2 matches gone...

...and so far, there's been one good result, and one bad result.

Bayern finally found their form in the 2nd half of the match. They started off very shaky and Hannover actually looked a hell lot more dangerous on attack. But later on, the team (I have to say that it's mostly the 2nd string players since they have a LONG list of injuries...) glued and then it all began when Gomez scored his first! Gomez ended up with a hat-trick to make the final result 3-0. I don't know if this is the turning point we are looking for, but I sure hope so! =) Another piece of good news is Mainz stuttered and lost to Hamburg today - but Dortmund nicked a win off Cologne yesterday at the final minute! All in all, I sure hope it's going up from here for FCB =) =) =)

Man U...man, I really want to scream when I think of how we lost a 2-0 lead to draw by the end of the match. I knew we were not great, but not THIS BAD! It's so pathetic - and I feel so sad and depressed thinking about it.

About to start watching some filler matches (Chelski vs Aston Villa; followed by Barca vs Valencia...) before the REAL match comes along....

I would be really sad if that one ended badly though........

*Listening to Don't Cry by G&R*

Weekend's nearly here!

And it's the resumption of regular footie!! Yippee!! Looks like I will have to wait for a couple of months before seeing the German team in action once again.

Anyway, tomorrow can prove to be a rather fruitful (or disastrous...gulp!) day in terms of *crucial* matches to watch for me. In a sad way, all 3 of my teams have to collect 3 points each this time - even draws will NOT be good enough at this stage - especially for MU and FCB. For RM, we need the points to keep up with Valencia and Villareal, while trying to keep Barca at bay. Starting with the FCB match kicking off at 2.30pm, which I will try to watch simultaneously with the MU match, which starts at 3.00pm - although I'm not sure how I'm gonna do this or which commentary to follow without missing out on the action. Then, I think I will be shifting downstairs to watch the Chelski match on TV at 5.30pm while trying to help with some cooking (as we're hosting a small party at our house tomorrow) :P. Then from 7.00pm, there will be 2 La Liga matches that will surely be the highlight of the weekend - FCB vs Valencia; followed by Malaga vs RM!

I sure hope my friends don't think I'm being antisocial between 7-11pm tomorrow....

*Listening to All I Want by A Day to Remember*

Life is beautiful...

I've heard this song for nearly 2 years now - and have just been re-listening to this after discovering that DJ Ashba is also part of the band, Sixx: A.M.

Awesome and really sad song...

You can't quit until you try
You can't live until you die
You can't learn to tell the truth
Until you learn to lie

You can't breathe until you choke
You gotta laugh when you're the joke
There's nothing like a funeral to make you feel alive

Just open your eyes
Just open your eyes
And see that life is beautiful
Will you swear on your life
That no one will cry at my funeral?

I know some things that you don't
I've done things that you won't
There's nothing like a trail of blood to find your way back home

I was waiting for my hearse
What came next was so much worse
It took a funeral to make me feel alive

Just open your eyes
Just open your eyes
And see that life is beautiful
Will you swear on your life
That no one will cry at my funeral?

Alive...
Just open your eyes
Just open your eyes
And see that life is beautiful
Will you swear on your life
That no one will cry at my funeral?

Just open your eyes
Just open your eyes
And see that life is beautiful
Will you swear on your life
That no one will cry at my funeral?

Just open your eyes
Just open your eyes
And see that life is beautiful
Will you swear on your life
That no one will cry at my funeral?

Totally blown away...

...by the G&R concert last night. They were absolutely amazing! Definitely one of the best concerts I've ever seen in my life =) Albeit, Axl came on an hour late (which I was actually thankful for LOL!) - so he came on stage at 9.40pm but proceeded to give the best 2hr 40mins of live music one can ever hope for! I know how everyone puts off G&R just because the band is without 80% of its original line-up (notably Slash) but his new musicians are nothing short of amazing. Man, I have a total crush on one of them: DJ Ashba....his guitaring is STUNNING! Anyway to cut a long story short, they played a good mix of new and old stuff - and without being biased, I must say that the new stuff is surprisingly good too. Axl is in a class of his own in terms of showmanship - boy, does he know how to strut his stuff - AND all those years of rock and roll hasn't affected his voice one bit. In all, freaking awesome show!

Since I'm half happy now, I really hope Saturday will make the other half of me happier still ^_^

*Listening to Paradise City by G&R*

Some thoughts...

...now that footie season will resume starting this Saturday (for my teams anyway!). Ironically enough, now that I've started supporting 3 teams from 3 different leagues (explicitly) for the first time, I'm pretty certain that none of these teams will come out top of their respective leagues. Sad but true - My brother always used to diss me for supporting teams that are at the top but I'm sure he'll have to take that back now!

Man U: I've supported since I was tiny so my loyalty remains with them without a doubt. I have some teensy weensy hope that they may just end up 2nd! How sad that this once magnificent team has fallen badly. Given that the midfield seems to really lack any creative juice and Rooney has been totally off pace thus far, I can only hope for Hernandez and Berbatov to pull off some miracles this season! Tall order I know. Berbatov isn't even the highest rated out-and-out striker in the BCL, let alone Europe (that belongs to Drogba, Llorente, Milito, Eto'o or Villa!) and Hernandez seems to have some problems keeping his balance (or keeping the ball in most cases!). Oh well, I'm hoping MU gets to the UCL semis...but I'm really not that optimistic about their chances though. MU's defences and firepowers should be good enough to take them far - but a weak midfield will definitely come back to bite them in the end. Sadly enough, there's only so many games 37 or 38 year olds can play.

FCB: Started supporting them after Germany's stellar World Cup campaign with a severe case of liking for Lahm, Schweini, Klose and Muller. BUT after a horrific start of the season, they are now lying in 12th position. I really don't think they can possibly make up for the lost points, which is a shame as they have been playing without 2 of their undoubtedly most creative midfield players, Robben and Ribery, both marred by injuries 'til year end. Sigh. Perhaps UCL finalist, again? That's probably the most I can hope for at this stage. Right now, I just hope they can overcome Hannover this Saturday. With Klose out with hamstring injury picked up from the game last night, I will have to pray that Gomez and Olic make themselves useful. Muller hasn't been playing brilliantly and Schweini is probably still out for this game. When everyone gets back on the team, FCB's starting 11 should have a world-class midfield and strike-force - but defence is something that has to be improved. God, how I hate Demichelis. =.="

RM: My support for them only started due to one person - Mesut Ozil. I've been totally enamoured with him since the first time I saw him play in WC10 and never looked back! Yes, he may appear lethargic and tired while he's on the field, but I have to say that EVERY single time he touches the ball, I am always kept in eager anticipation on what he would do next - his crosses, passing and creativeness on the field has blown me away. I know that I am totally over-reacting and most likely overestimating his abilities but personally, he's my favourite person to watch. I have to admit that out of the 3 teams I support, RM is the team that is either going all the way (i.e., treble) or flop quite badly! The team's quality is excellent though - but I think the defence could be further improved still. Can't fault Casillas so far, Carvalho has been marvellous and Ramos a bit inconsistent but generally not too bad. I don't know why people rate Marcello so highly - I don't think he's a good defender and he gives the ball away a bit too much. Xabi has been fantastic :D and Khedira, doing his job I guess! Ozil is still the most exciting player on the pitch (bias Em :P) - far more entertaining than CR7's selfishness while Higuain should realise that he's actually a decent passer because every time he does that, some other player seems to be able to score! Di Maria has been outstanding lately, if not a bit inaccurate and his ball control is still lacking. Not seen much of Benzema that has impressed me and Canales, well I've not seen him (with my own eyes) play for more than 10mins! Don't get me wrong, I can spot 101 weaknesses in Ozil too: he's not clinical enough in his finishing and I think he needs to start being more confident at taking shots himself, instead of passing it to someone else. He also takes a while to warm up in matches - which isn't good when it's an important match! I'm slightly worried about what's gonna happen when Kaka gets back from injury as they both play the same roles in the team. I also somehow can't see all of them fitting on the pitch and at the mo, don't know who is going to be the sacrificial lamb. Thankfully, that won't be happening 'til the beginning of next year so I hope Ozil will improve enough to be the guaranteed starter by then! Strange (if not biased?), but I actually think he has improved since the first time I saw him play - more assertive and I think he's slowly trying to take on the shooting role in the team. And for the first time yesterday, I noticed him running back to defend - I think it's just that I've never noticed this previously. As "lethargic" or "tired" as he looks, when he get's the ball, he sure can run and outpace defenders. Maybe it's part of his grand scheme to deceive defenders into thinking he's tired or something! =) I am praying for RM to win the treble - but with Barca, Inter and Chelski standing in their way (I'm not naming FCB or MU here because I'd be equally happy if any one of my teams wins the UCL!), it may prove to be difficult to achieve all these in the first season for Jose's underlings - but nonetheless, am keeping my fingers and toes crossed!

Alrighto - I've definitely been ranting too much here. But this is basically my 2-cents worth on my 3 fav teams. SO other than hoping for an awesome G&R concert tonight, let's hope Saturday will make Em a happy girl =) =) =)

*Listening to Street of Dreams by G&R*

WOW!!!

Awesome run by Podolski :O :O :O!!!

3-0 =)

Can finally smile now...

Gomez scores the 2nd one to seal the deal. =)

Wow...

Muller's been subbed with Marin - but that's because he is so damned useless today. Shame, though. Really like this dude....

OMG

Can't believe they are still playing so crappily. Almost let in a goal. Bloody hell....

And Muller is playing really poorly today.

Seems like a lifetime...

And Germany finally scored few minutes after half-time. Phew.

Maybe the goals galore will begin now?

*Rooting for Ozil*

P/S: Oh, and Podolski sucks big time...

Still feel like screaming!

UGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!! Why is every one of their finishing SO DAMN POOR!?!!?!?!?!!

It's extremely worrying when Kazakhstan can actually appear dangerous =.=.

OMG.

Feel like screaming....

30 minutes have passed and I really want to strangle EVERY single member of the team! Grrr!!!!!!

Wonderful Life...

An awesome song by Alter Bridge....

Close your eyes,
And just hear me sing,
One last long goodbye,
One last song before you spread your wings,
There's so much left to say,
And before this moment slips away...

What a wonderful life,
For as long as you've been at my side,
And I want you to know,
I loved you so...

Then the cold night calls,
And the tears fall like rain,
It's so hard letting go,
Of the one thing I'll never replace,
And soon you will be gone,
But these words, they will live on...

What a wonderful life,
For as long as you've been at my side,
And I want you to know,
I'll miss you so,
And though our days come to an end,
No, I'll never love like this again,
What a wonderful life, my friend...

And all that I am,
You let me be,
I will remember you,
For all that you've done,
And given to me...

Love will remain,
This I can see,
Now and forever more,
Because of you,
Now I believe,
I believe...

What a wonderful life,
For as long as you've been at my side,
And I want you to know,
I loved you so...

What a wonderful life,
For as long as you've been at my side,
And I want you to know,
I'll miss you so,
And though our days come to an end,
No, I'll never love like this again,
What a wonderful life,
A wonderful life,
What a wonderful life,
What a wonderful life...

And with one last embrace,
As the tears fall like rain you're gone,
And with one last goodbye,
As you fade out tonight, you're gone...

=)

Another round of matches...

Today is the final Euro12 qualifying match before footie season resumes. It's also the last one for the year...I think the next batch of matches will be in March 2011. Germany plays Kazakhstan at 6pm today - I'm glad Ozil seems to have recovered from his ankle injury but I hope he gets well enough to play for Real this Saturday. The conditions for the Kazakh match seems tough - it's away, artificial grass and apparently in order to avoid jet lag, the team was training last night (!). We'll see - I hope the boys put up a good show today! =D

Another match of interest to me today is the Spain U-21 vs Croatia U-21. Not sure why Canales only played a few minutes the other day...I was of the impression that he was a sure starter? Or perhaps not. The match starts in about an hour so I'll find out soon enough whether he's really as good as acclaimed! Admittedly, I'm biased because I find him really cute ^_^ (yes, I have no shame and sound like a total paedophile, but anyways....).

On a separate note, I think the new album by Alter Bridge is utterly AMAZING! They are soooo much better than Creed - am really looking forward to seeing them live next Friday! Tomorrow is my G&R concert. I'm surprisingly (or realistically!) sceptical about the band...seems like Axl Rose is a pain in the a**, tends to come on stage REALLY late and even threatens to leave the stage mid-way through the concert! Man, I really don't know what I'm heading in for tomorrow. Oh well, I guess the best way is to find out first-hand myself haha!

*Listening to Ghost of Days Gone By by Alter Bridge*

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*