26 Jul 2011
More than meats the eye...
Bee there or bee square
25 Jul 2011
A mellow encounter...
22 Jul 2011
Why I thought Malaysia had won
You've heard the news and know the scoreline, it's Chelsea 1, Malaysia XI 0. But I have these reasons why I thought we were the real victors:
i) Our defence stood up to their much bigger opponents and was where they were supposed to be and at the right time;
ii) Our goalkeeper made some saves that even we didn't anticipate him to;
iii) Our onslaughts were no child play and really got Chelsea's keeper and defenders worried;
iv) Our determination was the stubborn type although one or two assaults were totally uncalled for;
v) Our passes were both accurate and not sharp in some instances but I had seen worse;
vi) Our sub goalkeeper had no way of avoiding the ball that hit him in the back and then trickled crossed the line. Wait a minute; it did not cross the line. It was the linesman who was nervous;
vii) In the final 10 minutes or so, our attack showed gusto, genuine effort and that fighting spirit in trying to equalize the dubious goal; and
viii) Our boys displayed the kind of skills that convince me they can actually play. For me, being better at the game is only the way to go for them.
What mattered to me most than this ugly episode and Malaysia 'winning' was that my elder son thoroughly enjoyed the outing. And enjoy he did.
20 Jul 2011
From VA with love
Harry, Rebecca and little Zakaria pulled into town last month. Singapore was made their temporary base as Rebecca had some business to attend to in that fine city. So they would shuttle back and forth to Johor Bahru where Harry's sisters live. They also took a brief respite in Bintan Island, which was only less than an hour's boat ride from the shopping haven.
Harry is my uncle who has been living in the States for as long as I can remember. His home now is in Virginia although at one point he used to live in Washington D.C. Trips to Malaysia are far and few in between and needless to say, everyone looked forward to it when he said he was coming down. Apart from the real joy of reunion, some of us could not wait to see Zak in the flesh who has proven himself to be the chubbiest (with red cheeks to boot...) little boy in the family. And others expected souvenirs and things that they had asked Harry to buy in the States.
Having been away from the country for quite some time, it's only natural that he developed cravings for food that was not easily available or accessible to him. Few weeks prior to the trip, my sister Emi got in touch with everyone of us, asking about which seafood restaurant would we vote for. I nominated for any joint in Port Klang. I thought it romantic and more meaningful, you know; to drive the distance, have food right next to where they were sourced from and under the moonlit sky.
It turned out that Harry's cravings were not as great as mine. Since he'd volunteered to pay the bill, we settled for South Sea, an established eatery off the old Subang Airport road. The restaurant was adjacent to the tarmac so we saw at least one plane taking off. Somewhere during the course of dinner, the retractrable roof of the restaurant opened to a clear, star-studded sky. This is South Sea's version of romantic. Not bad actually.
My other half presented the visiting family with framed pictures of kampung houses and a nice, cute t-shirt for Zak that read Anak Seni. She got all these from Galeri PETRONAS and I really hope it will fit darling Zak. The pictures should make a contrasting wall adornment to Harry and Becky's modern contemporary Hollin Hills home.
Next up was the photography session and we did the photos by family, by gender and by relationship. The unavoidable FB pose i.e. eyes on camera while head angled at 45 degrees was the rage. Shot after shot. Choreograph after choreograph. The Harrys just obliged.
It's good to catch up with Harry and Becky after all these years. And pinching Zak on the cheeks.
Chelsea...lagi best!
My elder son is a Chelsea fan so there was no question about whether we should go or not. And he really behaved as if this was his first time. Few nights before he asked me which kit to wear. In the morning of the d-day, he reminded me to be home early. Just as he left class, he rang to ask my whereabouts. But I guess it's always thrilling when you are meeting your idol. Frankly, I won't know how I would react if Spurs were to stop by Malaysia. Actually, I don't know if that will even happen in the first place!
Chelsea fans are united. I spotted fake jerseys, third colours, retro jerseys, away kits, washed out blues, home jerseys, Emirates-era jerseys, blue-coloured wigs, non-sanctioned scarfs, jester-styled hats, creaseless Torres posters, Malaysia Blues Army (sic) banner, Malaysia Blues Army Supporters banner (sic, I don't get this), one lone Arse-nal supporter (how dare you?), more fake jerseys, Malaysian yellow jerseys, Helmie, Sarah and Bazil. But these don't matter as they were there for one thing and one thing only - that is to watch their favourite team train.
Watch this space for more...