Life, the Universe and Everything: November 2008

Friday, November 21, 2008

1000 words, 2 weeks, 1 really sore neck, 0 life

... I've never put that much effort into a thousand word essay before... ever...

now that is out of the way for the next day or two..

Some ads i really liked from what i've seen in the UK so far.. the most memorable one is this::

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDQYdU5p0KY

And another...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=besDBr0bCWA

Both Ads for Transport for London.

(Had some problems embedding the video on to the page. i gave up =P )

Don't you just wish public service annoucments are like that in Malaysia? Or is there a conspiracy to reduce the mat rempit population? =P ( since we have motorcyclist campaigns instead)

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Carling Cup - Arsenal v Wigan 3-0

The Emirates Stadium at Ashburton Groove

Inside the Stadium at Half-time 1-0 up

* = Video

Walked across the bridge* along with the rest of the Red Army towards the Emirates Stadium*. The atmosphere was picking up with a sense of anticipation. The doom and gloom from last week were all but dispel during weekend. Thanks to Man Utd the stadium was buzzing all over again, a notable difference to last week's Champions League game to Fenerbache though the attendance today was more than a thousand less that last week's midweek game.

As we stepped into the stadium*, the game was about to start the crowd was buzzing. This was the carling cup, hence less pressure and an opportunity to see the young gunners play and boy they did not disappoint.

There were songs, there were cheers, there was brilliant football all around.

Wigan did trouble us with their threats down our left giving Gibbs a handful at times. De Ridder had pace and skill and at one point dribbled past 3 players to get on goal. However the young gunners got their first goal when Jack Wilshere played a pass Cesc would be proud of to Jay Simpson who outpace and outmuscle the Wigan defender on him to toe poke into the net. 1-0 to the Arsenal.

After the break, Wigan began to up the pressure but soon found themselves 2 goals down after a blistering counter attack from a ball cleared from defense played very well to Vela on the left wing who burned his marker with his pace on toward the goal before squaring the ball to Simpson who rocketed it into the net*. The Stadium erupted and choruses began.

The 3rd goal took the whole stadium by surprise when it went in. There was a resounding "ooohh" around the stadium when the replay was screened. What an audacious chip. A goal that made all the time, money and effort to get to the stadium worth it all. You would pay more than that to see a goal like that. What a gem we've got in our hands.

The Stadium was buzzing, the good times are back songs going round the stadium, the atmosphere was great, Mexican waves and stamps shook the stadium. It was immense.

Final Whistle, what a spectacle the young gunners have given us. Makes you proud to be a gooner the joy at the football played at times, just brilliant.

Went by the Armoury and picked up a new jersey too =D

Thought about Carlos Vela at the back but in the end it had to be.. Robin Van Persi =D mayb next time.. =P

The jersey was 25% off but came around the same after adding the name, number and patch. All done at the Emirates made it extra special plus i got an Arsenal hanger XD , you should have seen my eyes light up when the guy asked me if i wanted the hanger... (*gasp* you mean... i can have it ?? the hanger from Emirates!??*cough* oh yeah ok put it in...) Hah! no Arsenal shirt from any Nike store back in Malaysia will even give a hanger let alone have this hehe =P

The Match Day Programme which had the picture of Nasri and Cesc after his (Nasri) brilliant goal against Man Utd while 2-0 up hehehe. And my Arsenal membership card holder.

What a night...

Video album HERE:
http://s64.photobucket.com/albums/h169/chronic_blade/Arsenal%20v%20Wigan%20CC%203-0%20Videos/

Picture album HERE

http://s64.photobucket.com/albums/h169/chronic_blade/Arsenal%20v%20Wigan%20CC%203-0%20PICS/

Monday, November 3, 2008

Civet cat home back in Malaysia

It seems that we've finally confirmed the source of the rumblings in the attic of my house back in Malaysia...

Tada! A Civet Cat family ... cute eh ?

... and to think my sister wants to shoot all of them.

It's also a rare protected species. You'll be starring at a huge fine if you try to kill them.

I agree with my dad about keeping it... after all it's been here for so long ... like years... when we first started to hear noises in the attic then the occasional sighting of the baby civet cat... in the night even the cute little furry thing clutching at the window grill can send panic throughout the household esp my mum... i mean... it's like a cat... but a wilp d cat... still a species of cat... not like it's a tiger or lion, if it tries to bite then just smack it only =P

and it makes a rather good companion to bully mason and get him fit and running again. Or maybe mason doesn't care at all...

we must do our best to conserve the enviroment and the flora and fauna and it means not depriving the civet cats who have called our place home for many years now... =P

I wanna keep a civet cat... it's like some hybrid weasel/mouse/cat thing... still a cool pet to have and to have a family of them too... before you shoot them at least think about their family... in the attic... taking care of the rat problems for us... although they might be the culprits for the burst pipes... thats because they need water ma...

conclusion.. keep the civet cats so i can play with them when i get back =P

Sunday, November 2, 2008

Fireworks, Fever-Cough-Sorethroat, and Fantastic Cooking

The past couple of days i've been wondering.. why there are fireworks just outside my window about 500m away..

.. Then it happened the next day..

and the next..

and the following day..

It wasn't till today till i saw the full show from the comforts of my room - or rather discomfort at being sick.

Videos to be found in the album link below.. 1st one being one of the practice run and the other the actual run of it.. nice although the camera can't really capture the fireworks display to full effect (like the onee that go in the air and spins out fireworks like a cosmic quasar, a sight to behold, and i only started recording like about 2 minutes into the show which also caused ALOT of smoke..)

Album link here for the videos
http://s64.photobucket.com/albums/h169/chronic_blade/Uk%20-Random%20stuff%20and%20fireworks/

[Update] Sorry something went bonkers with the video edit (no not like the Beijing olympics where i put in the fake fireworks =P) and the quality isn't that good, i had to edit it as i could not upload too big a file size so i had to cut it down..
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I'm sick... and i hate it... being bed ridden most of the weekend if not all... not sure if this adds to my previous health worries earlier in the previous week. I'm fighting my way through! with an arsenal of cough mixture, listerine (to replace my throat gargle), panadol, strepsils, multi-vitamins, my inhaler... taking it all in one go might be overdose? I think i got sick from this plague-like-sickness thats going after most of the Hope Fellowship people and then... being in an enclosed room with 1/3 of the population in there coughing away while you're feeling rather weak that day is a recipe for disaster.

And, I'm in a race to:

1) Start on my assignments already =/

2) Get fit for this coming wednesday - The first league game for "Rough Diamonds" (cough cough.. not my idea.. but we had no name up till the point of submitting the forms and a name had to be thought up... ok i'll stop justifying it now. We'll be competing in the University Intra-Mural league ( which means a reject league for those who didn't make the uni team... *cough*
i mean people who want to play football but within the uni enviroment on a casual basis- wait i don't see where casual comes in here... it's going to be tackles flying in and all...) Gah, i feel like my sickness is undoing all the effort i've tried to finally break into the starting line-up albeit at left-back or even stand-in keeper as our keeper did his shoulder.

3) Race to start collecting all the money for the tickets for the Arsenal games-Loan Shark style..

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Meanwhile, i have to take cooking lessons from this Thai girl, my word... Tom Yam, Padprik, western food you name it... it looks like it came out from a menu of an expensive restaurant.. I think i'll have to pay her to do catering... Everytime she cooks while we're in the kitchen, Atifi and I cast an envious look across... drooling ... lol!