) otherwise I’d have eggs every night for dinner.

Well, at least I’ve eliminated processed food like burgers and carbonated drinks from my diet.

~~~~~~~~

Two weeks since becoming President-elect and there is still a debate whether Obama is black. He’s a mixed-race, if you ask me, a mongrel just like most of us. (To me, race is not really definite, unlike religion.)

~~~~~~~~

What happened to Baby P is shockingly cruel. It is sad whenever a small, helpless baby/child was assaulted, abused, beaten and tortured to his death like that. Baby P was such a beautiful toddler, I wouldn’t think twice about adopting him. And yet, his parent and guardian didn’t think he deserved to live.

~~~~~~~~

I received a package from my friend, couriered all the way from the East Coast. She actually sent it last week but as I didn’t hear the courier guy, the parcel was re-routed to a post office in PJ. Thankfully I managed to ask for the parcel to be re-routed to my work address.

I was surprised alright at the thoughtfulness and the care that came with the package (thank you, girlfriend!). And to think we hardly ever talked back at school (different class, different house). But somehow, we have grown closer since re-connecting through the e-group. And she’s not the only one: there are a few others who I hardly ever exchanged words with back at school but are now my close buddies.

And sadly, there are also those who I was close to but have now drifted apart from or lost contact with altogether.

Making An Entry Out Of Nothing At All

As the title may suggest, this is a posting of various random topics.

Of late, I have been having light headaches and a strange urge to throw up in the morning. I wonder if they are all due to my taking my pills now in the morning instead of after dinner. I even had a headache and the urge to throw up while watching Quantum of Solace and I even thought, gosh, people might think I was sick of Daniel Craig! And I’m not at all sick of DC – because a blond, blue-eyed Bond is actually a refreshing change. In fact I can’t decide who I like more between the two Brits: Daniel Craig and Christian Bale (DC or CB, how’s that for name initials?).

~~~~~~~~

I was struck by a morbid thought of being dead on Sunday morning (I think my subconscious mind was still thinking over what my friends and I discussed over our late (and prolonged) lunch after the movie on Saturday). And I wondered:

- If someone will mourn for my death
- If anyone will miss me when I’m gone
- If anyone will offer prayers for me when I’m dead
- If anyone will attend my funeral and visit my grave.

Because I know a lot of people who are, and had been, Dying Young.

I think the worst pain for any parent is to outlive his/her child(ren). Parents expect to be survived by their children, not to witness and bear their death. But I sometimes wish that I will die first before my parents because I’m not sure if I can survive life without them. Who’s going to take care of me then (is this a selfish thought?)?

But Abah already had been tested when my half-sister passed away.

~~~~~~~~

I was looking at my small collection of boarding school pictures and golly, I hate how I looked back then. Think Ugly Betty minus the braces.

~~~~~~~~

My mate just told me that she would be relocating to the Big Apple by end of the year so Kenya is off for now (dang it). She has invited me over but as I have been there, I’m not likely to take up on her offer just yet.

Besides the USD and the THB too have appreciated so much over the past few weeks making trips to the US, Thailand and other countries that use these two currencies more expensive. I find it a little puzzling, what with the see-sawing stock markets and street protests in Bangkok earlier, how do these currencies appreciate?

And oh, I dreamt of visiting Kazakhstan (must be because of last night’s edition of The Amazing Race) and Warsaw (?! been there, and been pick-pocketed too) last night.

~~~~~~~~

I don’t want to regret the past and I don’t want to dwell on it. But the ‘long-lost-and-found’ chap’s confession gave me mixed feelings. I now know that he used to have feelings for me, that I wasn’t imagining things and that I wasn’t that off-putting to Malay guys. But I also feel robbed, denied, deprived and cheated of the opportunity to get to know him.

And hence I just couldn’t help thinking about the opportunity loss over the weekend.

The Look

A couple of days ago I received a message from someone I once knew. When I saw the name, I gasped out aloud. This is the chap I met while on orientation programme at the seaside camp in summer way back when. We were in the same team and I remember us exchanging assessing looks. Our paths crossed again when we met after collecting our A Level exam results. He’s a bright, smart and intelligent chap and he then went to study Medicine in Dublin, just like H and the chap I fancied.

We met again when I went to Dublin to visit my friends in spring then in summer of my first year (just before flying back home) and summer of my second year after I came back from backpacking. And we bumped into each other on the (then) compact city of Dublin, at the Malaysia Hall (we hung out, chatted and played Scrabble together) and I even went to his digs in posh Ballsbridge to check out his hi-fi system. He even asked if I wanted to go ice-skating but me, being afraid of making a fool out of myself as I am very capable of doing, refused (when he asked, I immediately had this vision of myself being on the ice unable to move after I fall down). He replied saying he’d hold my hands to ensure I wouldn’t fall. I looked at him and wondered how I was going to tell him that I don’t simply hold hands with guys.

In my early days of Facebook-ing, I did search for him but didn’t find him. I always had this feeling that he may be interested in me then and I wondered what I would have done if he had actually pursued me. Would I have killed off my ‘infatuation’ over that other chap? Perhaps. Would I have said yes to him? Possibly. Would it have worked? Maybe.

Anyway, back to his message: he reminisced about when we first met (saying I didn’t look friendly) and about that summer and the things we did and then asked if I had married. I replied saying that yes, I have been told that I don’t look friendly, that I look aloof even arrogant at times, and no, I’m still not married. He replied that he actually wanted to approach me back then but thought I seemed cold to guys. (So I was right after all, he was interested in me then). I replied saying that to be honest, I thought we could be more than friends then too but I wasn’t going to make the first move. Anyway, we can’t turn the clock back now, can we. And why he was telling me all this now when it’s a bit too late already.

Because he is now married and has opened his own clinic in a major town down south.

He replied saying that he was also feeling a bit inferior about approaching me because I am a city lass and he’s from a rural town. And I was at that boarding school while he was at an MRSM.

I so wanted to weep for what could have been but what good would it be now.

Last night, my mate called me from the holy city of Makkah and I asked if he could talk longer. When he said yes, I told him about the chap and about what could have been. He echoed what I had been telling myself: If it’s not meant to be, it’s not meant to be.

Because some things are just never meant to be.

Thank you for the memories of those summers anyway.

The Connection

This was my FB status early yesterday morning: Adek is happy and pleased with the Arsenal kids for wriggling three past Wigan to book a place in the Carling Cup quarter-finals!

And to my surprise, these are the responses received:

MJ: Me 2!! Dulu I was all 4 MU...but they’re an overrated lot!
Enjoyed d movie Mamma Mia last nite, simply brill! Ramai jugak yg tak watch lagi. Husni gave me a sweet treat at Sweetchat while waiting, heavenly durian pancake!! Rasa not so bad now about not getting a ticket 2 watch d musical next month...Even my filthy rich old convent chin. classmate couldn't get hold of d tickets & refused 2 pay 4 d 1s still available at d time! (This is one kind of writing I have a headache reading. Sorry MJ)

Adek: What?! An ex-MU has finally seen the error of her ways hehe. Three nil to the Arsenal!
Seriously I couldn’t see Mamma Mia on the GSC website. I enjoyed it too. What time did you get back? Too late for me, I’m sure. Oohh, I’m into durian too!

YA: Me too - durian that is :-)

FH: Kuching has lots of durians sekarang. Yg sedap makan terus, yang kurang sedap masuk freezer, it would taste like ice-cream/ sherbet. Yang lagi tak sedap, buat bubur or tempoyak. Kesian YA jauh... (Kuching has lots of durian now. The lovely one can be eaten immediately, anything that doesn’t taste as nice, store them in the fridge, it would taste like ice-cream/ sherbet. Anything that doesn’t taste good at all, turn it into porridge or tempoyak. Poor YA being so far away)

YA: nanti I nak pulun habis2 & also bring back lempok, inshaAllah :-) kat Kuching D24 ke FH? (I will eat to my heart’s content later habis2 & also bring back lempok, inshaAllah :-) Is it D24 in Kuching, FH?)

Adek: Hmmm... how did a status update of Arsenal’s win turn to durian eh? ;) Ohh FH, rub it in, will ya. KL is nearer to Kuching than Makkah but still, it’s not as if we can hop on the plane now, can we? No sign of durian in KL supermarkets sob sob.

Adek: Btw during Ramadan, when everyone was busy buying kuih for iftar, I was busy buying durian mooncake! I still have two in the fridge and some lempok too. Sayang nak makan... (too precious to eat)

YA: Adek, u beli lempok kat mana? Yg best punya? (Adek, where did you buy lempok? The best?)

Adek: I bought it at Pasar Tani near my office but that was during the durian season (they even brought fresh durians but if I bought that, I’d be banned from the office!). I also bought some for the office at Pasar Siti Khadijah in KB when I went there in August. I’m not choosy about durian, D24 or whatever. You want lempok? When are you coming back?

YA: IF u find any good ones yg org Islam buat I nak pesan pls. Adek. Budget up to RM25 but if really excellent then up to RM50. InshaAllah in Msia dec28-jan26 (IF you find any good one made by Muslims, I want to place an order please. Adek. ...)

Adek: I can ask my friend to buy lempok for you (sheI’s a Kelantanese). But she said RM25 is quite a high budget (I can’t remember how much it costs/kg).

YA: Takpe la cos my sons pun studying overseas so they can have some too while in Msia -- only if not too much trouble for u both la (It’s OK because my sons studying overseas ...)

FH: Kuching tak main lah D24. Ours is all durian kampung, hence if you get yang sedap, it’s reallllly sedap. Esp now it’s from Kmpg Pasir Pandak, well known for its taste. We can also get different versions from Serian and other parts of Sarawak, and also from Kalimantan. Tapi time tak ada durian, memang kering kontang tengok je lah org semenanjung berjamu durian dalam newspaper. But this year memang jadik giler, that you have to be careful when you walk at pasar cos takut terjatuh atas durian. (Kuching folks are not into D24. Ours is all durian kampung, hence if you get the delicious ones, it’s reallllly sedap. Esp now it’s from Kmpg Pasir Pandak, well known for its taste. We can also get different versions from Serian and other parts of Sarawak, and also from Kalimantan. But it’s not the durian season, it’s really a durian drought and we just read about people in the Peninsular feasting on durian in the newspapers. But this year it’s been really fruitful, that you have to be careful when you walk at the market for fear of falling on durian.)

Adek: YA, I’ve told my friend. No worries. Was worried you want to bring it all back to Saudi; don’t think it’ll be good to eat heaty stuff there!
FH, Ohhh I’m salivating and drooling already! I think I’m going to have durian hallucination for the next few days now... ;p

FH: AirAsia dah abolish fuel fees mah. Fly over lah. (AirAsia has abolished fuel fees. Just fly over.)

YA: Alhamdulillah. thx Adek. inshaAllah will call u after I land in Msia late dec. please message yr mobile # ya. or u can text me - my number in my profile.
FH, kalu ada rezqi I nk le p S'wak - later2 laa when next durian season ke :-) (FH, if I have rezeki, I want to go to Sarawak – a bit later, maybe in the next durian season :-) )

Adek: YA, no problem. So you want RM25 or RM50 worth of lempok? Berat tu. (That’s heavy) AirAsia is having free seats promo but must bear ultra patient with the website. I still prefer flying MAS.
FH, ye la they have abolished fuel surcharge but there are other factors (leave, lodging) plus I must eat the durian there as I cannot bring it back with on the plane.

FH: Alah....I bawak you beli durian, then makan kat my house. (I bring you to buy durian then we eat at my house. ...) So lodging is covered. You only need to settle the leave.
Durian on the plane? My mom did it, I don’t know how. Maybe because she’s on a wheelchair, they all tak sampai hati nak rampas. But it was frozen, and berbalut suratkhabar tebal to absorb the smell. (Durian on the plane? My mom did it, I don’t know how. Maybe because she’s on a wheelchair, they didn’t have the heart to confiscate. But it was frozen, and wrapped in thick newspapers to absorb the smell.)
My sister pulak was accused of bringing durians padahal her bag absorbed the durian smell from carboot. Berapa kali check in guys tanya dia, ada durian ke? Kalau ada durian, kena keluarkan. (My sister was accused of bringing durians whereas it was her bag which absorbed the durian smell from car-boot. The check in guys asked her numerous times if she had any durian. If there was any durian, she must take it out.)

Adek: Waa... that's generous of you FH! My mum told me the aroma of durian flesh is not as strong as the aroma of the fruit (I haven’t yet tested this on the plane). That reminds me of a friend who brought back tiger prawns fr KK to KL: he survived the flight but because the komuter train back to his place was delayed, the prawns started giving out smell and other commuters were all staring at him... until he got down because he was starting to feel embarassed and he hadn't yet reached his station! Kelakar pulak. (That’s funny somehow).

YA: Adek, whatever amount yg tak menyusahkan pls -- tak nak la sampai patah blakang plak! If nak bring on air asia then pls include the baggage fee for the lempuk in the budget - all in less than or up to RM50. Thx so much! (Adek, whatever amount that’s not troubling please – don’t want anyone to suffer a backpain! If transporting it by AirAsia then please include the baggage fee for the lempok in the budget - all in less than or up to RM50. Thx so much!)

Adek: I mean, heavy for you la. I’m sure you want to borong (buy) lots of stuff to bring back there too, right. I'll ask how much RM25 and RM50 can get you respectively. She won’t charge for transportation, don’t worry!

YA: OK, thx Adek. Don’t worry abt me. Need yr mobile # nanti (later) ya

MA: Wah! Camni boleh buat business ni!!I penah buat lempuk masa kerja kat Jelebu dulu! Kesian org jauh 2 tak dapt makan durian...Cina kat tepi jalan kat sini hari2 tempting us 2 buy durian, but trying hard 2 resist...Only on special occasions je, so we can truly appreciate it!
(Wah! This is worthy of a business venture! I once did lempok while working in Jelebu then! Poor those living far away cannot eat durian… the Chinese sellers by the road here tempt us everyday to buy durian but trying hard to resist...)
I also brought back some lempok fr KB last Aug. But my hosts didn’t buy any durian! Ada 1 type of mango 2 ‘black gold’ or s’thing, yg kulit dia green but d was so fleshy & sweet! It’s 2 die 4... They should have a market like that S.Khadijah 2 kat sini kan? My clinic staff baru masuk & tengah potong buah quinine... Hmmm... Malam ni tkg my sis& her husb.2 that Iranian rest in Ampg Pt.Hmmm...Husni baru dapat bonus.
Kenalah belanja!
(I also brought back some lempok fr KB last Aug. But my hosts didn’t buy any durian! There is one type of mango too ‘black gold’ or s’thing, with green skin but the flesh was so fleshy & sweet! It’s to die for... They should have a market like that S.Khadijah over here eh? My clinic staff just came in and is peeling a quinine... Hmmm... Taking my sis& her husband to that Iranian resto in Ampang Point tonight. Hmmm... Husni just got a bonus so must treat!)
Oh, congrats again 2 d gunners! (I had another headache trying to read this)

YA: haa MA, buat la lempok, i buy fr u, inshaAllah :-) (haa MA, do some lempok and I’ll buy from you, insyaAllah :-) )

Adek: Wow, if there ever is a need for an empirical evidence for the connection between an Arsenal win and durian, this is definitely it! Me thinks it’s about time to update the status. Let’s see if the new one garners as much response ;)

YA: LOL LOL LOL!!!!

~~~~~~~~

Current FB status: Adek can’t wait for tonight’s episode of The Amazing Race Asia. Wonder who will be eliminated next. (Tish & Geoff I hope).

Let’s see how many responses this one will get.

Child’s Play

The kids ran riot again last night. Following their older brethrens’ win over the weekend, the kids were determined not to be outshined. Arsène Wenger did his bit in these economically challenging times to give the supporters two teams to follow instead of one. There was an average age difference of 7.2 years (the kids’ average age was 18.7 years compared to 25.9 of their opponents) but this didn’t seem to matter. Only the overworked Kirkland prevented his side from further humiliation from the kids. Aaron Ramsey, Jack Wilshire, Carlos Vela et al were all part of a clone army of the other team (the first two being likened to Cesc Fàbregas).

Man of the match: Jack Wilshere, age 16.

So Take A Bow, kids. The future is waiting for you.

Red Poppy Weekend

I was feeling a little depressed at the start of the weekend: no available ticket for Mamma Mia save for one Premier seat on any night – according to the guy behind the counter at Tower Records Lot 10 (while I may be prepared to pay for it, it’d mean I’d have to go alone). So unless I can accumulate a total of RM3,000 on charges to my credit card this month, which is the main credit card sponsor for the show, it looks like there is no way that I’d get to watch it here. Boohoo.

I was also rightly worried about Arsenal’s performance of late and we hosted ManUre on Saturday too. What with the injury list (including Adebayor) and the suspension of van Persie, the draws and the defeat in between... it was daunting indeed.

Despite my apprehension and misgiving, I watched the game anyway, with the volume muted, as with the previous Arsenal matches. The red poppies were proudly displayed on the Gunners’ jerseys close to their hearts but were noticeably absent from the Red Devils’ jerseys. The injured Gunners were declared fit and started the game – Almunia (ill); Sagna (ankle); Walcott (shoulder); Silvestre (broken nose); and Gallas (hamstring). Anyway, back to the match: as I flicked on the channel some ten minutes after the match had started, I missed the early ManUre attempts. A couple of misses by Bendtner followed before Nasri coolly slotted in from a Fàbregas free-kick. Cesc also made an attempt and would have added on to Arsenal’s tally had the ball travelled just a few inches more to the right.

The autumn afternoon November Rain tapered off and the autumn sunshine finally struggled through in the second half. Arsenal started the second half with a series of corners and numerous passes before Fàbregas found a space to feed Nasri who kept his cool to slot in his second goal. Arsenal held on until the last few minutes of the match, including a change in our goalie. Then Rafael scored for the visitors to give them some hope.

Six additional minutes were added on (I’ve never heard of such long additional time before). And those six were among the longest six minutes of my life. As Hamilton put it when he was lapping the Brazilian Grand Prix, my heart was in my mouth. I couldn’t sit still. I stood up, and paced around. Could the Gunners hold on this time to their lead or will it be another Spuds nightmare all over again?

And finally the whistle was blown. And we had beaten the defending champions also the European champions and hopefully put the last ten difficult days behind us.

Oh, and one more thing: the gelled hair-look is definitely back again, thankfully.

Turkish Delight: Second Taste

Not so sweet this time. Chances were squandered while the injury list grows. And we host ManUre this weekend.

Scary indeed.

~~~~~~~~

Americans voted for change and Barack Obama will be the first mixed race President of the US (and the first Democratic President from the north) Obama won 63.24 million votes and that was more that the total of any other presidential history. I listened to some of his victory speech and was mesmerised and captivated. He delivered the speech (and indeed his campaign) eloquently, confidently, and charmingly. He was able to transfix the audience, so powerful and commanding was his presence and so strong was his speech. Celebrations were held across the globe from Chicago to Paris to Kenya to Obama in Japan.

I was in Florida on a holiday when they held the recount two elections ago. As we know, the Supreme Court ruled for the recount to be stopped, Bush got the majority votes and the rest is history. But in this election, Florida has turned blue.

Obama would inherit an economy almost in recession (if not already there) and other legacies of his predecessor. A little trivia: 20 January has been Inauguration Day in the US since 1937.

Four Minutes

Today, on 4th November 2008, America will vote for its 44th President. Will the majority of the votes go to Democrat candidate Obama or will they go to Republican candidate McCain? Will the Americans be brave and bold enough to set aside skin colour and ethnicity and elect the first mixed race President or will white supremacy continue to rule and the Bradley effect come into play again? Will America vote for a young, energetic, charismatic man in his 40s or will they opt for a septuagenarian (if only because of his skin colour)?

Lewis Hamilton finally broken the colour barrier when he became not only the youngest F1 driver to be world champion on Sunday but also the first non-white driver to do so, granted by the skin of his teeth. To think he could have done it a year earlier (where he lost - again by the skin of his teeth). I like him: to me he’s humble and full of humility - he was raised in a council housing estate after all – and his successes so far has not (yet) made him arrogant.

~~~~~~~~

There are some blogs/writings I don’t like to read:

1. Those with a lot of colloquialism and especially that that corrupt my mother tongue.
2. Those written in the form of text messaging language, e.g. ‘I hv to w8 4 d next 1’. I understand why we type our text that way because we can only type 160 characters in one message; anything exceeding that will be charged as a second text message. But why do that when typing a blog entry? Too lazy?
3. Those with a mixture of sentences written in small and capital letters typed alternately, e.g. ‘I hEaRt YoU’. Does alternately typing between small and capital letters add any value to the blog entry/sentence at all? I find it slows down my typing but maybe I’m just not one to type this way.
4. Those that mix British English and American English together without any qualm and any without inkling of the difference between the two.

~~~~~~~~

I have this unexplainable desire to visit the following countries (in no particular order): Kenya (OK, a friend is posted there for a year); Afghanistan (could it because of the Khaled Hosseini novels that I read or the Afghan treasure I read about?); Russia (despite the recent conflict in South Ossetia); and the ex-Russian states. Those besides Egypt, Turkey, Jordan and a dozen other countries.