FOOTBALL: CHAMPIONS LEAGUE PREVIEW

well, friends who bet alot of footie persuaded me 2 give them some hints b4 matches n instead of talking about a match after it is over. all had been lost n won. well, i certainly dun encourage betting here or provide accurate 'PROPERCHIES' of wat is going 2 happen b4 every match. but i do my research on past matches as well as reading many views of different sites b4 i make my own conclusion n reflection. i dunno how accurate my opinions will b, but watever it is, it is done 4 pure interest. i myself dun have e financial capabilites 2 bet. so i dun mind donations, haha! i will onli preview matches dat i am more familiar with. here goes:

L.MOSCOW VS. ARSENAL
arsenal r in deep shit with injury problems. e list will include vieira, ljungberg, campbell n perhaps keown n cole. moscow like kiev, r teams hard 2 crack in their home. if truly all of them fail 2 appear, arsenal may have a chance 4 another defeat. if not, they can win tis tie or unluckily get a draw. ARSENAL WIN

ANDERLECHT VS. B.MUNICH
munich still is far more a better side, they can win tis, bad luck will force a draw. nevertheless, they wun wan a repeat of last season. kahn has some issues 2 settle. MUNICH WIN

GALATASARAY VS. R.SOCIEDAD
with galatasaray not going 2 have sukur n penbe 4 e match, although sociedad r champions league rookies, they can win tis if they play well in turkey. take full advantage of e 2 influential players' absence. SOCIEDAD WIN

INTER VS. D.KIEV
vieri will not feature so e subs will play, they did well against arsenal so kiev better beware. inter have been firing blanks lately in serie a, so dat may b a problem. kiev as alwiz veli dangerous a team 2 look down on. if inter play well, they can win tis. INTER WIN

tis is my 1st try so we'll c how it goes. haha! i dun predict draws so if it is a draw, it does not count then.

M.SCHUMACHER = THE LORD OF THE RAIN

i was complaining with my friends dat it has been raining non-stop 4 e past few days n caused lotsa problems in visitng my site 4 some site analysises. it has been irritating, e rain just pour down 4 e whole day, so strong dat it can go on 4ever. when we had a chance 4 site visit, it was also after a heavy downpour, n e sky was so dark dat i worried it will rain b4 i have e time 2 finish my work. luckily, time was on my side.

in formula 1, when we mention rain, there is onli 1 driver in my understanding among legends dat is nearly SUPERHUMAN. somehow, rain is a force of nature dat perhaps is part of his birth element in terms of chinese feng shui? haha! cut e crap! but i had seen many races in e past, when e rain came, n he was incredible n phenomenal on track. he could overtake with great ease n race fearlessly stable in e slippery track. rain is just like part of him. nature or God came 2 schumacher's answer in indianapolis. i really hope i had watched dat spectacular race, but i didn't. no live coverage here 4 public tv in s'pore. but when i knew he was starting in 7th from e grid, with raikkonen taking e pole, n montoya starting from 4th, i have no idea n confidence dat schumacher is gonna win e race unless:

1. both of them crashed out some way or another
2. both of them have some failures in e car dat forces them out
3. schumacher has 2 take intense risks 2 overtake thru e field

schumacher was confident b4 e race, i thought he was just trying 2 b calm as a professional. ferrari is less perfect tis season so i dun think any miracle can happen so drastically n i thought schumacher's title will b veli hard 2 achieve by starting from 7th. but i totally forgot about e rain. i also dunno e rain probability in indianapolis rite now. thus, it did not cross over my mind 1 bit. until e race had gone n e rain came, them e INVINCIBLE schumacher with his great Bridgestone wet tyres conquer e field. but schumacher was champion 4 onli 17 laps becoz as e rain stopped, raikkonen began 2 move up e standings until 2nd. still, starting from 7th n winning e race is oredi great enuf 2 notice. sadly, barrichello collided with montoya n was out of action 2 finish e race.

my friend johnny alwiz tell me schumacher does not deserve all e glories he has now 4 his cheating abilities in winning his earlier f1 titles. well, i admit it totally, schumacher has been 1 of e most cunning racers i had ever seen in f1. 2 me, senna was a true racer. i also hate him so much in his earlier days of racing b4 he switched 2 ferrari. how he won e titles in such a manner was veli controversial. people hated him alot. but people alwiz forgot how schumacher went 2 ferrari n struggled at e start. how ferrari was so damn lousy at dat time n how much he had 2 fight till he overtook e title from hakkinen. dat was supreme. he demonstrated 2 e world dat he dun have 2 go 2 a good team 2 become a champion, he can start building from e bottom up. although he dominated f1 last season, he had gone a long way 2 wat he is 2day. n i pity so many anti schumacher sites around e world. i guess they r just jealous.

i am sure after tis season, by all means even if schumacher fails 2 capture e title, he had demonstrated how good he still is n worthy 2 claim e title after ferrari's supremacy has been decreasing with e rise of raikkonen n montoya 2 challenge him so strongly in e title race. although now, it is onli left with raikonnen, it is not over until it is over. argentina's juan manuel fangio won five f1 titles in the 1950s, schumacher matched dat last season, he can overtake it tis season in e last race at suzuka. raikkonen knows he has a tall mountain 2 climb in suzuka with e 9 points advantage schumacher holds. i would wish 4 schumacher 2 win e title again, he truly deserves it.

'it's 1 of my best days in my life,' schumacher said. 'it's such an important moment, such an unusual race, so many possibilities 2 happen, and 2 win such a race at a crucial moment, it just adds up.' well, dat's how a legend is able 2 b called so in e 1st place.

ok, done editing of e finnish poster art exhibition. i managed 2 go yesterday n got permission 2 snap most of e things on display. there r too many photos so i split e whole thing into 2 parts so it wun take e bandwidth by too much n slows down loading. enjoy guys!

PHOTO LINK #05:

Finland In Poster Art Part 1 (September 2003)
Finland In Poster Art Part 2 (September 2003)

GOLDEN SLEEP

rushed like nuts 2 get e report n presentation 4 e urban design site analysis done. my part of e studio is on building typology n space typology of robertson quay zone. i partnered with vanessa n she was veli helpful n good in e whole process. i had not slept 4 more than 15-30 mins 4 e past 24 hours n went home yesterday feeling so damn exhausted. i slept with so much pleasure last nite, haha! now feeling totally energized. i failed 2 attend e finnish lecture but can still make it 4 e last day of art exhibition 2day. will try 2 go later. anywayz, 4 e time being, all e photos featured in tis blog will b linked 2 geocities becoz i think i wun have updates of photos everyday. will onli b able 2 have such possibility when i get my new digicam next semester.

now 4 footie news, MU won, chelsea won, arsenal won while newcastle lost. i think tis year will b another crisis year 4 newcastle. they r now so deep down e table, they r 2nd last. they may have won their match against a never-heard-before team in their UEFA Cup campaign so wat r they so proud of e victory? sigh! chelsea was saved by hasselbaink's goal. they still look not veli good as a team yet. e match n e previous ones showed dat chelsea still need hasselbaink n should not think of selling him! time will tell. so is juventus, their old horse, nedved still is good n helped them 2 another victory.

real madrid finally slump 2 their 1st defeat of e season. i warned early dat they will look vulnerable n weak against stronger teams. valencia is e strongest team they face thus far n they r oredi 0-2 down in defeat. raul is not playing though n zidane is veli unfit. so how? well, i oredi expect tis 2 happen. how 2 avoid? i will admit straight dat real will b in deep shit tis year. they may score alot, but their defense is so weak dat it is not veli balanced. among e elites of europe, which includes MU, barca, arsenal, inter, ac milan, juventus, i dare 2 say dat tis season, they have e weakest defence n substitutes. thus, a defeat like tis is veli normal. n their bench is so lousy nowadays dat it will b costly if their superstars got injured. i honestly wun c them going far tis season. both in e league n champions league. i'm veli surprised dat deportivo lost though. dat was an upset. barca can take tis opportunity 2 chase e leaders with their next match.

here is e review on e 128MB ATI Radeon 9800PRO graphic accelerator card.

PHOTO LINK #04:

ATI Radeon 9800PRO graphic accelerator card (August 2003)

FINNISH ART AND ARCHITECTURE

there is an exhibition of finnish art n stuff in my faculty these few days. will try 2 visit if i got time n snap down stuffs if i am permitted 2. finland? e onli thing i can associate with it is mika hakkinen n kimi raikkonen, e 2 finns i know. notice their names have 2 'K's n ended with 'NEN'. perhaps dat's a common thing in finland? e guest lecture who is going 2 present a lecture on a century of finnish architecture is called mr jarno peltoNEN, presently e Chairman of e Board, e Marie-Louise and Gunnar Didrichsen Art Foundation, Finland. veli CHIM indeed.

btw, busy with my robertson quay presentation on e building n space typology around s'pore river later. so better get back 2 work. was taking hundreds of photos around e area yesterday. it was quite cold, veli minimal human traffic around e place n looks like a dead area in e daytime. there r some warehouses around e place. when i mention warehouses, it means it is veli small size type. not those u imagine with super long span of truss structures. i thought so too when given a description of e place, but was surprised 2 c e real scale. probably becoz u dun c much of those old warehouses anymore around s'pore. they r just being abandoned there, dunno e government having any plans of restoration or wat. but generally, there r many hotels around e place. e gallery is e most interesting among all in e area, it has an open transparent aquarium glassbox swimming pool at e top of e building.

saw e response of e english FA 4 e arsenal-MU match last week but no further details yet on e exact punishments. veli keen on e development of rivaldo's possible transfer 2 real madrid though. but with 1 more non-EU player, real may have 2 drop cambiasso from e e gang of non-EUs like ronaldo, roberto carlos, solari. oh well, i dun mind dat, as long as e old dangerous rivaldo will b present again in e primera liga. e di stefano friendly went well n real won 3-1 against river plate. e grumpy grandfather must b least grumpy dat day 2 watch a tribute match just 4 him. he is surely worthy of such a tribute, looking at e stats of his. it is incredible dat he can achieve 5 straight champions league winners, scoring in every final n 2 get a hattrick in e last one. it is phenomenal, even super strikers of these days can't do dat, not 2 mention reaching e final 5 years in a row. incredible. add 2 his 8 primera liga titles in 11 seasons. truly a forgotten legend. i like how he describes himself. "My life is football - before, after and always."

FOOTBALL: VIEIRA-VAN NISTELROOY INCIDENT

i read with great interest on e verdict on e matter above in soccernet.com. so whose side do u think i am on? well, 4 every reaction, there must b a cause 2 it. n e reaction of e arsenal players, eventhough childish, but it still make sense IF there is something dat provoked them 2 act so. it is most probably e 1st time u c such dramatic action at e end of a match from a discontentment of a card shown, so there must b some strong discontentment dat caused it. i dun believe dat video playbacks (even slow motions) r good enuf compared 2 e real scene where people who r close 2 e incident can actually FEEL e impact! from wat i had seen, e referee is in a bad position 2 c e real thing, judging by where he rushed in from, much way back. i had played competitive footie b4 so i know sometimes referees r beyond their vision scope 2 c a handball or a foul becoz it was blocked.

face it, i am giving my opinion in e most sensible n neutral way possible. e action happened too fast. e match was definitely pressurising, i'm sure every player on e field was veli, veli stressed. van nistelrooy MAY accidentally kicked his chest or purposely take dat opportunity since he knows veli well vieira's bad temper n dat's e best way 2 send him off. in such a heated competition, i am sure vieira would react like dat. but he is strong enuf 2 freeze his action n hold back. people will say he intentionally do it, but i will also call dat a fast reaction dat did not have any thought put into it. in dat split second, his brain was able 2 control his body n held back a possible kick 2 van nistelrooy. but even so, vieira still deserved a card 4 such an action, becoz it is clearly seen, not matter it was intentional or not. but then again, e sight of van nistelrooy smiling slightly afterwards spoke volumes about his satisfaction 4 e dismissal. he also did not retaliate in e end, which may provide some clues in e argument too.

now, since e whole incident happened in such a short time, there r so many possibilities i pointed up above. BUT i do agree dat e players need 2 b disciplined 4 their reaction at e end of e match, although i would react e same way if i was there n felt dat e referee decision was unfair becoz i think my team mate's image had been ruined time n again. i hope e FA can make a decision not base on history, but perhaps on e account on e video playbacks n e referees from dat match itself. i know a decision will b hard 2 make becoz it is certainly a veli close call, but e clearest indication is dat e arsenal players who reacted badly should b punished 4 e image of EPL.

I particularly LOVE e remark n opinion of tis person below. i have e same agreement with him of van nistelrooy n of coz, i think heskey is another player who is almost of e same quality, just dat heskey can't score goals but van nistelrooy can.

I've said it a thousand times to anyone who'd listen. Ruud Van Nistelrooy is not a soccer player at all. All his goals come within the 6-yard box acting as a rebound board for teammates to deflect their hard work into goals. When required to earn his wages, fails for following:


a. not fast - lots of swinging arms, pumping legs to impress and hide pedestrain pace
b. cannot dribble & carry ball some distance into box to shoot
c. keeps falling down - unbalanced, high centre-of-gravity
d. cannot trap balls dead - seems to bounce a metre from him for opponents to steal from under his nose
e. cannot convert one-on-one against keeper - either straight at keeper's body or balloons it - cannot chip rushing keeper
f. oh, yeah! cannot take penalties

Forlan, Giggs, Solskjaer in combination during last season's Nov2002 to Dec2002 scintillating play (without Ruud, Becks, Keane) shows United have better scoring power. Breathtaking play to boot - incisive passing, pacy - one Champions League match against Spanish Deportivo? was memorable.

United fan since around 1968 win over Benfica a la Pete Kenyon. :-))

n then another good opinion i would think is from tis guy:


This whole nonsense about pushing and shoving after the whistle is ridiculous. This is a man's game. You see Keown elated at a sign of justice and you call it menacing. You see Lauren grappling with Phil Neville and you call it disgusting but when you see G Neville and Fortune throw their weight around it is called acting sensibly and with restraint.

This is typical of the Man Utd bias that exists in our game.

Vieira should not have kicked out. We know this from the World Cup in France, but RVN, the man who set the whole chain of events in motion and who was at the centre of controversy well after the final whistle, escaped and will escape further punishment.

Aside from all this mess, is the FA competent enough to adjudicate on this matter? After all, it was their allocation of a completely out of depth referee which sparked repercussions all over the pitch.

Alan Mait

FOOTBALL: ALFREDO DI STEFANO'S 50TH ANNIVERSARY DEBUT FRIENDLY 4 R.MADRID

i have nvr had a chance 2 watch alfredo di stefano's videos of his past glory, but i heard alot about tis forgetten star. real madrid n river plate r 2 play a friendly tribute in honour of him. many had argued dat he was actually a better player than Pele n was onli been deprived of e crown of kings by his failure 2 appear in a world cup tournament. he was described as a player with incredible versatility n unbelievable stamina.

although referred as a center-forward, he can play defence, midfield n e forward line all at once! he was e guy behind madrid's 5 straight successive european cup wins. he scored a goal in each of e 1st 4 finals and a hattrick in e 5th, which resulted in a 7-3 win over Eintracht Frankfurt. his amazing fitness made him defending one moment n attacking on e edge of the opposition's area 2 score goals next. Alfredo Di Stefano played international football for Colombia, Argentina n Spain.

many also mentioned dat his record against tougher domestic opposition than Pele 4 most of his career speaks volumes of his genius. until 2day, he still holds European Cup's top scorer with 49 goals, he scored 418 overall for Real Madrid, in eleven seasons. with e exception of Stanley Matthews, he played longer than e other three greats, Maradona, Cruyff and Pele. it may have been stubbornness, but he played until he was 40. he has always been grumpy n still terrifies e staff at the Bernabau as a Honorary President. Real Madrid would certainly not be e club they are 2day without him. n when river plate play with real madrid in e friendly, he watches the stars play below, he'll know, in his heart of hearts, that he was better than any of them, even raul, ronaldo, zidane or figo.

although veli grumpy, he did find time 2 praise players. there is 1 thing he mentioned about beckham dat i onli realized after he brought it up. dat beckham is not onli good at kicking a dead ball, but he is e 1st player in e side dat goes 2 pressure e opponents in their side of e pitch. he is an excellent pressing player. as 4 zidane, he called him an excellent player like no one else n has never seen such a good player as him. well, if stubborn grumpy di stefano actually praise people, i guess i am not wrong in my judgement 2 say dat zidane is e most complete player of my era. e way he dances with e ball is phenomenal, when u c him guard e ball from 2-3 players, u know he put in so much dedication n love 4 e ball dat it shall nvr leave his feet unless it was 2 his teamates. dat's how beautiful zizou guides his beloved football. n yeah, beckham is really a veli good pressing player as i can feel. he dun dribble as well as figo or zidane, but he creates pressure in e build up of ball possessions or attacking strategies.

while there is news dat ronaldo is asking perez 2 bring rivaldo 2 real madrid since he is under-utilized in ac milan. well, i dunno how much will he b worthed now n i dunno 2 wat extend perez will look into tis possibility. but with rivaldo as e final slot in e figo, zidane n beckham midfield, it will b a dream 2 watch!!! provided rivaldo still has dat mastery desire of football in him when he was in barca. i wun read too much into it but i will alwiz b hoping!!! i dun mind rivaldo, another forgotten star nowadays. i realized many great players from e spanish primera liga who went 2 serie a dun perform well. perhaps attacking players like rivaldo, ronaldo, mendieta n redondo can't play in a more defensive style footie in italy.

in e other news, arsenal chairman peter hill-wood was slamming his players 4 their childish approach 2 e match against man utd. we shall witness e outcome of e english FA investigation 2 e whole matter.

ROBERTSON QUAY

my project 2 4 tis semester will be on Robertson Quay, including the famous nite life spot of muhamed sultan rd, framed by e s'pore river which looks more like a canal. well, will start intensive site analysis work from 2day 4 e presentation tis sat so i wun b updating much, probably just on footie stuff. will take some photos n perhaps document in my photo link if i found anything interesting. it will b an individual design in e end, n we r suppose 2 design a boutique hotel.

4 those who r not quite sure of e definition of a boutique hotel, it is a small scale, well furnished hotel specially designed 4 specific individual needs. according 2 my uncle, it is more expensive than a 5 star hotel, more like a country club kinda thing. in other words, it has 2 b veli high class. we will b visiting a boutique hotel i heard just having her opening ceremony recently or soon. watever it is, she is a new boutique hotel so perhaps i can bring my borrowed digicam n go 4 some snapshots.

btw, i took some time 2 document e italian exhibition i went 2 in my uni around 2001. it was a display of all e items from 1945-2000. here is e link folks!

PHOTO LINK #03:

The Italian Permanent Collection Of The Trenniale Di Milano (1945-2000) Exhibition (2001)

FOOTBALL: BECKHAM's 100TH BUT STILL NOT CONVINCED?

oh well, i was more concerned of raul's injury than e victory. ok ok, so beckham has again proved 2 play another good match so is dat not enuf 2 convince me dat he is good enuf 4 real madrid? well, until real meet teams like barca, depor, bayern munich, mu, arsenal, juventus, inter, ac, lazio, then i will b really convinced. went 2 look 4 shevy's champions league jersey 4 my friend johnny n i almost vomit blood at e shop. e double layer ac milan jersey bearing his name costs around S$195 now. it is veli expensive! e start of e season is anticipated 2 make jerseys cost more, but tis is too much 2 swallow. i called him n he said he will settle 4 anything below S$160, so i think we have 2 wait.

e news everybody will b focused on will definitely b e clash of MU n Arsenal. wat really happened? i watched e footage of e clip where vieira challenged van nistelrooy n i dun c much of an impact 4 a card. i also cry foul n thus think dat he shouldn't b sent off. no wonder e arsenal players r so pissed off with him. now e FA wanna take action 4 e incident after e match. oh well, another controversy we alwiz hear will b DIVING. e defence will say under such tackles, if e player dun fall down, he could break a million bones. e offence will say e tackle is so soft, e DIVE is done purposely. so DIVE OR NO DIVE?

newcastle drew again! n now r almost at e bottom of e table, totenham oredi sacked hoddle, robson better watch out! many top teams drew, expecially in e serie a so nothing 2 shout about.

FOOTBALL: THE CLASH OF THE TITANS

MAN UTD VS. ARSENAL- who shall win? well, arsenal is still recovering from dat humilating defeat 2 inter n sol campbell may not play becoz of his father's death. thus, dat will b a disadvantage to arsenal. man utd start to look consistent, thus they may have dat slight edge. dat will also include e fact dat it will b played in old trafford.

JUVENTUS VS. AS ROMA- juventus will take on early leaders as roma at e Delle Alpi stadium n juventus r expected 2 start without alessio tacchinardi, so probably edgar davids or igor tudor will take over. roma have been scoring a lot lately so should not b taken lightly. still, juventus may still have e ability 2 win it with more experienced players n playing better as a team. all e big clubs in serie a had taken maximum points so far, namely Juve, Roma, S.S. Lazio, AC Milan n Internazionale FC.

WHAT TALKING YOU?

Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at an Elingsh uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht frist and lsat ltteer is at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae we do not raed ervey lteter by it slef but the wrod as a wlohe.

Interesting rite? my pal sent me tis n i can actually read everything.

shangri-la putrajaya photos r done editing.

PHOTO LINK #02:

Putrajaya Shangri-La (August 2003)

There are many photos so be patient as it loads. I think if I cover all the four resorts in KK, Sabah, the whole website capacity will be fully utilized because I took alot of photos around too.

BoA = BEAT OF AN ANGEL

my very first impression of her when I saw her was WHO IS THIS KID? then, it was WAT THE HECK? SHE CAN DANCE SO WELL?!! HOW OLD IS SHE?? after searching for more info, i realized dat she is onli 17! my goodness! in my opinion, if michael jackson n janet jackson r e best dancers from e west, then BoA will b e queen of dance from e east! i have nvr seen any eastern artist dat can dance like her, n her dance is not just rubbish, it follows e rhythm well so it does not get out of e beat of every music flow. haha! dunno how 2 describe it musically since i onli done my grade 7 in piano when i was 12 years old. forgot alot of my musical exposure.

anyway, since then i collect her mtvs becoz i admire how she can dance. she is veli cute n her latest album, princess atlantis or something like dat has a new catchy song i like in korean. it is a cute dance song but still make it veli appealing. she can make dance moves veli simple, yet veli nice. overall, i hope she can develop into a better dancer as she gains more experience. there r 15 korean exchange students 2 my batch tis year, n i asked my studio korean friend about BoA. haha! 2 them, she is a kid n perhaps e impression i got was i am not mature 2 listen or admire her dance moves. haha! they rather go 4 baby vox or other more mature artists. but 2 me, BoA dances so well, she is more mature n better than any asian artists out there. perhaps aaron kwok n alex to can dance well, but looking at her many songs with different dance moves in a concert n 2 dance them all out, it is incredible. go BoA!


Finally got all the photos I took in Malacca in August published online. Here it is folks:

PHOTO LINK #01:

Malacca (August 2003)

Stay tuned 4 e Putrajaya photos, e highlite will b e shangri-la putrajaya hotel with e theme of high tech hotel in e tropical setting.

PHOTO POSTINGS

i can't post photos now n then nowadays becoz i just sold my digicam. i plan 2 get 1 next year 4 my next architecture semester. 4 now, i have 2 borrow from a kind friend becoz my dream digicam is projected 2 b out at e end of e year. k, i just finished my architecture crit n 2 me, i am pretty satisfied with e progress n thus i hope 2 improve 4 e next one starting next week. i dun have time 2 enjoy champions league football tis week becoz was rushing 4 submission. i would like 2 thank my group members, sian chong n whei huong 4 their determination in making tis design project possible. group work is definitely hard but i enjoyed working with them.

e match scores r quite predictable, there is not much surprises rather than e shock arsenal 0-3 defeat in e hands of inter WITHOUT CRESPO or VIERI. imagine dat! paisehlah! chelsea's players started 2 feel discontent 4 not having 1st team football. i did have a discussion with my footie friends n we agreed ferguson's statement dat there bound 2 b conflicts in e end. how can u choose a starting 11 from a team with SO MANY STARS? either by favouritism or becoz of injury. if not, they r all equally good n deserving 2 b on e starting 11 list. so how now abromovich? i think it is hard, those who had played championship manager should know. when u spent money 2 buy alot of good players, deciding ur starting 11 is more stressful than e outcome of e match! haha!

unlike real madrid, they buy superstar players who r of exceptional quality so there is no doubt who shall b in e starting eleleven. but when u have so many potentials euqally or almost good of a certain position in ur team, it is veli hard. e plus side of coz will b u having enuf players 2 compensate any injuries or fatique cases. u will b fully loaded, but too much loading can kill u too. so we shall c how it will progress. like i said earlier, i am interested 2 c chelsea's n man city's progress tis season.

i will do postings of photos of my malacca n putrajaya trip these few days b4 my project 2 start. tis is e onli time when i have free time 2 do all these. i will try if possible 2 show u all e italian industrial design exhibition i went 2, n e 4 resorts i visited with my gf in kk, sabah. i just wan 2 say some of e biggest resorts in malaysia r in sabah. i had been 2 e 2 resorts in johor n they can't compete in terms of size.

FOOTBALL: ANELKA'S TURN TO GET HATTRICK

e headline said it all, both mcmanamann n anelka played 2 expectations. i will b eyeing man city tis season as well as chelsea of coz. newcastle is abit off track now, hope they can recover or else, suffer not able 2 qualify 4 champions league next season. liverpool also starts 2 look stable as owen is coming back with his form, beattie looks veli convincing too 4 southampton. epl is starting 2 get interesting tis season. veli interesting.

there r talks on man utd being taken over/sold 2 someone else but now it is just rumours. e focus 4 tis week has 2 b e start of e champions league campaign! i think e match of e day will b new champions ac milan vs. ajax amsterdam. a renewal of last season's battle. if u all can still remember, ajax almost kicked ac milan out of e quarterfinals. it was onli until a veli veli veli late goal scored dat saved their face. real, chelsea, mu, lazio, porto n vigo should expect victories from e matches against weaker teams unless some upsets occured.

4 formula 1, s'pore doesn't telecast live formula 1 racing so i have 2 go 2 formula 1's website 2 watch e live electronic lap by lap standings kinda interactive table. so i can't really c e action. but e top 4-5 cars generally finished as just how they had positioned themselves b4 e race. schumacher n ferrari will definitely b veli relieved with tis victory, expecially in ferrari's hometown. after struggling with e past few races, tis is definitely wat they needed. has e front tyres thread thingy measurement helped bridgestone n ferrari in tis victory? well, not veli sure i guess, but most importantly, schumacher is back, but there is still much 2 fight 4 2 become champion. montoya n raikkonen r following veli closely behind him.

k, back 2 physical model making. submission of panels is tis wed while presentation on thurs. so have 2 rush 4 them! after e presentation, i will spend some time editing n publishing e photos of my visit 2 malacca n putrajaya. stay tuned.....must b sick with all these words.

FOOTBALL: RAUL SCORED A HATTRICK IN A 7-2 VICTORY!

busy with cadding of my design studio project. will combine with friends 2nite, my things r almost done, so i plan 2 take a rest 2 break 4 dinner. my uncle in shanghai is coming 2 s'pore 2nite, he has a meeting at e office in s'pore 2molo but not sure whether he will stay with me in e hostel. he did talk about it 2 days ago. anyway, i was cadding last nite n having e nuscast(campus webtv) online 2 watch e real madrid match. no idea it will go into a rampage of goals! e avalanche of goals forced me 2 switch over e tv window from time 2 time when e commentator started 2 speed up his talks. hehe! well, i'm glad raul, my favourite footballer, scored a hattrick.

apparently, when ronaldo came 2 e club, raul plays down deeper into midfield while ronaldo plays further up in attack, thus lowering down e chances of him 2 score goals. but raul is a veli versatile player so as long as he is contributing 2 e team, i dun mind less goals. it is his dribblings, good touch, passes n great reflexes with e ball dat thrills me. i have no regrets buying a Champion League jersey of his! anyway, beckham played quite well last nite, perhaps e opponents r giving them too much room, but he has good passes n crosses, some resulted in goals. zidane added some magic in e match while ronaldo did some great dummies. figo is as alwiz hardworking attacking, n surprisingly he was at e rite flank. hmmm, up 2 now it seems like e coach is still experimenting with e midfield. n without makelele, which i think is a big loss 2 e team, real's defensive weaknesses may b exposed strongly against stronger teams like barcelona, deportivo, betis, valencia n sociedad.

another thing i fear alot is e limitness of players on e bench now dat so many had moved n some being loaned. thus, any injury spell will b a big problem. in e epl last nite, there r many 2 goals scorers.....man utd returned winning from a defeat, newcastle being held again, chelsea winning, southampton won, liverpool too, but arsenal r held, but still leading e table 4 now. looking 4ward 2 mcmanamann's man city debut 2nite. how well will he b playing there with another ex-real madrid player, anelka? i fancy anelka n mcmanamann, both play interesting football but both r being looked down n short of quality 2 get their respective country's cap. 2 me, they r more worthy than other lousy players in e english n french team. much more worthy. in serie a, both ac milan n lazio got their 2nd win out of 2 matches with e same 2-1 scoreline, e inzaghis (filippo n simone) scored 4 their respective squad. in e bundesliga,bayern munich tasted defeat eventhough new signing makaay scored, while leverkusen won 1-0.

e most important thing 2nite will b e formula 1 racing at monza. there r just a few races left n m.schumacher's title is being at stake here, struggling terribly in e last few races n suddenly ferrari's dominance in f1 is gone. well, dat could spell good news 2 formula 1 business as e competitiveness bring back e excitement in e sport. 1 thing we will focus on will b e michelin tyres issue. but can e ferraris fight back after being dominated by e bmws n mclarens 4 e last few races? m.schumacher got pole, barrichello got 3rd while montoya 2nd from pole. hope 2 c an exciting race ahead!!!

FULL METAL PANIC FUMOFFU

Anime, 1 of my favourites 2 watch. started watching doraemon, dragonball, yu yu hakusho, slam dunk n even sailormoon in my primary skool days. full metal panic is e current anime dat i had collected n loved, 2gether with some collections like hikaru no go, hale nochi guu, vandread, naruto n e list goes on n on. apparently they had started e next series of full metal panic (2 my delight becoz i enjoyed e 1st 1) but rumours had it dat tis one will run onli 13 episodes. tis is e anime dat i had really started following up since hale nochi guu deluxe n animatrix. watching part of naruto here n there.

ok, in FMP, here is some background from FMP 4 those who know nuts of it: Sousuke Sagara is an agent of "Mithril," a secret military organization. Being a skilled fighter and Arm Slave pilot, he has been assigned to protect Chidori Kaname, a model student at her high school. e tranquility of e life revolving around Kaname is perplexing 2 Sousuke since he is a bit too serious n overzealous about doing his job. e tendency makes him a one-man army that transforms his surroundings into a war zone. based on e short stories (rather than the novel series on which the first season was based), the second season features more comedy n classroom comedy. dat means no mechas at least 4 e 1st 3 episodes i watched, but focuses more on e relationship og sousuke n chidori.

e relationship reminded me of love hina....haha! between naru n keitaro. i'm sure many had watched it. but in a different light of character plot, yet similar with e fact dat e females here r more violent! haha! but i also wan 2 know wat happened 2 e military organization where sousuke came from, at least tell us e stories of e progress from there. but i dun mind them 2 focus on them both since i feel there is more 2 develop from them both. of coz, it is all about how stupid sousuke in interpreting wat others felt n said or being too cautious with e possible dangers in his environment. thus, resulting being hit as hard as naru hit keitaro, haha! i dunno how much time it will take 4 sousuke 2 understand chidori better n not make her tired of his war ethics n 2 settle down in peaceful japan environment. :) i dun mind e plot, as long as e humour is creatively done. but they do copy stuffs from e e Matrix and Raiders of e Lost Arc but just 4 fun n not over-used.

well, another thing about full metal panic dat i liked is e great soundtrack they have. e 1st season features e OP song TOMORROW by mikuni shimokawa. i love dat song veli much. e 2nd FMP Fumoffu features her again but with e OP song called Sore ga, Ai Deshou while e ED song is by her as well n called Kimi ni Fuku Kaze. i love e OP song as much as Tomorrow! veli veli nice(X100), nice guitar too! those who love her songs expecially after watching e anime can go 2 e link below 2 download e zip files of e mp3 songs, which even have e instrumental versions dat r just as nice! e zip file is called [Nipponsei] Full Metal Panic Fumoffu OP + ED - Sore Ga Ai Deshu [Shimokawa Mikuni].zip. here is e link:
BitTorent on Tux

n of coz, those sourcing 4 e 2nd season called FMP Fumoffu can go 2:
BitTorent @ AnimeSuki
i think becoz of its popularity, there r many fansubs dat share it out, namely AnimeJunkies, Anime-Keep, A-Cookies & WPP, Aozora. why fumoffu, n wat does it mean? well, my japanese sux but fumoffu is linked with bonta-kun, e brown doll u c at e start of every episode. i dun wan 2 spoil e story, but after e 3rd episode (aka 4 n 5), u will slightly get e idea why tis bonta-kun is so important! hehe! enjoy folks!

FOOTBALL: UEFA EURO 2004 @ PORTUGAL (VIVEO 2004!)

b4 i comment on anything, i like e logo design 4 e euro 2004, a golden football framed by a golden heart shape. it is a veli simple yet meaningful design. well, it is almost e end of e qualifying stage of e tournament which is e biggest in europe after e world cup. last time in 2000, we saw e rise of luis figo n portugal in upsetting many teams, including england but unfortunately, had 2 exit e campaign becoz of a late handball n then penalty. n e boredom of watching defensive italian football against e french in e final. spain crafted some memory in my mind becoz of dat incredible match against yugoslavia i think, so many cards shown in a game.

well, up 2 2day, France, Bulgaria, Sweden and the Czech Republic oredi qualified while some had confirmed their playoff places at least. e rising star 2 note has 2 b wayne rooney, he had scored e youngest international goal record dat michael owen held n he scored his second during e latest match. 2 me, he is exactly e guy 2gether perhaps with beattie, more worthy of partnering owen in attack than heskey. how can ericksson put heskey in e starting eleven when he had not scored for months at some period of time 4 liverpool last season? is england really out of forward choices?

surprisingly, karel poborsky is in e headlines again after quite some time. he played 4 man utd b4 n was also a star during (i think) euro 1996. my favourite footballer, raul gonzalez found e net twice 2 help spain win over ukraine. shevchenko, e dangerman i dun mind real madrid having over ronaldo is on target n almost single-handedly handed a draw 4 them. but casillas, young but veli experienced n talented showed some of his skills n spain hanged on. e focus will b on e tension of england vs. turkey match. somehow, many of e opponents dat england faced showed discontent or nor espect of them. i wonder why...n it is not turkey, but e last 2 opponents they played. well, santini is in e headline too from petit's complain dat threatened his retirement. echoed well with anelka's inability 2 cooperate with santini n had totally lost appeal 2 play 4 his country becoz of santini.

well, looking forward 2 e whole list of qualified teams 4 euro 2004 n hopefully it will bring back entertaining football from a letdown by many football giants during e korea/japan 2002 world cup. again, e french looks like e hot favourites but i will support raul n e spainiards all e way! it could b zidane's n figo's last euro campaign. all eyes will also b on e new sensation from portugal - another ronaldo, n whether he can make a bigger impact than e portugese golden generation led by figo n rui costa.

btw, HAPPY MOONCAKE FESTIVAL!!!......it is supposed 2 b romantic. eat those mooncakes, play lanterns n b merry! if e weather is good, e moon is suppose 2 b EXTRA round 2nite, so dun miss it!

THE HIRE

it has been out 4 quite some time oredi. but i think e concept is like animatrix, a collection of great artists from e east n west who drew e story 4 animatrix. the hire unites BMW cars 2 e whole short story production, n having clive owen as e main star in all of them. i personally enjoy them, e stories r short but bring strong impact even in dat limited time. same as animatrix but unlike it, u have directors instead like guy ritchie, ang lee, wong kar-wai n john woo as some who join in e project. u can download it 4 free from their site. or u can order e free dvd online, n it is onli 4 US$7.75 (shipping cost) n takes around a week 2 reach malaysia. 1 of my friends got it n he said it has more great clips dat r not available 4 download online. i just love e creativity on how they can produce stories on an object n still not b just another boring ad dat try 2 impress in dat short time given. here is e website link 4 Asia:
THE HIRE

on e update of e sars thingy, it is confirmed dat e guy got sars. s'pore had a slight panic when it was announced but hopefully dat was it. there is still no idea on how he got e virus. it is considered as an isolated case n since he is doing research on viruses, he could have got it from e lab itself. here is a link 2 e straits times singapore:
SARS RE-EMERGED

QUOTE OF THE DAY

am doing some cadding of my design model when i hear something thru gold90.5fm radio station. hope i can recall tis:
2 appreciate e value of a year, just ask a student who failed his major exam,
2 appreciate e value of a month, just ask a mother who just born a premature baby,
2 appreciate e value of a week, just ask (forgot),
2 appreciate e value of a day, just ask an editor who is going 2 publish e newspaper,
2 appreciate e value of an hour, just ask a couple who r in love dat r going 2 meet,
2 appreciate e value of a minute, just ask (forgot),
2 appreciate e value of a second, just ask a person who avoided an accident.

yesterday is history,
2molo is a mystery,
treasure 2day as a gift,
dat's why it is called a PRESENT.

interesting i thought......well, i read e straits times online n it was confirmed dat e suspected guy who did research on viruses is infected with e SARS virus. seems like e virus has re-emerged. i hope it can b controlled, n not create more quarantines n long days ahead spending mutual time with e thermometer. i'm sick of it! we shall c e updates in e next few days. just pray dat it will not get as bad as last time. but tis has oredi triggered fear in asia, n e s'pore stock market indexes had dropped as a result.

DURIANS & WATERCOLOUR

Been busy lately. i am also in the midst of trying to link photos into my blog so it will not b so bored with wordings after wordings. had gone 2 watch e forbidden city musical n was my 1st time watching a performance inside e two durians (aka The Esplanade). fyi, e whole building is built on a reclaimed land. i went with my aunt since my friend can't make it. b4 we went there, she treated me lunch at her company club at singapore recreational club, which is just beside e two durians, as well as suntec city.

PHOTO OF TICKET

overall, e props used r veli simple. expecially e main prop is being reused n reused many times by twisitng at different angles. thus, i think they dun need 2 spend much on them. n kit chan has e strongest voice among all e singers during e play, but they r not too bad as well. e onli drawback is dat they r having 2 stories of e empress done cocurrently at e same time, so sometimes it is quite confusing. e orchestra did a good job, e show is entertaining enuf, n surely it will b worthy of S$120-110 paid 4 it. n e many different age of emperor n many different ones made it more complicated. i bought a booklet of e whole cast at S$5. they also sell a cd sountrack of all e songs sang in e play but 4 S$20, i think dat's too expensive.

well, b4 dat, i went 2 visit a watercolour exhibition at Teochew building. The SWS 34th Annual Art Exhibition has e works of all e local members of e society's members. i went 2 a workshop conducted by mr.seah, e current watercolour society president and he told me about the whole thing. e workshop will have 2 sessions in total n i hope 2 learn some techniques from e pros. currently, i am busy 4 e architecture project 1 submission 4 17th sept 2003. 18th sept 2003 will b e crit, i am working on a sophomore place design with 2 other studio mates. so back 2 work, cadding e topo of e site, e building pad, e trees, e paths n e drain.

FOOTBALL: END OF TRANSFER TALKS

I purposely wait until 2day 2 update. i presume all e transfers have ended, n sad 2 say dat makelele is moving 2 chelsea as their 15th n final purchase under roman abramovich. no sites disclosed e alleged fee (not even real madrid's official website) but planetfootball.com reported 24 million pounds. anyway, munitis was sold 2 deportivo, mcmanamann given free transfer 2 man city(who lost 2 arsenal last nite), morientes loaned 2 monaco, n e transfer of ayala 2 real madrid as well as solari signing 4 lazio is still in e books. while chelsea is building its empire, real madrid is weakening its side.

i wonder why n wat is e plan but 4 me, i nvr wan mcmanamann n makelele 2 leave. i c them as potentials n not as financial burdens in real. n just selling n loaning ur players out without replacements will b veli risky especially if injuries hit e squad. tis is actually wat happened during e semifinals 2nd leg of last season's champions legaue campaign. real had injury problems with ronaldo, raul, zidane, figo but have 2 field them in e end. i wonder it is becoz of advertisement purposes but real have limited selections 2 b frank, 2 b able 2 challenge juventus if e galaxy of stars can't perform. seeing them playing below par n struggling, even figo kicking a soft penalty kick dat was easily caught by buffon, i think tis is suicide!

anyway, beckham had a great 1st impression by scoring e earliest goal in e season tis year, i will just sit back n enjoy e show. will e capture of beckham n e selling of so many stars, retiring hierro n not renewing del bosque's contract will affect e club tis year. is it worth it?

man utd surprisingly lost on sat nite, much 2 my surprise, having excuse of injury of rio ferdinand n paul scholes (who was reported 2 b out of action 4 one month). but having james beattie scoring is not a surprise, he leaves good impression in me. arsenal won 2-1 against city, but mcmanamann will onli debut in e next match. barcelona won 1-0, but ronaldinho is not making a big impact like e preseason friendlies. newcastle lost again! i think e lads need 2 regroup, could b too sad after their exit from champions league qualification, while chelsea was drawn from 2 andy cole goals.

juventus n lazio both won big, inter won 2-0, n roma with just a goal difference at 2-1.obafemi martins, who is replacing hernan crespo in inter still has not make his impact yet. we shall c in matches 2 come. acmilan will play later 2day.

anyway, i'm too tired, just finished my presentation on indonesian dutch architects - henri maclaine pont n thomas karsten so wanna grab some sleep b4 going 2 studio 4 design work 2nite.

HAPPY MERDEKA DAY MALAYSIA!