Entries from May 2007 ↓

2 footie posts in a go? Hmm…

Anyway, Manchester United said in a release on their official site that they will not be coming to Kuala Lumpur to play on 27 July 2007 as previously arranged. They say this is because:-

Unfortunately new information has come to the Club’s attention today concerning the FAM’s agreement with the AFC to act as host for the Asian Cup, which means the Club cannot play the game without the official approval of the AFC.

To be honest, I don’t quite care either way whether they come and play or they don’t. I was just absolutely fascinated by the accusations and gungho-ness of Malaysia vs AFC.

You see, first of all, we Malaysia, are part of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). Whatever we do, whatever games we play, whatever footballing heights we aspire to start at this level. We went and asked the AFC is we could be the hosts of the Asian Cup way back in 2005. We also went and signed an agreement last year banning the promotion of any other football event during the Asian Cup Finals.

Then, some promoter comes and says, “Hey can Manchester United play Malaysia on July 27th?” and Malaysia quickly says “Yes yes! Can can! Come come!” all without giving a thought to the Asian Cup which we are hosting, and to the agreement that we signed banning promotion of any other football event during the Asian Cup Finals.

I mean, of course when the great Manchester United comes here, there must be fanfare right? Ads all over the place, on tv, in newspapers. Giveaways of tickets to see ManU thrash Malaysia, radio game shows etc etc…

Then when the AFC says ManU cannot come and play. Malaysia pouts and sulks and says “I want! I want them to come and play! I want! I want!” and we throw a tantrum and tell everyone not to “interfere” with “the Malaysian Government” because we want them to come here.

But during the whole furore, did Man United say anything? No. They were silent. They did not commit to coming or not. That is, until they released their press statement 2 days ago. Egg on faces anyone? Just because you want them to come and you are prepared to break and bend rules and agreements doesn’t mean that ManU is willing to do the same! Malaysia is hardly a great footballing nation. Whatever money we pump into the game is only so that we aren’t at the bottom of World football. So, who cares if Malaysia is gung-ho? We have nothing to lose. ManU does.

So, I’m having a good laugh at it all because we are like hot air balloons. Pumped up full of hot air and nothing else, and with 1 prick, we deflate and fall flat. I see there’s no statement yet by FAM or Malaysia on this press release by Man United.

One part of the press release irked me though:

This match is a key element of the Malaysian Government’s celebrations of its 50 years of independence and presents a marvellous opportunity for us to play in front of our many Malaysian fans.

Ok, I didn’t know that. Did we actually plan to invite them here as a “key element” of our Merdeka celebrations? Do you see the irony of it all? England are our former colonial masters. They are a vastly superior footballing nation. From what I understand, we invited one of the top EPL teams to come to Malaysia and play our kuchirat Malaysian football team and in the process demolish us possibly 20-0. The best part? The whole stadium will be awash in red with the Manchester United supporters cheering on the slaughter.

Does anyone actually think that Man United will risk their reputation to allow a scoreless tie or a tie by any means against our Malaysian team? In the name of our “independence celebrations”? I hardly think so.

So, let’s see. We are inviting our ex-colonial masters to come and colonise us again. This time through football (not like its not already been done). And this time, no one will fight for our rights because our football team is utter crap! So, we are inviting a bloodbath as a “key element” of our celebrations of 50 years of Independence?

Irony? Yes! I love irony! I hate stupidity.

… my best-bud-from-when-we-were-in-diapers is a rabid avid Liverpool FC supporter. This is from way back in school days when we were actually staunch supporters of Johor FC. But lets not talk about the state of Malaysian football eh? And I remember her telling me then about Liverpool yadda yadda… and all that registered in my head for some reason is that Liverpool’s kit was white and green like Carlsberg green LOL.

I’m not going to pretend that I’m a football fan though I know its the current trend for female supporters to come to the fore. So many women I know suddenly turned into MU fans overnight. Part of it was due to the Beckham draw (I think he’s over-rated as a person and he sounds like a girl, though he might be a whiz at football) I guess, and part of it is just so you fit in. When your friends say “Eh, lets go to the mamak and watch [insert match of the day]” you won’t feel left out if you support a team right? And supporting Manchester United is cool coz it has so many fans. Besides, you know you look good in red. LOL. 

But not me. I’ll happily admit that I’m not sporty. I’m not extremely girly too even if you find it hard to believe. I’m just a bit of a nerdy geeky sort but football falls under my radar. I can yell “offside” and “goal” and “Call yourself a referee!!” with the best of them, but I lack the passion that makes me a fan of any team. The only time I watch football is once in 4 years when the World Cup comes around and even then, I don’t support any team. I just choose my team of the match and support them.

Anyway, I sort of had it programmed in my head that Liverpool was playing a huge important game in Athens on May 23rd which would translate to May 24th early morning here.

However, late on May 23rd, I happened to catch ESPN and saw to my surprise, AC Milan and Liverpool going up against each other. I checked the time - 11.30pm. Was the match on already? That was early!

Then, when I next saw the screen, AC Milan was up by 1 goal and my first thought was of my poor friend cringing at the sight of the goal. I did not watch the full match and did not know what happened next.

The next morning, I heard on the radio that AC Milan had won 2-1. Aww….. So I sent her an sms to commiserate. I also mentioned that I wasn’t aware that it was on so early.

The message I got back said “It was at 3am what were you doing out at that time?” or something to that effect. I was extremely puzzled. I was quite sure I saw a match on at 11.30pm on ESPN that had the same teams.

Turns out it was a replay of a previous match. Apa-lah! I kena con! But as she told me “You wouldn’t know any better.” and you know what? I don’t! LOL….

So Cheesey this is for you and you should get married on the Anfield pitch or something

AHA!!

Caught your attention eh?

Actually, what I meant to ask was “What gets your adrenaline going?” But you know all these SEO tactics say you must give a catchy title that everyone wants to read or search for, so who am I to argue?

What gets my adrenaline going?

THIS!

Going on thrill rides and rollercoasters.

I absolutely freaking love riding roller coasters.

I love that anticipation as you sit in the carriage, waiting for it to ascend up the hill.

I love that feeling as you teeter at the top with your heart in your mouth because you know its going to go down soon.

I love that feeling of having left your stomach way behind you as the carriage whooshes down the hill heading at full throttle for the bottom of the track.

I love that feeling of being shaken around and turned upside as the roller coaster goes through its loops and turns. I love it all!

However, I haven’t gone on one for nearly 10 years. Gosh! Has it been that long? The last time I went on a roller coaster was a week before my University Finals. Yep. The stress got to me, and a thrill ride fan and friend of mine decided that we’d had enough of studying. We would go crazy riding roller coasters at Alton Towers instead (We did go crazy and we aced our Finals). Alton Towers is a theme park in the UK that’s filled with such rides, with scary sounding names like The Nemesis and The Corkscrew or The Thunderbolt.

The Nemesis was great fun. You sit with your legs dangling and only the bracket holding you around your shoulders as the ride throws you and loops you round. It is supposed to give the impression of flying and its definitely not for the faint-hearted. The Corkscrew is just as it says, a corkscrew of a ride with 2 loops where you are thrown for a loop literally. You are twisted 360 degrees so you are basically hanging upside down at points. Lovely!

The Thunderbolt (at least thats what I think its called is another wonderful ride. You start at ground level and get shot out quickly without that slow buildup that rollercoasters usually have. You take a loop and end up teetering right a top of a pinnacle for a few seconds. At this point, you are at 90 degrees to the ground and then, whoosh the carriage goes backwards, through the loop again and screeches to a halt. The ride only lasts about 5 minutes, but its one of the scariest 5 minutes of your life!

I’d also been on the Pepsi Max sponsored rollercoaster in Blackpool, England which when launched in 1994 was the tallest and largest rollercoaster in the world. It climbs up taller than a building and when it comes down, there is a point when you are literally floating due to 0 gravity. Absolutely weightless. Absolutely fun! However, despite its size, I actually found the ride quite boring after the initial thrill. It was so boring I couldnt’ wait for it to be over!

So, I don’t know what it is about rollercoasters and thrill rides that get me going. I could be philosophical and say that its a reflection of life and its ups and downs, loops and twists and turns. You can see the track but you never know how its going to throw you or how you will react to it. Life is after all one big roller coaster ride.

However, I’m not the philosophical sort, so I’ll just say that I must be a thrill-seeker. The adrenaline rush as I ride a roller coaster is second to none and I need it to keep my sanity in check. As I have not gone on a ride for years, it might explain my bouts of insanity last few years. Hehe… Its also a great way to relax for me as you can scream all you want, frustrated or not, scared or not, and no one gives a damn as everyone else is screaming along with you.

Ever since I came back to Malaysia, I haven’t been on any thrill rides. I know there’s a theme park in Berjaya Times Square and another up in Genting Highlands. However, I just never got round to going to them. Maybe its time to chase away the insanity and lethargy and get my adrenaline pumping again.

So, who’s up for a wild roller coaster ride with me? What gets you going?

No pain no gain, thats what they always say. However, would you endure the pain to gain a new nose? I’m not perfectly happy with my little snubby nose but there’s no way I’m going to get a rhinoplasty nose job. My little snubby nose lets me breathe, lets me smell the lovely smells of food and flowers and holds up my sunglasses and that’s about all its designed for really. If you aren’t happy with your nose though, and are looking to change it in some way, make sure you go to a registered plastic surgeon. There have been so many cases of botched plastic surgeries lately that it never pays to be too careful. I for one wouldn’t entrust an invasion of my body in a hotel room! And neither should you.

When people say “Michael Jackson” what do you think of? The image that comes to mind is always of him in his fedora with a mask over his face and clutching at his nose. Poor fella. I don’t know if he’s had too many nose jobs or if he had bad surgery but his nose hardly resembles a nose anymore. If he did have a bad nose job done then he should have had revision rhinoplasty as soon as he could. Then again, maybe this is the look he is going for - the strange alien like face that is unearthly white with his large eyes and small little nose. I wonder if he can even breathe through it all. Poor Michael - so talented yet so freaky and he will mostly be remembered for his nose and his whiteness not his contribution to pop music.