HAPPY NEW YEAR 2009!

May all of you have a great, wonderful, healthy and wealthy year ahead filled with blessings and good luck! We are told next year's economy will be extremely bad but let's do our best and not give up!

Enjoy the countdown tonight, wherever you are going to celebrate it!

By the way, do you know that Johor Bahru does not celebrate the new year? It is officially a working day on the 1st January over here.

JOHOR BAHRU WEDDING DINNER

I was planning to have the JB wedding dinner in the Pekin (Beijing) Restaurant, which is quite famous in Johor Bahru, but the location is really quite far and complicated to direct people towards it. We checked out the Chinese restaurant at Danga Bay but it serves Halal food. Finally, we decided to hold it at the New Hong Kong restaurant which is at the west side of the causeway facing Singapore. The new immigration also connects the traffic even closer to it. We just did a simple two tables dinner. I was quite nervous how the food will turn out since we only tried their famous dim sum there before for breakfast. The guests all love the unique Cantonese food so it was indeed a relief!


Table A


Table B (two of them had left)




Lee Ling's colleagues


Aunt Evelyn - glad she can make it!


My friend Roni flying all the way here from Surabaya - appreciate the heart to fly all the way here to attend the dinner!


My friend Mr. Chua and family - thanks for coming all the way!


My ex-room mate Soon Hui and his newly wed wife - long time no see, great to see him again and seeing him settling down!


My friend Wykeith - well, glad he can make it, I was worried he was going to some trips overseas.


My friend Zhang Ji - appreciate him applying visa just to enter Malaysia.


School mate Yew Lan - well, nice to see her around again since being my proofreader!

MARRIAGE THANK YOU LIST









I had finally settled all the marriage matters last weekend and coming back to work today. I know many people had played a part and their roles to help get the whole event done. I wish to thank everyone who had helped. I wish to thank those who flew all the way back to attend the wedding, the furthest was from United Kingdom while others have to take unpaid leave. How much more touching than that can it be? It is impossible to spend time with everyone and I wish I have more time but it was impossible. It was extremely tiring and the preparation seem to take forever to be done. I am glad it is over and I need time to recover from this tiredness.

Let me get the list started:
1. God Almighty for the blessings to get the whole marriage matter done from the ceremony in Sibu to Johor Bahru.
2. My grandmother for really being there when we needed her most, her know-how of the customs and advices
3. My parents for all the things they have done, I know they had done the most from the bedroom to the flowers decoration to the church ceremony and restaurant dinner as well as all the related things and matters required for the whole event (meals at home, custom items for the marriage, hotel booking, cake booking)
4. Lee Ling parents and siblings for playing their part in the wedding preparations
5. My brother for his gift of champagne, the help with the camera, the Powerpoint slides, the music and wedding card from his girlfriend
6. My sister for being the bridesmaid and the gifts (book and soft toy) and gifts from her friends
7. My friend Andrew Tiong for volunteering to be the best man even till the last minute, he had done the job well
8. Second auntie for all wedding preparation matters too
9. First uncle for being the driver as well as giving us the printed wedding blueprint just after the church service
10. Auntie Pamela for the greetings and guiding of the guests at the restaurant lobby for the dinner reception, making the wedding bed and the related customs
11. Uncle Alex with making the wedding bed and all those related customs
12. Fourth granduncle for being the MC for the night
13. Cousin Alan for the wedding gifts, for being part-time photographer too, for the effort to cook something for the prewedding night dinner, Darren for being the driver for second auntie
14. My oldest friend, Ah Hung (Shevy) for applying unpaid leave to fly back and spend a lot of time with me before and after wedding. Thank you a lot! As well as being the member of the Brotherhood gang to attack the bride's home and the newspaper advertisement.
15. My friend Adrian Wong for helping out with the invite card delivery, also part of the Brotherhood gang to attack the bride's home and newspaper advertisement with his girlfriend, Ting Ting
16. My friend Ah Tung for being the Brotherhood gang member and newspaper advertisement
17. My friends Chin Ann, Wui Theng, Ah Jin, Oscar Chew, Frank Wong, Ting Chuan, Chew Yieng and husband for attending the wedding dinner, angpaus and newspaper advertisements
18. My and Lee Ling relatives, friends of my parents for all the help, their gifts and newspaper advertisements
19. The reverent for the blessings for our wedding, his wife for helping with the rehearsal, the church choir for the beautiful song, the caretaker
20. Art teacher for the gift of the oil painting after three years of painting
21. The official photographer, videographer, flower decorator and the audio visual guy at the restaurant











I will start uploading unofficial and official photos when they are all ready. Now, let me settle down first and get some time to rest before the new year comes.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

May peace be with you as we remember the birth of Christ who came to this world for the love of all mankind! May the spirit of Christmas be with you always!

HOME-MADE FRIED SHISHAMO



Shishamo is one of my most favourite Japanese fish. I really love to eat this fish until I am fully satisfied. They are normally served in a set of 3 or 4. I managed to find a cheap source of Shishamo in Johor Bahru and bought it back to cook.



I just deep fry them. Simple and they taste great! With wasabi and Japanese soya sauce, that's all you need! Yummy!

OYSTER OMELLETE



This is the best omellete I ever tasted in life so far! This is no kidding. The superior quality of this dish depends solely on the great timing of this old man who fries it. He makes the oysters just right. It is common when you go and eat them, it is either undercooked or overcooked. The control has to be there.



Whenever you wait for him to cook your portion, you can see how he controls the timing to perfection. Every single dish is cooked like a mechanical assembly in the factory, perfect timing and consistently throughout. He is also not stingy, always giving you a generous serving of oysters in good ratio to the egg.







Very well made, super highly recommended by me! The store operates near City Square, extremely near to the Johor Bahru immigration to enter Singapore. It is operating only at night starting late afternoon, night market style.

KOREAN RICE CAKE

If you enjoy the Foochow rice cake, you will enjoy this Korean version. It is interesting that their shape is different. Don't ask me why the shape is like that. There must be a reason or a story behind it I guess. They sell the sauce separately. To me, it feels like preparing pasta. It is up to your imagination what kind of ingredients you want to add into it.













We give it a nice wash, just rinse through the water.



Then, put in some meat and vege and just fry it. Ready to serve, very simple. As easy as preparing pasta.

THE LUMIX HAS LANDED!











Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX180 Black/Noir in stores now!
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And has been since August 2008!
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The camera + original casing + SDHC 8GB + LCD Protector + extra battery
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Damage: S$595 (after 7% GST)
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Cameras.co.uk
Steve's DigiCams

FOOTBALL: SUPER WEEKEND!

El Clásico Is Coming!!!!!

Barcelona VS. Real Madrid

No matter how bad the form and performance of Real Madrid or Barcelona are going into this competition, they will automatically increase their current condition many times over. There is this special power boost somehow whenever both of them clash. They just need each other as eternal rivals. The balance won't be there without any of them. They are the Yin and Yang of La Liga. Don't ask me how it works, it just happen naturally. Their rivalry is so tense that the passion to win just build up automatically. Before Ramos came, I wrote that Fragile Dutch Madrid could be bulldozed mercilessly at Nou Camp. With Ramos, it is too early to say anything but at least it gives us a surprise factor into the match. If everything goes like how it is currently, we expect Barcelona to win convincingly. Can Ramos do something to create a miracle?

José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, the prime minister of Spain, who is a passionate Barcelona fan, said that he believes the Blaugrana will win 5-1 when his side meet Real Madrid this Saturday evening in the Camp Nou. Well, if Juande Ramos can create a miracle, he will be famous overnight. If not, be prepared for the inevitable (unstoppable Messi).

Juventus VS. AC Milan

Of course, we should never forget that the Serie A also has a mouth watering encounter. Both of them are currently tied at 30 points, 6 points behind runaway leaders Inter Milan. AC Milan are plagued with injuries just like Real Madrid. Therefore, it seems likely Juventus will have a slight advantage. Well, let's just see how it turns out!

OK, one interesting news is Ronaldo (the real one) has gone and signed a contract for Corinthians. His ex-club AC Milan finally signed a young defender called Thiago Silva. It took them so long to realize / acknowledge that they have the oldest defence in the world! Still they are importing in more Brazilians than ever.

14 MEGAPIXEL ULTRA COMPACT WAR

Alright, I have to admit, I am planning on a very ultra compact camera for traveling purposes. You know the most irritating thing about traveling is carrying heavy items and you end up not able to buy much. Traveling light serves the purpose of really going on a holiday to enjoy and relax. Unless of course the sole purpose of the traveling is to take photographs. That is totally different, I am talking about being a casual traveler here - a common tourist.

I have been deciding between these three cameras for some time. Features in bold are the advantages of the cameras. You can easily tell just by looking at the amount of bold lines they have, Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX180 (FX150) is a clear winner. Reviews done elsewhere shows all three aren't that bad in terms of photo quality. I love the Panasonic range for always pushing for the 28mm wide angle lens as well as the HD movie format. This pushes me really hard towards getting them.

This model even can shoot RAW and has a superb battery life and good mobility in terms of dimension and weight. Its Autofocus target follows the moving object, reminding me of the days when I played Afterburner with my friend, Edwin is Denim on his Sega Megadrive back in the early 90s. LOCK ON the target and FIRE! Finally, it has a special mode called Intelligent Auto [iA], which switches mode automatically as it detects. It is cool because if it detects it is a Macro shot, it becomes Macro mode, if it detects it is a Portrait shot, it becomes Portrait mode and it goes on, detecting the correct mode for the correct shot. Very intelligent indeed!

However, there is one final reason left why I fear to jump in and purchase Panasonic. They are traditionally not a camera maker like Nikon or Canon. However, Leica, being the superior lens maker are providing the lens, just like Carl Zeiss to Sony. Both Leica and Carl Zeiss are reputable German brands in the field of photography. Finally, I decided to ask my Japanese friend since it is best to ask from the country of origin.

He told me not to worried and shared with me that they are quite good even though they are new in the market. He even shown me his own purchased Panasonic camera from Japan. It has a damn solid built, furiously fast and looks fine. I still remember many years back when they first ventured into digital photography, Ayumi Hamasaki was their first model. I am not sure whether she still is their model for the Lumix cameras now. Even my new colleague from Lebanon is using it. Alright, I guess it is pretty much settled!




Ayumi Hamasaki Lumix Panasonic Cm Talkin' 2 Myself - Click here for more amazing videos

Nikon Coolpix S710
3" LCD (230,000 LCD dots)
14.5million effective pixels
35MP/cm sq pixel density
1/1.72" CCD sensor size
1.4 fps continuous
ISO 100 - 3,200 (6,400, 12,800 at 3MP)
4.8m flash range
F2.8 - F5.6 aperture range
8 sec - 1/2000 sec shutter
28mm-101mm (3.6x) zoom lens
640 X 480 30fps movie clip
93 X 58 X 24mm, 195g with batteries
Approximately 250 shots battery life (CIPA)
Around S$469

Canon Digital IXUS 980 IS
2.5" LCD (230,000 LCD dots)
14.7 million effective pixels
34MP/cm sq pixel density
1/1.7" CCD sensor size
1.3 fps continuous
ISO 80 - 1,600
4.6m flash range
F2.8 - F5.8 aperture range
15 sec - 1/1600 sec shutter
36mm-133mm (3.6x) zoom lens
640 X 480 30fps movie clip
98 X 62 X 28mm, 205g with batteries
Approximately 280 shots battery life (CIPA)
Around S$589

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX150 / DMC-FX180
2.7" LCD (230,000 LCD dots)
14.7 million effective pixels
36MP/cm sq pixel density
1/1.72" CCD sensor size
2fps, 8 images continuous
ISO 100 - 1,600 (Hi Auto 1,600-6,400)
5.9m flash range
F2.8 - F5.6 aperture range
60 sec - 1/2000 sec shutter
28-100mm (3.5x) zoom lens
1280 X 720 30fps HD movie clip
97 X 54 X 25mm, 179g with batteries
RAW uncompressed format
Approximately 330 shots battery life (CIPA)
Around S$569

OK, technically this is not really an ultra compact war. For achieving such high megapixel count, you need a bigger sensor. I guess the current technology is reaching its limit until a new breakthrough comes along. They are considered quite bulky in comparison to those in the 7-8 megapixel range.

FOOTBALL: RAMOS FOR SCHUSTER

Well, Schuster is the scapegoat and is replaced by Juande Ramos. Will things improve? I really don't know. The last days of Ramos in Tottenham had been a giant disaster. I don't know whether it will be better with him around. Let's just watch and see how they will play the mighty FC Barcelona. To get a small defeat is consider extremely good. To be able to get a draw will be very lucky. To win? Hehe, let's not even think so far yet. It should be Calderon and Mijatovic who should have gone out!

"I would like to thank the club the faith that they have placed in me. I am very excited about the prospect of coaching Real Madrid," Ramos said to reporters.

"It is every coach's dream and I do not want to let anyone down in their choice and hope to bring success to the club.

"The speed of the agreement has surprised me. I was invited to have breakfast with the directors this morning and we talked about a deal then and it was all signed then.

"In most of my previous jobs I have had short contracts and I will be here until the end of the season. It was a quick agreement and if both sides are happy then we can sit down in the summer and maybe extend the agreement.

"They are one of the biggest clubs in the world and I have not doubt that they are playing very well at the moment, but Real Madrid has the capability and the prestige to take on any team at any stadium in the world," he continued.

"Real Madrid can only look to the next game and that for us is Zenit and when that game is played we will then think about Barcelona."

Ramos takes over a squad with several players absent through injury and stated that he could well be dipping in to the transfer market in the winter window.

"In January we may have to do something, but we have to be clear about who we need and who will be right for this club," he added.

FOOTBALL: MADRID'S COLLAPSE

Now, who has the last laugh? Fabio Capello and me! When they sacked Capello after just one season in charge, bringing back all the confidence, stability and teamwork back to a club stuck in the wilderness for many seasons, they thought it is pure luck! I guess only the dumbest humans on earth cannot logically think that so many had come and failed but Capello succeeds. What Schuster inherited was a solid team and only time will tell whether it is really Capello or it was all pure luck!

I put full credit to Capello but Calderon and Mijatovic thought otherwise and think they are smarter than Capello in football management. So be it! What we see today is the result I have been waiting for. Of course, let's be more fair to say that the injury crisis hit at the same time. All these pursuits for useless players and forcing good talents out is a clear indication of how things can get very wrong when the management screws it up. As for Schuster, he may be a good coach but he is nothing and totally green compare to Capello. You are comparing a veteran with a kid.

Goal.com Poll: Who's Responsible For Real Madrid's Collapse?

FOOTBALL: LA LIGA MEGA MATCHES

Big clashes in La Liga this weekend.

Barcelona VS. Valencia

Fragile Dutch Madrid VS. Sevilla

Of course, not to forget next week on 13th December 2008, the biggest clash ever. Given the current form of both, we are expecting FC Barcelona to bulldoze through Fragile Dutch Madrid into pieces at the Nou Camp.

Barcelona VS. Fragile Dutch Madrid

The Serie A will have a major clash too.

Lazio VS. Inter Milan

FORMULA 1 TO LOSE HONDA

The economy crisis is biting into Formula 1, the most costliest sports to organize. Will this be a start of more teams pulling out of the competition or will the authorities push for the single engine for all teams proposal? I had given my opinion that they should not integrate the whole sports into a single engine as this will make everything monotonous. We might as well have one team having many drivers. No difference.

Honda Pulls Out of 2009 F1 Competition

TOKYO: Japanese automaker Honda has pulled out of Formula One, citing a slowdown in the global economy.

”We have come to the conclusion that we will withdraw from all Formula One activities, making 2008 the last season of participation,’’ Honda CEO Takeo Fukui told a news conference Friday.

Fukui said the deteriorating world economic conditions led to the decision. ”This difficult decision was made in light of the quickly deteriorating operating environment facing the global auto industry brought on by the sub-prime problem in the United States, the deepening credit crises and the sudden contraction of the world economies.’’

He said the company would be willing to sell the team. ”We will enter into consultation with the associates of the Honda racing team and its engine supplier Honda Racing Development regarding the future of the two companies. This will include offering the team for sale.’’

A pullout by one of the world’s biggest car manufacturers will send shock waves through F1, which could start the season with only 18 cars on the grid. Japanese team Super Aguri, which was backed by Honda, pulled out of F1 this year. The season opens at the Australian Grand Prix on March 29. - AP

FOOTBALL: HOME GROWN TALENTS

The latest resignation of Real Madrid's youth team director Michel is a sad thing. The debate on who has the best youth system in the football world has been done recently earlier this year and everyone agreed Barcelona have the best in the world right now. Alright, no arguments on that.

Their president, Joan Laporta had commented on it before.

“We have the best youth system and the best facilities for young players in the world and I am very proud of the club’s youth policies.”

“More than fifty percent of our current first team is formed by home-grown players. We are used as a reference by the rest of the football community and clubs around the world pay attention to how we operate the cantera.”

Just make a comparison of some of the recent crop of players coming from the youth system. Eventhough Real Madrid exported out a lot, there are many who are still unknown today. Maybe someday when all of them have matured and peaked, we will know who is/are the best among the peers.

One thing I do agree is the lack of chances the youth players have in the club. It is a sad fact and I really hope the best among the best are given more chances especially after they have proven themselves at the lower league from the La Liga.

Let us look at the list of players we know from Barcelona:
Cesc Fábregas, Fran Mérida, Iago Falqué, Gerard Piqué, Lionel Messi, Bojan Krkic, Giovani Dos Santos, Sergio Busquets, Víctor Sánchez, Pedro. Much older generation players include Guardiola, De la Peña, Victor Valdes, Puyol, Xavi, Iniesta.

Let us look at the list of players we know from Real Madrid:
Miguel Torres, Rubén De la Red, Nieto, Alberto Bueno, Roberto Soldado, Javier Portillo, Riki, Mista, Luis García, Álvaro Negredo, Javi Guerrero, Víctor, Juan Mata, Esteban Granero, Alvaro Arbeloa, Samuel Eto'o. Much older generation players include Raul, Guti, Casillas.

Of course, we must not forget another good youth system elsewhere in Europe. Ajax Amsterdam had created world-class youth in Van der Sar, Boulahrouz, Ooijer, Heitinga, Sneijder and Van der Vaart too. Any other youth system worth mentioning and players I have left out? No, Arsenal don't qualify because they buy other people's youths. I am talking about origin here.

SANDY LAM'S SINGAPORE CONCERT (18 OCT 2008)



This is an ultra late post but nevertheless, let's have it done already! Well, comparatively to the previous concert in Singapore, I have to say this one is a much better one. First and foremost, to have the three flat screens at the backdrop with the central movable one is giving the concert much more distinctive character. It is as if you have a live concert + MTV. The graphics done at the back is really good too, complimentary to the songs as nice backgrounds. Reminds you of those Microsoft Media Player's visualizations.



Sandy keeps on showing off her new hairstyle, even asking the crowd how it looks on her. Anyway, she was also promoting a hair saloon in Singapore at the end of the concert so I guess the hairdo is an advertisement as well.



I have to say another major improvement in this concert is the much improved dancing of hers. I guess she really put in a lot of effort to practice her dance moves. They are at least twice better than the previous concert! She danced so much I thought she should take a break or two, really very energetic! Finally she did by sitting down and singing the next song. Hehe!



Another major difference about this concert is to give a lot of publicity to the musicians and dancers on stage. The supporting singers are even given the freedom to walk around the stage during some of the songs. I like the idea of having everyone mobile anywhere on stage.



On some occasions, everyone even come out to have a good time joining in the dance, including the musicians. The way the concept was done makes it very informal, which is great. Everyone is given the space to move around and not stuck there at your respective positions forever until the concert is done. All these make the crowd more approachable with the stage as we get familiar with the whole crew. It breaks the barrier of performers and crowds, the bonding was connected.



Now, her singing, which is the most important element of the concert, is never a disappointment, similar to the first concert. Her powerful voice is still there and she sang all her greatest hits to all the crowds' content.



She did not change much of her costumes, which is fine with me. I am more interested in the content, which is her voice and songs. With better dance moves and nice digital screen background to compliment the music, it really combines well to become a whole nice package, pushing the standards further.



I don't know when will be her next time coming for a concert but I do hope she will have more nice brand new songs before that so there are new things to look forward to. Great concert, thanks Sammy!

PETROL PUMP PRICE MATHS

“The government has decided to speed up the reduction in retail prices to allow the public to enjoy the savings,” the prime minister of Malaysia said.

Wah! Such great speed! I cannot see it, it is so fast! A lot of wind, all my hair are moving to the back!

A good website to read about petrol pump price maths:
BLA, BLA, BLA

As for me, in layman terms, simple primary school maths:
US$120 = pump price RM2.70
US$48 = pump price RMX
RMX = RM2.70 X $48 / $120
X = RM1.08

What is the price now?
RM1.90

What is the difference between RM1.90 VS. RM1.08?
RM0.82

Add in all the excuses of the currency exchange value difference between Ringgit and US Dollar and the new fuel tax, does it really make such a huge difference? You be the judge of that.

My say? Float the petrol pump price already and let them compete like in Singapore!

CRIME RATE COMPARISON

"Malaysia is a relatively safe country with 772 crimes for every 100,000 residents in the country. This ratio compares favourably with Hong Kong where there are 1,166 cases for every 100,000 residents; Japan 1,569 cases and Australia 4,470 cases. Taken as a whole, the statistics showed that only Singapore with 704 cases per 100,000 residents had a safer environment."

You believe the statistics? If it is true, that means for every 100,000 residents, we only have 68 more cases than Singapore. At least they are smart enough not to put it lower than Singapore. Japan is also one of the safest countries in the planet but has more than double the crime rate of Malaysia. Sugoi! Honto ni sugoi!

You ask them to walk or jog alone at night in Malaysia VS. in Singapore, see who has the higher chance of being robbed, raped or/and murdered. I don't know how many millions of unreported cases are there in Malaysia every year. You can do an experiment - purposely put a bag somewhere and wait, see at which country the thing got stolen faster. You will know the result even before you conduct it.

Japanese and Singaporean primary school children can walk to school alone. Try that in Malaysia. You carry out a handbag in Singapore and in Malaysia, see which one is still strapped to your arm? Why do housings in Singapore require no gates but housings in Malaysia need? Why do we bother to pay more for private security firms to take care of our neighbourhoods? Why do we need to double, triple lock our houses and carry tonnes of keys? We enjoy opening locks? Why do we need to use sterling wheel and pedal locks when parking in Malaysia but I don't even bother when in Singapore? Why do I need to specially buy those 3D keys which are difficult to duplicate when in Malaysia but I don't need in Singapore? Why do we need to install alarm systems in our houses but you don't have to in Singapore? Why in Singapore I can walk or sleep in buses or MRTs without noticing my wallet full time while in Malaysia I have to check constantly every now and then in public areas?

When they advertise new condominium and apartment blocks, the major selling point in the ad is security, sometimes even 3-tier security system as I had seen in Johor Bahru. This is probably a useless point for Singapore to sell housing properties. Finally, the most ultimate thing of all to compare. Singapore banks do not have protective or bullet-proof glass in front of the front counters to serve the customers. Can Malaysia make it? Wait for another 100 years. Please use your brain, use your brain. (Phua Chu Kang's influence)

All I have to say is I don't believe the statistics one bit because I have witness with my own eyes crimes happening LIVE in front of me and police who just sit in car at the scene of the crime and too scared to come down to do anything. I also was a victim of the crime and the police did not want to bother to get a report done. I also heard experience of people becoming victims but did not want to report because it means a lot of trouble and most likely the case will close by itself. If it is at least 5 times more than Singapore, then perhaps I will believe.

I also read about another statistics which breaks it down into details. Now, these figures are more believable.

"Homicide per 100,000 population is 1.09 cases in Japan, 0.26 cases in Hong Kong but 2.12 in Malaysia; while rape per 100,000 population is 1.62 in Japan, 1.54 in Hong Kong while in Malaysia it is 11.47. For robbery per 100,000 population, it is 4.78 for Japan, 17.56 for Hong Kong while 90.49 for Malaysia."

The Star

FOOTBALL: C. RONALDO, THE HUNTER & BURNLEY

Cristino Ronaldo won the Ballon d'Or. Well, if you base the award entirely on his results for his club for the whole season, I guess he deserves it more than anyone else. He was the most consistent player no doubt, no matter how we argue that he is not an all rounder and that he does not perform in big matches. One football fan commented something interesting in Goal.com.

"Seeing as how Messi has 11 goals in his last 15 CL games while you have only 3, it would serve you right to worry about getting back to your 2006-2007 form before criticizing Messi. I'm just saying. This season, Messi currently has 15 goals and 9 assists in 17 games played (a few of them as a sub) including 5 in 5 games in the CL. This is also more assists in less than half a season than CR7 has in ALL of last season. He still has 6 games left in this half of the season so he could conceivably end this half on pace for over 40 goals and 20 assists. Ronaldo currently has 9 goals and 1 assist in 15 games, 0 in the CL. All of this has NO effect on THIS Golden Ball but has a big effect on next year's. CR7 deserved this one. Things just aren't looking to well for a repeat if Messi stays healthy and, scarily enough, keeps steadily improving. Just pointing out the facts regarding this season so far." - Hector UK @ Goal.com

I just have an advice to Cristino Ronaldo, don't be such an arrogant winner. Win with humility and don't declare after just one season that you are the first, second and third best player in the world. That statement could curse your football career forever!

Mourinho as always have something negative to say when asked if C.Ronaldo deserves the award.

"No, I would have preferred one of my own foreign players to have won the Ballon d'Or."

2008 Ballon d'Or Top Ten Classification

1. Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal/Manchester United) - 446 points

2. Lionel Messi (Argentina/Barcelona) - 281 pts

3. Fernando Torres (Spain/Liverpool) - 179 pts

4. Iker Casillas (Spain/Real Madrid) - 133 pts

5. Xavi Hernandez (Spain/Barcelona) - 97 pts

6. Andrei Arshavin (Russia/Zenit St. Petersburg) - 64 pts

7. David Villa (Spain/Valencia) - 55 pts

8. Kaka (Brazil/AC Milan) - 31 pts

9. Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Sweden/Inter) - 30 pts

10. Steven Gerrard (England/Liverpool) - 28 pts

The 'Hunter' joins Real Madrid? Remember the Hunter police drama series in the 80s and early 90s? I still remember it even though I was a kid then. I followed it quite extensively. I guess perhaps it was really popular then.

Real Madrid just signed the football version of 'The Hunter' and I will be honest to say that I have not really notice his matches much so I can't comment how he is. For the 25-year-old Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, I really hope he is not as fragile as his Dutch counterparts. Injury seems to be the top concern of all of them. He is going to cost the Bernabeu club €20 million up front, with the total fee potentially rising to €27m with additional clauses based on appearances and his levels of success with them included in the deal. With Hunter added to the squad, it is time to call the club Dutch Madrid!

Burnley, the giants slayer slaughtered Arsenal after they did the same thing to Chelsea in the Carling Cup. How far will the Coca-Cola Championship team last? We will like to follow their fairy tale closely.

THREE 20+ MEGAPIXEL MONSTERS!

Since the announcement of the 24.6 million effective pixels Sony Alpha DSLR-A900 on the 9th September 2008, we were waiting for the announcement by two other fiercest rivals in the market. Canon, one of the rivals, announced the EOS 5D Mark II (21.1 million effective pixels) on the 17th September 2008. Today (1st December 2008), we finally get to see the announcement by Nikon. Nikon D3x is their equivalent version to compete with Sony and Canon. It has 24.5 million effective pixels.

The biggest issue we are talking about here is the balance between megapixels count VS. ISO. The problem with huge megapixel counts is the amount of noise generated. Therefore, they don't really dare to allow the photos to be able to shot at extremely high ISO. At least not at the moment with the sensors they have. Well, we can see a deliberate restriction done. Who shall win this battle? We shall see.

Sony Alpha DSLR-A900

Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Nikon D3x

JOHOR BAHRU 'SCENIC BRIDGE' CIQ COMPLEX OPENING CEREMONY

The controversial Customs, Immigration and Quarantine complex in Johor Bahru connecting into Singapore is finally going to have the opening ceremony. It was expected to be today, maybe after the noon period. Well, it is definitely a huge building/s compare to the present one. It looks very 'high-tech' but whether the real software of the building is functioning well is yet to be proven. Malaysia is always good at building expensive and huge stuffs but lack in maintenance.

The opening ceremony of this building has been rumoured many times this year. I guess now it is finally official since the press announced it. They said they will ask Tun Dr. Mahathir to officiate the opening ceremony of this building. I had the greatest laugh of my life. I told them the last person on earth who is willing to do that will be him. He is already so angry with the cancellation of his scenic bridge. According to the newspaper, the Sultan of Johor will do it on 1st December 2008 with the current prime minister.

We all know the reason for this building is not really to improve the immigration clearance but rather to be the entrance into the scenic bridge which was later not built. Let's face it, what's the point of having such a huge building when the entrance into the building and out of the building is so tight? There are only two lanes to enter and exit Singapore. The path which was originally created to serve the curved bridge was built for that purpose only. In other words, you are purposely creating a curvy path to join into the Causeway, creating more distance for no purpose.

The Singaporeans always complain how Malaysian roads are like bottles. They have a huge 4 lane highway which suddenly end up with just 2 lanes, purposely creating traffic jams. The current old immigration checkpoint has at least 4 lanes to enter it. The new building only has two to enter and two to exit. Please explain to me what is the use having a building that can serve 100 lanes even if the entrance and exit is so tight?

If that is not worse enough, they want to house 18 government agencies inside the place. Just great, the more traffic the more merrier. It is already so tight for all the traffic to go through it. You add more functions in the building to create more havoc.

I am quite nervous of the capability of this new building and from my past experience with how new things always turn out chaotic in Malaysia, I don't expect smooth flow of traffic with this new building. Prove me wrong then!

The Star

JOHOR BAHARU: The much awaited new Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) complex in Bukit Chagar will be officially opened on Monday.

The Sultan of Johor, Sultan Iskandar Sultan Ismail, is expected to grace the opening ceremony which is also to be attended by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

Named the Sultan Iskandar Complex, it will house 18 government agencies and be able to handle 70 million visitors entering the country from Singapore annually.

Dubbed an intelligent building, the complex has 76 lanes for cars, which are divided equally to enter and exit the country. There are 50 lanes in and 50 lanes out for motorcycles, 879 parking bays for cars and 25 for buses.

The payment rates are expected to be the same as the rates charged at the present complex and only Touch n Go cards are allowed to be used for payment.

There are multilingual touch screen information display panels to assist visitors entering Johor.

The first floor of the complex will handle clearance for cars and motorcycles while the second floor is for those who travel in buses.

Construction of the CIQ began in 2001 and was scheduled to be completed in 2006.

It was, however, delayed due to the cancellation of the 'Scenic Bridge' project and the construction of the short-term access road linking the causeway and the complex. - Bernama