Another Houdini act

Like the Chinese saying goes, "Surviving a huge mishap, one will be bestowed with immense prosperity later" . . . . . well, the first part of the statement sure holds true for Liverpool FC. TF and I have just undergone 120 minutes of severe tension with sweaty palms and feet (although it is a very cool night after the rain), pondering whether the match with Standard Liege will go all the way to penalties. Ha-ha, as usual, the Reds loved to take the arduous route and finally scored at the 118th minute, (extra time), with the final whistle blown 2 minutes later. Phew ! That goal cost a sweet 12 million English pounds - by virtual of qualifying for the European Champions League group stage. For all the Liverpool fans out there, we sincerely hope this is a sign in which Liverpool FC will move on to garner greater success for the rest of the season !

You'll Never Walk Alone . . . . . . . .

From Beijing to London

Well, time flies and after an eventful fortnight of constant chasing and following-up with the latest and greatest on the tube (aka Astro), the Beijing Olympics baton was finally 'handed over' to the mayor of the city of London, where the 2012 event will be hosted. Arguably, this Olympics has been my most watched ever, partly with the wide coverage on Astro. Somehow, I didn't remember much of the 2004 Athens event, probably because I was in the U.S. with my family then.

Anyway, the Beijing Olympics has been pretty eventful, right till the end, with the incredulous Taekwondo incident, where an unruly (over-80kg category) Cuban exponent launched a flying kick at the referee for discontinuing the bronze medal fight due to the longer than allowed injury time taken by this 2004 Gold medalist ! So much for the Olympics spirit ! Needless to say, both the exponent and his coach have been banned for life. Talking about rage ! And, the exponent's first name is Angel :-)



Well, I'm not going to blabber about the countless drama and happenings during the course of the 2 weeks, but just couldn't resist to take a jab at the Datukship bestowed upon our Mr Badminton Silver Medalist ! Now, I have no objection of the 300K, or even the monthly 3K pension granted to Chong Wei, but awarding the Datukship, was just plain silly and well, I just felt it was purely of a political stance. He just basically played to his ranking, and even if he would have won the gold medal, I wouldn't agree that the Datukship should be conferred. Anyway, this will be my last Olympic's comment !
[Update : :-), now Misbun will also get a Datukship and RM60K as pocket money !]

One sporting event ends, another just begin - Yes ! The Barclay's English Premier League, and for those of you who're scratching your heads - English Soccer season has started . . . . Duh ! Go Liverpool !

Just a silver lining . . . .

With bated breath, I awaited the start of the Lin Dan-Chong Wei match. Sigh, just like everyone in my household was predicting - a straight set thumping by the saluting Lin Dan. Sigh (again). I was on the opposite of the camp, even after the first set, silently hoping there will be a complete reversal, just like the match with Hyun Il. Like they say, the rest is history. Sigh. We can say all the negative things we want about Chong Wei, buckled under pressure, jittery play, mistake prone, etc. However, I refuse to dwell on the negatives. AT LEAST, CW played to his ranking, more importantly. Even the most seasoned and mentally strong athletes have buckled under the pressure of securing an Olympic Gold, what more, CW will be doing for the first time (albeit a fairly legitimate one) for the country ! In my opinion, as long as the athlete performs to his/her ranking or expectations (e.g. battling his/her personal best), kudos to them. It is not easy to play to your ranking esp. in this pressure-cooker like conditions.

So, Chong Wei, you can stand tall ! Bury this disappointment, use it as an impetus, a drive to excel further, avenge the defeat in the next All-England, World Championships and even the 2012 Olympics ! Nothing is impossible - just look at Zhang Ning who wrested the gold from the World No.1 (and Lin Dan's beau), Xie Xingfang, at a ripe age of 33 (and plagued with injuries). Mind over matter ! Mind over matter !

Since I'm on this Olympics page, I would like to also salute the performance of the 20-year old Azizul Hasni Awang - our Keirin and 200m sprint specialist. He does not have the stature in comparison to his fellow competitors - he actually looked dwarfed by the super expensive aerodynamics bike, but like the English commentator said, "Do not look down on his overall physique, he has strong and solidly trained quadriceps and most importantly, he has the explosive power, which augurs well for sprinting events like the Keirin and 200m". He was ranked a highly seventh at the Qualifying stage, and twice had to go thru the 'backdoor' (repechage) in the rounds of 32 and then, the 16, to be the only Asian (there were 2 Japanese and Chinese riders each earlier) to qualify for the quarterfinals. Well, as I am typing this blog now, Azizul will be facing the favorite and 2004 Olympic Gold medallist (Chris Hoy of Great Britain) in a few minutes time. Honestly, I wish him the best, but in reality, he won't stand a ghost of a chance vs. Hoy. Having said this, give Azizul some time, and I have the confidence he will be a world beater comes the next Olympics.
[Update : Azizul lost by half a wheel to Hoy, who is the overwhelming favorite for the Gold Medal]

Let's go for GOLD !

We (Malaysia) have had a silver and a couple of bronze Olympic medals before (all in Badminton), and now, all eyes and hopes are on Chong Wei to strike gold for the country and, for himself, a cool million ringgit (excluding other state & sponsors' awards), plus a RM5K monthly income for the rest of his life. Ha-ha, he might as well tie the knot with Mew Choo soon ! At least, biologically, Malaysia will have some talented badminton single genes manufactured !! Honestly, after Chong Wei and Mew Choo, there are literally no capable Malaysia No. 2s in sight !

Although Mew Choo lost to the China No.3 Lu Lan, I still feel some measure of elation. A few years back, I would have never dreamt that a Malaysian Ladies' singles could give the mighty Chinese a run for their money. Kudos to Mew Choo who single-handedly destroyed the Chinese armada recently, in the China Open. In actual fact, she was the first non-Chinese to take the title, in the process, smashing her way past the World No.3, 2 and then, the No.1 in succession ! That should make every Malaysian darn proud. I still am !

Anyway, let's pray that Chong Wei will continue to smash his way pass Hyun Il in the semis tomorrow - gotta make sure I reach Ipoh by 6.30 pm ! And then, he will probably face his arch-rival - Lin Dan. Hopefully, I have great things to blog soon !

Oh, hot off the press, both the Williams sisters are gone ! Serena losing to Dementieva and Venus to China's Li Na ! Wow, and everyone was whispering how in-form the sisters were ! Well, they still have a final chance for Olympic glory via the Doubles which they will be playing later. Sadly, today's upset also extended to the error-prone Roger Federer, beaten in straight sets by James Blake, the first time he lost to Blake in 8 outings. Fedex really need to regain his aura of invincibility real soon and get ready for 2009. He will drop to World No.2 come Monday. Nadal will take his throne, for now ?

What an exciting time this weekend gonna be as I will be glued to the TV - Phelps, Malaysia's badminton and track cycling, Athletics (starting tomorrow), etc. . . . . :-)

The Lone Ranger Rides Again !

Gosh, how time flies when you are having fun with your loved ones ! All the last 120+ hours of it, at my Home Sweet Ipoh Home. What a drag, driving home this morning. Sigh. Gotta wait another 9 dreary days before can see my family and Comet again. Wonder how long can I bear this long distance commute. If I only have the dough to drive to and fro - in a nice, comfortable and powerful auto with no regards to petrol cost or the casual 'saman' from our friends in black and white.


Sigh ! No matter how efficiently I drive my 16-year old jalopy, it still costs me a bomb for the return trip, a big No Thanks to the RM2.70 per liter of ancient liquid, called petrol ! Will see how much our puny headed govt reduce the price next month ;-|


Talking about Comet, he's now the family 'rooster' coz at exactly 7.30 am (well, give or take 10 min), you will hear him squealing, waiting for Viv to greet and play with him. Such an extremely playful dog. The kids and Viv leashed him out for a walk the other day, and our dearest canine friend was trying his best to get friendly with a few 'bigger' dogs in the neighborhood, barking and hassling them. What a daring and nonchalant 3-month old doggie !

Anyway got a pleasant price checking in to work today, as apparently one of my projects earned a Merit award via the Agilent Innovates program, thus, was bestowed a smalli$h windfall :-) Cool ! I could really use the money to buy some fuel for my frequent Ipoh trips. Time to send my jalopy for service already, before my next trip back. Jeez, compared to last time, I need to service only once a year, but nowadays, I will hit 5000 km in just a handful of months, and the motor oil and tire has been on a constant price hike. Ouch !