Out of My Mind

Wayne Rooney.. A Reaction..

2010-09-11T00:41:00.001+08:00

Here’s something I’ve never blogged about before.. Manchester United.. I am a HUGE United fan.. HUGE as in I cried during the Champions League final thinking what would happen if Terry scored, HUGE as in jumping up and down screaming my lungs out and running around the cafe when Owen scored the last minute winner against City.. Ok so you get how big a fan i am.. All my siblings are United fans as well but my relatives are mainly Liverpool and Arsenal fans, so you can imagine the banter that happens during matchdays..

Anyway, what prompted me to write this post are the recent allegations against Wayne Rooney.. Wayne Mark Rooney has been hit with allegations of him sleeping with a prostitute when his wife Coleen was 3 months pregnant with his now 10 month old son Kai Rooney.. Now, I admit that the moment i read these reports, i ruled them out as absolutely rubbish.. Being a United fan, i guess it was the natural reaction with Rooney being our main man or more appropriately ‘talisman’.. but its been a week since these reports came to light, and now i have to admit, with Rooney’s failure to come out and deny these allegations, i guess they have to be somewhat if not entirely true.. Also, being Wayne Rooney, England’s greatest hope to lead them to any sort of glory, candidate for FIFA World Player of the Year, the newspapers that published this ‘story’ would be absolutely crazy to do so if it wasn’t true.. Given Rooney’s status nowadays, and the damage a story like this could do to him, if it was false Rooney could sue them into bankruptcy.. So taking into account all of this, my view is that yes he did cheat on his wife when she was pregnant.. and yes.. he has proven to be an ass of a human being..

I am absolutely gutted that he has done something like this.. Wayne Rooney.. United fans adored you.. and yes many would argue that its his personal life and should have no bearing on his job, a footballer.. Well maybe at clubs like Chelsea where their Captian, Leader, Legend, John Terry, married man, can sleep with the mother of his best friend/teammates child and still be adored by ‘Team Terry’(as his fans call themselves).. Or even Liverpool, where its ok for their Captain Stevie G, to go into clubs and beat up people just because they don’t play your songs.. BUT, this is MANCHESTER UNITED!! We pride ourselves on being better than others.. Better not only ON the pitch, but OFF it as well.. You can read all over the web, interviews, biographies, stories of how Sir Alex Ferguson is as a manager.. He treats each player with respect, and always teaches them above all things, being a better human being is just as important as being a better footballer.. That is one of the reasons I love this club so much.. that even when we’re so successful, the players are not arrogant and are always hungry to win more..

Wayne Rooney, I have no doubt that he will continue to give 100 percent every match that he plays and that he will still WOW us with his ability to do the extraordinary, however, I just do not feel the same about him anymore.. I no longer adore him.. I no longer see him as our future Captian..

(to be cont..)

SawadeeKaaaaP…II..

2010-01-24T20:21:00.001+08:00

Mumzie had a headache last Saturday, so the girlfriend and i had to makan sendiri for lunch.. which gave me the perfect excuse to drive all the way to Ampang to try this place which i’ve heard and read good reviews about..

so off to the hills of hulu langat it was.. ok, well not really.. actually planned to go to another thai bbq place called Nong & Jimmy’s.. i called earlier to ask if they were open for lunch and the moron on the other end told me yes.. upon reaching there i see their sign which reads “Open from 6pm-12am”… zZzz.. conned.. but this actually turned out to be sort of a blessing in disguise i guess.. since i was in Ampang already so thought why not drive to this place which is near the infamous Look Out Point..

If you know Look Out Point, getting to this place is fairly staightforward.. if L.O.P. is on your right, then just drive on for another 1km+(less than 5mins drive) and keep a sharp eye out for this little sign on your right..

its easy to miss but its the first right turning u can make after L.O.P.. the road heading to this place is a gravel road with patches of tarred road as you go along.. driving a 4x4 is a major advantage here.. at the end of the road seemingly deep in the jungle you will see a vege farm on ur left and the Fish Farm Thai Restaurant will be on your right.

The Bumpy Gravel RoadRestaurant on Stilts over the Pond

The Hungry Couple Some Uncles Enjoying their Tody with Stout

Since it was only 2 of us we ordered just 5 dishes.. haha.. if you’ve seen us, for sure you’d wonder how d hell we can actually eat so much..

First up was the Paku Belacan.. i really like this vegetable for some reason.. its got a great texture.. doesnt go soggy and retains its crunch well.. stir fried with belacan is for me the best way to cook it.. it was really quick to arrive and didnt disappoint.. wasnt too salty like a lot of places tend to do it and had just the right ammout of belacan not too overpower the taste of the vege.. nice..

Paku Belacan

Next on the menu was the Seafood Tom-Yam.. im not sure what authentic tomyam should taste like, cause i havent been to Thailand yet(will be going soon though).. but if i had to guess, then this tastes pretty authentic to me.. sour and spicyness was good but a word of advice, ask them to tone down the spicyness a notch if you cant take the heat cause this version packs quite a kick.. they are not stingy on the ingredients either, there were about 5 medium sized fresh prawns, squid, musrooms, and some other stuff i cant recall.. definite must order..Seafood Tom-Yam

They also specialize in BBQ dishes here.. you will see when you enter the restaurant an area where all the nice bbq-ing happens.. so upon recommendation of the waiter, we tried the BBQ Lamb.. a few post ago, i recommended the lamb at Hing Ket.. but after tasting this, we both conclude that this is the winner of the two.. albeit they use a cheaper cut here(lamb chops instead of cutlets at Hing Ket) the flavour from the marinade was awesome and they grilled it to perfection, the fat crisped up but the meat remained tender.. went well with the thai garlic chili sour sauce that came with it..

BBQ Lamb

Another BBQ dish ordered were the prawns.. I have been having a craving for grilled prawns recently.. i dont know why especially since i am slightly alergic to them and didnt really fancy them a few years back.. the prawns that were served were super fresh and the flesh was really sweet.. and BIG.. super worth the price.. i can just imagine myself once im old.. drinking booze with tody here together with these sweet succulent crustaceans..

Grilled Prawns(7 of them)

Dining at a fish farm.. you have to order fish.. i quite enjoy fish.. steamed, fried or baked.. but it has to be fresh.. the fish here is caught upon order(apparently you can even choose your own).. i was tempted to order 2 versions of the fish but after deliberation, thought the better of it.. so instead of the Salt Baked Talapia.. we went for the Talapia Steamed with Lime Thai Sauce.. many people are afraid of talapia because it can have a muddy taste that freshwater fish tend to have.. i admit i hate that taste as well as it can ruin a whole meal.. but the fish here had a very minimal muddy taste.. it was there, but the tangy lime, garlic, corriander and chili broth that the fish was steamed in did a good job of masking the taste.. the meat nearer to the belly had a stronger taste of mud so you might want to stay away from that section.. the combination of ingrediants give a broth a nice refreshing taste which complements the BBQued dishes well..

Steamed Talapia DamageFishies!! Man on a BoatVege Farm

Overall I absolutely loved the food here and the ambience is just wonderful.. its good to come to a place like this sometimes.. hidden in the hills, away from the city.. price wise i think its very cheap.. we drank a small bottle of Tody(fermented coconut alcohol drink) and 2 sweet Coconuts.. the dishes were mainly rm15 or rm10 apart from the fish(rm27) which is great value considering the quality of the food and the ambience.. oh, 1 gripe though.. there are waaaaay too many flies.. but what do you expect being on top a fish farm..

Address:

KM4, Jalan Ampang-Hulu Langat, Ampang
Selangor 68000
Malaysia

Hing Ket Grill House

2010-01-15T21:06:00.001+08:00

Way overdue post coming up..

Came across this place from visiting KY Speaks on my search for really good seafood in and around K.L. and now its one of my favourite places to go when i want sweet fresh seafood..

Located at Kampung Jawa, Klang, its not exactly close to home but a short 30min drive from Kepong will end you here..

The place is really crowded especially on weekends so its highly recommended to call and make a reservation in advance.. and parking there is extremely limited so make sure you arrive early..             Grill where all the ‘magic’ happens

As you enter the restaurant you’ll notice their grill section located out front.. quite cool as you can see them grilling lots of fresh crabs and juicy lamb chops out in the open.. the smell is fantastic..

                      Finished before i could snap

Problem with this post is that once the first few dishes arrived, it was whalloped before i could even whip out my camera to take pics of it..zzZ.. everyone was super hungry as you can see by the picture above(it was taken 3mins after food landed).. food here took quite a while to arrive, the first few dishes we ordered were Lala Mee-Hoon, Stir Fried Glass Noodles and Stir Fried ‘Kai Lan’.. after that, we had to wait about 15-20mins between each dish arriving at our table.. so we only were done eating after about 2 hours..

my own plate, clockwise from top: ‘kai lan’, lala mee-hoon, glass noodles..

Fortunately the food here is worth the wait.. for me the glass noodles are an absolute must order.. it was perfect, not soggy(as it may look) but just nice and springy.. the lala mee-hoon was alright i guess.. they use the mini-lalas to cook it and they are not stingy with it.. after noodles were finished a whole load of lalas were still at the bottom of the plate.. the vege, well, was vege.. to give us a false impression of being healthy..:)

                                   Grilled Sotong

Next dish to arrive was the grilled sotong, i skipped this dish the 2nd time i visited here.. it was a little over-grilled.. flavour wise was not too bad and the chilli it came with was not too bad la..

                                       Fried Sotong

Haha, our next dish was this fried sotong, we ordered cause the table beside ordered a huge mountain of it and it looked so nice.. it was well fried with the batter quite peppery which is the way i like it..

                                     Grill Sting-Ray

I was recommended by other bloggers to order the grilled fish here.. i have to say it was nice.. i think they use some curry powder and grill it which gives it a nice smoky flavour while the meat was nice and firm.. not overcooked and dry which is how many places seem to do it..

                              Grilled Lamb Cutlets

You CANNOT come here and NOT order this dish.. the grilled lamb cutlets were absolutely super duper delicious.. i’ve paid a lot of money at expensive restaurants which dont hold a candle to the way this place prepares these lamb cutlets.. super flavourful, juicy and most importantly, juicy.. words cannot describe how good they are.. imagine my mother who hates, i mean HATES the smell and taste of lamb, liked this.. i wont say she loved it but for someone who isnt fond of lamb, liking this version is something major.. the mint sauce accompanying the dish isnt too bad either..

                                       Grilled Crabs

I dont know where to start about these crabs.. they serve the crab to you whole here.. with all its innards, roe and whatever stuff you find inside crabs.. its not marinated or cooked in special sauces which mask the taste of it.. here, its just grilled with some salt and sent to your table.. this is my new favourite way to enjoy crabs.. grilled in its own natural juices.. its a real pain in the a$$ to eat them but for me, half the joy is in the opening of the shell and digging out the meat with your fingernails.. the first time i came, i ordered the medium crabs.. the 2nd time i ordered the large crabs.. note to self, dont order the large crabs.. they’re huge.. 1 is too much for each person.. medium is fine..

              (Left)Alan..(Right) B’day Boi Eugene                             B’day Girl Yan Yan                              Lovely Jing Huey                                             Me                                         Javier

After dinner headed to cineleisure for a movie and saw MONSTERS!!

So my overall verdict of this place is a 9/10.. very fresh seafood and cooked using the best methods.. my mother and sister loved the food as well when i brought them here for dinner as well..

Address:
Lot 3569, Batu 3 1/4,
Kampung Jawa,
41000 Klang
GPS: 3.03185, 101.47775
Tel: 03-3371 3913

Va Va Vroom!!

2009-11-01T20:22:00.001+08:00

Hey hey.. there’s someone I want you to meet.. She’s very special to me so hope you all like her.. I’ve always dreamed of having her and have been working hard to one day be able to say i have one of her..

So here she is.. my BaBy..

Over time she will be getting new shoes.. maybe some cosmetic surgery and grow some muscles to move faster.. a sound upgrade too in the future.. but for now she is untouched..

hopefully nobody tries to hit her.. or kidnap her..

I love you my Neo.. i always liked local girls..

edit: erm.. not really untouched anymore now..

Brand shining new Powerzone Extractor – rm400

SawadeeKaaaaP…

2009-10-21T21:34:00.002+08:00

In my post about Penang i wrote about how i had food poisoning the day before my trip.. Well it seems like for the past few weeks many people close to me are being struck by it too.. a sign that food outlets are putting less emphasis on hygiene?? one of my best friends had it a week after me.. then my gf a week later then my mum just last week..

That meant we all had to ‘makan sendiri’ or ‘sek chi gei’ as the chinese would put it.. So me and mi-lady drove to Kepong Baru for some ‘yong tau fu’.. but once we were reaching there i remembered a place that serves nice authentic thai food nearby, kind of secluded on the border of Kepong Baru & Segambut..

Yee Wen Thai Food RestaurantThe view from the Roadside

I was introduced to this place by my sister a while back but i have no idea how she actually knew about it as its in a rather hard place to find if your not from these parts..

The 2 of us were rather hungry so we kind of ordered more than we should be eating.. haha.. but that is common for us..

Stir Fried ‘Paku’

‘Paku’ i believe is a popular veg in Sabah/Sarawak.. I guess its something like kangkung(water convolvulus) with its crunchy texture.. normally i would order the ‘paku’ belacan but since the tomyam here really packs some heat, we thought that some ‘clean’ veg would be nicer.. although the preparation seems simple but the dish was flavourful and not overcooked..

Deep Fried Squid

The rings of squid were fried perfectly in some batter and served with a thai styled chilli sauce on the side.. the batter has some herbs and lots of lemon grass in it which flavours the squid nicely.. on the downside, i think there was a little too much batter for my liking.. i prefer it lightly battered, like tempura..

Pandan Fried Chicken

This is one of my favourite dishes around.. Minced chicken meat mixed with thai spices, deep fried wrapped in pandan leaves.. the version here i could taste some chinese rice wine in it which was a tiny bit too strong for me.. i think a hint would have been nice but they overdid it a wee bit here.. nice nonetheless..

And finally a must have at any Thai Restaurant

Seafood Tom Yam Charcoal in a Pot underneath

We opted for the Clear Seafood TomYam(without coconut milk) here just because we thought of eating healthier..haha.. after the 2 fried dishes above.. As you can see it comes in a clay pot sitting on top of hot coals to keep it nice and hot.. perfect for when your having a cold.. It tastes wonderful, very authentic(i’ve never had the real thing, but im guessing this is how it would taste).. it has plenty pieces of fish, squid and prawns so its worth the price you pay..

So if your craving for a nice traditional thai meal.. head over to this place.. will post the address once i find the receipt..:)

Edit:

Found d Address..

Restaurant Yee Wen Thai Food
Jalan Helang Belalang,
Kepong Baru,
52100 Kuala Lumpur

its kind of hard to find if ur not from kepong but nowadays almost everybody has a gps so im sure you'll find it..

Ave Maria!!

2009-10-16T20:53:00.001+08:00

Kinda been busy downloading apps for my new toy.. First I would like to apologise to all IPhone Application Developers.. I promise you i will pay for all my downloads once i can afford to.. but for now.. im truly sorry and grateful for ur hard work which i have filled my IPhone 3Gs with.. hehe.. more on that later.. but for now Im going to introduce one of my favourite places to go when i have a craving for a chunk of juicy beef..

Maria’s Cafe in Damansara Perdana.. there have been many nice food places in this area but most of them seem to have closed down.. not sure why but maybe they did not really appeal to the crowd in the area which is predominantly office workers.. nice places like Eagles Nest have all closed down recently.. Im really hoping that Maria’s Cafe does not suffer the same fate but judging from the ambience and food.. its moving in the right direction..

On to the food..

First up we ordered a French Onion Soup.. it was oookay i guess.. nothing special.. will not order it again.. the mushroom soup we ordered the last time we were here was quite nice so give that a try when you visit..

Yummy Yummy Yan Yan..:)

Next up were the mains.. The lady ordered her favourite.. Roast Leg of Lamb

Nicely cooked and a very generous serving too.. The meat was nice and tender and the gravy wasn’t too salty or overpowering.. cant remember the exact price but it was around rm25 for this.. reasonable pricing..

I on the other hand come to this place for 2 reasons..

1st..Perfect Grilled Rib Eye Steak

Damn.. just writing about it now is making me hungry.. The steak does not come with any sauce which is how i like it.. but it comes with a small cut of garlic & herb butter which goes really well with the meat.. I like my steaks medium well and Maria’s does it to perfection.. pink in the middle but without any blood running out.. The meat is really tender and the outside is nicely charred without being burnt.. at rm49.90 its something i would gladly pay for to satisfy my meat cravings..

Now for the second reason i come here..

Heavenly Tiramisu

Warm Moist Chocolate Cake

The desserts here are absolutely to-die-for.. We ordered the 2 above desserts and once we were done i wanted to ‘ta-pao’ some home cause they were just so sooooo delicious..

The tiramisu here tastes really authentic, the layer of cream is just right and the biscuit base has a nice hint of rum to it which makes it delicious!! A definite must try..

The chocolate cake is equally divine.. it comes with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream which provides a contrast to the warm cake.. not too sweet and its very moist but yet it isn’t too rich either.. one of the best chocolate cakes i’ve eaten..

Empty plates..hehe

The desserts were priced at around rm12 for tiramisu and rm8 for the cake if im not mistaken.. the bill came up to rm120 for the 2 of us but it was well worth it.. they serve Wagyu Beef steak here which is priced at rm45 per 100gms which would mean about rm120 per steak.. hmm maybe i’ll try it in the future.. once im richer.. haha..

Maria’s Cafe is located above the german bistro in damansara perdana.. turning in from the LDP, drive straight till you see a citibank on your right.. its located on the 1st floor in the same building.. im sure if it was located in a more strategic place, Maria’s Cafe would be much better known now..

P.S.: there’s a girl at the counter who is really cute.. d 3rd reason i go back there.. haha..kidding kidding..

Jalan Jalan Cari Makan – Penang!!

2009-10-04T15:17:00.001+08:00

Here in Malaysia we’re really lucky.. we have among the most number of holidays in a year, thanks to our wonderful mix of different religions and cultures..

Most recently we celebrated Hari Raya Aidilfitri.. After a long month of fasting(for the Muslims, I on the other hand just enjoyed the wonderful food from the Ramadan Bazaar..), Hari Raya is supposed to be a celebration of forgiving each other and enjoying time with family.. this year it fell on a weekend so i had a nice long 4 day break from work.. what better way to spend it then to make a trip up north.. to the food haven of Malaysia, maybe even the WORLD!! PENANG!!

Unfortunately, the day before my planned trip i was struck with a bout of food poisoning..but was that gonna stop me from going!! no way jose!! haha.. so we set of at around 4.30am to beat the traffic and we did, reaching Gurney Park apartment where we woke Jeremy up..

Penang Bridge at 7.30am

Apartment view from Gurney Plaza:

1st meal on our trip was Dim Sum at Zim Sum, along Anson Road, landmark being KDU college..

As you can see it was absolutely packed.. you have to wait for someone to leave before you get a seat.. The food wasn’t too bad but I had just recovered from food poisoning so didn’t really eat much here..we all know what dim sum looks like so no pics..:)

Morning faces:

Jeremy

Kar Hoe

Alan Yap

Happy Hungry dearie..:)

We made a visit to the Wat Chaiyamangkalaram Temple off Jalan Kelawai next..

Reclining Buddha

After which we felt a bit hungry again so we headed for something that would potentially help me get my appetite back..

Penang Road ‘Best I have ever eaten’ Chendul!!

Its actually located along the side of a road so you have to stand and eat unless you are willing to pay a table charge of rm0.50 per bowl at the 2 coffee shops nearby, personally i feel the owners of the coffee shop are kind of ‘lan si’ so i rather just stand beside the chendul stall and enjoy it along with all the many other customers..

While there we also ate another ‘Best i have ever eaten’ food..Assam Laksa!! unfortunately this stall is located in the coffee shop behind the chendul stall, you will see an old lady serving bowls of assam laksa, so you have to order at least 1 drink to sit at their tables..

Penang Road Assam Laksa

I was never a fan of the dish but once i tried this stalls version, im addicted.. really an appetite ‘grower’.. nice amount of sourness and just perfect amount of fish as not to make it taste fishy with a little hint of sweetness from the herbs and ‘hae ko’(prawn sauce)..Delicious!!

For tea we headed for a little know place along Jalan Tamil for its Jawa Mutton Satay!! not hard to find.. its located off penang road so once along Jalan Tamil just look out for this guy..

Indonesian Michael Jackson??Mutton Satay and Nasi Himpit(known here as Lontong)

The satay is excellent, unless you dont fancy mutton.. What makes this different from local satay is the sauce.. The sauce here is prepared when you place an order and is made using a special type of roasted peanuts mixed with chilli and soya sauce and hot water.. and a wedge of lime is squeezed over just before eating.. nice tangy, spicy and savoury..

Sauce in the making

After all that food, we headed back to the apartment for a short nap(we were really stuffed and tired) before heading out to dinner.. And be warned.. the following pictures are known to cause salivating and craving for seafood!!

Bali Hai Seafood along Gurney Drive was our destination(I know, i know, tourist place, but the food is undeniably good).. Their motto, anything that swims, we have it..:)

Tanks of Soon to be SeafoodSpider Crabs Emperor Crabs2 HUGE Groupers..HUGE!! More about Bali Hai here..

That is the end of the 1st day of our food trip.. For the second day im going to just post pictures of the food we ate..

Breakfast:Beef Ball Noodles

This shop serves one of the better beef ball noodles i’ve eaten.. different from my favourite beef noodles at KL but this version is more a clear soup and only comes with beef balls and your choice of noodles, no meat slices, tripe and etc.. very ‘clean’.. nice for breakfast as its not heavy and the chili sauce that comes with it is really good too.. Located at Ho Ping Coffee Shop along the main road Penang Road..

Lunch:

Lorong Selamat Char Kuay Teow

There are quite a few famous places for this dish in Penang, but my personal vote goes to this stall.. their version is just perfect.. not too dry or wet.. 1 setback though.. you normally have to wait around 1/2 to 1 hour for a plate of it due to it being so popular, but the same can be said about all the famous stalls in penang.. difference here is that they actually inform you when you order..

Tea:

After we tried to go to Bukit Bendera and were told that we would have to come back at 8pm as all the tickets are sold out till then, we went to have the Chendul and Satay above again, testament to how nice it was.

Dinner:

Seafood at Tanjong Tokong. The food here is sooooo delicious that I feel it deserves a separate post to do it any justice..

3rd Day we had 1 meal before we embarked on our journey back to KL..

Tandoori & Cheese Naan

This is the main reason i go to Penang.. Kapitan @ Gurney Tower.. The Chicken here is oven cooked to absolute perfection and as you can see the portion is quite big.. and the naan here is very nicely done.. its soft and fluffy and more importantly, they are not stingy with the cheese.. The Briyani here is also very nice.. cooked in a claypot with just the right amount of spices and a piece of either lamb/beef/chicken on top.. prices here are reasonable too.. they also have a branch along Lebuh Chulia but i have not been there yet..

Well that would be all for this trip.. hope you enjoyed it.. so look forward to future food trips ya..^^

Bali Hai Seafood Market

2009-10-04T15:03:00.001+08:00

Penang is always associated with delicious food, you can find many delicacies there from all around the world.. i guess being a busy port in the past contributed to the different cultures and tastes of this wonderful island..

One of the many things Penang is famous for is its Seafood and you will find many restaurants here and most of them would be pretty decent, but here is one of my favourites. Bali Hai Seafood Market.. Many people see this place as a tourist haunt but the food here is very nice although you could find cheaper places around.

This is my second visit to this well known place and I have to admit i would come here everytime i come to Penang.. Well, on to the pictures..

Tanks of soon to be Seafood – Top row of LobstersFreshwater PrawnsSpider Crabs.. about 3kgs @ rm28/100gmsEmperor Crabs.. also about 3kgs @ rm38/100gmsMoray Eels.. divers and sea lovers look away now Mantis Prawns @ rm15 eachHUGE Groupers!! enough for a group of 20 i think..Canadian Geoduck.. why duck?? i have no idea..Live AbalonesDont know what this was.. looks cool though..

and now, on to the food!!

Salted Egg Crabs Kam Heong Razor ClamsScallops with Stir Fried VegetablesFresh Prawns Steamed with Chinese wineThe end result Struggling with the crabsSatisfied customerSucking every bit of meat out of the shellsChecking out the pretty ladies at the next table

Technorati Tags: Bali Hai Seafood,Penang,Food

All Roads Lead to Rome…

2009-05-27T19:30:00.001+08:00

When i began writing this blog i wanted it to be interesting, funny, and more importantly, relevant.. somehow its not such an easy thing to do.. i have a newfound respect for the bloggers who hold a full time job while blogging as a source of income.. somehow managing to find time and discipline to sit down and come up with interesting posts..

anyhow.. Tonight!!(well tomorrow morning in Malaysian time) is the night i’ve been waiting for in a long while!!.. the Champions League Final!! Manchester United vs FC Barcelona in the eternal city of ROME!!.. gonna wake up at 2.30..prepare my drinks and snacks & hopefully watch Man Utd tear Barca apart..

Here is my biased & irrelevant prediction on tonight’s much anticipated match..

barca will line up with a 4-3-3 formation while united will change between a 4-3-3 when they have the ball and a def 4-5-1 whenever we lose the ball.. picture below is of who i think will play tonight..

Barcelona

Manchester United

with-ball

without ball

Keepers

Both keepers are usually solid and reliable.. Valdez has got superb reflexes while van der Sar is capable of leading the defence due to his immense amount of experience.. having said that, both are also prone to the occasional blunder valdez more so than van der Sar..

Defence

Nothing much more can be said about United’s defence, 14 matches without conceding a goal is amazing and its been a big factor in United’s 25-match unbeaten run in the Champions League. Rio & Vidic can be confident of handling Eto’o and O’shea has been outstanding recently and an ageing Henry, though still a magician, should not be too much of a handful. Evra is up against Messi again and although he handled him admirably the last time these 2 met, Evra has had a rocky return from injury but has shown recovery in the past few weeks.. Barcelona on the other hand will be without 2 key defenders in Abidal and Alves. Puyol should be deployed at right back to deal with Rooney cutting in from the left but im pretty sure Rooney will be asked to track back much more than he goes forward to double team Messi with Evra.. Down the right Park’s boundless energy and direct running will cause a makeshift leftback in Keita some problems and keep Keita from getting forward too much.. Pique and Yaya Toure will be down the middle to deal with Ronaldo although both do lack a bit of pace..

Midfield

Barcelona have enormous creativity in the likes of Xavi and Iniesta(although i hope he doesnt play).. Iniesta has been in excellent form this season and makes Barca tick, when allowed to play his game, he’ll punish any team as Chelsea found out.. I think key in Barca’s middle is Yaya Toure playing at centerback, because he is always the one who cleans up in midfield and protects the back 4, allowing Xavi & Iniesta to get forward.. if Utd can hassle the young midfielder Busquets then Barca will be in big trouble.. Andersons power and penetration paired with Giggs’ dribbling while Carrick picks out his passes can control the midfield..

Forwards

Statistically the best forward line in the world, Barcelona’s trio of Henry, Eto’o and Messi are a frightening prospect, but as long as Evra & Rooney team up well on Messi, and Anderson sticks to Iniesta like a Siamese twin then Barca’s frontline will be rendered useless without its supply.. Ronaldo if he plays anywhere near as well as he did against Arsenal in the semis, Pique and Toure are going to be in for a long long night.. Park and Rooney will provide ample backup on the counter-attack for Ronaldo..

Conclusion

Biased as I may be, the combination of United’s style of football, discipline and experience should provide too good for Barcelona’s free flowing brand of football.. if Abidal and Alves were playing then Barca will be much more of a threat as Rooney & Park will have to play in a 4-5-1 the whole match to counter their forays down the flanks.. My Prediction 3-1 to United!!

Glory Glory Man Uniiiiited!!

My Country…

2009-02-06T16:27:00.001+08:00

Short Talk : please help support kenny sia’s effort to raise money for children suffering from cancer.

boy oh boy its been almost a month since my last entry.. GonG Xi GonG Xi to everyone.. Happy Prosperous Niu Year ahead for all hopefully..

sorry for the lack of updates recently.. not very sure what to write anymore.. i don’t want this to become a emo blog with stories about my inner feelings and stuff like that.. so today i’m going to write something somewhat controversial.. The political case in Perak going on right now(hope this doesn’t get me into any trouble, well not many people read this blog anyway)..

So here goes my thoughts into this.. im no expert in politics by any means but i think neither are 70% of Malaysians.. looking in from the outside, to me it looks really bad(fishy kind of bad)..

Bad Jumping Fish..

First thing that came to my mind is they were paid by someone to either to crossover or become independent, how are people to think otherwise. Two of the involved are being charged with corruption while another just joined PKR from BN not long ago giving these 4 reasons in his press release.

Saya amat yakin dengan kepimpinan Parti Keadilan Rakyat yang mempunyai iltizam dan idealisme yang kuat untuk memperjuangkan hak-hak dan kepentingan rakyat yang terdiri dari pelbagai kaum di negara ini.
Saya yakin Parti Keadilan Rakyat akan tetap menjunjung dan menghormati hak-hak yang termaktub dalam Perlembagaan Persekutuan khususnya dalam kedudukan Bahasa Melayu sebagai bahasa rasmi kebangsaan, kedaulatan Raja-Raja Melayu dan kedudukan Islam sebagai agama Persekutuan.
Saya percaya Parti Keadilan Rakyat dan rakan-rakan dalam Pakatan Rakyat mampu untuk menjadi sebuah permuafakatan komponen parti-parti yang lebih baik demi kepentingan rakyat seluruhnya.
Untuk membolehkan saya menjadi ADUN yang lebih berkesan dan memberi khidmat terbaik kepada penduduk setempat memandangkan Pakatan Rakyat sudah pun menubuhkan kerajaan di Negeri Perak.

My malay is a little bit rusty but i think its quite easy to understand most of what he meant to say above. Does he really have the peoples interest at heart?? If he does then he should insist that the BN hold snap elections soon so that the peoples true choice can be made, but we all know this will not happen because by taking over in such a manner, the BN have virtually guaranteed that they will lose the next elections whenever it is held.. talking about changing the perception of the citizens towards them but still doing things the same way, keep it up BN, we all know what they say about tigers and their stripes..

Lastly i would just like to thank all the parties involved, personally i dont think the economy is that important, its not in bad shape enough.. this event, the ‘politicking’ and the protests that are bound to happen, is just what this country needed to help spur our economy on downward and instill more confidence in everybody to invest in this beautiful country we call home..

Memories…2008..

2009-01-19T12:39:00.001+08:00

How many of you out there think 2008 was a bad year?? wish you could just forget it all?? all the bad experiences, failures, expectations and sadness.. well on thursday, one of my best friends did just that.. forget 1 whole year.. OMG!!.. no, i kid you not.. he suffered a mishap in the toilet, fell down and hit the back of his head.. none of us could reach him till saturday when he smsed me asking me to go to the selayang hospital because he had something important to ask me.. seriously i was wondering if he was playing a trick on me.. when i reached his ward, he asked me if he owed me anything because he thinks he does(he owed me for air tickets i bought for him earlier) but he had already paid me back in actual fact.. then he told me that he cant remember the whole of 2008..serious.. the WHOLE of 2008!! he cant remember where he works & worked, where he celebrated xmas & new years eve.. the worst thing is, he forgot his gf…sob..sob.. i really feel so sorry for her as she is far away now and not even able to see him now.. she must have felt that he is just making up excuses to break up.. but i think now she knows that he seriously cant remember a thing.. we’re trying to help him gain back his lost memories but so far to no avail.. this episode seems like something you see in a chinese drama, but its all so real.. he was in a coma(well i think it was a coma) for 1 day, he said there really was a light(operation theater light) and a girl far away which he could not reach(he’s a bit ham sap) then people making lots of noise and slapping him(haha..doctors trying to wake him up).. a bit like Grey’s Anatomy don’t you think…hehe..

well its all a bit funny now, since he’s not seriously hurt but thinking about it.. if it happens to any 1 of us.. what are the memories that you will remember?? what is the 1st picture that would come to your mind?? now think about 2008 again.. do you really wish to forget it??

p.s: if u wish to try this method of forgetting a few years drop me an email we can arrange a time in his toilet..

Puppy Love…

2009-01-13T23:25:00.001+08:00

Few days ago my little sister suddenly decided to take a jog in FRIM.. as fate would have it..she noticed something moving in a drain as she drove past.. at first she just past it off as nothing but then she thought it looked like an animal.. so she forced jeremiah to make a quick u-turn.. there it was..a cute little angel.. a poor puppy was in the drain alone, so she decided to bring it home.. we have 2 cats already mind you.. poor thing looked so scared and helpless, very quiet the whole day..

Then what looked like an angel, turn out to be the devil in disguise..Here he is..presenting, Snoop Dogg!!

Damn cute right.. how not to love something sooooo cute!!.. juz a little info, i like all animals.. well except for rabbits(they taste gud stewed though), oh and hamsters..i dun like dumb animals that don’t come when you call..back to the subject, here are a few more shots of the cute little monkey..

about to sleep in the garden

with his bone on the couch

but he pees all over the house and bites everything he comes into contact with..ask you la, where got dogs that pee like 2 minutes after they drink water.. come back from work, i spend the rest of the day cleaning up his pee and poo..but he’s too cute.. so its ok for now..hehe..

Make A Difference...

2009-01-11T20:15:00.001+08:00

Last week I received a package in the mail..something that made the start to this year super special!! this small thing makes me feel that although times are looking hard, this year can be great..

I got a package from World Vision Malaysia!!

I've been assigned(not sure if its the appropriate word to use) a child to sponsor!! I'll be making a difference to at least 1 person on this planet!!.. Its a boy!! wait wait..let me show you a picture!!

Suriyapong Jankana, 8, Thailand

he looks rather angry though.?.? hehe.. but im helping him grow up.. making his life easier!! i cant describe the feeling.. but its one of my greatest dreams to help all the less fortunate children in the world(yes, i have a plan on how to do it, maybe one day i will reveal it).. although i cant help all now, but even just this 1 child is making me feel so happy.. i will continue to update you guys on his progress in life as i get them.. ^^,

Hello 2009...Let's Do This!!

2009-01-07T12:58:00.001+08:00

"Today is the first day, of the rest of your life"

Unknown

"Wake up each morning as if you did it on purpose"

Will Smith

Two of my favourite quotes. So here we are in the new year. New beginning, new hope, new dreams, new successes, new failures..

I guess we can treat this as the official launch of 1 in 7 Billion!! Hurray!!

In the previous post, I mentioned 1 of my new years resolution(will know who my 'child' is within 2 weeks). Few of my other ones include, pay off any debts, start a small business, well basically I want/need to Make More Money!!

2008 ended off slow and 2009 seems to have started off the same way.. oh, wait.. let me show you a pic of my x'mas dinner food!! hehe..

Roast Turkey...

Bread & Butter Pudding...

Ok ok..that was not all I made.. there was Potatoes Boulanger(potatoes baked with onions in stock), a simple salad and some nice french ham(i cheated and bought this), and another dessert peach pavlova...

I spent x'mas eve at home with my family and we had a small toast because x'mas eve and New Years Eve are only a few days apart, I only like to go out on 1 of those nights. Cant live through 2 nights of horrible jams around town. So anyway, went out to countdown at the curve after having dinner with my gf and a group of my best friends.

Only a few pics to view, dinner at Paddington House of Pancakes

Introducing you to my lovely darling..Yan Yan..

Her Potato Pancake & Lamb..

My Pancake & Peaches..

Well my verdict on Paddington House of Pancakes.. not worth it.. the potato pancake with lamb was disappointing cuz it was mushy and such a small portion of lamb considering it cost about RM35.. my peaches and pancakes was ok only, as you can see, the pancake was white, not even appetizing(at least brown it a bit more to match how it looked in the menu). Would I go there again?? If i had no other choice, yes. To pay RM 20++ for something I can make for RM 5 at home is just a bit too much.

After that we joined our friends at Marche(i was there for lunch with my colleagues that afternoon too)..sorry no pics because they had already started eating when we joined them..hehe..Marche is a nice place to go once in a while if you have a big group looking for something to eat.. i really like the concept of it and the food is pretty decent too..

We took a long walk while waiting for midnight and got a great spot to view the fireworks on the bridge along THE WALK at the Curve..after which I got stuck in an almost 2 hour jam getting out of The Curve..tip to their management, have an exit plan in place for this year..

Well guess that's it for this long post.. Happy New Year to all and wishing you all the best in the upcoming days!!

Technorati Tags: christmas eve,roast turkey,paddington house of pancakes,the curve food

New Years Resolution!!

2008-12-30T10:41:00.003+08:00

Yay!!.. its that time of the year again, u know, the time when we all make a promise to ourselves to do something differently like 'i will lose weight this year!!(this is probably the most common)' or 'i will exercise regularly this year!!(2nd most popular)' or 'i WILL follow my last years resolution this year!!'.. but suddenly deciding to change something in your life is not as easy as it seems and most of the time, our 'new' resolution just lasts for a month or two into the new year.. THIS YEAR MY RESOLUTION FOR THE YEAR 2009 is(drum rolls drum rolls) I WILL HELP A CHILD IN NEED!! ...ok ok..i said I WILL HELP A CHILD IN NEED!!..

Many of you may have read about the 'Sponsor A Child' program that is currently up and running.. for those who have no idea what it is about well basically you donate a small amount monthly and this will be used to well sponsor a child, the child will be chosen for you as each child is given equal opportunity.. Once you sponsor a child, you will recieve yearly updates as to how the child is growing and progressing as well as a picture of the child you are sponsoring.. You can also write letters to your 'child' and even send gifts to them when you like.. There are even sponsors trips where you can actually visit the country and meet your 'child' and see how he/she is doing.. If you are interested on how to do more visit World Vision International and help change a life today..

Back to the topic, here are a few ways to help you achieve your resolution..

Make your resolution known to others. this will help put peer pressure on you to actually make an effort.
Set short goals. eg from wiki: say 'i will lose 1 pound a week' instead of 'i will lose weight'
Try to set an alert in your phone or your outlook calendar every month or week. this reminder should be so you take 10mins out of your day to think about how much you have achieved so far.

If you stick to your resolution, i am sure you will feel very much happier when you see even the slightest results each month and this should spur you on to do better and better.

So, What is YOUR 2009 New Years Resolution?? Good luck and try your best to actually achieve it this year!!

Merry Christmas!!

2008-12-25T11:15:00.003+08:00

Wishing everyone a Merry and Blessed Christmas!!

*now back to roasting my turkey..

Delicious Homemade Pineapple Tarts!!

2008-12-19T16:10:00.009+08:00

IMAGINE!! A Soft Buttery Crust melting in your mouth...as it touches your tongue, a burst of flavours, a little bit sweet, a little sour but yet refreshingly wonderful... Once your done, you crave for more, you reach for another one, and pop it into your mouth to enjoy that glorious sensation all over again...

Now imagine this, you can enjoy this wonderful treat during this festive season all for only RM30 a box!! What is this magical wonder you ask??

TA DA!!

Box of freshly baked Pineapple Tarts!!

What could be a more perfect gift this season for you and your loved ones than a box(better yet a few boxes!!) of Delicious Homemade Pineapple Tarts!!

Salivating yet??

Frequently Asked Questions.

How many pieces are in a box??
There are 50 pieces in each box, however some lucky customers may find 51 due to some unskilled packing(we have not received any complains on this issue though)

What is the exact price per box??
It costs only RM 30 per box.

There are others selling cheaper tarts out there. Why so expensive??
Some may find ours more expensive than other suppliers out there but we assure you that we only use the finest quality ingredients and do not stinge on the filling thats the reason for the slightly higher price.

What are the payment modes you offer??
Currently we only accept cash so payment has to be made upon delivery of the tarts to you.

How long does it take for delivery??
Delivery should be made within 3 to 4 days.
*For large orders the time may vary because we do not keep stock of our tarts to offer you maximum freshness.

How much do you charge for delivery??
Delivery is free for the following areas, Kepong, Mont Kiara, Sri Hartamas, Bukit Damansara, Bangsar, 1 Utama Shopping Center and The Curve Mutiara Damansara.

Other areas will be charged a minimal fee according to distance.
For orders of 3 boxes or more delivery is free.

*Delivery is only to areas in the Klang Valley currently.

Contact Details:
We can be reached at : 012-2696912(Nicole)
012-3947673(Aunty Lynn)
012-215 7259(Stephan)-sms during office hours,others can call.
Or you can drop me an e-mail at stephan_f86@hotmail.com

Thank you for dropping by!!

Fate & Our Future...

2008-12-18T10:34:00.003+08:00

"There is no such a thing as destiny. We are the blacksmiths of our future. Accordingly there is no such thing as predestination. There are only people that are more suited that others to fulfill certain duties. However even those people may lack responsibility and bravery and change their path.

There are also people that may seem inappropriate, but have the capability of taking on great responsibilities. They're the ones that will carry on the future of our world"

(credit to the person who came up with this, i dunno who the source is)

Ic3 bReakiNG

2008-12-17T15:57:00.004+08:00

Being my first post, it should set a precedent for any upcoming posts as to how boring and unbearably painful my future posts are gonna be…

Q. What is this blog about??

Well this blog is gonna be about basically anything under the sun, it could be the hottest talking point on the net today or something as lame as what I had for lunch. Most of the topics would obviously be about the things I enjoy greatest in life. Examples being football, money, FOOD!!, pretty girls!!, holidays, latest gadgets, cars, politics, scandals, even Japanese manga & anime.

Q. Why was this blog created??

MONEY!!..seeing the amount of money being made by some bloggers has got me JEALOUS!! And now I want a slice of the pie..NO!!..i want the WHOLE pie!!.. hehe.. kidding la.. well partially.. the reason I’m starting is that I really enjoy reading other blogs and I thought why not give it a try.. how hard could it be to write about things you enjoy right?? So here I am, giving it a shot..hoping that there will be people out there who actually reads the rubbish im writing here..and if I receive any monetary gains while doing it, well it would just be a bonus to the feeling that I actually provide some form of entertainment to a few readers out there…

Q. Why the title ‘One in Seven Billion’??

Simple, because there are about 7 billion people in the world right now(well 6,868,759,852 actually at the time this was written) and I am ONE of them.. nobody else exactly like me out there… everybody is unique and special..basically everybody is One in Seven Billion..

Q. What happens when the world’s population exceeds Seven Billion??

Well the population is expected to hit Eight billion in 2020( 8,056,236,272)..so probably will change it to One in Eight Billion then…assuming this blog survives till then..or I survive till then..@.@..

So that’s it..a short introduction to this blog.. hope the readership will increase and this blog will provide some enjoyable reading to you..

sOft LaunCh....testing..testing...1..2..3..

2008-12-11T16:43:00.004+08:00

This Blog Is UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Hope it will be done in time for the new year!!