QUADRUPLE EL CLASICO
Now, to have so many El Clasico matches in about 2 weeks, this must be a record. Real Madrid and Barcelona will probably get sick of this 4-match marathons. Who will come out better? Messi and team had shown they were a better side the last time they met Ronaldo and team. Now, will Mourinho come up with something to contain the genius player? I hope whatever he comes up with, it will not make the Beautiful Game suffer. The winners and losers of these 4 matches will also determine the fate of their season's achievements in all 3 competitions of the league, the Spanish Cup and the Champions League. Real will have a tougher end of the season, with matches against Valencia and Sevilla to play against as well. They need a really healthy, injury and suspension free squad to survive the next 1 month, the crucial last part of the season.
Real Madrid - Barcelona 4/16/11 9:00 PM BST (La Liga)
Barcelona - Real Madrid 4/20/11 9:00 PM BST (Copa Del Rey final)
Real Madrid - Barcelona 4/27/11 7:45 PM BST (Champions League Semifinals 1st leg)
Barcelona - Real Madrid 5/3/11 7:45 PM BST (Champions League Semifinals 2nd leg)
Of course, let us not forget Raul, who is still scoring the Champions League goals for Schalke 04 to meet up with Manchester United in another semifinal. Can Schalke upset Manchester United to set up a dream final with Real Madrid or Barcelona? Well, anything can happen and we hope for two very entertaining clashes to the final! It will be weird to see Raul face Real Madrid in the final. If that happens (against all odds), I will be very satisfied if he can score a hattrick or deny them the 10th!
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Monday, February 28, 2011
BIRMINGHAM SHOCKED ARSENAL
Well, this is my first blog post of 2011. Have been extremely slacking with updates. I had to post this up because it is too much a shocker that I didn't believe the news when I first heard it. I mean a League Cup win against Arsenal by Birmingham is probably one of the major upset in football cup final history, no matter how the goals were scored. It was even more sweeter since it was Martins who scored the winner. The ex-Inter and Newcastle striker is not winning enough medals with his scoring records and I feel that he deserves something for all the things he had done.
It is a reminder that miracles still can happen in a realistic and pragmatic money dominated world today where big teams are guaranteed success over small teams, especially in big occasions. This upset will be a major drawback to Arsenal as they face Barcelona for the next match in Nou Camp. Although I do hope Arsenal will give Barcelona a run of their money with also a shocker.
As I am writing this, The Fighter is performing well at the Oscars 2011 by snapping up the best supporting actor and actress awards - looking good!
Well, this is my first blog post of 2011. Have been extremely slacking with updates. I had to post this up because it is too much a shocker that I didn't believe the news when I first heard it. I mean a League Cup win against Arsenal by Birmingham is probably one of the major upset in football cup final history, no matter how the goals were scored. It was even more sweeter since it was Martins who scored the winner. The ex-Inter and Newcastle striker is not winning enough medals with his scoring records and I feel that he deserves something for all the things he had done.
It is a reminder that miracles still can happen in a realistic and pragmatic money dominated world today where big teams are guaranteed success over small teams, especially in big occasions. This upset will be a major drawback to Arsenal as they face Barcelona for the next match in Nou Camp. Although I do hope Arsenal will give Barcelona a run of their money with also a shocker.
As I am writing this, The Fighter is performing well at the Oscars 2011 by snapping up the best supporting actor and actress awards - looking good!
Saturday, December 11, 2010
TRON: LEGACY
The sequal of the original Tron, which enjoyed a cult following, is finally here after many years of anticipation since 1982. I was barely 1 year old when the original was released. Now, I'm almost 30 so the movie probably holds the world record of the longest wait for a sequal. I still recall in the early 90s when I first watched the film. It felt like the history lesson of console gaming.
Of course, with almost 30 years of difference in terms of computer graphics development in human history, we will expect a tremendous leap of quality of special effects. In the 80s, colour display is already a big thing, not to even mention 3D graphics. There is no dedicated graphics card and the resolution is below 1 megapixel. Therefore, this huge gap will definitely see a major revamp of the quality of the graphics in the movie. So much so that the sequals will indirectly feel like playing a sequal game that is released 30 years ago - akin to comparing a game released in the Atari 2600 (released in the late 70s) against the sequal released in Sony Playstation 3. That must be a huge divide that fans like us will have to expect, which will make it very interesting. Therefore, the storyline of having the father lost for 20 years in the game itself is literally applicable in this sense.
Here are the comparisons between the old and the new:
The title logo itself is a huge difference, it feels like a comparison between analogue and digital.
The flying machines, the extremely rigid and heavy look against the more fluid and cooler version.
The motorbikes. The old designs are not bad actually.
And finally, of course, the costumes. The new version makes the old one look tacky and overweight.
Join Tron SG Facebook Fanpage for exciting Tron applications and updates. I particularly love the second application, Get On The Grid, where you can also enter the digital game world of Tron to be a character, racing through the environment with their cool motorbikes. You can upload your image and be integrated into the movie clip as a character. It feels like you are literally in the movie, or game world.
The application:
1. Capture my photo from the webcam to be used as the character in the movie.
2. Your character sneaking around to avoid being detected by the enemy.
3. The enemy detected me and gave chase using the cool motorbike.
4. I got crashed by the enemy and ended up falling on the ground, crushing my cool motorbike.
This new Tron movie will definitely make the first one a legacy, literally. This is a must watch for sci-fi fans, not to mention that you can also opt for the 3D version. Apart from the interesting game environment concept, the other two major reasons to catch this movie are the hot babes with the right curves, Quorra and Gem.
Synopsis of the movie:
Sam Flynn (Hedlund), a rebellious 27-year-old, is haunted by the mysterious disappearance of his father Kevin Flynn (Bridges), a man once known as the world’s leading video-game developer. When Sam investigates a strange signal sent from the old Flynn’s Arcade — a signal that could only come from his father– he finds himself pulled into a digital world where Kevin has been trapped for 20 years. With the help of the fearless warrior Quorra (Wilde), father and son embark on a life-or-death journey across a cyber universe — a universe created by Kevin himself that has become far more advanced with vehicles, weapons, landscapes and a ruthless villain who will stop at nothing to prevent their escape.
Website: www.disney.com.sg/tron
Disclaimer: All images are courtesy of Disney's.
The sequal of the original Tron, which enjoyed a cult following, is finally here after many years of anticipation since 1982. I was barely 1 year old when the original was released. Now, I'm almost 30 so the movie probably holds the world record of the longest wait for a sequal. I still recall in the early 90s when I first watched the film. It felt like the history lesson of console gaming.
Of course, with almost 30 years of difference in terms of computer graphics development in human history, we will expect a tremendous leap of quality of special effects. In the 80s, colour display is already a big thing, not to even mention 3D graphics. There is no dedicated graphics card and the resolution is below 1 megapixel. Therefore, this huge gap will definitely see a major revamp of the quality of the graphics in the movie. So much so that the sequals will indirectly feel like playing a sequal game that is released 30 years ago - akin to comparing a game released in the Atari 2600 (released in the late 70s) against the sequal released in Sony Playstation 3. That must be a huge divide that fans like us will have to expect, which will make it very interesting. Therefore, the storyline of having the father lost for 20 years in the game itself is literally applicable in this sense.
Here are the comparisons between the old and the new:
The title logo itself is a huge difference, it feels like a comparison between analogue and digital.
The flying machines, the extremely rigid and heavy look against the more fluid and cooler version.
The motorbikes. The old designs are not bad actually.
And finally, of course, the costumes. The new version makes the old one look tacky and overweight.
Join Tron SG Facebook Fanpage for exciting Tron applications and updates. I particularly love the second application, Get On The Grid, where you can also enter the digital game world of Tron to be a character, racing through the environment with their cool motorbikes. You can upload your image and be integrated into the movie clip as a character. It feels like you are literally in the movie, or game world.
The application:
1. Capture my photo from the webcam to be used as the character in the movie.
2. Your character sneaking around to avoid being detected by the enemy.
3. The enemy detected me and gave chase using the cool motorbike.
4. I got crashed by the enemy and ended up falling on the ground, crushing my cool motorbike.
This new Tron movie will definitely make the first one a legacy, literally. This is a must watch for sci-fi fans, not to mention that you can also opt for the 3D version. Apart from the interesting game environment concept, the other two major reasons to catch this movie are the hot babes with the right curves, Quorra and Gem.
Synopsis of the movie:
Sam Flynn (Hedlund), a rebellious 27-year-old, is haunted by the mysterious disappearance of his father Kevin Flynn (Bridges), a man once known as the world’s leading video-game developer. When Sam investigates a strange signal sent from the old Flynn’s Arcade — a signal that could only come from his father– he finds himself pulled into a digital world where Kevin has been trapped for 20 years. With the help of the fearless warrior Quorra (Wilde), father and son embark on a life-or-death journey across a cyber universe — a universe created by Kevin himself that has become far more advanced with vehicles, weapons, landscapes and a ruthless villain who will stop at nothing to prevent their escape.
Website: www.disney.com.sg/tron
Disclaimer: All images are courtesy of Disney's.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
CRAZY THINGS I'LL DO WHEN I GET HUNGRY
When you are thristy without water in the middle of the desert, you will easily see illusions of the oasis. Although we don't go to such extremes in our tropical context, we do get desperate when we reach untolerable hunger or thirst. This can be due to some activities you do that you don't want to be interrupted just to have your meals and drinks regularly.
I am a hardcore gamer. In the past, I have been constrained in the four walls of my bedroom or living room if I need to play games. Things weren't so mobile then. Even if you have the canisters of chips with you, you can't really play hardcore games in those simple 8-bit mobile game machines.
Nowadays, most popular games are going 3D, joining the bandwagon of the 3D fame in movies. So far, the hardware are not supporting it very much, especially mobile hardware. However, it is now a reality that you can play 3D games on laptops. With this possibility, mobile hardcore gaming is possible. This makes Mister Potato Rice Crisps cannisters extremely handy on the go.
All you need is a backpack and you can fit in the hardware with the cannisters.
When you reached your friend's place or any place of your choice, you can then share the goodness of gaming as well as the Mister Potato Rice Crisps with them. That's the goodness of mobile gaming + Mister Potato Rice Crisps!
When you are a game addict, you play hours and hours a day non-stop. You hardly want to spare some time to visit the loo, not to mention drinking or eating. With the new rice crisps, you have excuses to skip lunch and dinner, especially when you are Asian and rice is your staple food. You can still be considered to have taken rice indirectly in the 'chip' form. Even with the glasses on, you can still see the chips clearly.
When you are wearing 3D vision, you can generate double vision of the cannisters as well as the chips. You may give your brains illussions that you are eating double the amount that you are eating.
Now even 3D gamers can enjoy Mister Potato Rice Crisps!
And share it with their hardcore gaming friends too...
Alright, perhaps it is not that crazy and desperate after all, but the Mister Potato Rice Crisps are heaven sent for they are convenient to be consumed by busy gamers who don't mind bringing them out for their gaming adventures.
"There’s no need to act like a madman because there is Mister Potato Rice Crisps for you to munch on, anytime, anywhere."
When you are thristy without water in the middle of the desert, you will easily see illusions of the oasis. Although we don't go to such extremes in our tropical context, we do get desperate when we reach untolerable hunger or thirst. This can be due to some activities you do that you don't want to be interrupted just to have your meals and drinks regularly.
I am a hardcore gamer. In the past, I have been constrained in the four walls of my bedroom or living room if I need to play games. Things weren't so mobile then. Even if you have the canisters of chips with you, you can't really play hardcore games in those simple 8-bit mobile game machines.
Nowadays, most popular games are going 3D, joining the bandwagon of the 3D fame in movies. So far, the hardware are not supporting it very much, especially mobile hardware. However, it is now a reality that you can play 3D games on laptops. With this possibility, mobile hardcore gaming is possible. This makes Mister Potato Rice Crisps cannisters extremely handy on the go.
All you need is a backpack and you can fit in the hardware with the cannisters.
When you reached your friend's place or any place of your choice, you can then share the goodness of gaming as well as the Mister Potato Rice Crisps with them. That's the goodness of mobile gaming + Mister Potato Rice Crisps!
When you are a game addict, you play hours and hours a day non-stop. You hardly want to spare some time to visit the loo, not to mention drinking or eating. With the new rice crisps, you have excuses to skip lunch and dinner, especially when you are Asian and rice is your staple food. You can still be considered to have taken rice indirectly in the 'chip' form. Even with the glasses on, you can still see the chips clearly.
When you are wearing 3D vision, you can generate double vision of the cannisters as well as the chips. You may give your brains illussions that you are eating double the amount that you are eating.
Now even 3D gamers can enjoy Mister Potato Rice Crisps!
And share it with their hardcore gaming friends too...
Alright, perhaps it is not that crazy and desperate after all, but the Mister Potato Rice Crisps are heaven sent for they are convenient to be consumed by busy gamers who don't mind bringing them out for their gaming adventures.
"There’s no need to act like a madman because there is Mister Potato Rice Crisps for you to munch on, anytime, anywhere."
Monday, July 26, 2010
FAREWELL RAUL MADRID
Well, he finally left Real Madrid. Thanks for the many incredible years in Real Madrid!
Goal.com Special: Farewell Raul – Thanks For The Real Madrid Memories
Goal.com’s KS Leong bids adios to the Blancos legend...
By KS Leong
Jul 26, 2010 1:00:00 PM
You’d never thought this day would ever come. Raul Gonzalez Blanco is no longer a Real Madrid player.
The Angel of Madrid, The Golden Boy of Spain, The Legend, El Capitan, El Siete, or just Raul, has left the Santiago Bernabeu after 16 incredible years. In that time, he has gone from being the babyface hotshot to the iconic, emblematic face of Real Madrid in the new millennium.
Raul’s rise to global superstardom has become the stuff of legend in its own right. Discarded by neighbouring rivals Atletico Madrid after they closed down their youth academy, the then 15-year-old travelled across town to the Bernabeu to continue his youth career. Within two years, he had broken into Los Merengues’ first team.
It was Jorge Valdano, Madrid’s coach at the time, director-general today, who promoted Raul from the C-team and thrusted him into his first La Liga game at just 17 years old against Real Zaragoza when Martin Velazquez was injured in the previous match. Raul’s debut ended in a 3-2 defeat, but kept his place in the starting XI in the next game when he scored once and made two in a 4-2 victory over who else, but Atletico Madrid.
The rest - or 322 goals and 549 league games later - as they say, is history.
But Raul became more than just another footballer or just another goalscorer for Los Blancos. Contrary to the club’s extravagant branding and high-flying image, the media-shy 33-year-old prefers to keep a low profile off the pitch. On it, he wasn’t the most dazzling or flamboyant, choosing instead to captivate his fans with a few simple flicks and quite a few goals.
He hated the ‘Galacticos’ term conjured up by the Spanish media to herald Florentino Perez’s first presidential stint at the club. It was incidentally during this period that the iconic No. 7 began to lose his form. Regular changes in the player and coaching roster led to the forward struggling for stability and consistency, and while the likes of Luis Figo, Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos and David Beckham all came and went and left their mark, Raul remained to carry the torch from one era to another.
He has also seen a benchful of coaches come and go... 17 in all. Jorge Valdano has gone from being his trainer to being his boss, he has worked under Fabio Capello twice, Jose Antonio Camacho has been his coach for club and country, and he has seen Vicente del Bosque gone from winning eight titles with Madrid to one World Cup trophy with Spain.
Raul's most prolific partnership in attack was alongside Fernando Morientes. The duo struck up an instant bond and an almost telepathic understanding. In the six seasons they spent playing together, they notched up a combined total of 245 goals in all competitions.
Then came Ronaldo. Playing with the Brazilian, Raul had to stand aside and let the most famous of famous strikers strut his stuff; while he never did hit it off with Michael Owen, the one player who took away his best shot of winning the Ballon d’Or in 2001.
Raul slowly rediscovered his midas touch playing side by side with Morientes-like target striker Ruud van Nistelrooy, and his new collaboration with Gonzalo Higuain was just starting to blossom before, like déjà vu, he had to make way for another Ronaldo... Cristiano Ronaldo.
Raul’s fairytale at Real Madrid could’ve ended as early as 2003 when reports of Florentino Perez trying to nudge him towards the exit door culminated in Chelsea making an audacious £71.4 million bid with a wage offer of £8.4m per season, which El Capitan turned down in a blink of an eye.
Despite the influx of more and more attacking superstars subsequently, Raul remained the contsant, the benchmark for all in-coming or young players at the club to look up to. But even for the Golden Boy who became King, he wasn't immortal and all things must come to an end.
Raul’s adventure at the Santiago Bernabeu has been a long journey. His fans never imagined that he would leave Madrid to play for another team, either in Spain or abroad. He was the ultimate one-man club, the one-man record breaker. It’s a bittersweet moment that Raul’s final competitive game and goal for Madrid would be against Real Zaragoza, the team he made his senior debut against.
It’s a bittersweet moment for fans, too; sad to see him leave the beloved club that he made his own, but happy to see that he has chosen to carry on playing, to carry on enchanting the football world.
From his early days playing alongside already established stars such as Ivan Zamorano, Michael Laudrup, Davor Suker, and Predrag Mijatovic, to the formative years when he was groomed by Manolo Sanchis, Fernando Hierro and Fernando Redondo, to the final chapters when he would become the leader of the band, captaining greats from Zidane to Cristiano Ronaldo, the memories will be treasured forever.
Somehow, you just get the feeling that we haven’t seen the last of Raul walking around at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu.
Raul Madrid in numbers:
16 years - and 15 full seasons - with Real Madrid's senior side
17
years and four months... the youngest ever player to debut for Real Madrid's first team
228 league goals... third highest all-time goalscorer in La Liga
323
competitive goals... Real Madrid's all-time top scorer
66 Champions League goals... all-time top scorer in the competition. He's also the first player to hit the 50-goal mark
68 goals in all UEFA club competition... joint all-time top scorer
550 appearances in La Liga... a Real Madrid record and the second highest in the league's history
132
Champions League appearances... second highest in the competition's history
16 major titles
Well, he finally left Real Madrid. Thanks for the many incredible years in Real Madrid!
Goal.com Special: Farewell Raul – Thanks For The Real Madrid Memories
Goal.com’s KS Leong bids adios to the Blancos legend...
By KS Leong
Jul 26, 2010 1:00:00 PM
You’d never thought this day would ever come. Raul Gonzalez Blanco is no longer a Real Madrid player.
The Angel of Madrid, The Golden Boy of Spain, The Legend, El Capitan, El Siete, or just Raul, has left the Santiago Bernabeu after 16 incredible years. In that time, he has gone from being the babyface hotshot to the iconic, emblematic face of Real Madrid in the new millennium.
Raul’s rise to global superstardom has become the stuff of legend in its own right. Discarded by neighbouring rivals Atletico Madrid after they closed down their youth academy, the then 15-year-old travelled across town to the Bernabeu to continue his youth career. Within two years, he had broken into Los Merengues’ first team.
It was Jorge Valdano, Madrid’s coach at the time, director-general today, who promoted Raul from the C-team and thrusted him into his first La Liga game at just 17 years old against Real Zaragoza when Martin Velazquez was injured in the previous match. Raul’s debut ended in a 3-2 defeat, but kept his place in the starting XI in the next game when he scored once and made two in a 4-2 victory over who else, but Atletico Madrid.
The rest - or 322 goals and 549 league games later - as they say, is history.
But Raul became more than just another footballer or just another goalscorer for Los Blancos. Contrary to the club’s extravagant branding and high-flying image, the media-shy 33-year-old prefers to keep a low profile off the pitch. On it, he wasn’t the most dazzling or flamboyant, choosing instead to captivate his fans with a few simple flicks and quite a few goals.
He hated the ‘Galacticos’ term conjured up by the Spanish media to herald Florentino Perez’s first presidential stint at the club. It was incidentally during this period that the iconic No. 7 began to lose his form. Regular changes in the player and coaching roster led to the forward struggling for stability and consistency, and while the likes of Luis Figo, Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos and David Beckham all came and went and left their mark, Raul remained to carry the torch from one era to another.
He has also seen a benchful of coaches come and go... 17 in all. Jorge Valdano has gone from being his trainer to being his boss, he has worked under Fabio Capello twice, Jose Antonio Camacho has been his coach for club and country, and he has seen Vicente del Bosque gone from winning eight titles with Madrid to one World Cup trophy with Spain.
Raul's most prolific partnership in attack was alongside Fernando Morientes. The duo struck up an instant bond and an almost telepathic understanding. In the six seasons they spent playing together, they notched up a combined total of 245 goals in all competitions.
Then came Ronaldo. Playing with the Brazilian, Raul had to stand aside and let the most famous of famous strikers strut his stuff; while he never did hit it off with Michael Owen, the one player who took away his best shot of winning the Ballon d’Or in 2001.
Raul slowly rediscovered his midas touch playing side by side with Morientes-like target striker Ruud van Nistelrooy, and his new collaboration with Gonzalo Higuain was just starting to blossom before, like déjà vu, he had to make way for another Ronaldo... Cristiano Ronaldo.
Raul’s fairytale at Real Madrid could’ve ended as early as 2003 when reports of Florentino Perez trying to nudge him towards the exit door culminated in Chelsea making an audacious £71.4 million bid with a wage offer of £8.4m per season, which El Capitan turned down in a blink of an eye.
Despite the influx of more and more attacking superstars subsequently, Raul remained the contsant, the benchmark for all in-coming or young players at the club to look up to. But even for the Golden Boy who became King, he wasn't immortal and all things must come to an end.
Raul’s adventure at the Santiago Bernabeu has been a long journey. His fans never imagined that he would leave Madrid to play for another team, either in Spain or abroad. He was the ultimate one-man club, the one-man record breaker. It’s a bittersweet moment that Raul’s final competitive game and goal for Madrid would be against Real Zaragoza, the team he made his senior debut against.
It’s a bittersweet moment for fans, too; sad to see him leave the beloved club that he made his own, but happy to see that he has chosen to carry on playing, to carry on enchanting the football world.
From his early days playing alongside already established stars such as Ivan Zamorano, Michael Laudrup, Davor Suker, and Predrag Mijatovic, to the formative years when he was groomed by Manolo Sanchis, Fernando Hierro and Fernando Redondo, to the final chapters when he would become the leader of the band, captaining greats from Zidane to Cristiano Ronaldo, the memories will be treasured forever.
Somehow, you just get the feeling that we haven’t seen the last of Raul walking around at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu.
Raul Madrid in numbers:
16 years - and 15 full seasons - with Real Madrid's senior side
17
years and four months... the youngest ever player to debut for Real Madrid's first team
228 league goals... third highest all-time goalscorer in La Liga
323
competitive goals... Real Madrid's all-time top scorer
66 Champions League goals... all-time top scorer in the competition. He's also the first player to hit the 50-goal mark
68 goals in all UEFA club competition... joint all-time top scorer
550 appearances in La Liga... a Real Madrid record and the second highest in the league's history
132
Champions League appearances... second highest in the competition's history
16 major titles
Thursday, July 22, 2010
BANNING OF SOME FOOTBALL ATTIRES
Malaysia is always famous for banning things. The latest ban is on wearing Manchester United, Brazil, Portugal, Barcelona, Serbia and Norway jerseys and attires. What's next? Ban Muslims from going to any school with the crest or emblem with the cross on it? Ban football matches where all these teams will play in Malaysia? Ban their matches on television too? Ban the sales of all their merchandises because you will be tempted and your faith will be affected. It will never end if you want to apply the ban consistently. This is Malaysia, Truly Asia.
Muslims warned against 'devilish' Man Utd jersey
Malaysia is always famous for banning things. The latest ban is on wearing Manchester United, Brazil, Portugal, Barcelona, Serbia and Norway jerseys and attires. What's next? Ban Muslims from going to any school with the crest or emblem with the cross on it? Ban football matches where all these teams will play in Malaysia? Ban their matches on television too? Ban the sales of all their merchandises because you will be tempted and your faith will be affected. It will never end if you want to apply the ban consistently. This is Malaysia, Truly Asia.
Muslims warned against 'devilish' Man Utd jersey
KUALA LUMPUR — Muslims must not wear the famous Manchester United red jersey because of the "devil" emblem on its team crest, Malaysian clerics said Wednesday.
Manchester United and the rest of the English Premier League are massively popular in Muslim-majority Malaysia and the rest of the Asian region, but conservative religious scholars said the jersey is un-Islamic.
Also off limits are the shirts of teams including Brazil, Portugal, Barcelona, Serbia and Norway, all of which carry images of the cross on their team emblems.
"This is very dangerous. As a Muslim, we should not worship the symbols of other religions or the devils," Nooh Gadot, a top Islamic cleric from the southern Johor state, told AFP.
"It will erode our belief in Islam. There is no reason why we as Muslims should wear such jerseys, either for sports or fashion reasons," said Nooh, an advisor to the Johor religious council.
"Even if it (the jersey) is a gift, we should decline it. It is even more sinful when people realise this is wrong and still buy these jerseys to wear," he added.
Nooh said there was no "fatwa", or religious edict, against the shirts but that one was not needed when it was clearly wrong for Muslims to don such a garment.
"These Muslims should repent, repent immediately," he said.
Another leading cleric, Harussani Zakaria, a cleric from northern Perak state, agreed that devils should be shunned, not celebrated.
"Yes of course in Islam we don't allow people to wear this sort of thing," he told AFP. "Devils are our enemies, why would you put their picture on you and wear it? You are only promoting the devil."
Malaysia is a generally moderate Islamic country, but conservative clerics have issued controversial edicts in the past including a ban on the ancient practice of yoga, which is criticised for including Hindu religious elements.
Copyright © 2010 AFP. All rights reserved.Friday, July 16, 2010
PORN CAUSES LOW BIRTH RATE?
Well, you be the judge of that...
Poll to study porn usage, among other sexual habits
Fri, Jul 16, 2010
my paper
By Annabelle Liang
FINDING out how widespread the habit of indulging in pornography is in Singapore may help reverse the falling birth rate here.
Looking at pornographic material may disrupt the need to engage in sexual activities in marriage, which would then result in fewer babies, said the Singapore Planned Parenthood Association (SPPA).
So the non-profit organisation, which promotes sexual and reproductive health, aims to find out how many people are looking at pornography and how often they are doing so - among other sexual habits - through an online survey.
Through the Fertility Awareness Survey, which it launched yesterday, it hopes to discover the factors causing the low birth rate here and resolve them.
For example, should pornography prove to be a pressing issue, it would advise couples on the matter during its sexual-intimacy talks, and rope in other voluntary welfare organisations and government agencies like the Health Promotion Board to help.
It also plans to offer counselling services and, through publishing the survey's results, spur couples facing the issue to come forward.
The association also hopes to use the survey results to raise public awareness of contraception and sexually transmitted diseases.
It aims to get 2,200 people, aged 16 to 40, to take its 52-question survey within three months.
The results will then be analysed by a panel of professionals including Professor Wong Peng Cheang, head of department of obstetrics and gynaecology at the National University of Singapore.
The SPPA carried out a similar survey in 1981, but that had focused on young people aged 14 to 21.
Attitudes may have changed since then, and the survey will give a better idea of what people in the reproductive age group think, said Prof Wong.
Mr Edward Ong, the SPPA's president, said that the survey will help to "create a profile of the young people and their lifestyles and, if other organisations find it useful, they can use it to model their programmes after the findings".
More than 30 people have completed the survey. To take part, visit https://fas.questionpro.com/ Participants can remain anonymous, but those who want to stand a chance of winning movie vouchers and a $150 dining voucher in a lucky draw can key in their identity-card number.
aliang@sph.com.sg
Well, you be the judge of that...
Poll to study porn usage, among other sexual habits
Fri, Jul 16, 2010
my paper
By Annabelle Liang
FINDING out how widespread the habit of indulging in pornography is in Singapore may help reverse the falling birth rate here.
Looking at pornographic material may disrupt the need to engage in sexual activities in marriage, which would then result in fewer babies, said the Singapore Planned Parenthood Association (SPPA).
So the non-profit organisation, which promotes sexual and reproductive health, aims to find out how many people are looking at pornography and how often they are doing so - among other sexual habits - through an online survey.
Through the Fertility Awareness Survey, which it launched yesterday, it hopes to discover the factors causing the low birth rate here and resolve them.
For example, should pornography prove to be a pressing issue, it would advise couples on the matter during its sexual-intimacy talks, and rope in other voluntary welfare organisations and government agencies like the Health Promotion Board to help.
It also plans to offer counselling services and, through publishing the survey's results, spur couples facing the issue to come forward.
The association also hopes to use the survey results to raise public awareness of contraception and sexually transmitted diseases.
It aims to get 2,200 people, aged 16 to 40, to take its 52-question survey within three months.
The results will then be analysed by a panel of professionals including Professor Wong Peng Cheang, head of department of obstetrics and gynaecology at the National University of Singapore.
The SPPA carried out a similar survey in 1981, but that had focused on young people aged 14 to 21.
Attitudes may have changed since then, and the survey will give a better idea of what people in the reproductive age group think, said Prof Wong.
Mr Edward Ong, the SPPA's president, said that the survey will help to "create a profile of the young people and their lifestyles and, if other organisations find it useful, they can use it to model their programmes after the findings".
More than 30 people have completed the survey. To take part, visit https://fas.questionpro.com/ Participants can remain anonymous, but those who want to stand a chance of winning movie vouchers and a $150 dining voucher in a lucky draw can key in their identity-card number.
aliang@sph.com.sg
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Monday, July 12, 2010
WORLD CUP 2010 INDIVIDUAL HONOURS
I am happy that at least Diego Forlan won something. Thomas Mueller's achievement will be considered rookie of the tournament equivalent like in the NBA. Casillas fully deserves the Golden Glove while Spain deserve the Fair Play Award for their impressive discipline record in the entire tournament. The Dutch also broke records here: 22 yellow cards in 7 matches (the highest among all nations) and committed 126 fouls (also the highest among all nations). Watch the video of the preparation for the World Cup final match promotion below.
Rank Name Country Club Goals (Pens) Assists Minutes MPG
1 Thomas Mueller GER Bayern Munich 5 (0) 3 473' 95
2 David Villa ESP Barcelona 5 (0) 1 635' 127
3 Wesley Sneijder NED Inter 5 (0) 1 652' 130
4 Diego Forlan URU Atletico Madrid 5 (0) 1 654' 131
World Cup 2010: Diego Forlan Wins Golden Ball As Germany's Thomas Mueller Takes Young Player Award & Golden Boot
Uruguay striker named best player in South Africa...
By Stephen Darwin
Jul 11, 2010 10:29:00 PM
Following Spain's 2010 World Cup final triumph over the Netherlands, Uruguay striker Diego Forlan picked up the Golden Ball award while young Germany forward Thomas Mueller took the Best Young Player accolade as well as the Golden Boot.
Atletico Madrid striker Forlan proved to be one of the star performers in South Africa, beating off competition from the likes of Wesley Sneijder and Spain hitman David Villa to be crowned the tournament's best player - as voted for by the media.
Forlan was, however, pipped to the post when it came to the Golden Boot, with Thomas Mueller's five goals and three assists for Germany edging him ahead of Silver Boot winner Villa and Holland playmaker Sneijder who picked up the bronze award.
Mueller also claimed the Best Young Player gong for his impressive performances in South Africa, beating both Ghana's Andre Ayew and Mexico's Giovanni Dos Santos to claim the prize.
Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas, who made a string of impressive saves in Spain's final triumph over the Netherlands, claimed the Golden Glove while Vicente del Bosque's side were also recognised with the Fair Play Award.
World Cup Top Goal Scorers - Thomas Mueller Wins The Golden Shoe
Who is leading the scoring charts for the World Cup Golden Shoe?
By Ewan Macdonald
Jul 11, 2010 10:24:00 PM
Thomas Mueller of Bayern Munich and Germany has won the World Cup Golden Shoe after finishing joint-top of the scoring charts and with the most assists.
Mueller shared a tally of five with David Villa of Spain, Uruguay's Diego Forlan, and Wesley Sneijder of the Netherlands, but managed three assists while the others could hit just one.
Thus the young German in his first ever World Cup wins the award, as FIFA decided that assists will be used to decide in the case of a tie.
Below we give a chart containing all the 2010 World Cup goal scorers. Players are sorted first by goals scored, then (to separate the top four only) assists, then minutes per goal (MPG), then finally surname.
Last update: Sunday 10 July 2010, 23:24 SAST
I am happy that at least Diego Forlan won something. Thomas Mueller's achievement will be considered rookie of the tournament equivalent like in the NBA. Casillas fully deserves the Golden Glove while Spain deserve the Fair Play Award for their impressive discipline record in the entire tournament. The Dutch also broke records here: 22 yellow cards in 7 matches (the highest among all nations) and committed 126 fouls (also the highest among all nations). Watch the video of the preparation for the World Cup final match promotion below.
Rank Name Country Club Goals (Pens) Assists Minutes MPG
1 Thomas Mueller GER Bayern Munich 5 (0) 3 473' 95
2 David Villa ESP Barcelona 5 (0) 1 635' 127
3 Wesley Sneijder NED Inter 5 (0) 1 652' 130
4 Diego Forlan URU Atletico Madrid 5 (0) 1 654' 131
World Cup 2010: Diego Forlan Wins Golden Ball As Germany's Thomas Mueller Takes Young Player Award & Golden Boot
Uruguay striker named best player in South Africa...
By Stephen Darwin
Jul 11, 2010 10:29:00 PM
Following Spain's 2010 World Cup final triumph over the Netherlands, Uruguay striker Diego Forlan picked up the Golden Ball award while young Germany forward Thomas Mueller took the Best Young Player accolade as well as the Golden Boot.
Atletico Madrid striker Forlan proved to be one of the star performers in South Africa, beating off competition from the likes of Wesley Sneijder and Spain hitman David Villa to be crowned the tournament's best player - as voted for by the media.
Forlan was, however, pipped to the post when it came to the Golden Boot, with Thomas Mueller's five goals and three assists for Germany edging him ahead of Silver Boot winner Villa and Holland playmaker Sneijder who picked up the bronze award.
Mueller also claimed the Best Young Player gong for his impressive performances in South Africa, beating both Ghana's Andre Ayew and Mexico's Giovanni Dos Santos to claim the prize.
Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas, who made a string of impressive saves in Spain's final triumph over the Netherlands, claimed the Golden Glove while Vicente del Bosque's side were also recognised with the Fair Play Award.
World Cup Top Goal Scorers - Thomas Mueller Wins The Golden Shoe
Who is leading the scoring charts for the World Cup Golden Shoe?
By Ewan Macdonald
Jul 11, 2010 10:24:00 PM
Thomas Mueller of Bayern Munich and Germany has won the World Cup Golden Shoe after finishing joint-top of the scoring charts and with the most assists.
Mueller shared a tally of five with David Villa of Spain, Uruguay's Diego Forlan, and Wesley Sneijder of the Netherlands, but managed three assists while the others could hit just one.
Thus the young German in his first ever World Cup wins the award, as FIFA decided that assists will be used to decide in the case of a tie.
Below we give a chart containing all the 2010 World Cup goal scorers. Players are sorted first by goals scored, then (to separate the top four only) assists, then minutes per goal (MPG), then finally surname.
Last update: Sunday 10 July 2010, 23:24 SAST
NETHERLANDS 0-1 SPAIN (EXTRA-TIME)
Well, it is a pretty ugly World Cup final with many cards shown. 9 yellow cards (with a double for Hetinga) for the Dutch and 5 yellow cards for the Spanish. Robben came close twice to kill off Spain, with the second attempt pretty much unfair to him. Puyol should be carded or even sent off. Casillas was brilliant in both the one on one situations with Robben. Fabregas also had a fantastic chance which he missed in a one on one situation with Stekelenburg. Iniesta scored in the 117th minute to make a difference after John Hetinga was sent off with the second yellow card in the 109th minute.
Sergio Ramos was probably the best offensive player for the entire tournament. However, Spain's advantage was the ability to control the Dutch's most dangerous man, Wesley Sneijder. It would have been more helpful to Spain's offensive force if Fabregas started instead of Pedro. To be fair to Spain in regards to the Puyol pulling down Robben incident, some of the Netherlands challenges were extremely dangerous, some were qualified for red cards, especially the Nigel de Jong kick on Xabi Alonso's chest. If the heatbutt by Zidane was considered bad, then I am lost of words for the de Jong chest kick. I hope after this, Xabi Alonso will get advertisements more than Materazzi did with Nike.
Apart from that, Van Bommel, Sneijder and even Robben were qualified to achieve the red cards in the first half. The referee had been very forgiving, lenient and very reluctant to send off many players. The Spanish were mostly at the receiving end of the very ugly tackles. Sneijder was the only player apart from goalie, Stekelenburg, who was not booked. I thought the Dutch were playing rugby instead of football. It is so funny now that after the match, it is the Dutch team which comes out to complain about the referee, Webb. Webb had been too good to the Dutch, which was unfair to the Spanish. It should be the Spanish who should complain, not the Dutch. Some of the Spanish cards were given because they lost patience with the leniency of the referee for not giving bookings for some of the challenges. If Webb had been more stricter, the Dutch would have received up to 3 red cards by the end of the first half with their free flowing dangerous tackles.
Yes Paul, you are right again! Incredible perfect predictions in this World Cup 2010 tournament! Spain should buy the octopus home from Germany! Spain become the first World Cup winner who lost the first match. They also become the first to score a very low total amount of goals.
CONGRATULATIONS SPAIN!
CONGRATULATIONS LA FURIA ROJA!
(Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)
Well, it is a pretty ugly World Cup final with many cards shown. 9 yellow cards (with a double for Hetinga) for the Dutch and 5 yellow cards for the Spanish. Robben came close twice to kill off Spain, with the second attempt pretty much unfair to him. Puyol should be carded or even sent off. Casillas was brilliant in both the one on one situations with Robben. Fabregas also had a fantastic chance which he missed in a one on one situation with Stekelenburg. Iniesta scored in the 117th minute to make a difference after John Hetinga was sent off with the second yellow card in the 109th minute.
Sergio Ramos was probably the best offensive player for the entire tournament. However, Spain's advantage was the ability to control the Dutch's most dangerous man, Wesley Sneijder. It would have been more helpful to Spain's offensive force if Fabregas started instead of Pedro. To be fair to Spain in regards to the Puyol pulling down Robben incident, some of the Netherlands challenges were extremely dangerous, some were qualified for red cards, especially the Nigel de Jong kick on Xabi Alonso's chest. If the heatbutt by Zidane was considered bad, then I am lost of words for the de Jong chest kick. I hope after this, Xabi Alonso will get advertisements more than Materazzi did with Nike.
Apart from that, Van Bommel, Sneijder and even Robben were qualified to achieve the red cards in the first half. The referee had been very forgiving, lenient and very reluctant to send off many players. The Spanish were mostly at the receiving end of the very ugly tackles. Sneijder was the only player apart from goalie, Stekelenburg, who was not booked. I thought the Dutch were playing rugby instead of football. It is so funny now that after the match, it is the Dutch team which comes out to complain about the referee, Webb. Webb had been too good to the Dutch, which was unfair to the Spanish. It should be the Spanish who should complain, not the Dutch. Some of the Spanish cards were given because they lost patience with the leniency of the referee for not giving bookings for some of the challenges. If Webb had been more stricter, the Dutch would have received up to 3 red cards by the end of the first half with their free flowing dangerous tackles.
Match Stats
| 13(5) | Shots (on Goal) | 19(6) |
| 28 | Fouls | 19 |
| 6 | Corner Kicks | 8 |
| 7 | Offsides | 6 |
| 43% | Time of Possession | 57% |
| 8 | Yellow Cards | 5 |
| 1 | Red Cards | 0 |
| 5 | Saves | 5 |
Yes Paul, you are right again! Incredible perfect predictions in this World Cup 2010 tournament! Spain should buy the octopus home from Germany! Spain become the first World Cup winner who lost the first match. They also become the first to score a very low total amount of goals.
CONGRATULATIONS SPAIN!
CONGRATULATIONS LA FURIA ROJA!
(Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)
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