Just because

Liverpool crowned EPL champions!

The last 2 years have been great for me in football-sense. We're not team #sandarkanpadakenangan anymore!

                                                       
                                                          Champions League 2019

Club World Cup  2019

And early this morning, Premier League Champions! The 30-year wait has finally ended!

But this remain the most memorable moment:

                                                                     Istanbul 2005

Ramadhan Kareem 1441

I came down at 3 am, made myself a cuppa, all determined to listen to 16 recorded presentations that I have to assess but 10 minutes later, here I am on blogger instead. Silent nights have always brought me back to this blog but I guess I haven't had many of those in the last few years, judging from the very few posts I had.

I have nothing particular in mind to write about so I guess this will be just another random ramblings to myself since this blog hardly get any visitors in the last few years. Just the way I like it actually. Facebook and Instagram have been too loud, while although my Twitter has less than 100 followers, but I already have some students and ex-students following me there, thus I still have to be careful of the things that I wrote. Nothing too personal.

I have been feeling unsettled lately. There is a pandemic going around but I am at home, just doing work and house chores. This is new territories for me. In the past, whenever there were big crises going on, I was always involved either directly as part of my work or with NGOs. Except this one. Yes, helped my stranded students getting food supplies and even tracking some of them who were PUIs and PUS before but that's about it. I have submitted my name to be a volunteer frontliner but my current teaching and learning loads have been chaining me to my desk and I am feeling, I don't know, suffocating?  Of course, it is so rewarding to see my former students now being in the thick of things as frontliners and I am so proud of them. But I wished I am there with them.

Oh, an old good friend got in touch with me just a few days ago and again yesterday. We have drifted apart for almost 10 years now. We used to hang out together almost everyday circa 2008 up to early 2010 and it drastically stopped after I got married. Now it is just limited to whatsapp messages on  special events such as birthdays or Eid. Itu pun kalau ingat. I miss him sometimes (we were good friends and neighbours and nothing more than that) but I guess we cannot have it both ways. I hope he will soon find his own happiness. He deserves it.

Now, as for EPL, can't they just give out the trophy to Liverpool already? Geez.

Ok, time to listen to a few presentations before I start reheating food for sahoor. Till next time, happy fasting!

Dare to dream (part II)

A possible free return ticket to the UK for end of next month (all I have to pay is just the airport tax) and a relatively free work schedule during that period. The only significant downside is I will be going solo and need to leave Big Boss home for about 10 days... So, should I????

Pening seh!

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I know the Harimau Malaya - Suzuki Cup hype has now cooled down but I can still remember the overwhelming sense of pride and joy when I saw these 2 goals on TV just last month. Hence, let us always be reminded of the renewed hopes and expectations that we have placed on our national team. In return, let us be reminded of our promises of full support in all their future adventures.

Jangan support time menang aja ok?

Dare to dream

Mood: rindu laut

I dreamt (yes, it's dream with a 't' instead of 'ed' you American dictionary!) of Hillsborough last night. It was weird because one minute I was in KL and the next, I found myself in the middle of Hillsborough town, alone and confused. It was snowing, the town was exactly as how I remember it from before but I was lost. I didn't know why I was there and I have nothing with me (but I was wearing winter clothing though) so I walked my way to Shepperson Road to see whether I still live there. Anyway, I didn't made it to the old house. I bumped into some familiar faces (old friends and neighbours) and they were excited to see me again after almost a decade that they took me back to Hillsbrough town for some warm food and more clothes. Weird eh?

I am not sure what the dream signify (or whether it even means anything) but I know in my heart that one day, I should visit London and Sheffield again, to backtrack the final steps I hastily took that winter 9 years ago and replace them with new, happier memories. Truth to be told, I miss the friendly neighbourhood, the first sights of daffodils in spring, the lake where I used to feed ducks and even the tram rides (but not the smell of trigger-happy Sheffield Wednesday supporters cramped in those trams on match days). I did originally plan of making my way back with my other-half this year especially since one of my closest friends is now back there for her MSc in Cambridge but the plan has now been scrapped off. We have a more important, long overdued trip to make first this year. So, UK just have to wait.

Anyway, talking about dreams.. I am happy that I now have a soulmate to share my interests and travel plans. Eventhough we're both being bogged down with work and responsibilities now, I am very optimistic and looking forward to future adventures together, be it the colourful Venice, the scenic Nepal or the breathtaking underwater of Komodo. Yes, I can't get enough of Komodo.

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There have been a number of good news of pregnancies and newborns among good friends these couple of months. Congratulations to Azarul & Marieska and Chott & Nonie for the arrivals of their respective newly born sons and good luck to 3 more girlfriends who are now expecting their first-born. I for one is yet to experience the joy of seeing those 2 blue lines but I am not that bothered yet. Friends and families are of course continuously asking, sometimes to the point of annoyance but honestly, I have alot on my plate now with not much time to even seriously think about it. Just let it be ok?

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10.45pm: King Kenny just won his first game with The Reds as the manager with 3 goals vs nil (who cares if it's only Wolves?). Dare to dream LFC as one of the English giants again?

Random thoughts

This blog is almost at risk of dying so here's a quickie for its revival:

1. Last night's Piala Malaysia was pretty good and I enjoyed myself watching it considering I almost died of boredom the last time I saw it live at the stadium some years ago. Our local footie is improving after all!

2. But I was pretty annoyed at Kelantan supporters (well, I could only see them from TV1 live telecast) who kept throwing empty water bottles onto the field even when the game was on... depa ni tak kenal tong sampah ke tak sekolah??

3. I was quite pleased when I heard the announcement on making History a compulsory pass subject in SPM come 2013. I honestly think that we as a nation should take our history more seriously. We should learn from the past so that our future leaders won't make similar (usually) stupid mistakes twice. But it tickled me to the core when I read a comment by the NUTP president who seemed to oppose the idea, published in NST the day after. Quoting a sentence of what he said to NST: "Besides, what's the point in memorising all the dates?"

Alahai... if the president of the National Union of Teaching Profession himself is thick enough to think History subject is all about memorising important dates, I truly pity our current school-goers. Sungguh kasihan... When I was at secondary school I was lucky enough to get to enjoy learning history from teachers of high calibre, namely Cik Hafizah and (then) Cik Saedah. They taught us all about yang 'tersurat' dan 'tersirat' from those historical events included in the syllabus, ... not just important names and dates ya Mr President! *pheww*

4. It's going to be another busy week this week, with exam questions to prepare and vet, clinical attachments at Kajang Hospital and all sort of other commitments. But 4-working days instead of the usual 5 should at least help in maintaining my energy level and motivation, I hope.

5. Liverpool ada game ini malam. YNWA!

Monday Blues

And he had to give THREE, does he? Menyampah!



Anyway, sebagai pengubat hati yang lara, Big Boss already promised to buy me the new 'halal' LFC jersey next month.

Emmmm.. the question now is, should I get the home jersey (red - as above), away (white) or the third jersey (black)?

Layan

He sucked at the World Cup, period. So I can't help but wonder if he's trying to bring his team's winning aura (instead of his own) to Anfield by having his picture taken with both the cup and the Reds scarf.

Oh well, whatever it takes for us to win mister!

Pic taken from Liverpoolfc.tv

Pesanan sebelum Jumaat

Memandangkan dah tahu awak tu ber-butterfingers, sila la belajar hipnosis bola tu dengan bersungguh-sungguh ya? Selamat.



Gambar dicilok daripada sini.

Ole!

I am a very optimistic person and firmly believe that miracles do happen...That is why I do believe that:

1. Liverpool FC will one day win the EPL (with Rafa out of the door, the new season looks more promising I'd say)
2. England will one day win the World Cup again (ponek dah den nunggu nih!)

But just like the previous Euro Cup, I will also be following Spain's matches closely, purely for their beautiful games (and men). Thank god most of the group matches for both England and Spain will be at 10pm instead of 2.30am. But I shall still stock up more coffee at the office, just to be on the safe side.

Let the party begins!

Footnote: To KampungChelsea who left an invite for me to be his footie blog admin/ commentator in my last post commentbox, thank you. But I am afraid I have to turn it down just because... you called me 'Bro'. Cisss...

Emmm, maybe I need to change my nick and make this blog looks more girlish to avoid such misunderstanding again kan?

6pm: Colour changes done to the layout to enhance the girlie element ;)

Dalam selimut putih (Part 1)

This is a post of random thoughts while I was warded for a week for a bad back.

30th March 2010, 10pm

The girl at the opposite bed wore a Man Utd jersey today and I have just overheard her conversation with the other lady next to her bed:

"Awak sokong Manchester ya?"

"A'ah. Beckham cun kak!"

Emmmmmm. I have nothing against MU or its fans. Besides, I know many REAL MU fans whom I truly respect for their footie/ club knowledge and loyaties such as my former school junior Idlan (she's such a big name in blogsphere now) and my batchmate Nor (who's now on a lone adventure around the globe en route to World Cup, I am green with envy) and many more. My definition of REAL fans are those who would stick by their teams either they win or lose, those who enjoy the game for the game and not just for the pretty faces in it (Hukaloh.. Beckham dah berzaman out of MU cik kak oi..). Real fans should be able to name atleast half of the team if not fully and should be able to describe the meaning of the offside rule. Most importantly, real fans possess true sporting spirit and handle winning or losing maturely and in moderation instead of with over-the-top cheers and jibes. Ok, a lil' glee whenever MU lost is of course still acceptable, no? ;)

Anyway, fake fans (particularly of MU for some reasons) more common than not, would go by all means to demean and ridicule the opponents when they win but surprisingly all silent when the clubs they supported were defeated. Those who just a week ago declared themselves hardcore fans because their teams were winning suddenly became indifferent and distanced just because their teams lost their games this week. Worse, some may jump-ship declaring their undying loyalties to another (winning) team. Have you guys not realised how we suddenly see so many Barca fans now? Check out the newsfeed on your FB if you don't believe me.

Oh well, hope I get to be transferred to another room soon. The gossips I am made to listen (they're talking very loudly ok) in here is making me want to puke. Honestly.

Duniawi thoughts

Liverpool 1 - Villa 3.

And an own goal.

Adusss.

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As a fan of The Reds, I have acquired some special traits over the years:

1. High level of patience
2. High level of optimism
3. A certain degree of denial

Especially towards the end of a season when we keep telling ourselves "Miracles do happen" (And they do happen ok!)

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The roads were really empty this morning especially in Cheras area.

Semua orang dah balik kampung untuk raya ke??

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Briyani kambing. Sedap.

Jom!

Living up to expectation

Spain is the new Euro champions and the vital goal came from this man:



Go Torres! ;)

Am going back to bed now...zzz....

Miracles DO happen

Yup, Spain is in the Euro Cup final!

I can name almost the whole of the English team (yet the knowledge is redundant now isn't it?), a bit more than half of the Spanish squad and yet not a single one from the Malaysian team... sad isn't it? (the team, not me!)

My last (and only) experience watching Malaysian Football in this decade was back in 2004 when I went for the Malaysian Cup final at Bukit Jalil. The game was so boring that I almost fell asleep...sempat pergi beli burger lagi while the game was going on. I only went because a certain someone came all the way from Perlis to take me to the 'date'. Emmm...come to think of it now, no wonder it didn't work out...heheh..

Kickin' off

Euro 2008 has finally started but this time round, without the presence of Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher, Lampard, Wayne Rooney (ergh), Rio Ferdinand (ergh) and the rest of the gang. A bit weird I'd say but on the positive side, no probability of false hopes and disappointments again this year so it's good for my heart!

I shall start watching on Monday morning when quarter-finals for Group D kick off. It will be interesting to see how will Spain (who last won the cup in 1964) fares without its former captain, Raul. I hope Torres will be as brilliant as how he was with Liverpool last season though..

Let it be all-reds affair

Giggsy is one happy bunny today.

Yours truly, on the other hand, will be stuck in front of the telly at 2.30am tomorrow morning with great anticipation. I hardly stay up late for football these days (getting old la..) but this is one match that I don't want to miss.

Fingers-crossed..

Reds in the final!

It was a nerve-wrecking 120-minutes game with one controversially disallowed goal and a very brief appearance of Robbie Fowler (which is pretty rare in important games nowadays). Although the winner had to, at the end, be decided by penalty shoot-out meaning that I didn't get to bed until 5.30am, it was well worth it.. because Liverpool won and they're in the final!!

Fowler didn't get to take the penalty kick at the end (that was the only reason why he was brought in during the extra time) since Riena did a marvelous job saving 2 spot kicks from Robben and Geremi. Now... bring on the Red Devils :)



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It's been a while since I last saw a play.. the last was Puteri Gunung Ledang I think. So, when I was offered a corporate box seat for a play at Petronas Philharmonic Hall a couple of weekends ago, I didn't think twice and just took up the offer. I didn't know anything on the tales of Malim Bongsu and definitely didn't have a single clue on what was Mek Mulung all about so I went thinking it was just one of the usual traditional plays to cater more for the tourists since it's VMY anyway..but I was wrong.

I still don't know exactly what the art of Mek Mulung really is but the play was a highly entertaining musical with integration of slapsticks and current issues although in thick Northern accents. There were times during the show that I had 'delayed' laughters compared to the others in the audience since I needed time 'to digest and convert' the language used. But it was entertaining all the same anyway and I was glad I went.

Oh, my favourite play of all time, Phantom of the Opera is now showing at Singapore's Esplanade. I shall make my way there in about a couple of weeks' time to watch it (again)... Am really looking forward to the trip!

Ball Talk

It's 3.45 sunday morning and I'm already up... why? Footies ofcourse! I'm now watching Holland, one of my favourite teams playing and so far, they aren't dissapointing. 2 goals in the first 20 minutes although the second was a result of an offside.

I'll be up again the same time on monday morning to watch England against Croatia. I hope 'my' Rooney will do his wonder again.

Sometimes I feel abit guilty that I can name the whole team of England players but I don't know even a single player of our Malaysian team. It's not that I didn't try to follow our local football scene but it's not a fault of mine that they're so (truly)boring and inconsistent. I tried watching Malaysia playing once but I switched the tele off after 10 minutes! Poor passes was one thing, but the non-existent of true passion for the game within the players was another. If the players couldn't even bothered to play with true spirit and commitment, how could you expect the 'fan' to have any interest in watching them?

Anyway, I hope I'll remember to put my red england Tee into the washing machine tomorrow so that it'll be ready for monday :) Go England!

4.20 am: Gee ...I commented too fast. It's now 2-2 and Holland is down with 10 men. What a game!