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Sunday, July 30, 2006

a dark day

***Updated: Click here for one of the local newspaper report. It's in Chinese. Buzz me if translation is required Here for the English version***

I got this message over my Y! Messenger.

It appeared that a student in my former university had fallen to his death from his apartment. It was not known if it was suicidal or accidental. I saw the photos taken after the incident, which were posted to the forum.

I chose not to reveal the photo here in respect to the deceased.

Let's mourn with a minute's silence.

God bless the soul.

Wednesday, July 26, 2006

2 days on mcs

***updated***

Burning sensation, that was what I felt on Sunday. I felt almost like Fantistic 4's Human Torch. I swear, if I was able to visit doctor that very day, I may have broken the thermo. I left my bed burning with flames whenever I got up. I had never felt so weak before.



Superman nomore, I was like down being hit by kryptonite. I called in sick on Monday. Visited clinic, as a result, I obtained two days of sick leaves, much needed ones. I was diagnosed with the so-called 'Acute Viral Urti'. Can someone explain what it is? It doesn't spell English to me.


ACUTE VIRAL URTI: What's that??? And, yes, have no doubt, my full name is just Allen Ang, period. That's it, no more. Don't ask me why, it's my given name! And, don't blardy ask me for my full name when I have already given you mine! Where am I gonna find extra names for you? Rob one? (I encounter this a lot.)

And the post-effects I had from this illness? Total weight-loss: 4-5kg, in a span of just 2 days! Amazing huh?


**Updated: Someone must have stuck a kryptonite piece in my back, a small fragment could still be inside my body. Fever hits back again. Might need to go for another round of clinic visiting.

Other matters: I was summoned back to office at blardy 3+am, 25 July (it's a Tuesday). There was an emergency to deal with, and I was the chosen one to deal with it. Darn. Blardy hole, I had to equip myself with the best spacesuit available to go out. Only reached home around 5+am, and dozed off around 6+am.

One word: SIGH!

Monday, July 24, 2006

random

Some random photos, taken for the past few weeks. I haven't had the cam with me around lately. Missed out on a lot. Some more, haze surrounds KL like a thick force field. Petronas Twin Towers are merely visible from my place here. Sigh. I'm gonna look for my old archieve, see if I still have pics of what happened a year ago.

Random pics that can project life in KL.

#6 is my favourite number, also number of months I have been with my current employer.

A meal in Kim Gary.

A Ferrari, Modena? I think, spotted in SS2.

Fiery Storm happened in KL/Klang Valley area last Saturday. Too bad I haven't got camera with me yesterday. I saw the aftermath of the storm, it brought down the tiled roof of a car dealer, bringing the whole thing down. Couldn't believe what I saw right in front of my eyes!
If you can notice, that's how KL drivers are like. Snapped this pic while I was trapped in jam.

Petronas Twin Tower, KLCC - a better view in the evening despite the recent haze attack.

The Ferrari and Twin Towers photos credit to my cousin, Steven. He snapped the photos while I was driving!

Saturday, July 22, 2006

which superhero are you?

I came across this thing while browsing some blogs randomly, I think I got it from here. Try it! Hehe..

Note: Emily, the result is not altered or adjusted by means. It came naturally. :P



Your results:
You are Superman

























Superman
75%
Green Lantern
65%
Hulk
60%
The Flash
60%
Robin
57%
Spider-Man
50%
Iron Man
50%
Supergirl
45%
Catwoman
40%
Wonder Woman
35%
Batman
30%
You are mild-mannered, good,
strong and you love to help others.



Click here to take the Superhero Personality Test

Friday, July 21, 2006

july and the z, the zy and the zees part time klia cabbie of july

** updated**
I think I can do this as my part time income, part time cabbie driver. Anyone wants to go airport, just call me at my number. Or give me a buzz! ;-) hehe..




My trip back to Kuching dated on the 24 June 2006. I drove to KLIA - LCCT. I was in Kuching until July.

And since then, my life has been filled up with Z's, Zy's and Zee's. And it's the month of July!

I have not had much of my own time since I returned from Kuching. I have been busy with World Cup, work and my friend and cousin were both here!

In July I have been bz serving as a driver around KL. :P I was a driver not only around the City area, I was even a 'part-time' cab driver! I sent and fetch people to and from the airport!

Let's see the recap of my trip to KLIA in the past month!
24 June - I drove to KLIA-LCCT (to send myself to airport, catching flight to Kuching)
10 July - I sent my friend's mom to KLIA-LCCT
11 July - I fetched my friend from KLIA
15 July - I sent my friend to KLIA
18 July - I fetched my friend from KLIA-LCCT
19 July - I sent my cousin to KLIA.

Dates which most likely I will be going there again!
23 July - Sending friends to KLIA-LCCT.
30 July - Sending mom to KLIA.
10 August - Fetching parents from KLIA-LCCT.
15 August - Sending parents to KLIA-LCCT.

Look at those frequencies! I think I could have easily be voted as visitors with most visit to the airport in the past month! (If you count the staff and taxi drivers out)

Cos the issues I have, the work I have, and the schedules I have had, I have been BZ, lazy and in need of Zzz!

Still no new photos to show! Sigh.

Sunday, July 16, 2006

lack of update

I have not got much updates here lately. I could not managed posting anything lately just because:


  • I was busy, not much time for myself (cos of work & 'appointments');
  • KL was hazy (hence, not much photos to shoot); and
  • I was stressed out.
  • No money (no travelling) *updated

I am very seriously and actively paving my way back home now. Land of Borneo prepare for...

Allen Returns.




A random review:
Since February 2006, I have been to:
  • Langkawi (April 2006)
  • Malacca (May 2006)
  • Batu Cave (May 2006)
  • KL International Motorshow 2006 (May-June 2006)
  • Kuching (June 2006) It's still a trip right? I took a bloody 5 days off just to go home!! Blardy!
Life looks good since I could go places within 4-5 months eh? But still it ain't as good as it seems. Sigh..

Somebody save me, please!

Wednesday, July 12, 2006

something i must continue

I had been carried away lately, by work, and some appointments, and also WorldCup. I left something behind, and I think I should continue with it...

Also, I think I need a proper space to share these photos.. I just can't resist uploading them..
Sorry if it takes up all your bandwidth.

Less words, all pics!

Nissan: SHIFT_the future


Nissan 350Z Fairlady





Nissan Brand Ambassador: Pretty lady.

Nissan Concept SUV.. or MPV.. Sports MPV? Gosh I can't really remember, I'm bad with cars.




NAZA KIA



NAZA Ducati







...and I wonder why I left out Nissan Murano, it was one of my favourite cars. Hmm..

Monday, July 10, 2006

world cup 2006 > euro 2006 > food-ball 2006

And... it's won by Italian Pizzas!

World Cup 2006, Euro 2006 and Food Ball 2006, this is how the 2006 edition of FIFA World Cup had become. By the time I wrote this entry, the Pizzas had edged out the 1998 Champion in penalty shoot-out.

Before going into the Final moment in Berlin, we'll review how the final-four were lined up in 2006.

3rd/4th Placing
Portugese Tarts

vs
German Beer


The Final
Italian Pizzas

vs
French Fries/Toast


Yeah, it's all food affair now after how the World Cup 2006 had started. World Cup as the world's most prestigious tournament, had gathered the World's 32 best teams in Germany for the once-every-four-year tournament. After group stage, last 16 and quarter-finals, the tournament had drawn to the last four.

This is where it should be re-labelled as Euro 2006. It's an all-European affair! French, German, Portugese and Italians! It was really saddening NOT to see a single South American team in the final four. It surely lacked spices of football there. (There was a little pinch of South American flavor in the final four.)

Portugese Tarts have Scolari, 2002 Champion with Brazil, and Deco, a Brazillian-born playmaker who managed to obtain a Portugese nationality. But it was enough.



The Portugese Tarts were tamed by German's Tiger Beer. Bastian Schweinsteiger (pronounced as S-ch-wines-tiger) had the match of his young career to steer his home nation to a 3-1 victory over the Tarts. The Tiger Beer scored 1st and 3rd goal for German Beer, while having his hand on the 2nd goal. His free-kick was deflected by Portugese defense, resulting Germans' second goal.

Tiger Beer was later named man-of-the-match. No doubt about that.

Portugese Tarts have two players retiring from football, or international football at least after this tournament - iconic Figo and striker Pauleta. German Beer will bid farewell for long-serving Oliver Khan.

Moving to the final in Berlin, the Italian Pizza and French Toast/Fries affair has much more food issue here.

Let's just have a look at both team's lineup.

Italian Pizzas:
1 - Gianluigi Buffet (Buffon)
5 - Fabio Cannavaro
3 - Fabio Grosso
23 - Marco Macaroni (Materazzi)
19 - Gianluca Zambrotta
16 - Mauro German Camoranesi
8 - Gennaro Gattuso
20 - Simone Perrotta
21 - Andrea Pirlo
10 - Francesco Totti
9 - Luca Toni

Subs:
14 - Marco Amelia
12 - Angelo Peruzzi
6 - Andrea Barzagli
13 - Alessandro Nestum (Nesta)
22 - Massimo Oddo
2 - Cristian Zaccardo
17 - Simone Barone
4 - Daniel De Rossi
7 - Alessandro Del Piero
11 - Alberto Gilardino
15 - Vincenzo Iaquinta
18 - Filippo Inzaghi

The French Fries/Toasts:
16 - Fabien Butter (Barthez)
3 - Eric Adabi (Abidal) *Adabi is a Malaysian local food brand.
5 - William Gallas
19 - Willy Sagnol
15 - Lillian Thuram
6 - Claude MyCurry (Makelele)
7 - Florent Malouda
4 - Patrick Viagra (Viera)
10 - Zinedine JiDan 鸡蛋 (Zindane) *JiDan is egg in Mandarin.
12 - Thiery Henry
22 - Franck Ribena (Ribery)

Subs:
23 - Gregory Coupet
1 - Mickeal Landreau
2 - Jean Alain Boumsong
21 - Pascal Chimbonda
17 - Gael Givet
13 - Mikael Silvestre
8 - Vikash Dhorasso
9 - Sidney Govou
20 - David Trazeguet
11 - Sylvian Wiltord

See? You have loads of food linked in football right? Hence it should be foodball!

Short recap on the final game which the Italian Pizzas came on top. Zidane gave the French the lead with 9th minute penalty, and Macaroni Materazzi equalized on the 19th minute. The match was brought into extra time, and that is where Zidane was dismissed for red card offense (He head-butted (Shaolin Iron Head) Materazzi. Deadlock was not broken, so the game was brought to penalty shoot-out.

The Pizza boys scored a perfect 5 out of 5, and thanks to Trazeguet's miss, they went on to win the FIFA World Cup. So, it's a French Kiss Goodbye to France and Zidane, whom latter had a shameful way to bring the curtain down to his fabalous career. It was total disappointment to see it ended this way.



But I am happy to see this ending. France broke my heart twice - 1998 and 2006.

Viva Italia - The now 4 time winners of World Cup.



Credit: This entry is inspired by my friend, Louis. Hehe, the Pizzas won!.

Some of the photos are 'borrowed' from the Internet, as I lacked resource to produce the visual presentation for the entry. The soccer photos are of properties and copyrights of Soccernet.com.

Sunday, July 02, 2006

when i was in kuching..

Short Note: I gained 4-5kg over the one-week-stay in Kuching. -.-" Tsk.. tsk.. not doing me good on that..



Birthday Dinner @ Kim Gary
My ex-housemate was generous to give me a treat at Kim Gary on my birhtday (which happened 2 weeks ago, before I set off to Kuching with AirAsia - Now everyone can cry fly!). In return, I gave her a treat to Pixar's latest hit movie - Cars. Car's a nice show! Its running time is about 2 hours long.

As for the dinner, we tried the steak with rice and spaghetti. It was just okay. Now, I prefer other HongKee style restaurant. Drawback for Kim Gary is that they don't have item photos in their menu. As customers, I really have no idea what I am ordering.

Regardles, a big thank you to my dear ex-housemate! Cheers!





Meanwhile, back in Kuching...

A Visit To Bla Bla Bla...
I spent one of the nites meeting up with ex-classmates in Kuching. One of them had returned from U.K. She wanted to visit some interesting cafes/outlets in Kuching after having to read so much about them on the blogs over the internet.

Bla Bla Bla.. : The interior (Ground Floor)





So, Bla Bla Bla.. was the choice of destination. It was not my first time visiting, however, it was my first visit to the ground floor area. During my previous visits, I was led to the upper floors only. So, it's somewhat new for me. My priority for this trip back home was not to do reviews and shooting photos. I just wanted to spend quality times with my friends and family. So, there wasn't much photos to show. Pardon me for that.

Cameo Appearance by my UK-based Buddy ;-)





Love of My Life
Also, I managed to meet up with the love of my life. No, it wasn't any girl, and surely it wasn't just this pair of Nike. I grew up having so much influenced by cousin bro, and friends, and they had injected this passion to me as well. I just love playing the game.

I personally love just any sports, but I only play basketball more. I love watching soccer, or footie, but I have never ever kicked a football (competitively, or a game) before. Basketball was just my life.



During my varsity days, I could almost play it every evening. However...



Since moving to KL, my fitness was taken away from me, by the hectic schedule and lifestyle here. I barely get to play already. Sad.



Nevertheless, I still managed to play for two days back in Kuching. AND, I shone well on the second day. It simply gave me the ultimate satisfaction.



I felt like I could fly again..

Decisions are clearer now. I shall architect my way to find a new base at home now. Let's just pray for the best now.

Just do it.

it's all over

It's all over for the pre-tournament favourites tonite.

Following the fall of Argentina and England, Brazil just fell from the grace. They were beaten by the 1998 champion France by a goal. So, it will be all European line up for the Semi Finals: Germany vs Italy, and Portugal vs France.

For England, Rooney couldn't shine as the saviour; while for Brazil, Ronaldinho was never a wizard throughout the tournament. Miracle never happened for the two giants.

The current semi finals line up is not even close to what I predicted. There is no choice, but to renew the prediction.

2006 Final will have Germany against Portugal. Winner: Germany (I don't really wish them to be the champ).

disheartened england

A week has gone by, and I am back to the West. It has been quiet here since the past week. I am just back from an entertaining, yet disheartening football game - England vs Portugal.

For any football fans, who know the background of this matchup, it is not just about England vs Portugal. It is also about Sven Goran Eriksson vs Scolari. Since World Cup 2002 in Korea-Japan, Sven's England have met Scolari's men three including tonight's game. Scolari have had the upper hand in the duels, masterminding 2002 Brazil's journey to the World Cup title; and also 2004 Portugal's run in to the Final.

Scolari's men edged out Sven's Englishmen 2-0 in World Cup 2002, while holding on to victory after penalty shootout in Euro 2004. As for today's hot point, it still stirs around Sven's matchup against Scolari, as well as England's championship credentials since their title winning campaign in 1966.

With their current lineup, there are little doubts why global citizens have put high hope on the Three Lions. Despite that, England have had a shaky start to this year's campaign. Although remained unbeaten 4 games in this year's tournament (before today's match), England's victories had been far from convincing. England 1 - 0 Paraguay, England 2 - 0 Trinidad & Tobago, England 2 - 2 Sweden, England 1 - 0 Ecuador.

Nevertheless, they are now in the quarter-finals against Scolari's men. From the start of the whistle, the game kicked off with style and tempo. Both teams are pushing for the opening goal, and that spelt interesting game flow.

Exciting it has been for the first 45 minutes. Despite lack of shots on goal, the game didn't really bore at all. Rooney played up front alone again, but this time. The game was much, much livelier compared to the previous encounters. England and Portugal shared posessions equally towards the end of first half.

With the first half looked promising, England seemed to be on their way to end their jinx in major tournament until the 51st minute. England skipper - Beckham had to be substituted due to injury. Just before Becks came off, England had a penalty claim turned down by referee after Nuno Valente handled the ball in the penalty box. It was unjust for England. That was not it yet.

Beckham's replacement Aaron Lennon could have won another penalty for England, but the Argentine referee didn't agree on that. Play on, he said.

England's road to glory took another big blow on the hour mark when Wayne Rooney was given a red card for pushing Cristiano Ronaldo. This was not what it should have been. Prior to the incident, Rooney was being fouled by Portugese defender - Ricardo Carvalho, (I think he was the one who 'caused' Rooney to have the injury during Manchester United's 3 - 0 lost against Chelsea) he was pulling Rooney, trying to bring him down. The ref was slow at his whistle and that triggers the fuse between players. Cristiano Ronaldo came over to have a word with the ref in Latin (I assume) as soon as the whistle was blown. Rooney was clearly frustrated with that, and gave his Manchester United club mate a minor shove.

The ref felt that was not right and reached for the red card. That dented England's hope as Rooney was again sent off for his ferocious temperament. Frankly, I thought the red card was too harsh for Rooney boy as a yellow card cautious will be sufficiently justified.

England had to played with 10 men after the hour mark. After losing their lone striker, Sven opted to bring down the creative and efficient Joe Cole for the lanky (yet ineffective) Peter Crouch. (This also may mean England would be playing with another man less - 9 men) I would have hoped for Frank Lampard was the one to be sub out, as he again showed fatigue and was clearly off-form. He was nowhere near the Lampard in Chelsea who won praises from the pundits.

I must say England have won praises after holding Portugal till end of 90 minutes. It was a mountain to climb to play Portugal with just 10 men. They did not just sit back and stay behind the ball throughout the match. They had kept pushing Portugese goal for the winning goal, unfortunately, that never materialized.

So, both team head into extra time. No goals were produced, and we had penalty shootout. Just like the commentator had said, "The English fans had given up hope of winning this match as soon as Rooney was sent off, anything beyond that is a bonus." Bonus it was, penalty shootout was the only realistic chance for England to pull through.

However, having to played with a man down for about an hour is a clear disadvantage for the Englishmen. Fatigued Lampard and Gerrard missed their kicks, while Carragher had his second attempt saved by the outstanding Ricardo. Ronaldo gave the killer blow to England with Portugal's final kick. Some may wonder if he'll be able to play again in England with most of English fans (possibly even Manchester United's fan) to jeer him wherever he kicks the ball.

For me, England's man of the match could easily be Owen Hargreaves. He had been outstanding throughout the match. He played well in the holding position. Especially when Lampard was struggling, Rooney was sent off, he gave England the extra push in the absense of Joe Cole. He was the best player especially after Rooney's sent off. Aaron Lennon was also influencial as soon as he stepped onto the pitch.

It was really disheartening to see England disqualified this way. They fought well. Nevertheless, this is football. The bottom line will always be, Portugal advance, England eliminated.

Bravo, England. Embrace for the new era under Steve McLaren's helm!

Up Next: Brazil vs France (NOW!)
My prediction: Brazil edging France.

Semi-Final matchup (partial prediction):
Germany vs Italy
Brazil vs Portugal

Final:
Brazil vs Germany
Brazil will win their sixth title. I initially predicted all South American final, but that can never be materialized after Argentina undeservingly being eliminated by host Germany.