3 points grind

Last-minute man Carlos does it again !

Man Utd returns to Premiership action with a trip to the Britannia Stadium to face off with Stoke City. Although Stoke was mauled 5-0 at Old Trafford, United knew that playing away would be a different story. Previous team have found it suffocating to play against Stoke at their own turf. There was also a question whether the Man Utd squad was fatigued after the trip to Japan. It was not good news for Fergie at the start when Ferdinand and Berbatov had to pull out last minute. So, Evans replaces Rio while Tevez would start at the first eleven.

The match was intense with lots of competitive challenges and tackles. Rooney and Ronaldo were very very fortunate not to get dismissed for some really uncalled for situations. Rooney was seen trying to attempt to elbow while Ronaldo attempted to kick out at his opponent in frustration. Apparently nothing happened to them coz the referee didn't see it. The match was held in a deadlock for over 80 minutes or so. Both goalkeepers performed well in keeping out the shots. Fergie boldly replaced John O'Shea with Berbatov in the 64th minute, putting Giggs at left back while Rooney takes the right wing and Ronaldo on the left.

Stoke had the worse moment in having a man reduced when Wilkinson was dismissed for his second yellow card offence in the 72nd minute. With a numerical advantage, they should really go for a kill but it was not until the 83rd minute that Fergie's bold substitution produces the fruits. Berbatov latched onto Neville's cross. He appeared to lost his balance but once again, his brilliant technique gave him enough time to drift a ball across to Tevez to smash it at point blank. It was a relief for the team as they only need to hold on to that lead for another 10 minutes and the three points would be theirs. At the end of the whistle, it was a hard-earned 3 points in the bank thanks to Carlos, who saved United at the most crucial moment once again.

Anyways, one hilarious thing that happened in the match was that Ricardo Fuller kept dropping his boots coz they were not tied properly. He had to go to the sidelines and tie them like a little boy!..haha..the first time that happened was quite embarrassing. He was charging down at the United box when one of his boots flew away. As he wanna cut in, he slipped and tumbled down like a clown much to the delight of Evans who scooped up the ball and clear it away..lol. Well, if it's one time that the boots flew out, it's forgivable. But three times?? Lmao...

Infested Orchard Rd

Yesterday I went for a meal with TG at Orchard Rd and gosh..the whole place is crawling with people even in early afternoon! Walking outside at the pavements is a squeeze and the congestion is compounded with construction cranes and materials that are building new shopping centers in the area. There are crowds everywhere and this was probably the busiest I've ever seen on Orchard Rd. Hmm..I bought the Ting Tings' CD album at HMV, and I think it's quite worth it for the S$21 coz it comes with a bonus DVD which includes interviews, the music videos of the singles and best of all, the acoustic tracks!

It was particularly irritating in the MRT when I wanna top up my EZ link card. Apparently, that was the worst time to do it at Orchard MRT. They have about 7 machines servicing and each of them had like at least 7 people or so queuing. The crowded area gets on your nerves when the folks in front take their time to fumble their pockets for the single trip ticket. Oh man, get an ez link card and just top it up!..lol..

For today, I managed to clear a couple of stuffs in my room and I'm pretty pleased with that..haha. Only a few more days left before I return back to Malaysia :)

Merry Christmas!

Ahhh..I just came back from a Christmas dinner courtesy of one my mama's classmates from convent Taiping. I felt bloated now coz I went for two servings of lasagna..haha. The food was great, especially the clam chowder soup and there's great wine too. It's always nice to have a Christmas dinner invitation..hehe.

It's kinda strange in this holiday season that almost everyone that I meet commented that I've become thinner after studying in Inti. It's like a common comment everywhere I go. One of my aunts even thought that I do my law studies until I neglect my food! Haha..pretty weird coz I thought that all those mamak food and supper nights in Nilai would make me go bloated. =p

Looks like the holidays are coming soon to a close. The holidays for this time are slightly extended to 5th January since 1st Jan fell on a Thursday. I still haven't even type one word for my two thesis papers and this last-minute guy is as usual asking for it..haha. Anyways, have a blessed Christmas everyone!

Nice turn of results

Rio and the lads are gleeing with delight to be crowned World Club Champions

Since I've been off the computer for the past 3 weeks, I haven't had time to comment on all the footie action going on..haha. Hmm..let's recap back some of the previous weeks actions. Man Utd had been most fortunate to slog out a 1-0 win over Sunderland weeks ago when it was touted before hand that they would rampage. And just last week, Man Utd failed to capitalise on slip ups by Liverpool and Arsenal after drawing 0-0 with Spurs. It was not a happy homecoming for Berba at all. At that point, Chelsea could have gone first but their home form has been bizarrely bad recently as they drew with West Ham. Once again, in a week, amazingly all top four did not have favourable results and all were held to a draw. It was a relief for United fans as they would at least have a chance to catch up. On the Cup front, weird defensive stuff as Man Utd conceded 3 against Blackburn and 3 against (gasps!) Gamba Osaka..haha. Nevertheless, Man Utd still emerged triumphant in both matches because they banged in 5 against each of them. =p And with United in the final, they had to work hard in the match after Vidic was sent off. Wayne did the job in firing the goal to win the match and Man Utd are now World Champions too..lol. Grats to the team and hopefully it would be the catalyst for better future Premier League performances.

So, with Man Utd absent from the Premier League last weekend, it was up to the other 3 rivals to put themselves further ahead. The big clash was of course, Arsenal vs. Liverpool at the Emirates. Defeat for the Gooners would put another huge dent to their title chasing aspirations, and with Aston Villa leaping over them, things don't look so good for them. Liverpool on the other hand cannot afford to lose the game as they need to assert their authority at the top. The Gooners had the slight advantage since they are at home and they in general had more bite with their attacking play. It's just that their defence can be really noob at times. Liverpool on the other hand had big problems in attacking play especially with Torres being injured. Robbie Keane still had not being performing up to expectations and the onus is on him to win some fans in the Emirates. Meanwhile, Mr Benitez is in hospital for some kidney stones problem and I wonder how much the phone bill will be with his coaches calling him constantly to update and asking for instructions..lol.

The Gooners drew first blood with van Persie's brilliant spin on the ball to smash it past Pepe Reina. He looked to be tumbling as he latch onto the ball but he maintained excellent balance on his feet to have the chance to take the shot. Liverpool tried to press on for an equaliser with Keane trying to make those offside beating runs. However, the Gooners looked more likely to score the second goal. At the 42nd minute, just before Arsenal could grab a half-time lead, Keane, being former Spurs came on to spoil the party. Agger pumped in a nice long ball forward, Keane spotted the ball, let's it bounce once before using his first touch skills to blast it past Almunia. The Gooner's night was further marred with captain Fabregas out injured at half-time. That's not the only thing as Adebayor got his ass sent off for a second yellow card offence. Mhmmm...actually, I think the sending off was not supposed to be there considering his first yellow card was a little harsh in the first place. But referee Howard Webb was a tough man on that night. He had no qualms flashing a few more yellows for van Persie, Sagna, Lucas and Carragher. With 10 man left and without support for van Persie, the Gooners could only hope to defend to the death, or maybe deliver a sucker punch with counter-attack.

Well, as usual, Liverpool does not display to viciousness to finish up a wounded opponent. They don't look like a team that is gonna stay at the top for long. Even with the advantage, they remain cautious. Ryan Babel was a decent person to send in but he was just there to replace another attacking player instead of a defensive player. In this type of golden opportunities, you have to take the chances to push all you can to get the win. But the next two subs that they put in are laughable and they don't look any nearer in helping the Scousers. El Zhar? David Ngog?? The rest need not to be said..haha. The Scousers are not showing the mentality of league leaders at all. All the draws at Anfield had raised many questions. They are looking more like a bunch of folks at the top by chance purely because the rest of the pack are slipping up too. Definitely NOT scary at all. For the Gooners, what started off well turned sour in the end. And now, Aston Villa has leaped over them to third place, brushing even Man Utd aside, at least for now..hehe.

Ahhhhhh..that leaves Chelsea another chance to capitalise. But nooooooooooo..they squandered that chance badly. They drew 0-0 and even had their captain Terry sent off for a straight red and he may be banned for a further 3 matches. Bwahahahaha..excellent indeed for the Blues and what a stroke of fortune for Man Utd! And I got the latest news just now that Gooner's captain Fabregas would be out for 3 to 4 months, thanks to the tackle by his fellow countryman Xabi Alonso. Mhmmmmmm...I see that the wind directions are favouring the lads at Old Trafford. :)

The Ting Tings

Lol, I first heard of them when Alvin mentioned about them in his Facebook status months ago (coz it had something to do with his surname..lol) I didn't pay attention then because I thought it was some kind of joke from him. Then I saw the Ting Tings advertising at Facebook for their upcoming concert in Singapore. Curious, I went to Youtube to check out and I'm very pleased indeed to discover them!

The Ting Tings is somewhat like Britain's answer to The White Stripes in the US, although they play a different style. Both are essentially two-member bands. Composing of the duo from Manchester, Katie White is the vocals and electric/bass guitarist and Jules De Martino is the drummer. Amazing material from a two-member band...and who says you can't create good band music with just two members?..haha. The White Stripes had been phenomenal with their success and the Ting Tings influence looks to be growing. Their music has been featured in an Ipod commercial, the movie trailer for "Slumdog Millionaire" and FIFA 09.

Like Muse, you either love or hate them. Katie's voice could either sound whiny or creative artsy to some people. Although technically not a rock group, I think the Ting Tings could be classified under the alternative pop-rock and indie label. Dance-punk is quite suitable too because of the constant catchy dance drum beats, although not too many bands fall in that category. They play great naturally on the instruments, with their music laced with some electrico beats and I love some of the electric guitar parts and the drumming. Katie's emo fringe long hair with her electric guitar gives her the rocking chick look..lol. And I wonder why Jules always wear the sunglasses while performing. Reminds me of someone in my university..haha.

Their trademark song is "That's not my name" and the song gives a mixed impression of Gwen Stefani and Avril Lavigne combined together. It's more of a shout-out song with the melodic part at the bridge. Other songs that are pretty cool are "Great DJ" and "Shut up and let me go"(the music video for this is pretty artsy too). Hmm.."Be the one" reminds me a little of the New Wave genre but done in the modern fashion. There's also a guitar solo by Katie in "Fruit Machine". The Ting Tings' musical style offers something refreshing and way to go with some of the stuff that transcends the usual clichéd, just like the German alternative band Wir Sind Helden. In order to get the richness of their audio material (especially the drumming!), it's best to listen their tracks at the audio quality 256kbps to 320kbps. Another thing is that their musical talent is for real. Check out some of their videos in Youtube where they actually could redo their songs into acoustic style, with both Katie and Jules equipped with guitars and their voices only.

Hmm..anyways, I doubt many will know about them in this part of the world. It's a pity that I couldn't take time off to attend their concert in Singapore in Jan 2009. One thing's for sure is that I'll definitely be adding them to my growing favourite list of alternative rock lads from Britain...haha Anyways, if you're feeling a little adventurous, creative and experimental for some new musical tracks in your ears, be sure to check them out :)

FU-YOH! CAN DRIVE LIAO!!

I passed!!! Time to roam the roads! GTA real life! HAHA..bloody awesome...seriously, no decent chap can enjoy life in Malaysia without the automobile skill. =p

The driving test was a kinda funny experience. There's a whooping 150 over people taking the car test. And another 100 for the motorcycle test. It looks like darn busy day for the JPJ folks and the chances look good for them to pick the shortest route for the road driving test. The registration itself took almost about 1.5 hrs. When I took my number, I was number 93..haha.

The first test was going up the hill. This is the easiest test for people to fail. If one fails this part, he/she can forget about taking the remainder two parking test. Even a slight jerk off the line is considered failed. The worse thing that could happen is wrong balancing which results in the whole car jerking backwards..lol. Of course I'm a lil' nervous about it because anything can go wrong. Anyways, thankfully, when it was my turn, everything went well and the car went up and down the hill smoothly. Whew!

Next up is the parallel parking and the three pointer which contained some mumble jumble. I had to go to across to the other side and wait at an area for my turn. My friend from SP is no. 90 and there was this Indian guy who is no. 91. So, after my friend went, I 'm prepared to listen for my number after that Indian guy's number is called. Somewhere along the way, I heard the female JPJ officer calling out "bla..bla..tiga" I didn't move coz 93 couldn't possibly have come before 91 is gone. The JPJ officer repeated again..and then said my name. I was like "shit.." and the annoyed woman gave me a chiding..haha. And I was told to wait for an extra 10 plus people before she would call for my number. Apparently, the Indian guy also missed his number, so the living followed the blind. Ugghh..but anyways, when it was my turn, I did my stuff well, and it was great to see my three pointer parking turning out well too. It's pretty amazing to see how some people could fail the parallel parking..lol.

It was half the relief after finishing passing all 3 of the parking components. Well, at that time, I was thinking that even if I happen to "fail" the driving road test, I would have one less component to worry about if I wanna retake. Time seemed to pass very slowly as by 1pm or so, all the parking stuff were done and everybody were just waiting for the road test. I was hoping that I don't get that female JPJ officer again coz by now she would have man-marked me..haha. When it was my turn, I found out that I possibly have gotten the second worst choice, the fierce, garang looking old fox who was inspecting the motorcycles. Yup, as expected, I got the shortest route for the road test. Ahhhh..he even ask me to drive faster coz he still has to handle loads of other candidates. The ride was smooth going and I managed to return back to the driving school with minimal mistakes. I signed my name at the form and when I checked the results, I was elated to see "Lulus" there! Lalalalala..superb stuff..Uncle Ho was nice enough to deliver my new driving license to my aunt's house yesterday. Primary mission accomplished. It's definitely worth it to trade my supposed attachment time for it. Now, it's time to figure out how to get my vehicle to Nilai..hahahaha.

Update..haha

Lol..of all places to get internet connection, I'm getting it from a hospital in Penang. Since I'm spending the night there, I got long hours of accessing it at least until I return back to my aunt's house tomorrow. For the past two weeks or so, I've being to a couple of driving lessons. I get to learn how to drive on the road finally with all those gear changing and stuff. On the first day of my recontinuation of my lessons, I thought I would start off with the parking business. But nope, I had to do the jalan raya road thing straight away. It scared the shit out of me when I found out that I had to do the the preliminary test on that day as they had to send it to JPJ to be approved to ensure that I can take the driving test on the 16th. I was like, gosh, I haven't even touched a car for 5 months and they already want me on the road! Fortunately, I passed borderline 16/20..whew!

On the next driving lesson, I made a new friend in Sungai Petani. He happens to be a fella who juz finished his SPM and he's waiting to go into MMU. So instead of the boring routine where 1 student sits on the bench while the other drives, each of us get to sit in the front seat of the car while the other drives. While we go though the usual motions, we chatted with each other and we discussed especially on the irritating naik bukit sequence or the going up hill part. Anyways, I'm terribly hoping that I'll passed the test on the 16th since I'll be "inheriting" my mama's car. Mhmmm..I hope I don't have to go through a situation where I had to retake that test in Nilai...lol. I still have two more lessons on Sunday morning and Monday morning before the D-day test on Tuesday. So, dear Lord, please ensure that the brakes don't malfunction halfway and all things go well :)

Alright, can't blog for long now, need to sleep early since it seems that those nurses will be sweeping the floor away in the wee hours in the morning..