Good weekend...

...that started with a 3-0 drubbing of Turkey by Germany, where my favourite player scored the 2nd goal to kill off the game! =D However, I was vastly disappointed by the display from Turkey though - and would say that Germany weren't playing their best footie that we've seen. But, excellent performances from Lahm and Ozil (even with constant boo-ing from the Turkish "home" supporters) were really a joy to watch! :D Their Euro12 qualifying journey continues tomorrow with a tough away match in Kazakhstan. Bad news is I think Ozil picked up an ankle injury during the match..I'm praying he'll be OK to play tomorrow (and also for the Malaga game this Saturday!).

Saturday was good fun too - went for lunch, movie then K afterwards! And Sunday was completed by possibly the last weekend of "summer" weather in London at a lovely lunch @ Arbutus.

So all in all, very nice, tranquil weekend...

Looking forward to G&R this Weds night - albeit I've heard terrible reviews of their recent concerts though! Eeks!!!!

*Listening to Isolation by Alter Bridge*

Big game tonight!

It's gonna be a 2 week break for the Euro 2012 qualifiers, which resumes today. Am really looking forward to the Germany vs Turkey match tonight, which is bound to provide endless excitement (and perhaps misery?)! I don't think the German team are really up to form yet...esp seeing how miserably Bayern has been playing at the beginning of the season AND that we are without Schweini =( The only 2 players on form from WC10 are actually Ozil and Khedira. In any case, I'm keeping my fingers and toes crossed for a win no matter what.....

*Listening to Precision Auto by Jimmy Eat World*

jersey galore...

Seems like I've got football-jersey-nutty! Doug got me an FCB jersey last weekend, I received my MU one yesterday and have just placed an order for RM, which is only available in December! =D

There's been rumours swirling around of RM trying to sell Canales? I wouldn't mind if it was to Man U but somehow don't think that's gonna be happening...

*Listening to Movielike by Jimmy Eat World*

eeks!

Schweini is out of the Euro qualifiers =( =( =(

Cheered by...

...Real's 6-1 drubbing of Deportivo last night but still can't stop worrying about MU and FCB :S

Oh well - it's a 2 week break before season resumes again. In the mean time, I hope FCB's bad form doesn't affect Die Mannschaft's performance!!!!

*Listening to Hanging by a Moment by Lifehouse*

So sad....

....that man u drew yesterday and bayern lost so badly today. If real draws or loses later, I'll be REALLY depressed.... :( :( :(

*Listening to Broke Down Hearted Wonderland by Edwin McCain*

Rooting for...

...and...

...tonight =)

*Listening to In Your Light by Ed Kowalczyk*

A frustrating night...

...to the start of Man U's CL campaign. I don't know why we sent in a string of 2nd stringers... maybe SAF was confident we could scrap a win? The worst thing is that Valencia is now out for several months after breaking his leg in the match. This was definitely officially the MOST boring match (esp the 1st half), ending 0-0. Even FC Copenhagen scored! Boo hiss =(. Inter drew as well (2-2), while Barca whitewashed Panathinaikos 5-1. Luckily Werder Bremen managed to draw with Spurs after going behind 0-2. I guess this is what makes CL so exciting - you can never predict the result of the match! By the end of the MU match, I literally felt like this ->

Anyway, tomorrow will be an exciting night again. Real Madrid and Bayern are playing - I'll be trying to watch 2 matches at the same time! Am hoping for a good show from Ozil and the Bayern guys! =) Let's hope for some good news......

In the mean time, here's more of my recent fav eye candy...

*Listening to Stand by Ed Kowalczyk*

Holiday #2

I am off to Bilbao + San Sebastian for a long weekend starting tomorrow with my 2 best buds. Really looking forward to escaping the pathetic weather here (although I've read that it's gonna rain in Spain too - oh well!) - at least I'll be having yummy food! Nonetheless, I'll be missing the footie action this weekend - boohiss!!! =(

I'm missing the Man U, Bayern and Real match this weekend - sigh. Perhaps I'll be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of footie action in Bilbao? (although seems unlikely!)

Btw I've just discovered what an amazing player Sergio Canales is - don't know if anyone else agrees with me on this though! Haha - well, if he doesn't perform well this season, at least he'll be good eye candy =)

*Listening to Everlasting Love by Ed Kowalczyk*

footie, footie and a surprise buy!

Am really looking forward to football again tonight - yes, it's Germany vs Azerbaijan - and I can watch it live over ESPN (OK i'm hoping David doesn't decide to watch the UK vs Swiss match....). Not sure how well will Die Mannschaft play tonight...they've not been up to form of late. In fact, it almost fells like watching Bayern play! Lacklustre performances just kinda waiting for a spark/boom to happen, really. I'm obviously hoping for the best - so we shall see what happens today. After that, I'll be immediately switching over to watch the Argen vs Espana friendly! Woohoo. My money is on Spain but hope to see Messi score as well. I've never liked Argentina as a footie team but am pretty sure we're in for an exciting match for that...I just want them to hold off scoring before I switch over the channels =)

On a separate note, I've just purchased the new book by Carlo Ancelotti "The Beautiful Games of an Ordinary Genius". Surprised, eh? I guess I just wanted to read more about the coach and his thoughts about how he manages his teams. I've come across snippets from the book and Ancelotti seems like a humorous guy. I'm probably more interested in his life managing Milan than Chelski to be honest =)

Counting down the hours til tonight....

*Listening to Art of War by Anberlin*

'twas a good day..

...yesterday. Had a good day at work and then met a friend for drink with some of my colleagues, and then to dinner with some of my closest friends. Pinchitos was very good as expected (well, to be honest I've already had 3 drinks by the time for dinner and think any food would have been yummy! Lol!). And then found out Germany won 1-0 :D thank god for that. I'm watching the highlights at the moment...and definitely think that the team is still NOT performing well enough yet. Ozil fluffed a few chances in the first half - I really hope he learns to be a better finisher..argh I'm still annoyed that he isn't for Man U!!! Germany's only goal came thanks to poor defending from Van Buyten (the Belgies were really tough opponents though) and some quick, fast and accurate footwork from the Bayern guys (Schweini, Muller + Klose!) :D

Also just saw this awesome cut forward from Lahm - he is so quick and amazing! I wish he was a midfielder instead - he plays quite differently in Germany vs Bayern, probably because LvG doesn't allow Lahm to roam forward as much as when he plays for the German team?

Anyway, the next match vs Azerbaijan will be televised - so am really looking forward to watching that on Tuesday!!

Alrighto, I think I'm about to get ready to go out for my "official" birthday dinner =) =) =)

*Listening to A Day Late by Anberlin*

I'm back!

So I got back from hols on Monday - Morocco was REALLY FUN! I had an awesome time there...yes, even given the 47 degree weather ;o) I'll post some photos soon but it was great to take a breather out of London for a change.

On the footie front whilst I was away, major disappointments from Man U and Bayern dropping points, Real still struggling to glue and just read yesterday that Jogi Loew wants to reinstall Ballack as German's captain? As much as I like Jogi, I think he's bonkers! Grrr.....

Some new albums came out recently as well. Was sorely disappointed with the new GGD album - it's so bad that I can't even bring myself to sit through it again - I feel REALLY sad about it. However, the good news is that the new Anberlin album is totally wicked! Now I just can't wait for it to be available next week!

On a separate note, I'm about to turn a big 2-8 tomorrow - shocking that time flies so quickly when you're having fun (or when you have SO much stuff to deal with in life). The signs of old-age (other than getting increasingly forgetful) also includes the loss of motivation to celebrate your birthday (I was actually half contemplating watching the Euro qualifier match between Germany and Belgium at home instead!) - but hopefully I'll have fun tomorrow and on Saturday. I'm not feeling physically great at the moment (I've taken 4 panadols and 2 Imodiums since last night) but I really hope to feel completely fine tomorrow....life's never fair, is it?

*Listening to Closer by Anberlin*

Busy busy...

..it's nearly the start of my hols! Tomorrow, I'll finally get a chance to step out of the country after 8 months (yes, I have not been on hols abroad for that long) - mostly due to exams though. But now that my hols has finally arrived, I don't know why I'm not even remotely excited or actually really gung-ho about it yet? It must be my recent footie obsession that has glued me to the TV, foot i.e., blogs/ news/ reports at every other waking moment - perhaps part of me is already sad over missing the action over the next week or so. And I've not even started packing for my trip yet! How different this feels from the same time last year when I was so over-excited to go Bolivia and Peru!

The good thing is that I'll at least get to watch the first Bundesliga match between Bayern and Wolfsburg tonight (I swear I have no life :P). Then pack....maybe it's time for me to get my priorities straight =)

Oh - and a hint of where I'm going....

*Listening to Pray Tell by Anberlin*

Finally...

...Ozil signs for Real Madrid! I think I prefer this outcome to him signing for ANY other English team OR Barca. Also hoping he gets to play a lot...but coming from a team full of superstars, that may be difficult. But who knows - I'll be rooting for Madrid to smash Barca for the La Liga title this year! ^_^

On a separate note, glad we won yesterday night - albeit a bit disappointed with the 3-0 margin though. We should have a scored a LOT more. Oh, and to me, it's pretty much over for Rooney =(

*Listening to Everything You Wanted by Kele*

What the...

..and so we signed on ANOTHER new striker called Bebe for £7m instead of Ozil. I'm really curious about what SAF is planning to do. It's pretty clear to EVERYONE where the problem with Man U lies and yet nothing has been done on that front yet. I have no opinions on Bebe - after all, little more than 30 minutes ago, I never even knew that guy existed. Since he's with United now I hope he's as good as he's worth!

Really pleased with Chicharito's form - he scored against Spain in the first half! =D

*Listening to Land of Confusion by Disturbed*

is depressed....

...that Ozil is moving to Barca =( =( =(

Sigh - so much for the hype and excitement about him joining Man U. Never mind, it's probably about time I placed my order for the new away jersey then!

*Listening to Caught in the Moment by Default*

Footie's back! (well..nearly!)

This weekend has been good for me in terms of footie results - first Bayern beat Schalke to grab the Super Cup yesterday and just now, Man U clinched the community shield from Chelski! Wee!! :D I even went the mile to watch the Super Cup match (which was NOT shown on TV in UK) - but it was all worth it. Bayern, even weakened by the absence of Ribery and Robben, was definitely the better side - given that the WC10 players only came back only at the beginning of this week, this was a very good result indeed. Both Muller and Klose scored typical "WC" goals - and Lahm captained Bayern (Neuer captained Schalke)! Was good to see Klose finally getting a goal in for Bayern - he's been dissed a lot for his lack of goals in the recent seasons (especially since he always seems on-form when he plays for his nation!) - hopefully this will spur him on to score more for his club this season! Not so positive yesterday was that Werder were thumped by Fulham 5-1 - and Ozil played for about an hour!?!?!? Man, I am a bit relieved that I didn't watch that match - otherwise, I'd probably be screaming out of frustration! =( But overall - Bayern winning definitely made my day yesterday.....

The good feeling continued today as Man U outscored Chelski 3-1 - I'm not being biased but Man U definitely outplayed Chelsea for most of it. Chelsea could have equalised when they were more threatening during the last 10 minutes of the match but I guess it just wasn't their day. In the end, a 90th minute goal from Berbatov sealed the deal for Man U. Chicharito's goal was hilarious - I'm glad we signed him up - he's definitely one of those players that is capable of lighting up a match when things get stale....hopefully his good form continues throughout the season. Rooney, who played in the first half, was good - way better than his WC10 form and for that I'm relieved. Let's hope this is a good omen for better things to come this season!!

On a totally separate note, I managed to catch Toy Story 3 today as well - all I can say is that it's definitely one of the best cartoons I've seen in a while. And I admittedly nearly (yes, nearly but NO) teared during the last few moments of the cartoon...can't say I share Andy's enthusiasm for his toys but I can pretty much understand the feeling of not wanting to let the things you cherish in the past go....

*Listening to Witchcraft by Pendulum*

So much things going on...

..and not enough time! Last weekend was awesome - 4 matches in 2 days definitely cured my footie withdrawal (that has been going on for a while). 3 draws and 1 win. That's the final results. Out of the 4 teams, I have to admit that the Arsenal vs Celtic match was the most exciting...if only Celtic put Samaras from the beginning! Milan were weak....and slow. Somehow I hate the way they DON'T run for the ball. Such lazy play...reminds me of a certain striker in Man U. Grrr. Michel Bastos and Nasri were the standout players for me. Exciting and energetic play from the both of them. Oh, and the Emirates stadium is really cool too! Don't worry I'll never convert into a Gunner ;o) As much as I think Man U will probably not win the league (or CL) this year, I'll never support any other English club! =)

*Listening to Marching On by One Republic*

Wow...

..I can't believe I actually won tickets for the Emirates Cup this weekend! Basically I randomly entered a lucky draw on the Telegraph newspaper and a girl called me up to say I won the tickets! :D Woohoo!! (Let's see if she is actually pulling my leg tomorrow when I go collect the tickets ;o) )

Anyway if I do manage to get it, I'll be watching 4 awesome matches over the weekend, starring Arsenal, AC Milan, Lyon and Celtic. Can't wait!!!!!!!! This will probably cure my football withdrawal for a while... =)

*Listening to Top of the World by The Blackout*

So here I am at Koko's...

...tapping away on my iPhone and waiting for Good Charlotte to get on stage. I've never been a huge huge fan of the band but I definitely like most of their songs. They've always never failed to produce really catchy and mostly happy tunes. It's pretty packed in here - I'm standing by the stairs - hopefully no one's gonna obstruct my view!!! :D

P/S: don't you just love technology ;)

*Listening to Victim of Love by Good Charlotte*

Is relieved...

..can't believe I scrapped through! Really happy and relieved right now :D

*Listening to Happy by Sister Hazel*

Congratulations...

..to Sheryl and Tim and wishing the both of you a lifetime of happiness! I've just gotten back from their beautiful wedding at Magdalene College earlier today - t'was a really great experience as I have never been to an English, let alone Cambridge wedding before! Also met lots of friends and had a really wonderful time. Indeed, I think weddings can sometimes the best places to meet friends whom you've lost touch with after years of slogging in the working world.

Anyway on a totally separate note, I think I will start watching/following the Bundesliga from next season onwards. Everyone who knows me will know that I'm the most judgemental and bias person on earth so no surprises for the team/s that I will be supporting! Bayern - definitely - and Werder if Ozil stays though. I'm pretty sure Lahm and Muller are not leaving Bayern - and as for Ozil, it's a tough call. I think he will leave...but not to Man U - the club is probably too strapped for cash to spend on a new buy...methinks. Can't bear the thought of supporting another English team - and I somehow could never bring myself to support Barca - yes, as hard as I try to, I've just never been a supporter. Well, we shall see...

*Listening to Tomorrow by James*

Into oblivion...

Don't you wish you could immerse yourself into nothingness sometimes? Well, not always - but sometimes I wish I could hide myself into oblivion. Btw this is a fantastic song by FFAF - I really hope they play it tonight!! :D :D :D I've been wanting to see them play in years and am glad that I'll finally get to catch them playing live tonight.

The days I've felt alone

And the sea, it brings me back again

So that I can see my wife

And I can see my child

Home, I'm home, it never changes

Same old faces, same old places

I stared into oblivion and found my own

I stared into oblivion, into oblivion

Find in me the home

That you have never known

Find in us the faith

The faith to bring you home

I stared into oblivion and found my own

I stared into oblivion and found my own

I stared into oblivion, and found my own reflection there

(reflection there)

Home. Now that I'm coming home

Will you be the same as when I saw you last?

Tell me how much time has passed?

I stared into oblivion (and found my own)

I stared into oblivion (and found my own)

I stared into oblivion (and found my own)

I stared into oblivion and found my own reflection there

P/S: I sometimes wonder what's up with me and Welsh rockers! Haha!!

Yay!

Joachim Loew to stay as Germany's coach..for 2 years - hopefully capped with winning the Euro 2012 :D :D

Man, I'm turning into a Deutscheland fangirl I swear....

*Listening to We Owe This to Ourselves by Anberlin*

A nice dream...

..would be for MU to get Ozil AND Lahm in time for the start of the season....now that would be way beyond awesome. Maybe I should stay in dream-land ala Inception! (which was really mind-bogglingly fantastic!)

By the way, I'm still terribly obsessed with the song Impossible by Anberlin...

Make my teeth clench
And my hands shake
Do you ever see
What you do to me?

You're wearing me out
Just wearing me out
But I'm wearing you down

You're impossible
Lovely
So impossible
To win or please

I'm wearing you out
Just wearing you out
But I'm wearing you down

Take what you want from me
It means nothing now
Take everything from me
It means nothing now

Not so easy to forgive
Harder to forget
Take what you want

I make your lips red
And your moans quake
Try to think through
What I can do to you

It's wearing you thin
Can I begin
To wear you out
Wear you out

Take what you want from me
It means nothing now
Take everything from me
It means nothing now

Not so easy to forgive
Harder to forget
Take what you want

I'm impossible
To figure out
So impossible
You've had your doubts

Take what you want from me
It means nothing now
Take everything honey
It means nothing now

Not so easy to forgive
Harder to forget

Take what you want from me
It means nothing now
Take everything honey
It means nothing now

Not so easy to forgive
Harder to forget
Take what you want from me
Take what you want from me

*Listening to... :o)*

Phew...

After scrambling around for 2 days, I managed to get my laptop fixed today! Amazing isn't it? Have to admit that this came with a lot of "travelling" effort - I was at the point of giving up last night and already psyching myself to write off 2-3 weeks by sending it in to Apple - but luckily, I decided to try an independent service provider and they got it fixed almost immediately (I have to thank my lucky stars that work hasn't been too busy lately as well). Very impressed with this ISP - seeing that Apple was about to quote me £50 for the repair (saying that the socket had to be replaced, bla, bla, not in warranty, etc.), I was shocked when these peeps contacted me back within an hour to tell me that my laptop was ready for collection (with no charge!)! I guess it must have been a really easy fix - I will have to be very careful with my laptop from now on - I don't know how it got damaged in the first place though....

That aside, weather has continued to be crappy today - and doubt I can run outdoors. Looks like I will need to start going back to the gym if the weather continues to be like this. Not so fun now that I've experienced how lovely it is outdoors!

On a separate note, Stone Sour and A7X just announced a double-whammy tour in Oct - and tickets go on sale tomorrow! :D :D That will defo been an amazing concert....now I just need to start clicking at 9am tomorrow...

*Listening to Say You'll Haunt Me by Stone Sour*

Footie withdrawal syndrome hits...

..and my laptop is buggered. Sigh. I'm quite lucky to have booked myself a slot at the Genius Bar this afternoon so hopefully it'll be OK by tonight.

The weather has been a bit gloomy today - which would have been quite a nice welcome after 2 weeks of blazing hot sun - except that I've recently started running by the Canal near my house and it's really nice and relaxing when the weather is looking up! (P/S: Need to thank JJ for convincing me to run outdoors - I've been running indoors for 1+year!) Maybe it will stop drizzling later today and I can take a short jog this evening....

*Listening to Forever Young by Alphaville*

Spain are champs!

And so the match finally ended after 120 minutes of gruelling football - and by gruelling I mean filled with quite a lot of drama and violence! Although goalless until the 116th minute, both sides fluffed "sure score" chances but also showed sheer grit. Maybe this has something to do with nerves? I have to give credit to the Dutch for they managed to shut out the effective passing of the Spanish in mid-field and their defence was solid...in fact sometimes they looked even more impenetrable than Spain. But hell were they rough! That kungfu kick by De Jong on Alonso must have cracked at least one of his ribs, no? Anyway, I think they had a total of 8 yellow cards in the game, and one of the guys got deservedly sent off. Nonetheless, Spain's dominance was pretty much unquestionable although the Dutch were a dangerous lot (esp Arjen Robben - Sneijder was completely shut out in this game though...). Given that Spain actually fluffed a lot more chances than they usually do, I was over the moon when Iniesta's goal happened - I wouldn't have been able to bear watching Spain lose due to penalty shoot-outs! The one sad Spanish element (to me anyway) was watching Torres being relegated to a sub (he came on during extra-time), barely got a chance at the ball and later on injured himself (apparently a groin injury). I wonder if this will be the end for him?

All in all, the champs did win as they should have - but I have my faith in the young German team. Looking forward to the Euro 2012....

I'm already wondering how am I gonna survive now that WC10 is over - any ideas?

*Listening to Over and Over by Three Days Grace*

Happy day!

Today was a great day. Woke up early, had a run - and went off to have a 4.5 hours 10 course lunch at Fat Duck! Although it cost the 6 of us a bomb, it was definitely an unforgettable experience - and with a good bunch of friends, was a delight! Food was strange - as expected - my favourite course came in the form of a snail porridge - it was green, tasted like congee with pea puree but with yummy snails! A close 2nd was the dessert course of Black Forrest Gateau, which was amazingly delicious!

So after a long lunch, we came home just in time to rest a bit before the Germany vs Uruguay game started. I have to say I was slightly disappointed with the line-up - 3 of their key players were struck by flu (Klose, Podolvski, Lahm) - so it was a visibly weaker midfield and the lack of these players were quite obvious in Germany's gameplay. Butt started for Neuer, but he was very experienced (he's 36) so was quite good at the goal. Cacau (who came in for Klose) was slow and ineffective (he was later subbed off for Riessling - who although better than Cacau, was definitely not Klose!) - but luckily Muller was around. To be honest, I still think Muller would have made a difference had he been able to play on Wednesday....but that is my biased opinion, of course. It was a really exciting game - both sides attacked freely so defense was lacking (yes, for the Germans in particular!). The Uruguayan strikers were dangerous - somehow it felt a bit like when Germany was playing against Argentina - you never know whether one of them will strike! Forlan had an excellent game, dangerous at all times while Suarez was the anti-hero - booed whenever he touched the ball but threatening in presence nonetheless. Ozil was good - watching him play is a joy - and I can only hope he comes to the EPL next season...otherwise I might need to revert to watching the Bundesliga instead!! ;o) I'm happy with the 3-2 result - it was enough for Germany to win 3rd place - although for most of it, I was hoping for Ozil to strike...but maybe next time. I have faith in this team...so bring on Euro 2012!!! :D

Tomorrow will be a much more tactical game - hopefully the Dutch will unrattle Spain first so that the Spanish armada will set off quickly!!

*Listening to Shameful Metaphors by Chevelle*

Melancholy...

..after listening to the new Anberlin song - absolutely awesome! Definitely cheered up after a terrible start of the day but at least, I've gotten a couple of things sorted, and have learnt some new things in the midst - and it's not even noon yet!

So Wesley Sneijder doesn't want to leave Inter - which leaves SAF to sign on Mesut Özil quickly (or so I hope!) =) I think he will be able to make a difference to the team. As we all know from last season that Ronaldo was sorely missed - that playmaker cum scorer cum crosser role has been lacking in MU's game play. To be honest, the team was never quite the same quality compared to '99 - when MU was at the pinnacle of success! Anyway, let's hope for a better year ahead.....

*Listening to Impossible by Anberlin*

Even in my gloom...

..I've managed to discover a new band that I really like! The band is called Hail the Villain, a fairly new Canadian heavy metal band (formed in '03) - their songs are just my cup of tea: Punchy, strong rifts, awesome tunes. I'm not done listening through their new (also first!) album but so far (4 tracks down), it's been definitely promising.... :D

Good solution to mend my disappointment - I'm still amazed about how upset I am still though...

*Listening to Take Back the Fear by Hail the Villain*

It still hurts..

...even when you've predicted the outcome. 1-0. Oh well. The better side definitely won (by the sounds of it) - but I will be looking forward to watching 2 stress-free matches this Saturday and Sunday. If there's any consolation, phantom of the opera was excellent - definitely one of the best musicals I've ever seen :o).

Special thanks to my lovely friends who know how upset I would have been today...

Now to get over and move on....bring on Spain!

*Listening to Knock You Down by Keri Hilson*

Is it even possible...

...to feel nervous when you're not even going to experience the 90 minute agony that might end the road for your favourite team? Probably so. Sigh again - I sure hope that damn octopus got it wrong....

*Listening to Everything and Nothing by The Classic Crime*

Ain't nothing but heartache...

It's surprising how I'm gonna be missing the most highly anticipated match of WC2010. Yeah, when Germany play Spain tonight, I'll be watching Phantom of the Opera (albeit checking the scores every minute!). Maybe it's meant to be? Or perhaps it's to stop me from the heartache of watching the annihilation of Germany, whom I've been supporting so far..... Sigh. I know I should have more faith in them - and they've already exceeded everyone's expectations so far. But me being me, hates getting my hopes up for fear of falling flat on my face. It hurts. Real bad. Anyway, I'll be supporting them even if I won't be watching it live - and as I always believe, come what may, the best team always wins, right?

*Listening to So Alive by Ryan Adams*

I love Germany!

Can't believe they pulled this off. I was rooting for them.....in hope that they can spring a surprise on the favourites Argentina - little did I expect them to be able to thump the mighties 4-0! :D I'm so happy right now and can't quite describe how ecstatic I am feeling at the moment. I really should have really had more faith in them... =) =)

*Listening to Keep the Faith by Bon Jovi*

Kudos to Oranje!

Awesome match where Oranje deserved to win! Too bad for Brazil - all seemed to be going well until they fell apart in the 2nd half. Such is life I reckon.

Looking forward to the football tomorrow albeit cringing at thought of Germany getting whipped by Argentina =( =( =(

*Listening to Closer to the Edge by 30stm*

Oranje or Green?

In any case it will be a salivating showdown between the Oranjes and Brazilians. Out of loyalty, I'm throwing my support for Brazil (and Kaka! :D). However, I won't be too upset if the Dutch manage to spring a surprise on the favourites. With Robben back from injury, the Dutch offence looks even stronger now - as was proven when he subbed in the 2nd round match against Slovakia the other day. Brazil will always remain everyone's favourite team - has been lots of complaints about how they've sacrificed flair for structure/technique but I actually prefer the team now compared to years ago. Yes, they have changed their style of playing - but I do admire and appreciate how much their defence has improved. If it were any other Brazilian team, I would always get a heart attack when the opposition came near the Brazilian goal - but not anymore!

Awaiting the match to start in 1.5hours. In the mean time I'll be dreaming of Mesut Özil coming to Man United! =)

*Listening to Lights by Interpol*

Day 2 of withdrawal...

...and still suffering! Sigh.

*Listening to Another Way to Die by Disturbed*

Football withdrawal...

I can't believe that it's only just been a day without any football action on the pitch (2 day break before the quarterfinals ensue) and I am already experiencing withdrawal symptoms. I'm literally itching to watch a match...but looks like I can't do anything but to wait 'til Friday. Oh well.

*Listening to Mission Statement by Stone Sour*

Daughter...

Alone...listless...breakfast table in an otherwise empty room
Young girl...violins...center of her own attention
The mother reads aloud child tries to understand it
Tries to make her proud

The shades go down it's in her head
Painted room...can't deny there's something wrong...

Don't call me daughter not fit to
The picture kept will remind me
Don't call me daughter not fit to
The picture kept will remind me
Don't call me...

She holds the hand that holds her down
She will...rise above

Don't call me daughter, not fit to
The picture kept will remind me
Don't call me daughter, not fit to be
The picture kept will remind me
Don't call me...

The shades go down
The shades go, go, go...

P/S: I just can't wait to watch Pearl Jam tonight!

PP/SS: Don't worry I'm not depressed or anything - it's just a brilliant song - prob my fav from the band =)

Football fever!

The football fever has indeed set in - the overall performance has been mostly unexpected but genuinely entertaining! Some traditionally strong teams were rattled in the group stages (Spain, Germany), losing to the underdogs - some even failing to get through (read: France). Now as we're nearing the end of the group stages, the 2 teams that I support (admittedly one grudgingly - Spain - and the other willingly - Portugal) are still far from safe. All will be decided on Friday so maybe I'll learn the positive or negative outcome while watching Pearl Jam in Hyde Park! I obviously have little faith in the England team and really detest how their supporters seem to have unrealistic views on the abilities of their players (I mean, have they seen how Kaka or Messi plays??). Don't get me wrong, most of these players play for top-flight clubs in the premier league - but somehow the skills displayed don't show any sense of fluidity or even style. Perhaps I shouldn't expect every team to play like Brazil or Portugal - the beautiful passes, the triangle formation...even Spain (in my view) can't compare!

Oh well, enough ranting. I'm glad Germany scrapped through tonight - don't ask me why I'm supporting them in the first place! Hopefully this world cup will introduce a new winner into the hall of fame (only 6 previously: Argentina, Brazil, England, Germany, Italy, Uruguay).

*Listening to End of me by Apocalyptica feat. Gavin Rossdale*

It's not healthy...

..to watch the same band twice in a week. But I HAVE to accentuate that Bon Jovi, without a doubt, is one of the BEST (i.e, my favourite) bands ever! OK, bar the fact that their past 4 albums have been utter rubbish (note: this means anything after These Days except for It's My Life), the gems that they play during their gigs are a joy to listen to. My only regret is not being to watch them perform during their prime - I guess this is something I can't help :o( Anyway I've been obsessing over their old songs for the past few days and I think this will go on for days....until my next gig comes along! (next week: Stone Temple Pilots).

Bon Jovi forever! =D

*Listening to Blood on Blood by Bon Jovi*

Standing on the rooftops, everybody scream your heart out!

My nightmare is finally over. Phew. And I have my life back. It's been a long 3 months leading up to yesterday and yet, I think I will have to taste some bitterness when I find out my results in 2 months time. Anyway, at least it's done and dusted and life starts again!

It sure does feel as though I have this massive backlog of things that I want to do and can finally start doing again! I need to start playing my guitar (which I haven't touched for the past 2 weeks), read this pile of new fantasy books lying on my bookshelf that I've been refraining from touching, meeting up with too many friends that I've neglected for months, holiday plans, ..and the list goes on. The only part of my life that has been unchanged is my search for new music (ok it's quite limited to rock in any case) - it's probably one of the few things in my life that can actually keep me motivated and happy. Strange, but true - good music can leave a big smile plastered on my face - not something human beings can emulate most of the time! LOL!

In terms of personal motivations, I think a change has been long overdue and I will try my best at getting to those now that exams are behind me. To be a better person, to reach some personal goals and most importantly, to be a better daughter to my parents. Somehow being away from home all these years seems to have created a vault between us - it has probably made me too independent and easily irritable. I should probably try to put myself in their shoes to understand why they are how they are :o). I never quite understood this - but I think it's probably down to me being envious of my brother who has always been the apple in my parent's eyes (Note: don't get me wrong, I'm not even going to argue about why this is the case! LOL!) and always having to prove to them that I'm not a failure as how I think they perceive me to be. Obviously, this is just a one-sided assessment and I have absolutely no clue if it rings true or otherwise - but on the other hand, it might be safer not to know - as one would say, what you don't know, doesn't hurt. In ANY case, that should not deter me from trying - so yes, I will try from now on to be a better daughter. Enough said. :o)

Moving on from emo-stuffs, June will be one of those epic months in my life where I'll be overdosing on concerts starting with Rage Against the Machine tonight, followed by 2 Bon Jovi concerts next week, then Stone Temple Pilots and rounding off with Pearl Jam at the end of June! Awesome, isn't it?

*Listening to Killing in the Name by RATM*

So much for the afterglow...

So it's the end of my hols and it's been really awesome (with the exception of a minor glitch at the end) - but in any case I had a wonderful time exploring Angkor Wat with my buddy from high school - and later had a really fun time playing/partying in Hong Kong. I also managed to catch up with quite a few friends, family and brother/sis in law as well! It feels a bit surreal trying to recall what I've done in the past 2.5 weeks - too much fun, too little time sums it all pretty much. In any case I think I'm most at fault for not spending enough time with my family this time around...pretty selfish of me, but I've promised myself to be better next time =)

Life shouldn't be full of regrets, should it? I did something really unpredictable (by my standards!) last night. I don't regret it and yet I'm not sure what really urged me as well. In the past few years I've written of my fear of taking risks and how terrified I am of failure. Yes I failed but as wrenching/pathetic as I was, I can now look forward to a new start...not easy, but I'm pretty sure it's not undoable. Just takes a bit of courage, time and support (of friends that I'm eternally grateful to have - you know who you are!).

Alrighto it's nearly time for me to bugger off to the airport so I should hope this post will last for the many months to come! =)

*Listening to Walk On by U2*

the art of being lazy...

...that sounds like me - i haven't blogged for more than a year! to be honest, not much has changed (for me personally) but like everyone else, i've had my share of ups and downs. since i usually update my FB status, my friends DO know what i'm up to =) strangely whenever i blog, it's because there's something nagging me - so there is something right now but hey ho, not for anyone's ears except mine! :P anyway, since it's so close to xmas hols, i don't really have that much things to worry about for the time being...except LDN -> KL-> cambodia -> KL -> HK -> KL -> LDN - yippee!

2009 was a year filled with more concerts than ever, excellent travel adventures (must go back to south america!) plus lots of fun nights hanging out with friends....so for my new year resolution for 2010, i vow to...(in no particular order)

1) bake a cake

2) learn to play the guitar properly - yes, i need to make it a regimented routine otherwise i'd never get around playing the diary of jane in my lifetime!

3) more travelling! (south america again for sure!)

4) go for my concerts! (duh!) and to watch our lady peace/breaking benjamin/three days grace in concert even if it requires me to fly to US!

5) marry jared leto (ok, maybe not)

sounds ambitious? yeah, i think so too - it'd be great to just do all those things above. and i made a separate promise to myself to be more honest, listen to others and talk less.... =)

doubt i'll write in the next year or so (knowing my personality as highlighted in the title of my entry today) so hopefully there'll be something worth writing about in 2011!

*Listening to Because I want you by Placebo*

some things never change?

I think it was more than a year ago (maybe two?) when I was in this state of emotion => mixed, confusion, excitement... and then reality bit. Yup, before I knew it, it was all over - just one moment and now I'm back to square one. This feeling is indeed so-very familiar to me and I'm sure many people have gone through this as well. I guess I have to learn to wish not and want not. Although I think I've conditioned myself well enough to expect nothing so that I won't be left feeling empty - reality still hits you right where it hurts and at the end, I'm left with this unexplainably challenging situation..... Argh, but such is life - as one always says - so I guess all I can do is cheer up and look forward to the next best thing that's happening in my life? Now, that's a tough call - I think I'm better off counting down the days to Nickelback's concert.....one more week :D

*Listening to The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows by Brand New*

random thoughts....

Sometimes I wish I were more risk-adverse - however, I ultimately know that I am the type of person who would never take uncalculated risks in life. Is that a good or a bad trait? There's always this part of my brain that unconsciously tells me to make the most practical and sensible decision i.e. never make a decision where P(success)<50%. I guess this is my way of avoiding facing a potentially bad outcome. It's actually pretty sad if you think about it....I guess I'd never truly find out since I wouldn't take that leap of faith, would I? On the other hand, because I've already calculated that the P(success) is pretty much lower than 50%, then it's really not worth going through the potential pain/sadness/dissappointment/embarasssment/etc from one *risky* decision, right? I guess I'll never find out....

OK I think I'm growing way too old and senile now rambling about nothingness :o)

*Listening to The '59 Sound by Gaslight Anthem*

the end is the beginning is the end?

My two week break in KL is finally coming to an end - however, since I'll be back in about 2 months time, I'm not quite feeling the *missing* pangs this time around. I do sometimes wonder whether I'm missing out on things that are happening back home...on the other hand, perhaps I'm not quite ready to give up on my rock concerts just yet :P (not forgetting the limitless freedom living in London! ;o))
I do realise that things have changed in Malaysia over the past few years - with the slowdown of the global economy, the price of living necessities become incessantly more expensive. I guess my friends working here are quite lucky to be amongst the proportion of working adults that earn very decent wages and thus are not quite as affected by the increasing prices of goods in Malaysia. It is also quite interesting to observe how ones priority in life shifts with age - it used to be studies and getting decent grades - now it's work work work. I wonder what the next stage of life would be?
Ok time to go get my final dose of char siu from Overseas restaurant... :o)

*Listening to Build God, then we'll talk by Panic at the Disco*

Panic mania....

Yesterday's concert was totally AWESOME!!!! Panic at the disco were amazing on stage: great singing & showmanship and the lead singer, Brendon Urie, is toooooo damn cuteeeeeeee ^_^ (damn I sound like a paedophile - yes, he is only 21 - sighhhh....). Unfortunately, there really wasn't much of a crowd as the turn out was REALLY poor....not befitting for such a great band :o(. On the up side, less people meant more space to jump about and less squashing involved - which is GREAT!

OK I'll stop drooling now.....I'll write more soon....I hope ;o)

*Listening to Nine in the afternoon by DOH?!?!*

One year later.....

Has it been a year since I last wrote anything on this page? I guess it must have been. Gosh - time sure does fly - especially when you're busy either working, sleeping or going for rock concerts (which has been my main passion in the past year or so :o) )
Since I'm not trying to summarise the past year, I'll just briefly update my current state of mind. It's GREAT to be FREE from any form of burden or responsibility....at least for a while. Although waiting for my passport is getting on my nerves. Grrrrrr....... on the bright side, London has been amazingly nice and sunny :D ...which could be a good or bad thing....for me anyway. The equations below usually apply:

Good weather = Going out = Shopping = Spending lots of $$$
while BAD weather = Stay at home and sleep

Hmm it's already 715pm and none of my housemates are back yet! O_O Weird. Looks like it's going to be a quiet night for me. I can't wait for the Dark Knight to be shown in the cinema! It really annoys me how movies get shown sooo much later in UK than everywhere else in the world - don't they realise that this encourages more piracy? But then again, everything in UK is usually slow and behind time. I think I've lived here long enough to accept this as a fact of life....oh well.

Time to plan on what to do tomorrow...

*Listening to Itsumo by Feeder*