BPL 2008/2009 – Wigan Athletic vs Manchester United (MU)

Nerve wrecking. That is how I would sum up this midweek game. Although we have lost the grasp of one of the six-trophy-target, five trophies is still a record setting achievement that will forever be etched in the hallways of time; if we make it. Coming in to the game, Wigan Athletic had not won their last five matches but things cannot be taken for granted in the BPL. True enough, Wigan were leading 1-0 at half-time to make it excruciatingly painful for the millions of MU fans worldwide. With two of the biggest trophies at stake within the month of May, an early wrap-up on the BPL trophy would provide more space for MU to prepare for the final showdown of the Champions League with Barcelona.

Down at half-time, Ferguson decided to bring on Tevez to put four deadly goal-scorers (Rooney, Ronaldo, Berbatov and Tevez) upfront and thus effectively pinning the Wigan defense deep in their half. The trailing from behind in this game is not something new to MU this season as they, on three other occasions (against Aston Villa, Tottenham Hotspur and Sunderland), have fought back to turn the result into a win. This reminisces the MU team of 1999 where they won the treble through a series of last minute turnaround winners. The only difference is that this year, it will not be a treble that is targeted but a pentad.

The infusion of Tevez sparked an equalizer, proving that he still wants to be a part of MU. Michael Carrick finished off all hopes from Wigan to just settle for a draw with a fantastic strike. Tevez’s goal in contrast was more audacious and impudent, where he back-heeled the ball into the net to misdirect a helpless Richard Kingson. Fun fact: Did you know that Carrick’s goal at Wigan is the first away goal he has scored in three years at MU?

The goal by Carrick in the 86th minute prevailed and leaves MU now only 1 point from claiming the league title for a 3rd successive year. Only a draw is needed at Arsenal this weekend and all focus can be placed on the clash with Spanish titans, Barcelona.

With all the euphoria and expectations shooting through the veins and arteries of MU fans the world over, it is interesting to note that we celebrate our victory, and not others’ loss. In contrast, when Liverpool won against us in the BPM and thought they were going to progress all the way to the finals of the Champions League, a lot of arrogance was in the air and insults were hurled at MU; fans, players and clubs; through all means possible. This was evidently clear on MSN and Facebook where status/nicks were filled with Liverpool arrogance and insults. Kudos to MU fans for keeping our humility although we are such a great team and focusing on the right thing; celebrating our hard work and not others’ misfortune.

Final score for the day Wigan Athletic 1 - Manchester United 2.

Want A Better Malaysia?

It has been ages since the elections in our country has been over. Yet the political drama does not desist. What began as a noble call for change, has become a pure greed to achieve personal power. So much time, effort and resources are wasted into uncovering dirt of the other side. So much time, effort and resources are wasted to go through every strand of the law to use it against another party. Neither side seems to have lessened the intensity and in certain cases, it has just been heightened.

What has to be commended is the enthusiasm, energy and commitment invested by both sides; albeit for the wrong reasons. If only all of this could be channeled into something more constructive, for the good of the nation. Why not, instead of proving the other party wrong, prove yourself right; right in the sense that you are the right candidate or party to rule. Look at the rate of violent crime that is rising. I am just so disgusted by the manner in which robbery or thefts are committed nowadays. Not only does it seem that the perpetrators have no regard for life, it even seems that they intentionally want to end it (a bit stupid I would say… from a practical economic standpoint, it is better to have your victim survive so you can rob them again… they should read the story about the Golden Goose).

In just 2 days, we have 2 separate incidents in 2 different states in the country where the victim and the unborn baby are killed (click here for the articles => Incident 1, Incident 2). It is easy to blame the police for not doing their job, but if you really honestly evaluate the situation, even if the police stepped things up, the incidences would still happen. It takes the public to do their part to stop crime in its tracks. I have been a victim of a somewhat similar crime before (back in Jan 2007) and I can tell you that instead of people coming out to help, they will shy away and hide until the incident is over. Crime will not happen when police are around; it only happens when the coast is clear.

But imagine this… imagine if all the ability to garner supporters and protestors and huge crowds for “ceramahs”, can be redirected to forming groups of task force that will work hand-in-hand with the police to stop crime. Why not ask the people to support your agenda by asking them to commit to playing their part in society to stop crime when they see it. Imagine this headline in the news, “Party ABC Supporters Stop Snatch Thieves”. Wow! If this article comes up a lot, you definitely have my vote.

Crime is committed by bullies.. they only choose victims that don’t or won’t fight back. But if the people would only stand together and stand up to them, I can assure you that these bullies will not dare to commit their crimes. What better way to prove your political worthiness than by doing something for the “rakyat” instead of bad-mouthing the other side and just trying to uncover dirt. We still understand political campaigns will always be a way of life. But let’s see that only once in every 5 years (more or less) instead of having it non-stop. Please. Please use the influence you have for good, instead of for your own agenda. Who knows… one day… one of the victims might be your own family member.

Want a better Malaysia? Stop the power struggle. Start looking out for each other.

Neopets Is An Adult Game!

Everyone understands the power online advertising. Whether it is through blogs, advert placements, or reviews, the internet is definitely one powerful medium to advertise. Apart from it being powerful, it also enables advertisers to only spend money to advertise to their target market, therefore spending resources efficiently to attract the right group of potential customers.

So………

To all my detractors, NEOPETS IS AN ADULT GAME AND I HAVE PROOF!!! Nah, see who is the banner advertiser here:

SAP!! SAP advertises on Neopets. You think they have not done their market research and simply spend money to advertise to kids? Obviously a huge percentage of people on Neopets are adults!! And highly tech savvy adults too. So yeah, so there to all you detractors out there!

P.S. If you have no clue what SAP is, obviously you are the kid. Maybe you should sign-up for a Neopets account and who knows, you may start to become an adult after spending some time in this site. Hehehehe.

Second Half of Chinese New Year

Yes, it has taken quite some time before I am writing once again on the second half of an eventful CNY. This half was very much focused on food, meeting people and hot babes. So if you think these themes bore you, please refrain from proceeding to read. But if you are going to continue on, proceed at your own risk… or at least make sure you have some food next to you. Hehehe

Bah!! In order for me to be able to write this blog, I had to review the photographs I took. And guess what? I have been affected by my own photos!! I am hungry!! Hahaha… sigh… ok… pause for a moment while I go get a glass of cold chocolate milk. Be right back in 5 minutes. Haha… this is the first time I actually kena myself. Mark must be laughing at me now. Bah!

Again, in the same manner as the first half, there is no chronological order whatsoever and I am just trying to group my thoughts in a more organized manner.

My dad wanted to celebrate his birthday and mine early. We decided to go to the best place in town (currently) to eat Chinese food; Restoran Sea Palace. It was as though we were going to plan for a wedding dinner. We went there a few nights before to test and taste some of the food before ordering. Hahaha. The manager that attended to us was also very professional in not trying to convince us to order as much and as expensive as possible but helped to keep the costs low too. Fantastic restaurant, great food, reasonable prices, trustworthy staff; what more can a customer ask for?

 

 
Tau Mew with Enoki Mushroom, Chiu Phai Mee

So on the actual day itself, both the above were ordered, plus many other stuff. Everything was just so yummy!! Here are some photos from the dinner.

 

 

 

 

 

 

And of course, when a birthday is celebrated, there are gifts. Can’t show you the angpows of course… hehe

 

Remember the bugs from the earlier post? I know they just looked like dots in my previous post so here is a clearer picture of what these nasty pests look like. The one I took a photo of is brown but they are usually green (and stink when you crush them!). I just love my camera… what a lovely shot of the unlovely bug.

So my time in Penang passed very quickly. So quickly that it felt as though I was just standing there and the sun rose and set with a blink of the eye.

 

This year, firecrackers seemed to be much less. Instead, there was a lot of fireworks. Sighs… it is moments like these when I wish for my DSLR to come sooner. But what to do… bought a bed… no more money for DSLR. Just pray lor…

So although I have been having so much food here, it has not been easy to find the food I want for quite a number of occasions. I was just craving for some delicious Curry Mee, but it was so odd that I tried at different locations, a few different days and each time, I failed to have any Curry Mee. What is wrong with Curry Mee sellers in Penang?? And there was one day where I drove from one end of the island to another and could not find any food to buy and eat. I must have gone to at least 8 locations without being able to get the food I wanted. It was most shocking. I ended up at a coffee shop near my apartment that I was so disheartened that I decided to just buy it home to eat.

 
Looking for Pork Satay or Curry Mee or Char Koay Teow… all closed

  
Looking for Curry Mee… closed again!

  
Looking for Curry Mee yet again… but the stall was closed!!

In the end, I had to settle for Hokkien Mee as I had already spent about 1.5 hours driving around in vain. I was pleasantly surprised at the prices of the Hokkien Mee sold here. It was only RM2.30 for a small bowl!! And it wasn’t that small… wow. Quite nice too. I used to cycle or walk here when I was younger and eat from this stall. However during that time, it was his father who was minding the stall. Looks like the younger generation has taken over and good thing the taste is still good.

 

 

So how good was it? I will let the next picture speak for itself.

I have just watched the finals of Greatest American Dog where Travis and Presley won. Very nice show. It showed the bond between owner and dog, and how the owner is responsible for the behaviour of their pets. Here is one dog (and owner) that will definitely not make it into Greatest Penang Dog. Urgh!! Please remind me never to go talk a walk in my parent’s apartment lawn. On a side note, since this post is about hot babes too, check out one of the contestants, Laura. She sure is one hot babe… and her dog is cute too… hehe

 
You have heard of Touch N Go. This is Poo N Go.

I took some photos of some interesting buildings in Penang, including Penang’s first high rise building which was an apartment facing in sea in Gurney Drive. Here is a photo of that oldest high rise standing proud. Funny how apartments are now for poorer people. When this building was first launched, only the ultra-rich were able to afford it. Amazing isn’t it? So is my photo taking skills to be able to pull off such shots while driving… hahaha.

Other “drive-by-shooting” shots…

  
Specialty shop selling only Char Koay Teow

  
Interesting way to carry a baby… personal shade too

  
Want to mess with your enemies? Volunteer to take their PC for repair and get a virus added for only RM35! LOL!

This trip back has been very good. I learnt that Spicy Ramen at Japanese restaurants is excellently yummy. Learnt this when I went out for dinner with my hot babe friend from primary school. After all these years, she still looks awesome, don’t you think?

 

 

And one would think that lightning good things do not strike twice, it did. Daniel and family then had dinner with me too and again, you guessed it right… Spicy Ramen! This was from Nippon Yataimura. This shop even offered spiciness on a scale of 1-10. Wow! Daniel only tried 1 and I told myself I would try at least a 3 and slowly scale up when I get back to KL.

 

This is the good thing about Malaysians as compared to westerners. Westerners usually meet up over a drink. Right? Right? We Malaysians on the other hand, meet up over FOOD!! Hahaha. Here are some other people I met up with over food.

My Godma, Serene, Jimmy and Jeffrey…

 

 

 

The golden aunties of Hai Oan… most of them have worked at this place even before I was born!!

 

 

 

Good friends of my parents… their daughter looks demure and innocent hor? For those of you who like a fiesty woman, she is actually that… don’t let her looks deceive you. She went up to a student twice her size and physically over-powered her. Respect man! Why would she do that? She’s a prefect lar…

Uncle selling the best lorbak in Penang…

 

Uncle selling best chendul in the world… even Phua Chu Kang agrees…

There are so many more events but lazy can’t write it all here. Special treatment for friends; go to my Facebook account for more photos.

At last my trip had to come to an end and I needed to fight sleep on my drive back to KL…

 

First Half of Chinese New Year

I do apologize to all of you out there for the lack of updates. Life has truly been busy and crazy. I guess that is a good sign in times like these when people lose their jobs without rhyme or reason. Yes, I know it has been more than a month since Chinese New Year (CNY) has past but I guess apart from the hectic pace of work, that would have been one of the more memorable moments since my last post.

So I am going to compress 15 days of CNY into 2 posts (pray that I manage to get the second up... haha), thus only the highlights will be mentioned or shown here.

The trip back to Penang was meant to start at 4am. But even without sleep (sien... I seem to be getting into a habit of driving 400km without sleeping the night before), I could not get ready until about 6am. Traffic was horrendous of course by that time with everyone from the length of Peninsular Malaysia down to Singapore, all making their way up to Penang Island. How I wish I had the abilities of Hiro Nakamura (Heroes Season 3, Part 2 is showing!! Woot!!) and could make time stand still. But I guess I have to settle with time warp...

... at least the clock is warped... haha... how on earth did this happen? This is what I found when I entered my bathroom in Penang. Maybe I did manage to stop time a bit.

So what does a Penangite do when they reach Penang? Eat of course! Haha. First there was "Chneh Hu" (directly translated from Hokkien would mean "Green Fish"), otherwise known as Pasembur or awkwardly named by people outside of Penang as Rojak (please lar you people... cannot tell the difference meh?). Here are photos of before, while and after the sauce has been poured... yummy.

Then there was also "Char Koay Teow" (Fried Koay Teow). If you are wondering, yes, at one sitting. Mmm... doesn't it just look so yummy?

And that was lunch. Then after a couple of hours later (and after some shut eye), I found out that my dad had made some tea time snack for me. Mmm... sounds English? Jolly well no, my good mate. This is my kind of snack: steamed flower crabs! Muahaha. It is odd that it is so difficult to find this species of flower crabs in KL. Even if you do find them, they are usually small and not fresh.

By the way, I think my dad is taking up modeling. See his pose for the day... hehe.

Then after another couple of hours, it was dinner time. It was off to Lorong Selamat for one of the better tasting "Char Hor Fun". We arrived rather late and they had run out of "hor fun", but still had plenty of "ee foo mee" which was fine by me as I prefer this anyway. Look at the way they cook the egg together... lovely. So top that up with a glass of "Keat Poh Peng" to make a lovely meal.

So you may think that my night was over... you are so wrong. My dad was game for supper (after dinner finished at around 10pm) so we went to New Lane to get more... *drum roll* "Char Koay Teow"... hahaha. Yeah, I know... nuts... 2 plates of "Char Koay Teow" in the same day. Inspired by Kevin Ku who ate "Char Koay Teow" a few times in a day when he visited Penang until he got sore throat. Haha. In New Lane itself, there are about 5-6 stalls selling "Char Koay Teow" but I prefer the one from this stall best.

 

You will be surprised that I kept up this eating the whole time in Penang and when I got back to KL, I actually lost weight. Haha... I love my "diet plan". Nyek nyek. How I eat so much and still lose weight? Don't eat all lar... share with whoever wants to eat too. And that was just my first day.

So as you can see, if I go on a day-by-day account, it will take forever. Therefore, here are some random fun from the first half of my CNY.

They were expanding the bridge in Penang so it gets congested very often.

Reunion dinner nowadays is steamboat... which is fine by me... but I do miss the "Jiu Hu Char"... anybody wanna cook for me next year?

 

 

Before I proceed, let me remind you this post has no chronological sequence except what you read above.

I have been taking photos for so many years and realized that I never took photos of the view from my apartment. Hmm... I wonder why... oh well, this weird random thought can be squished with the photos I have taken. Like the view?

I also took some other photos from various relatives' house that I visited. Here are some of them

  
Hey!! I can see my car! is that person trying to steal my car?

  
Cool light sharing concept

 

I discovered new talent. I found a male model who models for notebooks. Any of you ladies out there feel like buying the notebook after looking at this photo? Hahaha...

So since we are on the topic of models, let's show some of the involuntary models that I took photos of. Hehe...

 

 

  
My first boss... when I was 12... hehe

 

 

 

  
Shot taken by me while driving... hehe

 

  
Telephone advertisement in the making. which phone company wants to buy this from me?

I stumbled upon some sweets my dad bought from Marks & Spencer. He said it was for himself and for little kids that came. I just grabbed a piece from the small bag and noticed that it was very unique. Decided to take some photos of it...

 

... as I wondered why there was such an odd imprint on the sweet. "Port". Why "port"? As I put it into my mouth, I realized. I picked up the bag of sweets and read the content to confirm my "eureka" moment. It was a bag of alcoholic candy!!! There was brandy, rum, and many others. Of the many that were there, I happened to pick the one that sounded least like alcohol... hahaha. Obviously I warned my parents not to give them to little kids. Don't want drunk kids running around amok in my place... haha.

Penang has gotten funnier. I have come across seriously hilarious stuff that words cannot express... not without the help of pictures...

  
I am sure my photo for a telephone ad is far better than a girl wearing a leaf on her head... hahaha

While in Penang, I also had the opportunity to bump into some politicians. Here is a photo of the state assemblyman, Kenny Teh (Teh Yee Cheu) whom my dad knows personally! Not bad... he still acknowledges and talks to my dad even after he has become someone and does not even want to be called "Yang Berhormat" but just by his name.

On the topic of politicians, I was quite shocked to see Anwar Ibrahim at a ceramah. He looks quite different though.

Hahaha... don't you think this photo makes my dad look like Anwar in a ceramah? Here is a montage of photos for you to compare

Who likes animals? I managed to take some photos of a huge rottweiler while it was having its meal. Cute hor? I brave hor? Haha...

Please DO NOT try this stunt with other rottweilers. They are known to attack anyone that goes near their food. Photos like these can only be take by trained professionals.

Then there was a smaller and less dangerous animal eating...

How to know if the food at a hawker centre is good or not?...

Look at the size of the rats there!

This year was our 10th anniversary reunion after our graduation. Not bad that we are still doing well in numbers after all these years. So fast... 10 years have past... here is a look at some of the changes from the aspect of size, marital status and like tykes.

  
June & Michael

  
Me with the famous singer Jason

  
Han Nee & daughter

  
Daniel, Peggy & Mervyn

  
Shai Im

 
Calvin

Not only has Penang become funny, it has become funky. So much so that even the older generation are catching up. Here are some funky photos of workers and owners in a coffee shop on Macalister Road.

There was something even more freaky. Bugs! Thousands of them! Seriously. Those green tiny bugs that bite you and keep you itching for weeks. They were all over. It was so disgusting and looked like some kind of horror movie. They swarmed round lights and I manage to get some shots of them swarming a light at my place. So many of them also came into the room until I had to use a vacuum to suck them up.

And this post will not be complete without the photos of all the various food I tried.

Last but not least, CNY is about traditions. So in the spirit of keeping up with traditions, here is the photo to crystallize the meaning of CNY tradition. I did not do anything to her this year... whatever food is on her, is her own doing... hehehe.

 

D'OH!!!!

I woke up early today. Really early. 6.10am early. I got out from my house early too. 7.00am early. Braved the traffic congestion and made it to KL by 8.00am. Meeting was at 10am. So had some breakfast at Starbucks. Breakfast was over early. 8.30am early. Turned on my notebook to do some work before the meeting. Looked at my appointment time........

.... that is exactly how I felt. My appointment is actually at 3pm. I was 7 hours early....... what lar Eric...... could have and should have slept more. Oh well.......

Complaints About New EPF Housing Withdrawal Ruling Being Circulated

Blogs and forwarded emails have become an invaluable source of information in our time. In fact, the blogger community event is even comparable nowadays to high profile events once only graced by Datuks, Datins and celebrities (who may already be Datuks and Datins). The people who wields the greatest amount of influence in this generation are not old-fashioned politicians or normal businessmen; it is the people who write blogs like you and me (ok, ok, maybe only me if you are just a reader and not a blogger). What evidence do I have to back this statement?

Look at advertisements these days. More and more money is being spent on advertisements on blogs. I am sure many of you out there who wanted to find out about a product or service before you bought it yourself, have at least read a couple of blogs before you made your decision. I know I do; recently, I had referred to some blogs when getting my jeans altered (found a very professional shop in Subang... will blog about them soon) as well as finding out about a new Japanese restaurant. Heck, even the new Japanese restaurant has its own blog!!

No less powerful are forwarded emails. How many times have I received emails informing about petrol price increase before the television or newspaper or radio officially announced this? Countless times.

Ok, back to blogs. I was invited to a preview screening of Underworld 3: Rise of the Lycans yesterday (thanks Nuffnang!). I could see the non-bloggers stare at us with envy. It was like being at a Hollywood premiere, just minus the formal attire and extra revealing clothing. And even within the blogger community, the best seats were reserved for famous bloggers who I am sure were begged cordially invited to attend (I saw Nicole Tan there! Ish... her seats were definitely better than mine even though I was kiasu enough to be 2nd earliest to collect my tickets. You just wait Nicole, one day I will be more famous than you and get even better seats than you.... you just wait maybe 50-100 years.... haha). Another famous blogger that I was surprised not to see there was Soon Seng. What happened to you? So busy ah?

What has all this got to do with EPF Housing Withdrawal? Well there has been an email that has been circulating around (author unknown) complaining about this. Here is the text from the email (please note that I DID NOT write this but am just showing it to you so you know what I am referring to if you receive it).

Untold secret of EPF 2008, don¢t play play*
I am a first time house buyer.  I went to apply withdrawal for my house after having all completed S&P documents and loan approval.  I went to EPF Georgetown on Nov 6th 2008, all went well and the officer just ask me to wait for the fund, it will take about 2~3 weeks.  I waited happily for 3 weeks but nothing came, I went to EPF office again to check on the status and they informed that the application was REJECTED!  So, I ask WHY?  The officer informed me that the reason shown this house is bought by 2 names and the other person is not related to me.  The officer added that this is a NEW RULING that came out on Nov 5th 2008 (exactly 1 day before my application).  This NEW RULING seems to be unknown to anyone, it is not announced to the public in the papers or news.  I a pplied this on Nov 6th 2008 and the officer should have known this and should have informed me.  If they informed me on the spot, I should be able to rectify the situation.  3 weeks have been wasted for WAITING only and now I may have to waste more money if I were to rectify this issue (changing back to my names, I need to pay the STAMP DUTY again, LAWYER FEE for transfer and bank fees).  I just felt that I have been robbed off my freedom and my own money by our lovable EPF with the UNREASONABLE POLICY. Why should be the joint house buyers be RELATED to buy a house??  I called to EPF KL office and they just said this is the POLICY and nothing can be done.  I ask what provokes to have this NEW RULING, the officer said they have many fraud cases.   My question is WHY WE ARE NOT INFORMED about this kind of fraud cases?  Should the Government help the citizens to become wiser?  Or they thin k we should be wise enough to know about this on our own?  I am really disappointed with EPF, I have filed my appeal and let¢s see how efficient they could be.  If you guys have more untold secret of EPF, kindly share with MALAYSIANS.

In the earlier part, I shared with you about the good part about blogs and forwarded emails. Now let me share with you about the  bad part. Some people have resorted to ONLY reading blogs, forwarded emails, and other unverified sources of information from various websites. They no longer check for themselves to see if there is any truth in what is being said. The email above claims that there was no announcement of this change of rule anywhere at all. I did a quick check on the EPF website and the announcement is actually there (surprise, surprise!). The announcement was in fact published in November 2008 itself. Here is the link explaining it all ==> Myth Debunking Link

And for those of you who are too lazy to check the link (yes, you people whom I have just described in the previous paragraph), the summary of this is that starting November 2008, you are not allowed to withdraw EPF to buy property that is jointly purchased by a person who is not your parent, sibling, spouse or child.

We are all smart people. Let us not just believe every single rumour we hear. Let us do our part to check out information from both official and non-official sources before making any conclusion. If we only take the trouble to do some research and read, I am sure there will be fewer (not none) untold secrets.

BPL 2008/2009 - Bolton Wanderers vs Manchester United (MU)

Wow! It has been some time since this BFP (Blogger Football Pundit) has written a report on an MU match. As MU was busy  putting their structures and team in order, so has this BFP been busy putting his work in order. Anyway, what better time to blog about an MU match again than when MU have moved themselves up to the top of the table. A week ago MU was in 4th place on the table, 8 points behind the league leader. Today, 1 week and 3 league matches later, MU are now top of the table. This should silence critics whom have claimed that Ferguson made an error mid-season to send his team to Asia for an insignificant cup. If you are both a fan of football and magic, this is as good as it gets.

This was a crucial game for MU as they had been lagging behind on games played due to their extensive participation in various matches. This week was the period when they would play enough games to catch up with the top 3 teams. MU started off this grueling week with an excellent devastation of Chelsea with a 3-0 score line. This certainly set the tone for the entire week and boosted morale with the easy demolishment of a title contender. The next was a midweek win against Wigan. Not as impressive but they did the job to churn out a victory.

Today's match at Bolton was definitely no walk in the park. In the past seasons, Bolton have been known to deny MU precious points with their excellent defense. This match was no different with both teams being unable to break the other down.

The first half saw players on both sides making very little mistakes, but were just unable to find the hands of the goalkeeper, what more the back of the net. Maybe it was a lack of concentration or drive, or just pure tactic to conserve their energy for the second half. The only faltering player in the MU side was Anderson who made quite a number of unforced errors. It is always pleasing to see a well oiled MU team playing on the field. The only ugly part of the first half was a vicious attack on Vidic by Makukula. Vidic was the lone last back, and he was facing van der Sar to shield the ball from the charging Makukula. Even after van der Sar had caught the ball, Makukula viciously charged into Vidic, sending him tumbling. It was very generous of the referee to not dish out an immediate red card to Makukula but just gave him a yellow as warning.

By half time, the live commentators were criticizing Berbatov's worth to the MU team. I can understand their gripe when a player of his calibre has only scored 4 goals since his arrival at MU; and 3 of the goals were scored as additional goals, not match deciders. Couple that with Berbatov's lower work rate (as compared to other MU players), doubt will definitely arise to his actual worth to the team. However, Berbatov was never roped in for his work rate, but for his animal instincts to be an opportunist.

The second half was far more lively with both sides "dueling" on both ends of the field. It was a beauty to see continuous play of football with minimal interruption as each side ran at the other, the moment they had possession. Carrick, Ronaldo and Tevez definitely stood out, constantly running at Bolton's defenses mercilessly. It was also good to see that Anderson had also overcome his jitters and was doing much better. The relatively less experienced MU player (Jonathan Evans) was showing a well deserved trust by Ferguson as he certainly defended well, while playing good balls up the field.

At the 69th minute, Ferguson provided a double substitution by bringing in MU's old guard in the form of Giggs and Scholes. This is certainly an interesting way to continue to utilize the experience and abilities of older players, while enabling them to not run out of steam. Fun fact: Did you know that Scholes is almost double the age of some of the players on the field? The move certainly invigorated the team even more with MU looking more sharp on the attack. From afar, you could not tell that it was the old Giggs or Scholes playing as they skipped and twisted and turned past much younger players to provide both support and attack on the Bolton goal.

However no matter what MU threw at Bolton, their keeper was on the mark keeping every shot out. Credit certainly goes to Jaaskelainen for such a display.

How agonizing it was to watch as an MU fan to see this great window of opportunity (to top the table) slowly close before your eyes as the clock ticked on. Onslaught after onslaught was dealt with by the Bolton team and you would have thought that this match would have ended in a stalemate.

But Tevez lived up to this reputation of bull-dog perseverance with an excellent run on the 90th minute. An excellently passed ball by Giggs was picked up by Tevez as two Bolton defenders both converged on Tevez but failed. Running down the right, Tevez just held on to the ball for a moment longer to ensure that the charging Berbatov would not be offside, and then delivered an excellently chipped ball. You could almost see the ball glide through the air in slow motion as anticipation was at its highest peak of all spectators. Berbatov definitely answered his critics with a precise diving header that sent the ball to the left of the net and Jaaskelainen could do nothing but try to parry it away. This of course only skimmed the ball and the stadium broke into a roar as the ball landed into the back of the net. What an excellent goal and full credit goes to both Tevez and Berbatov for such an excellent display of skill and character so late in the game. This certainly brings back memories of 1999 where MU scored during the dying minutes of the game to "magically" change the outcome not only of the game, but the entire season.

Final score for the day Bolton Wanderers 0 - Manchester United 1.

WARNING: Receiving Unsolicited Email (Spam), Can Cause Loss Of Control Of Bladder and Bowels, OR Loss Of Control Of Sexual Restraint

Yes, it is true. This is hot off the press. I just received information this afternoon with regards to this. Only problem is, I am not sure which is the actual effect, or both! Disturbing isn't it? I am definitely disturbed. I mean, we receive so much spam email nowadays; especially me. I think on an average, I must receive AT LEAST 50 spam emails a day. I am so worried now whether I am going to lose control of my bladder/bowels or my sexual restraint. Worst still, have I already lost control?? So worrisome, so worrisome.... what should I do?

Anyone care to help? I am sure if you are online as much as me, you must be starting to worry about this yourself, on whether you will be affected by this. Let me first provide you with the definition of the original word that was used. The word is:
INCONTINENCE

I searched for the original word and this is what it says:

So I then searched for the root word and found this:

So now my fellow readers, let me show you the email I have received with this disturbing information. Hopefully coupled with the above definitions, one of you will be able to tell me for sure whether the effect is either one of the definitions, both, or something else. I am really looking forward to one smart fella out there who can cut through the myth and bring forth the truth to this matter.

Hehehe..... if you still do not get it, read this entire thing again from the beginning.... hehehe

Debt Revivals

It is interesting how the nicest of people can be obstinate and stubborn enough to justify something as perfectly all right, just because they are doing it. Some even dare to quote Bible verses (which are totally way off from their justification) to strengthen their position (more like pacify their own conscience).

I have had a conversation recently with some people with regards to taking loans. The Bible clearly states that if we can trust Him enough, He will give us more than enough and we are the ones who will be giving out loans, not taking them. Taking loans (it is different from financing) indicate a lack of faith (hey, but there is nothing wrong with that as long as we recognize it and strive to grow) or greed (this is a big no-no). Most of those who try to justify their actions and throw incorrect Bible verses at you, are those that are greedy and just want to avoid facing the reality of the truth.

I just read an article from The Star that touches on the topic of consequences of taking loans to buy a home. This is with regards to the homeowners in Bukit Antarabangsa. One would think that because you own a house in a high class area, you must be rich. However a lot of people buy things beyond their means and assume that they can slowly pay back by loan. This article is an example of why we should avoid taking loans unnecessarily; read the article for yourself and see the predicament that some of the residents are in because they took loans to buy their houses and still owe money to the banks. (Click on this link to read the article).

Coincidentally, the article in "Our Journey" also talks on this area (with PROPER AND ACCURATE Biblical references) so I thought it would be a good time for me to give a word of caution to those of you who have not taken loans. Don't be compelled to keep up with your peers and own something that you cannot afford by taking a loan; technically, the bank not only owns what you buy, but owns you too. And for those of you who have already taken loans and are in denial, I hope this serves as an eye opener. The first step you can take is to admit your mistake instead of hiding behind a facade of holiness.

Taken from "Our Journey", 3rd January 2009. Anybody who is interested to subscribe to this quarterly publication (from almost anywhere in the world) please let me know.

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"Just as the rich rule the poor, so the borrower is servant to the lender" - Proverbs 22:7

Also click on the following link for more ==> 2 Kings 4:1-7

A pastor of a US church once said: "You can't serve your Master and MasterCard at the same time." So his congregation began doing something about it. Each month, they had a "debt liquidation revival," where members had their financial debts paid off by other church members.

Those who received help had to be members for a year and were expected to give to future revivals. Along with 1,000 other church members, they cut up their credit cards, and during a revival, members gave until their friends' debts were paid off.

Wow! You might be tempted to find a church like that, strictly for bottom-line reasons. But those revivals were part of a broader strategy to teach members about the dangers of credit card debt. The pastor knew that debt could make people do some desperate things. In 2 Kings 4:1-7, a prophet's widow was desperate because her creditor was coming to take her two sons away as slaves to satisfy her indebtedness. (That makes 20 percent annual interest look downright doable.)

The attitude of the congregation at the church referenced earlier seems like a miracle - just like Elisha's olive-oil gusher for the prophet's widow. For most of us, though, divine intervention is as simple as the lessons in the Bible. God's financial principles can keep us away from irresponsible extravagance.

It's always better to learn prevention than to find a cure. You may be in debt from school or car loans, a mortgage, or credit-card expenses. But learn from the mistakes of others, and don't dig a deeper hole for yourself. Let the Master teach you how to deal with "MasterCard." Rather than being a slave to credit, you will gain a "Visa" to financial freedom. - John Carvalho

more => I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God's power for us who believe Him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated Him in the place of honor at God's right hand in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 1:19-20) 
next => Which traits from 2 Peter 1:5-8 do you need to work on? How is God's power visible in your life?

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Caroling Day 1 - Toilets, Chatter Box, Shoes, Butterfly, Weird Couples, Betting And Much More

Hi there everyone. Yes, I am back... hopefully more often. I am not dead in case any of you are wondering (thank you my friend from Penang who called me just to find out if I was still alive... haha). I was buried under a tonne of work and have been slogging to make sure things remain in sane (though not in perfect) shape on all fronts. I am praying that the worst is over and I would have more time for myself. I have been either doing this or doing that for this corporation, or this organization, or this group, or this person, and not really been doing anything for myself (unlike some people who complain to be busy with no time for anything, yet have time to build abs... what rubbish! Haha). To end this opening summary (is there such a thing???), I would like to thank all those who have been concerned and wished me well, while all of you who have been picking on me for not doing this or that, don't let me start listing what YOU have not done.... you will regret you ever picked on me. Sorry la ya, my good peeps, this post has started off with an 18SG rating as there have been very inconsiderate people lately and I have been holding back my fury; instead been very kind, polite and patient with them.... this is just a subtle warning to them... hehe.

Okie then.... what have I been making myself busy with? Well, one of them is caroling. I have been having week after week of practices and hopefully the toad has changed into a songbird. This year's caroling is one of most haphazard I have been involved in with everything being uncertain and ever changing, lacking any form or consistency. The good thing is, its Christmas!! And the team members are all in high spirits, ignoring all the rubbish that is going on. So I just ended my first day of carols (and my first year of singing in parts!!!... who would have thought I could be a tenor?) and it was really great to be really enjoying ourselves and trying to do our best without the constant "intervention" and "interruption" from certain quarters. So after a great day with my team, here is a summary (yeah, right... since when are Eric's summaries, summaries? hahaha) of my day... from my eyes... hehe.

We have a big team of about 48 people involved. Look at how big our team is. The only thing that keeps me from taking photos of the full team is that everyone keeps going to toilet!!

Can you spot the 3 people holding their necks in the picture above? It must be the "in-thing" to do... maybe I should try that tomorrow... hahaha. Anyways....

The big team was only for singing at places like The Summit USJ and Sunway Resort. At other places, we were divided into 3 groups. My group consisted of 17 people. We gathered in church for a final round of practice and briefing before leaving for our first stop; The Summit USJ. Seeing that so many children were participating this year, we had to ensure the safety of everyone so we chose the 3 meanest thugs.... errm... I mean big strong men.... to be bouncers.

Forgive the middle one... he is a bouncer in training so he has yet to shave his head... hehe. Anyway, these are not the kind of bouncers you would find outside Euphoria or Zuok.... the only thing that they would bounce are things you throw at them I guess... hahaha.

Anyway, our head honcho Donny Tan emphasized on the importance of walking.... so we actually had a round of walking practice.... or is it practice walking? Whichever la... you get it enough la...

So after that, we can't really take Donny seriously....

Hahaha... no lar... not because of that... I guess everyone was just over excited that the day has finally come and poor Donny had a hard time keeping the sheep all together. I always recommend sheep dogs positioned at various corners to snap at the sheeps. Hehehe. So after we felt confident (yeah, right!), we left for our first assignment at The Summit USJ. So what is the First Takeaway Message of the day? "Benjy has an internal pendulum that points either towards total shyness or extreme extrovert-ism". See the various poses of Benjy:-

 

Then just as we got into our cars and were leaving for The Summit USJ, I got Takeaway Message #2: "Women not only cannot tell the difference between left and right, they leave their car boots open while driving". Hahaha... it was so funny.... Irene Lai was driving off with her boot wide open and we thought she was so cool to drive that way. We assumed that she purposely left it open as she wanted to load something in further down the road. But being men, *ahem*, we just stopped her to confirm. To our laughter, she had not even realized the boot was open. Hahaha... pity I just missed taking the evidence of the boot being open and only managed to snap a shot of a sheepish Irene... hehehe.

Although the core event had yet to even officially start, we had yet another incident. Eugene Chaw forgot his shoes... hahaha... imagine performing carols with slippers. I mean we are handsome and beautiful enough to ensure that our audience keeps gazing at our faces, but we would not want to take the risk of anyone having a foot fetish finding out. Haha... poor Eugene had to drive all the way home to get his shoes.

As we arrived at The Summit USJ, I spotted a very odd pair that made me rub my eyes in disbelief....

Was Santa Claus dating a she-devil??? Hahahaha. What on earth? Whoever organized this promotional stint should be re-educated on the vast difference of Santa and a she-devil... or maybe this is their idea of "muhibbah". Hahaha. It was at this moment that Takeaway Message #3 was explained to me: "Q: What do you call St. Nick who dates a she-devil? A: Satan Claus". Hahaha.... very witty... I am not sure who exactly in our team coined that, but my salute to your creativity.

After so much hoo-ha, we were at last about to start our caroling.... but... guess what.... a big group of the girls were missing. Where did they go? To the toilet!!! Hahaha... we were all in position ready to sing and realized a lot of them were missing. How did we realize? Because even our conductress (sounds very much like seductress), Kim Mi, was missing too. Hahaha. How awkward we looked standing there waiting and this group of girls, led by Kim Mi walks out of the toilet.

So we belted our parts for 45 minutes non-stop at 2 different locations at The Summit USJ and were pleased that we did our best, albeit some covertly hidden mistakes. I hope all you shoppers who were there today enjoyed it more than it hurt your ears. We do apologize for one or two "heroes" in our team who thought that they are better than everyone else and sang at their own timing and their own note. The rest of us did work together very well and really tried our best to work as a team. Yay for teamwork!

After that, we were pleasantly surprised when we were informed that the nice owner of Kafe Chatter Box (David) had offered ALL of us dinner at his shop which is located directly opposite GSC (at The Summit USJ la... have you not been following the story? hehe). We were even more shocked that he told us to take whatever we wanted from his food lines. I mean, if he were to just offer each of us a drink and some koay teow or bihun, it would have been very generous of him. But to offer 48 ravenous people anything they want, is a really big thing. Thank you Davide for your kindness, above and beyond.

Here's the shop.... with some posers trying very hard to be in the picture

Here is the kind and generous owner, David

Here is the shy worker (they are very friendly and cheerful) of the shop

One thing I do want to mention is that when people offer kindness, don't take full advantage of it and try to squeeze every drop you can get out of that person. That is just not right and downright greedy. You should eat your fill but not purposely stuff your faces just because it is free. Ish, ish... have some dignity and decorum please. You are not hyenas from the wild.

Back to Kafe Chatter Box. Looks can be deceiving. Although the outlook of the shop is rather simple and uncomplicated, they serve really great food. Not only is the food delicious, they have so much variety that ranges from economy rice to nasi kunyit to nasi lemak to chicken rice (the rice is insanely yummy) to hot dogs to egg tarts to laksa to otak-otak to fried rice to kuih-muih and a whole range of other stuff I can't even remember. Although I am not paying this time round, the food was so good that I already was planning for my next visit back and checked out the prices of the food. I was pleased to find that they are very reasonably priced that even students could afford it. This is a place I would definitely come back over and over again. I would seriously encourage you to give it a try if you are at The Summit USJ, and especially if you are about to catch a movie at GSC. Even if you don't want a full meal, they serve a lot of snacks too. I am sure you won't be disappointed.

By 7pm, we had to split into our respective smaller groups (we are Beta!!) and head to our next destination. Remember the shoes from above? Well, it has come back to haunt us. Because Eugene had to drive home to get his pair of shoes earlier, he had to park his car at an unsafe spot. So since we were leaving for locations far, far away, I urged him to re-park his car at a safer spot. So we agreed to meet the rest of the Beta team in front of a school. Now what you need to understand is that there are many many MANY schools in the Subang Jaya and USJ area. We had a "fun" time chasing after our team as each time we got to one school, they told us that they had moved to another school! Hahaha... aiyoh... in trying to help us (because they thought we were lost), they ended up playing cat-and-mouse with us. So through the fiasco of chasing them (and people who kept calling me to talk on my mobile phone while I was trying to catch up), I had to resort to tactics from days of yore, by diverting power of my X-Wing's "shields" and "lasers" to the engines, in order to get enough juice to catch up with them before they left us for another school!

We finally proceeded towards Monterez Golf & Country Club. We were really cutting it close and Eugene was getting nervous as he felt he was the cause of it. That was when we started talking about the "Butterfly Effect", where his shoes were the originating source of all this. It was because he forgot his shoes, that he had to drive back home to get them, that he had to drive to the first location alone, that he had to park in an unsafe place, that he had to re-park, that we had to chase them round from one school to another. So.... I suggested that he find something else that caused him to forget his shoes so that the "blame" can be shifted to something else... hahaha. I guess its not so fun to read it here... but it was really hilarious when it happened in the car.

To our relief, Donny somehow overshot the 2nd location and we had gone so far away from the actual place before we had to turn back. The biggest sigh of relief of course came from Eugene... haha. So we arrived at Monterez about half an hour late. As we were rushing in, I spotted the name of the party we would be singing to..... see the picture... a picture paints a thousand words...

Hahaha.. they must have missed Halloween and wanted to celebrate it together with Christmas. We had to throw out the clown in order for us to start singing. No, really.... there was literally a clown there entertaining the kids and he was stopped kind of abruptly to make way for us. As we tried to quickly arrange ourselves to start, guess what happened? Most of the girls went missing again!!! Guess where they went? You are right!! They went to the toilet again!! Haha.

So after we had sung, I went in search of the long missed turkey... but there was none. Oh well, I had to settle for baked fish and some satay. What was interesting was that all the aunties there wanted to find Donny a wife... hahaha... so nice punya... no need to do anything, people find him a wife... hmmm... what if a few of them does it together... does it mean that Donny will have many wives??? Haha. So after gobbling even more food, we quickly excused ourselves and left for our final location.

Oh yes, before I forget... do you know why we overshot Monterez? Because none of us except Mark actually knew the location of Monterez but when we were in discussion on how to get there (for a couple of times and not only once!!!), Mark conveniently went to flirt fellowship with the younger girls in our team. So none of us knew that he actually stayed opposite Monterez previously until we had missed it by so far and he nonchalantly said he stayed in that vicinity. Hahaha.... doesn't it make you feel like putting the sotong over a grill? Takeaway Message #4: "Mark knows the way to a lot of places because like a sotong, he has been in every nook and cranny". Takeaway Message #5: "Mark is magnetized and drawn to younger girls".

As we were traveling to our 3rd location at Ara Damansara, we again got into a situation where we could bet. Oh ya hor..... I didn't explain earlier how this came about. It is like this.... when you drive on the road and you suddenly keep far right... and there is a traffic light in front.... what are you intending to do? Turn right, correct? But in Donny's case, it was different. Maybe the driving school instructions have changed but during my time, you would only go on the ride hand side of the road at a traffic light if you wanted to turn right. So during the journey, out of 5 times Donny suddenly kept right at a traffic light (the ones that were possible to turn right), he only turned right once. Hahaha... so you can imagine how frustrated tickled we were by the whole thing. Eugene then suggested that we bet on what he would do because the outcome was so unpredictable. So back to Ara Damansara; we either "bet" (just say only lar.... we all good boys one.... don't bet with money punya *angelic look*) that he was going straight or turning right.... but he u-turned instead. Hahaha... there you have it for Donny. So remember people, whenever Donny suddenly swerves to the right before a traffic light, you never know what he would do. If you are bored, you could start betting guessing the outcome. Here are the current stats for the day: twice went straight, twice u-turned, once turned right. Takeaway Message #6: "Traffic rules may have changed, you keep right at a turn right traffic light to go straight". Takeaway Message #7: "Donny's driving style provides opportunities for betting guessing".

So we reached the final house an hour late and had to face some upset people (sorry ya... its the butterfly effect.... and Donny's driving.... and Mark's sotong-ness...). We sang the best we could although most of us already half lost our voices. The last location was really sooooo nice.

Gah! My camera does not do justice to the actual beauty of the place. Anyone wanna get me an SLR for Christmas or my birthday? Just in case any of you are, I am looking for a Sony Alpha 350 (hint, hint). After 7 Takeaway Messages, I would have thought that would be the end of such fun, but to my surprise, there was more to come. The next one speaks for itself in the photo below:

Takeaway Message #8: "Put enough powder on his face and lipstick on his lips and Mark looks like a girl". Hahaha..... maybe that's why he gets along so well with girls.... he looks like them and they mistake him for one of them.... hahaha..... *runs away and hides*.

And finally... before going back to our homes for a well deserved rest, 2 girls gave us one final Takeaway Message:

Takeaway Message #9: "Girls like slapping each others butt; hard and repetitively". Yes, there was so much action (and laughter on my end) that my camera shook very badly. They were taking turns to slap each others' buttocks non-stop, all the way from the gate of the house, to the car. And I am sure all of you want to know the answer to the big question; who on earth are these 2 girls??? Well, here they are..... TADAH!!!!

Hahaha... for all of you who did not come for caroling, don't you wish you signed up? Who said caroling is boring? Remember to sign up next year.... or better still, sign up now itself for next year!!

FUNNI - Pilot Episode

I have been watching too many talk shows. The ones that easily come to mind are David Letterman (I love his talk show!! Any idea what happened to him? Don't hear about him anymore), Ellen Degeneres, Jay Leno (yucks), Oprah Winfrey (double yucks) and of course recently Jimmy Kimmel. These shows normally introduce quick mini-segments which are fun, but sometimes totally pointless.

To prove all researchers right, that TV does influence how a person acts (more like react), I am hereby introducing a short mini-segment called FUNNI on my blog. FUNNI stands for Flamboyantly Useless aNd Nonsensical Information. This segment will provide information that are true facts, but make no difference to your life or give you no extra benefit to know it. The information provided will either make you slap your forehead or just roll on the floor laughing (it is recommended to use the bed if your floor is filthy).

So to start the ball rolling, here is the first piece of FUNNI:

Oh great..... I didn't know I was a bullfrog. How fun.

Well, I hope you guys enjoyed the first FUNNI segment. If you have similar FUNNI information you would like to share, do send it to me and if it is FUNNI enough, it will be published here on my blog with links back to you.

FUNNI #1 - This FUNNI is brought to you by

Halloween Is Too Commercialized

Ever felt that seasonal celebrations have become too commercialized? The focus of the seasonal celebrations have become what to buy and shop for, throwing big parties, showing off your best clothes, etc. I am not sure about you, but I certainly have felt that way during Christmas and Chinese New Year that I sometimes just want to get away (perhaps to a small island; that is not called Penang) with a small group of close family and friends and not be a part of the over-rated celebrations that corporate organizations brainwash us into participating, which in turn makes us part with a whole load of cash just to keep up.

The same has started to happen for Halloween and I am sure most ghosts and ghouls (not that I believe in them) would feel the same as me. So much "fun" and "party" and spending atmosphere has been injected into Halloween, that if I am a ghost or ghoul, I would take a vacation during this season and only come out to haunt when the humans are done with their over-rated and over-commercialized celebrations.

So I decided to have lunch today at a quaint little place called The Teapot Cafe. I found out about this place from Jojo's parents (I believe it is the same day she licked me) some months ago when we came here to have scones for tea.

 

 
Doesn't this make you feel like you are in England? Or at least Engrish?

Their staff are very friendly but soft spoken; maybe even shy.

Though this sounds just like a tea shop, it sells more than tea time snacks. Here is my Basil Crusted Dory Fish. Simple yet good tasting. The food is also cooked with health in mind as the vegetables are just steamed plain without any salt or butter.

 

And being in a tea shop, I had to least order a piece of pie since I did not order any tea. Otherwise, my visit would not be complete. Don't you think so, my good chap? So here is my Blueberry Pie (ever wondered why a Blueberry Pie is purple and not blue?)

 

Went over to Jaya Jusco to pick up some groceries after lunch. *You must be wondering by now, "what on earth with the halloween title?"... well, be patient..... it will pounce on you when you least expect it.... muahahaha.... errr.. I mean hehehe* As I was looking around for eggs, I spotted some duck eggs and decided to get some of those. In Penang, many of the hawker stalls offer duck egg as a choice instead of the normal chicken egg. When I started asking for duck eggs here, people acted as though they have never heard of it before or they do not know what ducks are. At least the supermarket here still sells them so I thought I would buy some fresh ones and cook them myself.

Suddenly, something went past me! I could not believe my eyes and was not sure what I saw. By the time my brain had time to process it, I could not see it anymore. As I walked the aisles of the supermarket, this thing kept going past in front of me. After this happening for at least 7-8 times, I just had to try and take a picture of it. Can you see what I saw in the picture below???

I looked around and nobody seemed to notice what I saw.... hmm... could I be dreaming? Anyway, I got back to my shopping. Woo hoo! Found that the Prego Spaghetti Sauce was on offer. They even gave a free container with it. So decided to pick 2 cans up.

Suddenly, this figure went past me again. Ok, now I was getting kind of freaked out. Am I being followed??? And as usual, nobody seemed to notice except me. As you can see in the next shot below, people are looking at me.... not this figure.

I went on to get the last item on my shopping list.... vegetables. Tadah!

Guess what? The figure continued to glide past in front of me every corner I turned. I could no longer tell if what I saw was real or I was the only one seeing it. Was this an apparition? Or was this a person? I mean it was at this point, thoughts of Halloween being over commercialized popped into my head. Had the hustle and bustle of the "human haunting" season been past long enough for the real haunting to start? I could see that this apparition or figure had a trolley and even filled the trolley to the brim. Oh well, if I was being "haunted" anyway, might as well chase down what I saw and take a few photos.

Can you see anything??? Don't worry lar... neither can I.... hehehe

What about this one?

AAAARRRRGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!!

 
Phewww.... it is a human being.....

It was later that other people started staring at her too. Only then did I feel more at ease knowing that I was not the only one who could see her... hahaha. Anyway, I am sure if she went for the Nuffnang Nokia Silent Halloween party, she would have bagged the best costume contest. Ok, ok, I can go back to not believing in the existence of ghosts... hahaha.

Note: To the person who happens to be related to this lady; sorry ya for getting freaked out at the sight of her... but she kept gliding.... errr.... walking past me non-stop. How was I to know ler....

Healthy Eating Is Back

Yes, I am trying to get back to my more healthy diet. Too much of being stuffed with food by relatives taking relatives around for food has made me gain some weight.... gah... need to keep my 16kg loss (or more) until end of the year.

Just like exercising, once you stop it, it is hard to get back into the routine. So I had to push myself to start eating my healthy sandwiches again.

Tadah! Here is my delicious lunch. And a close up shot of the good stuff too. Notice how thick the layers of vegetables are? I am sure this would send Lai San scurrying away... hehehe.

I tried my first tin of Hormel Foods SPAM and was duly impressed. SPAM is a brand of luncheon meat. It is so famous that it has become like Xerox (no its not a photostat machine) or Jeep (no its not a vehicle), where the brand name is commonly used to describe the item. Your nagging parents would have warned you about the downside of eating luncheon meat (and I do have to agree with them on certain points), but I am totally impressed at Hormel Foods SPAM that I am so gonna continue eating this. Ya, it is more expensive than Ma Ling or Emborg or Tulip, but I really feel it is worth the money. Ok, ok, maybe not everybody is nuts enough to fork out RM14.50 for it, but I think its worth it.

Firstly, they have their luncheon meat in so many different and unique flavours. Being the hot person I am *ahem* I of course chose the one that is flavoured with Tabasco Sauce (fun fact: Tabasco is a brand that produces more than one type of sauce but their pepper sauce is so famous that everyone refers to it as Tabasco Sauce although there are other brands that produce the same.... errr... Tabasco Sauce).

Secondly, they have such cute instructions on how to get to the delicious meat inside and what to do with it. I mean, did you EVER know what to do when you bought Ma Ling, Emborg or Tulip brand? I am SURE the meat just sat in the tin for a very long time. Hahaha.. anyway, it is good fun and the instructions actually work!

Thirdly, the quality of the can just blew me away. For those of you who have greedily devoured consumed a lot of luncheon meat, you would have experienced problems such as opening the can properly, finding metal bits stuck in the meat and even finding that the tin is beginning to rust. Hormel Foods SPAM comes in a very high quality tin that has an easy-to-open lid. The lid is so easy to open that even a fool could not get it wrong (the instructions do help). No need of super-Eric strength to get it open and no metal bits to worry about. Best of all, the ENTIRE internal parts of the can (where the meat is in contact with) is coated with a special white layer of plastic material that prevents rust. WOW! Totally blown away.

So there you have it... an interesting blog about SPAM. Unless you don't like SPAM, then you may consider this post as.... well.... spam! Haha.