Thanks For The Memories (without vowels)

They say I only think in the form of crunching numbers
In hotel rooms collecting page six lovers
Get me out of my mind and get you out of those clothes
I'm a liner away from getting you in the mood, whoa ...

One night and one more time
Thanks for the memories
Even though they weren't so great
"He tastes like you only sweeter"
One night, yeah and one more time
Thanks for the memories, thanks for the memories
"He tastes like you only sweeter ..."

I hate having an EGO!

I seriously hate having an EGO!

I hate having people telling me bout who like me, who I should go after, who that is pretty, etc. I fuckingly hate being pressured and expected to go after the opposite gender.

Ok, I'm a little drunk now writing this down, but I seriously hate having such feelings. I hate having the feeling that I should be with certain people just because everyone tells me that she's the one, and that I'm eligible, and so forth. And when I'm with the person the disappointment becomes tenfold, and somehow I can't control having a fucking ego.

Somehow trying to find a solution to not care about my feelings or ego seems to be a fruitless effort. Somehow, deflecting societal and environmental pressures seems impossible. I will always be advised, told, or encouraged to pursue so and so, and if I don't it is like a lethal blow. Up front I can be cool but deep down, it's a fucking feeling to have.

And I hate having to post this down ...

So Milan won ...

So Milan won this round. 2 - 1's the scoreline and I think fairplay to them. Sometimes football can be cruel. This time around Liverpool was the better team, and this time around Milan got the lucky goal going for them. As the experts always say, you need a little bit of luck sometimes.

Again, Liverpool supporters are always the best especially when their players work their socks off. Even when they were down in the final minutes and during the presentation ceremony, songs of "You'll Never Walk Alone", "Que Gerard, Gerard", and other famous Scouse chants echoed through the stadium. Truly, as almost every sports commentators put it, Liverpool supporters are the best in the world, and have traveled the length and breadth of Europe to follow their team.

Moving on, I feel the manager should have started Crouch earlier. Sometimes he can't be the tactical genius in every match but I would have thought it would be an obvious choice. Just 10 mins being on, and Liverpool replied a goal which bounced off his head before Kuyt nodded in. If only he'd come on at half time or started earlier. Also the quality from both wings leave much to be desired. Pennant has shown his a mid-table Premiership player, and needs to really improve his awareness and crossing ability. Its no point being the top crosser in the league when it rarely gets to anyone.

I'm still curious why he'd started Zenden. Looking at the way Milan playing, someone faster, who's able to control the ball better and run at defenders such as Kewell or Gonzalez would be better than Zenden who plays more like a central midfield player than a left winger. I guess the game plan went well. Just that the front 3 needs to be overhauled. I'd still have faith in Kewell but I think Benitez needs to bring in Alves or even Joaquin (I like him, robust and able to run the channels) as well as either Torres or Eto'o. Then maybe they'd be more consistent. Passion alone can't be the rule of the day to win matches.

So fairplay to Milan. Maybe they deserve a bit of luck after what happened to them. Then again, what happened to them wasn't luck, it was pure tactical ability (putting in Hamann, shifting Gerrard, etc.).

Today, the Greek gods were smiling for the rossoneri. We'll see what happens next year.

2 Hours Before Kick Off !!!

It's about 2 hours prior to kick-off time for Liverpool vs AC Milan and I'm sitting in front of my computer thinking what the scoreline will be like.

Like all Liverpool fans, I'm kinda superstitious about certain omens that point to signs of Liverpool capturing their 6th European Cup. The best one I've read was the connection with the Hillsborough disaster of April 15. It goes,

A = Athens
P = Paris
R = Rome
I = Istanbul
L = London

1 + 5 = 6 European Cups!!!

Any Liverpudlians would know that the venues above corresponds to the times when Liverpool won the European Cup (including twice in Rome!).

My own personal omen similar to the last round was that I would have experienced a break but in the case of this year, there was none. Which means I wasn't that depressed as back then where the joy of watching the greatest comebacks sort of lifted my spirits for the year. Not that I'm totally into such things but I always like to link such things (which obviously landed me in some hot soup once in a while).

Nevertheless I feel strongly about Liverpool winning this one. While 2 years ago my confidence was not that high due to the squad they possess, I truly believe that the current squad is more than capable of winning it. There would be less pressure since they'd really have nothing to lose, while Milan would feel that they should be able to win it this round.

GO FORTH THE MIGHTY REDS !!!

Test Driving an S40

Took a red Volvo S40 for a spin during lunchtime today. I really liked the ferrari red on Volvo's compact sedan. It sure is a head turner on the road. "People will let you pass coz they respect a Volvo car", said the salesman. However, the interior is real turn-off.

Somehow the interior doesn't look as nice when viewing from the website. The black looks old and faded. Since its black, I bet it'll gather dust within hours which I don't really fancy either. While the 'floating console' may look cool, I feel the buttons and the LCD screen looked a bit tacky. Even the dashboard indicators can't compare to the new Civic.

Nevertheless, the car is powerful, all 2.4 Litres of it (which costs RM 800+ for the road tax!). It doesn't have CVT like the City I drive but the transmission changes was still smoother than the Sentra I tried 2 years ago. Even so, I did not manage to get beyond 80 km/h since I was driving around the Jalan 222 area.

The price? RM 180,000 - more expensive than the condo I'm staying in now.

Truth is, the reason I'm test driving the Volvo is cause I want to join the Pirates of the Caribbean Treasure Hunt.

I Don't Love You

Well, when you go
Don't ever think I'll make you try to stay
And maybe when you get back
I'll be off to find another way

And after all this time that you still owe
You're still the good-for-nothing I don't know
So take your gloves and get out
Better get out
While you can

When you go
Would you even turn to say
"I don't love you
Like I did
Yesterday"

Sometimes I cry so hard from pleading
So sick and tired of all the needless beating
But baby when they knock you
Down and out
It's where you oughta stay

And after all the blood that you still owe
Another dollar's just another blow
So fix your eyes and get up
Better get up
While you can
Whoa, whooa

When you go
Would you even turn to say
"I don't love you
Like I did
Yesterday"

A tale of pantiliners

These days, one of the topics of discussion I frequent in is that on feminine hygiene. Ever since I switched companies, it is part of my job to understand and dwell on feminine hygiene, more towards the usage and how women shop for it.

I just had a discussion tonight on the subject of "pantiliners" which is another area of feminine hygiene besides sanitary napkins. Now pantiliners are worn by women experiencing vaginal discharges (did I just say 'vaginal'), spotting (got this from Wikipedia), slight incontinence, or light menstrual flow. That said it also keeps the panties from getting dirty and smelly, hence probably the word pantiliner.

Of course various women have different preferences. Some prefers longer and wider ones. Some prefer the thin and less obstrusive ones. And some have no particular preference at all, and just go for the cheaper brands (or at least the ones on promotion). It's hard for women to switch brands when it comes to pantiliners with comfort playing the most important factor. Price though is also one of the key factors these days, since this is a disposable item. Why pay more for something you have to throw away some might ask.

That said, it is an enlightening experience on one of the most taboo subjects at the dinner table. Even women themselves don't speak too much about it like which are the better brands, which one feels more comfortable, etc. This is one product where word-of-mouth marketing doesn't really work in this country. Education is one way, but must be done in a subtle manner where women won't feel violated.

It Gets The Worst At Night

William Blake once wrote, "There are things that are known, and things that are unknown, and in between there are doors."

I've gotta open some of them ...

Paintball!!!

I organized my first paintball event today. Well actually my Sports Committee organized but I'm the chairperson so what the heck!

It was a wet Sunday morning and the 16 of us went to Sungai Buloh where a paintball site was located. It was managed by the Mud Trekker society and they also organize other events such as 4WD trekking, white water rafting besides the paintball events.

We played Capture the Flag, and Storm the Fortress. I had thought that all of us would be splattered with paint but to even hit someone with the paintball is difficult itself. I got shot twice in the head and one in the leg. The legshot left a round bruise but the head was ok coz it struck the mask which wasn't painful at all. I just got shocked a bit when suddenly "SPLAT!" one of the balls hit me.

It was real tiring and full of suspense as we hide for cover and take aimless shots. It was real hilarious at times as there were misses at point blank range and someone accidentally should their own team mates in the back! Friendly fire working at best, I'd say.

You Call It Madness, But I Call It Love

Season 3, Episode 16 of One Tree Hill is back after a 3 month hiatus. The last episode ended when Psycho Derek appeared on Peyton's doorstep as she was going out for her last prom night. Another cliffhanger ending as all the fans were waiting to see what happens next.

Well, Brooke went to her rescue despite Peyton spray painting her prom dress "Bitch" earlier in the day, and surprise surprise they made up after that. Mouth ran off with Rachel coz he wanted to be dangerous, and Lucas ended up wandering the school hallways trying to understand Keith's killings with the help of Glenda.

As any episode endings, we found out who was the one that spotted Dan killed Keith, one Abby Brown, the student whom Jimmy Edwards let go during the hostage situation last season.

My First Lady Buyer

Sold of my Creative MuVo V200 1 GB MP3 player today to a woman via Lelong.com. She was my first female buyer and she bought if off me from RM 102 (which is way cheaper than when I bought it at RM 625 more than 2 years ago). I think she'd got the better deal coz brand new ones are going around RM 200+ on the website.

This would be Item No. 18 I've sold (not including a bunch of novels and my HP Ipaq PDA which I sold on the side due to advertising in Lelong). Next? My whole desktop set.

Liverpool 1 - Chelsea 0 (Liverpool win 4-1 on penalties)

Only in a football match can you find grown men cry or jump for joy.

It's 5.45 in the morning now and I've just been through a rollercoaster of emotion not felt since Liverpool's triumph in Istanbul. Sure it's only the semifinal, but what a match!

Liverpool got off to bright start when a brilliantly worked freekick when its way to Daniel Agger, the centreback with a sweet left foot. He let fly a curling shot that looked like it would go out but actually swerved in. "That's a striker's goal", said Steve McMahon.

Then it was an extremely cagey affair. My heart pounds everytime a Chelsea player has the ball in the penalty box, while I got ready to jump for joy whenever Liverpool took a shot. I was hoping the'd make it 2-0 soon coz if Chelsea scored, they would need to hit 3 to get through.

And so it went back and forth and until extratime. That's when Dirk Kuyt scored a goal off a rebound, and I leaped and yelled "Goaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaal" before watching his celebrations cut short by the linesman. I agree with the commentators when they said he wasn't offside, and was worried that it would come back to haunt us later.

Nevertheless Kuyt had a great game having a goal disallowed and a header hitting the crossbar, but he had a chance to make amends later.

And so extratime came and go, and it goes into penalties. As one expert puts it, penalties are a lottery and my heart rate beat twice as fast during this small fraction of time that seems to stand still. Can't imagine what the players were going through in their minds.

Anyhow, Chelsea won the toss so they did not pick the Kop End where there were no Chelsea supporters. Liverpool chose to go first as normally the first team that shoots tend to put pressure on the 2nd team.


Boudewijn Zenden was the first taker. I was surprised that Rafa played him from the start as I thought he is more a squad player and I had expected him to play Riise and Arbeloa on the left. He had an efficient game I would say, and he had the guts to take the first penalty which he did magnificently tricking Cech to go the other way.

Arjen Robben would be Chelsea's first penalty taker and also kick start Chelsea's doomed. While the commentators said he took a poor penalty, I believe that Reina is one of the best penalty stoppers if not the best making this save look so routine. I guess Rafa knew that he would be going into penalties every year hence he bought him from Villareal.

Xabi Alonso stepped up next and he would get his in. Frank Lampard replied in kind for Chelsea. Then Steven Gerrard would continue the momentum which meant Liverpool is leading 3-1 on penalty count.

Geremi would be Chelsea's 3rd taker (its a wonder why Jose would pick his 2 substitutes as the takers as they'd only be on for 15 mins or less. Drogba, Essien, Cole or even Terry would be a better choice). Again Reina came up with a top save this time to his right.

So all that leaves the tie poised for the taking, and Dirk Kuyt would be the decisive taker. I actually thought he would missed and let Robbie take the final penalty (I believe his the last) before his impending retirement. Nevertheless he scored and I believed it could not have happened more for him after the game he's had.

Anfield erupted ... May 23rd ... Athens, Greece ... Liverpool vs AC Milan / Man U

I can't wait!

Labour Pains

It's Labour Day today and I slept until 6 pm. Bejeweled is a damn addictive game and I played until 5 in the morning. It happened the night before as well and in spite of my relative sleepyness (I went to work the day before) I still continued hammering away those jewels.

Since tomorrow is another holiday, I'm not too worried about crashing in late again today. Which makes me ponder a bit about my life as a whole.

I'm turning 30.

I don't have a girlfriend.

I don't have 6 months worth of savings in salary.

I don't have a place of my own.

I don't have shares, unit trusts or any financial instruments of any kind other than my savings account.

I just have me, myself and I.

I'm gonna hold this thought and revisit this 1 year from now.