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Bukit Timah, Singapore
HCI 2A1'10 / M'sian scholar / CCA Chinese Chess / Reading / Football / Listening to music / Maths / Liverpool fan

Sunday, 24 May 2009

Term 2 Week 9

Sorry for not blogging for a long time, say about 2 weeks? This is mainly because of the term 2 class tests we were having for the past few weeks. On 14th May, the nightmare has finally ended, with Maths test 4 as the last one. However, I am still quite occupied since the Mathematics Olympiad and Raffles Cup Chinese Chess Competition is just around the corner, and I have to be well-prepared.

This post shall be mainly about the happenings on term 2 week 9 (17th ~ 23th May), which is also the second last week for term 2, after which are the anticipated June holidays! Hooray!

This week is when we received most of our test results. Frankly, I am quite pleased with mine, of which most have exceeded expectations. I am almost ecstatic. However, some deteriorate too, and were considerably lower than last term's. I decided to put in more effort in those subjects.

On Thursday, I went for health check, which all Malaysian scholars are required to go since we have not been fully immunised; the locals having done it last year. It was actually scheduled to be on the 6th of June, but this would mean that I had to return home few days later. Thus, it was rescheduled to be on that day, and I had to go alone. Since I do not know the way there, I boarded a taxi, alone. This was my first, and it went out quite well, unless you counted waiting for a not-hired taxi for nearly half and hour. The journey took approximately 20 minutes; I reached my destination at 4, just in time for my appointment.

There, my height and weight was measured (I was pronounced normal O.O). After that, I undergo eye-check (for colourblind and short-sightedness) hearing check and the dreaded injections. I received a 3- in-1 for each arm. Ouch. For the left arm, I only experienced a slight pain, but after the immunisation it was terrible. It was exactly opposite for my right arm. After the immunisations, I went back to the boarding school (by taxi too), left arm screaming in pain along the way and after that. The next morning was even worse. I was unable to hold anything properly, needless to say my arm being clutched or grabbed or even touched by some unknowing people. It got better as the day progresses, and the pain subsided to almost none after CCA. By Saturday, I could feel no pain at all. Yay!

There was another important event on Thursday too. The boarding school chose to hold the annual investiture dinner on that day I had the health check, in the dining hall. I was a little late, thus receiving a small reprimanding. The dress code is formal, like most dinners, but we were allowed to wear collared T-shirts and pants in the end, since many doesn't have formal attire. This dinner signified the "passing of the baton from the 8th boarders' council to the 9th", or something like that. Mr Tan Pheng Tiong, also the deputy principal of the high school, was the guest of honour, and all "VIPs" of the boarding schools were present too.

We listened to speeches from the presidents of the former boarders' council and the current one. All councillors were introduced, and they also performed a dance. Tokens of gratitude in the form of a certificate and money (I think) were given to our former councillors, whose contributions could not be denied. We also counted ourselves fortunate to be able to listen to vocal performances (singing) by Yan Ming, first runner-up for this year's inter boarding school singing competition - Hall of Fame, and Felisa Titirwinata, the champion of Hall of Fame 2008. The food was especially good, though I decided not to eat the fried but delicious-looking food, since i just had immunisations. Ice-creams were also served towards the end of the event. In a nutshell, I thoroughly enjoyed myself, and I believed most did too.

On Friday, we had our cluster activity. Mr Tan Chee Wee, our cluster mentor, had kindly brought us to a hawker centre along Adams Road to have supper. We ate mutton soup (extremely spicy) with bread, roti prata ( a popular Indian dish), fish ball soup and other local delicacies. The food was delicious, and I decided to visit the hawker centre again when I had time.

My Saturday morning was quite meaningful. Classes 2O2, 1A2 and 1A3 had jointly organized an activity to Marina Barrage, where we took care of some elderly besides exploring. Besides gaining knowledge and promoting closer friendship among the 3 classes with Malaysian scholars, we could also care for the elderly and and gained CIP hours. Each groups of 2 was assigned to 1 elderly, Soo Han and I looked after an old lady who was in her sixties. She was quite a cheerful person and we chatted quite animatedly. Fortunately, she was able to speak in Chinese, which enabled us to communicate with her well, since both of us do not master any dialects. The climax is the exhibition, where we learnt a lot about Singapore water conserve and why and how and whatsoever, especially about Marina Barrage and its uses. We explained patiently to the elderly whenever they do not comprehend something. After that, we took a group photo and went home, or rather boarding school respectively. It was a meaningful and enjoyable day for us .

Besides, Liverpool had finally announced that they had lost the title chase. Despite a 2-0 win over West Bromwich Abber, and Man Utd draw 0-0 against Arsenal, Man Utd led the table with 6 points and 2 games remaining, signifying the end of the title challenge. I am extremely disappointed, but Liverpool had done their best. They were just 4 points behind their rivals and triumphed in goal differences by 6. This was the best results Liverpool had in recent years, and their closest to clinching the title. Just think of the outcome if Torres was not injured during the start of the season, or Liverpool were just luckier in some matches were heaps of scoring opportunities were wasted. I felt that it would be a different result altogether. Nevertheless, I am still proud of them and hoped that they will obtain better results in the next season. All the best of luck, Liverpool!

Sunday, 10 May 2009

Happy Mother's Day!

Sorry for not blogging for a long time. Since today is Mothers' Day, I decided to take this opportunity to wish everyone, especially mothers, a "Happy Mother's Day"!

Below are some songs which I'd liked to share with you, and also dedicated to all mothers in the world. Hope you'll enjoy!







All songs, The Mom Song, You Raise Me Up and Ting Ma Ma De Hua are included in the English and Chines playlist respectively too!

Links :

Wednesday, 29 April 2009

What's New! - Playlists & Class Blog List

Playlist

I have always been wondering what my blog is missing, and I finally got the answer...MUSIC! I listen to both English and Chinese songs, so I decided to put two playlist, one of English and the other for Chinese. All songs are my favourite. The following is the list of songs in the playlist (in order) :

English songs :

  1. You Raise Me Up (Westlife)
  2. If I Let You Go (Westlife)
  3. Bye Bye (Mariah Carey)
  4. Right Here Waiting For You (Richard Marx)
  5. The Call (Regina Spektor)
  6. Start Of Something New (HSM)
  7. Everyday (HSM)
  8. Breaking Free (HSM)
  9. Fabulous (HSM)
  10. What I've Been Looking For (HSM)
  11. We're All In This Together (HSM)
  12. This Is Me (Camp Rock)
  13. Mom Song *
  14. Teardrops On My Guitar (Taylor Swift)
Chinese Songs :
  1. Dao Xiang/Fragrant Rice 稻香 (Jay Chou)
  2. Shuo Hao De Xing Fu Ne 说好的幸福呢 (Jay Chou)
  3. Pu Gong Ying De Yue Ding 蒲公英的约定 (Jay Chou)
  4. Ting Ma Ma De Hua 听妈妈的话 (Jay Chou)
  5. Fa Ru Xue 发如雪 (Jay Chou)
  6. Qian Li Zhi Wai 千里之外 (Jay Chou)
  7. Qian Wo Shi Kuai 欠我十块 **
  8. Ju Hua Tai 菊花台 (Jay Chou)
  9. Qian Shan Wan Shui 千山万水 (Jay Chou)
  10. Di Yi Tian/First Day 第一天 (孙燕姿)
  11. Zhong Guo Hua 中国话 (S.H.E.)
Note : The artist of each songs are in the brackets.
*   - No artisit
** - Edited version of Qian Li Zhi Wai

Any comments regarding the playlists? Which songs do you think I should add in my playlist? Please response in the comment box.
Hope you'll enjoy! :-)

Class Blog List

I have almost finish the class blog list, which contains all 1A2 blogs, except one (1A232) which I was unable to find his blog. Anyone who know it, please tell me. As you can see, I quote all of them using their register number in class. I have also included some blogs from 1A3 as I know quite a few people there, and also some of my former classmates' for easy access. You can suggest blogs of people whom I know for me to link them. Thank you very much!

Update (7th May) : I have found the url of the blog of 1A232 already. Therefore, the list of 1A2 blog is completed!

Sunday, 26 April 2009

Recent happenings

Last Friday, I completed my online portfolio which we were required to finish as a term project for Infocomm Studies. The project was crucial as it constitutes 33.33% of the overall 50% for Type 3 Assessment for Infocomm Studies; therefore, I put my best effort in it. You can click on the link above to view it and please comment so that I can improve it. Thanks a lot!

On the 23rd of April (Thursday), 9 Sec 1 classes , including mine, went to give our support to our track and field team in the Inter-School Track and Field Competition. In this round, our school did not perform well and only managed to bag 5 silver medals and a bronze, despite our cheering. Most of us shout until our voice grew hoarse, especially the councillors. However, HCI still clinch the overall champions for B and C division boys and A division girls and boys were the 2nd and 3rd runner-ups respectively, as they were brilliant in previous rounds. We continue to dominate the B and C division boys with 19 and 9 consecutive champions respectively. The track and field team has done us proud.

As a result, Dr Hon announce that school will end early on Friday!
Three cheers for track and field!
Three cheers for Dr Hon!
It was tiring, but nonetheless a fruitful day.

As for football news, I am sorry to say that Liverpool draw 4-4 against Arsenal, and with Man Utd's victory, the chance of regaining the long-lost title seemed slim. Last night, Hull City saw off with a 1-3 loss, due to goals by Alonso and Kuyt (2), and also an overwhelming 73.5% of possesion. However, Man Utd won 5-2 over Tottenham in a late match and dampen their hopes. Liverpool are currently trailing their rivals by 3 points and are at a disadvantage of one more match played.

Links :

Tuesday, 21 April 2009

Feast your eyes!

Basically, post mostly compromise of videos which I like to share with you. It is also the 50th post for this blog. So much for an achievement! Now, let's kick back and enjoy!



As you can guess, I am a huge and die-hard fan of Steven Gerrard, the captain of Liverpool FC. Below is a video of his top 10 goals. As you can see in this video, most of his shots came from outside the penalty box and they were long, curved, magnificent, superb, fascinating, marvellous and unstoppable, leaving the keepers no chance. The video is uploaded on April 2006, and Gerrard was wearing the no.17 jersey at that time, except for the last and best strike against Olympiakos, which saw Liverpool advanced into the knockout stages and finally to the legendary comeback at Istanbul, where they proudly lifted the Champions League trophy in triumph. I am really proud of him.





This video, however, is about Xabi Alonso, another of my favourite player, scoring a goal from 70 yard. It was unbelievable - the goalkeeper was actually at the another half of the pitch! What do you think of that?




Flashback : The miracle of Istanbul
This is final of 04/05 Champions League which I mentioned just now. Liverpool overturned a 3 goals deficit and claimed the title on penalties. It is a memorable match for Liverpool. This match also serves as a warning to all of us: do not celebrate even though when you are 3 goals up, especially when you are facing Liverpool, as they are best at comeback victories!





Some skills demonstrated by Liverpool! Enjoy!




Special thanks to : YouTube


Recent and important news!

Liverpool draw Chelsea 4-4 in the second leg of the quarter-finals, thus was unable to advance into the semi-finals. Sad. T.T

Chelsea and Everton ended the day with victories over Arsenal and Man Utd respectively, and will meet in the finals of the FA cup.

Sunday, 12 April 2009

Liverpool 4 Blackburn 0

Liverpool demolished a hapless Blackburn side with a 4-0 thrashing. They displayed some superb attacking football against the outclassed Blackburn. A first-half brace from Torres put Liverpool firmly in control while late goals by Agger and N'Gog ensured a overwhelming and crucial victory for Liverpool, and enabled them to lift her morale against the match against Chelsea.

The pitch was dominated by Liverpool just since the start of the match. They got paid-off for their dominance on the 4th minute when a long pass by Jamie Carragher from the Liverpool half found its target. Torres controlled the ball on his chest with his back facing the goal, and suddenly span round on the spot and lofted a perfect strike that curved powerfully over the helpless Robinson into the far top corner.

The sublime strike signal the start of Liverpool's attacking reign. They wasted golden opportunities after another and should have built a 4 goal lead. Mascherano and Kuyt wasted chances after receiving nice passes from their teammates, while Agger's header was saved and Torres' rebound over the bar.

The 33' minute finally sees the second goal. It was Torres again - he got onto the end of Riera's free kick and netted the ball with a ferocious header leaving Robinson no hope of saving. After that, Liverpool continued surging forward, and should have scored again when Torres and Riera closed in on goal 5 minutes later.

In the second half, it seemed that Liverpool's finishing touch had deserted them; Torres, Kuyt and Riera from the centre, right and left wing respectively missed chances that should have seen the ball touched the back of the net. El Zhar also lost his footing at the critical moment.

Agger finally sent the ball the third time into the net when he broke Blackburn's resistance with an unstoppable and stunning left-foot rocket in the top-left corner past the diving Robinson. And in the final minute, Leiva received a pass from Carragher and head to N'Gog. He headed home and boosted Liverpool's goal difference and a deserved emphasis to their victory.

Blackburn were often energetic, but they had little to show for their efforts as they were played off by a rampart Liverpool side. Their best chances come in the 72' minute when Samba headed into Reina's hand.

Liverpool enjoyed a 67% of possession, 23 shots including 10 on-target shots and 7 corners, perfectly outclassed Blackburn. This victory also proves that Liverpool is able to do without Gerrard, who is currently recovering from an injury.

Both Man Utd and Chelsea ended the day in triumph, but with narrow wins. Man Utd won 2-1 over Sunderland while Chelsea had to hold their breath until the last minute; they had been leading 4-0 but Bolton fought back heroically but still they lost 3-4 to their more superior opponent. Arsenal won 4-1 over Wigan too.

Links :

Saturday, 11 April 2009

Liverpool vs Blackburn Rovers Preview

EXPECTED LINE-UP

Liverpool : Reina, Aurelio, Skrtel, Carragher, Arbeloa, Mascherano, Alonso, Riera, Gerrard, Kuyt, Torres.

Blackburn : Robinson, Ooijer, Samba, Nelsen, Givet, Andrews, Mokoena, Warnock, Dunn, Diouf, McCarthy.

INJURIES
Hyypia, Degen (Both Liverpool), Santa Cruz, Roberts, Emerton, Grella, Reid, Pedersen (All Blackburn).

SUSPENSIONS
None

LAST 5 RESULTS (from most recent)

Liverpool : LWWWW

Home 1-3 Chelsea (Champions League)
Away 1-0 Fulham
Home 5-0 Aston Villa
Away 4-1 Man Utd
Home 4-0 Real Madrid (Champions League)
Home 2-0 Sunderland



Blackburn : WDLWD

Home 2-1 Tottenham
Home 1-1 West Ham
Away 0-4 Arsenal
Away 2-1 Fulham
Home 0-0 Everton
 
Premiership matches unless stated

STATISTICS

  • In the previous 2 Premiership meetings of Liverpool and Blackburn have ended as 3-1 victories to the Reds.
  • Blackburn have scored exactly 1 goal in 4 of their last 5 clashes with Liverpool.
  • Out of 14 Premiership matches at Anfield, Blackburn have won only 1 going back to September 1993.
  • All 4 goals in this fixture last season came in the final half hour of the match.
  • Liverpool have gone 26 home games without defeat, the longest current run in the top-flight.
  • Liverpool have scored the most 90th-minute goals this season : 8
  • Liverpool have been hit the woodwork 24 times this season, currently leading in the Premiership.
  • Both teams have been awarded a joint-high 5 penalties this season.
  • Liverpool are the only side not to have 0 player sent off this season - Liverpool is the most disciplined team!
  • Rovers have lost only 3 of their last 14 Premier League games.
  • Liverpool have won 8 and drawn 3 of their 11 north-west derby games this season, scoring 25 goals in the process.
LINKS

Thursday, 9 April 2009

Liverpool 1 Chelsea 3...Aaargh~

I am wordless and stupefied when I saw the results. This probably marks the end of Liverpool's Champion League title challenge. Liverpool has little hope of a comeback as they would be facing Chelsea at Stamford Bridge next time.

Although Liverpool enjoyed better possession, Chelsea was superior in shots and shots on target. Both teams waste quite a lot of opportunities to create goals. Torres put Liverpool in the lead in the 6' minutes, but an Ivanovic double headers and one by Drogba help Chelsea to come from behind.

Liverpool must win at least 3-1 next round to keep their slim title challenge hope alive. However, there is still a chance. Remember, they demolished Man Utd 4-1 away. Futhermore, Liverpool had famously overturned a 3-goal deficit to AC Milan in the 05 Champions League final to claim the title. Thus, we should not deprive ourselves of thinking that this is the end.

In the other match, Barcelona thrashed Bayern Munich 4-0 and should have no doubt of advancing into the semi-finals. Messi (9', 38), Eto'o (12') and Henry (43') scored to decrease the chances of advancing into semi-final of a Bayern side without Klose to almost zero.

I am too depressed to say anymore. You can visit this link for more information about this match. See you and wait patiently for my next post, which will most probably be about the preview of Liverpool vs Blackburn which shall take place on 11th April.

Tuesday, 7 April 2009

Liverpool vs Chelsea Preview

In the quarter-final clashes of the Champions League, the match that is most worth to view is, and should be, Liverpool vs bitter rivals Chelsea at Anfield.

EXPECTED LINE-UP
Liverpool : Reina, Aurelio, Skrtel, Carragher, Arbeloa, Riera, Lucas, Gerrard, Alonso, Kuyt, Torres.
Chelsea : Cech, Ivanoic, Alex, Essien, Terry, Cole, Malouda, Lampard, Ballack, Anelka, Drogba.

INJURIES
Degen (Liverpool), J.Cole, Bosingwa, Ferreira (all Chelsea)

SUSPENSIONS
Mascherano (Liverpool)

LAST 5 RESULTS (from most recent)

Liverpool : WWWWW
Away 1-0 Fulham
Home 5-0 Aston Villa
Away 4-1 Man Utd
Home 4-0 Real Madrid (Champions League)
Home 2-0 Sunderland

Chelsea : WLWDW
Away 2-0 Newcastle
Away 0-1 Tottenham
Home 1-0 Man City
Away 2-2 Juventus (Champions League)
Away 2-0 Coventry City (FA Cup)

Premiership matches unless stated

HEAD TO HEAD (last 10 matches)
Liverpool leading by 4 victories, 3 draws and 3 defeats

FACTS "N" FIGURES

  • Liverpool have met Chelsea in each of the last 5 seasons in the Champions League.
  • The team who drawn at home in the 1st leg each of the last 3 meetings in the knockout stages was eliminated.
  • Liverpool have won 7 and lost none of their last 9 Champions League home matches.
  • Liverpool have played Chelsea 22 times in 4.5 seasons since Rafael Benitez's reign, with 7 victories and 9 defeats.
  • Liverpool have won both matches against the Chelsea in the Premiership this season.
  • Fernando Torres has scored 4 goals in his 4 appearances against the Chelsea.
  • Steven Gerrard has scored 7 goals in 7 Champions League appearances this season, currently leading the top scorers.
  • Didier Drogba has scored in his last 3 Champions League matches.
  • In previous 8 Champions League encounters between Liverpool and Chelsea, only 1 has seen more than 2 goals, and 2 more than 1.
  • Chelsea have been caught offside in the Champions League more than any other team so far : 36.
  • Liverpool have taken and scored the most penalties in the competition so far : 3.

YESTERDAY'S RESULTS

Villareal 1-1 Arsenal
Senna 9’ ------ Adebayor 65’

Man Utd 2-2 Porto
Rooney 16’ ---- Mariano Gonzalez 89’
Tevez 85’ ------ Rodriguez 4’

TODAY'S FIXTURES

Barcelona vs Bayern
Liverpool vs Chelsea

Click on the following link to view the finer details of Liverpool vs Chelsea.

Sunday, 5 April 2009

Fulham 0 Liverpool 1

Liverpool go to the top of the Premier League after an injury time winner by Yossi Benayon saw them beat Fulham 1-0.

As usual, Liverpool dominated the pitch with about 61% of possession and 20 shots against the opponent's miserable 3, including 7 shots on target and 1 for Fulham.

It looked like the Reds had blown a great opportunity to put more pressure on Man Utd after they missed a host of chances and hit the woodwork 4 times in the game. Lady Luck was not, or almost never, with Liverpool in this match.

However, the Israeli winger - on as a substitute - latched on to a loose ball in the 92nd minute and drilled a rising shot past the previously impregnable Mark Schwarzer to boost Liverpool's title credentials, lifting them to the top of the table, though Man Utd have 2 games in hand. They will be facing Aston Villa in the next must-win match.

Goalkeeper Jose Reina had an easy job in this match, barely touching the ball and without a save. On the other hand or the other end of the pitch, Fulham goalkeeper Schwarzer was fantastic, saving many goals that under normal circumstances should touch the back of the net, but was helpless against Benayon's goal.

Click on this link to view Benayoun's goal or this to watch the highlights of this match. For more information about this match, you can click here.

Monday, 23 March 2009

Liverpool 5 Aston Villa 0


Liverpool demolished Aston Villa with another spectacular and emphatic victory, a 5-0, with Steven Gerrard scoring a hat-trick (2 penalties and a free-kick) while Dirk Kuyt and Albert Riera scored a goal apiece. With that win, Liverpool continue pressurizing Man Utd with only one point less than them. This was Liverpool's biggest win this season.

Having routed Man Utd 4-1 last weekend, Liverpool took advantage of the champions losing 2-0 at Fulham on Saturday. Man Utd has 65 points after 29 games; Liverpool 64 after 30 games. Chelsea, who lost 1-0 at Tottenham on Saturday, has 61.

Liverpool dominated the pitch with 62% of possesion. They also managed to get 19 shots including 7 shots on target. Aston Villa had a few chances to score but Jose Reina superb performance denied them of creating any goals.

In the 64' minutes, Torres' run invited a challenge from Friedel after the Spain striker knocked the ball past the keeper, who could not help but bring him down. Referee Martin Atkinson had no hesitation in pointing to the spot, but also in brandishing a red card to the American. This marks the end of Aston Villa's hopes of a comeback win, or even a draw, as they were already 4 goals down and a penalty awaiting. Steven Gerrard completed the hat-trick with the penalty.

For more information about this match, click on this link.

Saturday, 21 March 2009

Liverpool news

Liverpool faces Chelsea again

Today, the drawing results of the Champions League quarter-finals were splashed on almost all headlines in almost all newspaper, I believe. And the subtitle? "LIVERPOOL FACE CHELSEA AGAIN..." or something like that.

This is very true. Liverpool certainly face Chelsea again in the quarter finals, and this is the fifth consecutive seasons they have, or would have met. Liverpool have won 2 and Chelsea 1 of the clubs' recent battles in Europe, but it is the Blues who triumphed in the most recent head-to-head encounter-last year's semi-finals.

Reds won the 04/05 semi-final, before the teams locked horns again in the 2005/06 group stage. Liverpool then won the 2006/07 semi-final against Chelsea under Avram Grant. I felt that Liverpool shall revenge on their rivals as they have already slaughtered them twice this season. However, it would not be Mourinho, Grant or even Scolari they would be facing this time; it will be Guus Hiddink, who has not led Chelsea to a defeat, yet.

Holders Manchester United play Portuguese champions FC Porto, while Arsenal meet Villarreal from Spain. The winners of the Liverpool-Chelsea tie will take on either Barcelona or Bayern Munich, with the pair meeting in the other quarter-final. Of all the teams, I think Man Utd has the best draw of all.

1st leg April 7, 2nd leg April 15
Villarreal v Arsenal
Manchester United v Porto

1st leg April 8, 2nd leg April 14
Liverpool v Chelsea
Barcelona v Bayern Munich

Semi-finals (1st leg April 28&29, 2nd leg May 5&6)
Manchester United or Porto v Villarreal or Arsenal
Barcelona or Bayern Munich v Liverpool or Chelsea

Liverpool continued leading Power Rankings

Liverpool continue to dominate the European Power Rankings following their stunning victory over Manchester United. Not satisfied with slaughtering Real Madrid 4-0 just few days earlier, Liverpool were at it again at Old Trafford, coming from behind to register a spectacular, ego-busting, morale-raising, title race opening 4-1 win. That was enough for them to maintain their lead over Barcelona at the summit of our the Power Rankings for another week, while Devils slipped a place to the 4th place following the mauling in Old Trafford.

Bayern Munich were the team to take advantage of the slip, rising into 3rd after victory over Bochum. Chelsea and Arsenal stayed in 5th and 11th place respectively despite convincing victories. Porto dropped a place to ninth Villareal, slipped to 17th as a result of Atletico Madrid 's 3- 2 win. For the record, Atleti jumped two places to 15th.

European Power Rankings (previous rankings in brackets):
1 (1) Liverpool - 23.02
2 (2) Barcelona - 22.85
3 (4) Bayern Munich - 20.94
4 (3) Manchester United - 20.36
5 (5) Chelsea - 19.89
6 (7) Juventus - 18.66
7 (8) Real Madrid - 18.61
8 (9) Porto - 18.57
9 (12) Hamburg - 17.94
10 (6) CSKA Moscow - 17.90
11 (11) Arsenal - 17.72
12 (10) AS Roma - 17.59
13 (13) Inter Milan - 17.41
14 (14) Metalist Kharkiv - 16.74
15 (17) Atletico Madrid - 16.71
16 (19) Sporting - 16.50
17 (16) Villarreal - 16.46
18 (15) Dynamo Kiev - 16.23
19 (20) Panathinaikos - 16.05
20 (18) Lyon - 16.02
29 (25) Manchester City - 13.03

For more information on how it works, visit this website.

Liverpool 5 named by Spain

5 Liverpool players were named in the Spain squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Turkey, namely goalkeeper Jose Reina, defender Alvaro Arbeloa, midfielders Xabi Alonso and Albert Riera, and striker Fernando Torres. More

Click here to view the table, fixtures and results of 2010 World Cup qualifiers.

Gerrard assault charge dropped

Prosecutors have dropped accusations of assault against Steven Gerrard but the he will still face a charge of affray over a bar brawl. More

Late "Happy Birthday!" for Torres

It was Fernando Torres' birthday yesterday!

Sunday, 15 March 2009

Man Utd 1 Liverpool 4

What a fantastic week for Liverpool! After a thrilling and speculating 4-0 win over Spanish side Real Madrid, Liverpool capped another humiliating victory over Man Utd, triumphing twice against their bitter rivals for the second time this season.

Goals by Fernando Torres(28'), Steven Gerrard(44', pen), Fabio Aurelio(77') and Andrea Dossena(90+1') helped Liverpool to launch a comeback and cut the gap between Man Utd to 4 points and rekindle their title hopes, although Man Utd still have a game in hand. Cristiano Ronaldo's opener came from a well-taken penalty spot kick on 22 minutes after Jose Reina had brought down Park Ji-Sung with a reckless and unnecessary challenge in the Liverpool penalty area.

I was almost ecstatic when I know about it. I could not believe my eyes when I saw the results. Liverpool positively outplayed their fiercest rivals as you can see in the live commentary and team statistic in the following link:
http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/football/premier-league/2008-2009/man-united-liverpool-236908.html

I was convinced when I saw the goals scored in the match (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Px6wN5GBdw). Liverpool did brilliantly and all the goals were perfect. Torres' and Dossena's goals came from long passes from the other end of the pitch while Gerrard's and Aurelio's spot-kicks were magnificent. They recorded a stunning win and put Man Utd consecutive wins to an end. Rafa Benitez also celebrates his 100th Premiership victory. Most important of all, Liverpool revive their faltering title chase.

This match is also :

  • Liverpool's first win at Man Utd in 5 years.
  • Rafa Benitez's first win at Old Trafford.
  • Liverpool's biggest win at Old Trafford in 73 years.
  • Man Utd's worst home defeat since a loss by the same score in 1992 against Queens Park Rangers.
  • Man Utd's first defeat for 11 games.
  • Man Utd's first game without victory for 25 games.

Did you know that Liverpool are officially kings of Europe, not Man Utd, Chelsea, Barcelona or AC Milan - and you can click here for the proof - as they top the European Power Rankings.

Saturday, 14 March 2009

Secondary 1 Camp (day 2&3)

continued from day 1

All of us in the same hut woke up at around 5:30 in the morning and went for breakfast at 7. After 45 minutes of breakfast, we had area cleaning. Our group was allotted to clean up (or in other words, pick up the rubbish) the path which led from the huts to the white tentage where we had our meals. We finished our task at half past 8.

We took part in Sarimbun Challenge where we competed with other groups in 4 station games. In the first station, nine of us had to walk on six wooden planks or three on two, while others threw as many balls as they could into the basket of the last person of each two wooden planks. This demanded teamwork spirit of each group member. In the end, we managed to get about 289 balls into the basket within 3 minutes, which seems quite a feat to achieve.

In the next station, we were supposed to build a catapult with unlimited wooden planks and ropes. There were disagreements again on the structure of the catapult. Eventually, after some discussion, we settled with a decision. Although the catapult failed many times, we were not discouraged and insisted on not giving up and finally managed to launch a water bomb only eight paces away. However, we were in high spirits and cheered all the way to the next station. Later, we found out that the record was 29 paces while many other catapults were failures.

The third challenge was quite a disaster. We had to walk through parts of Sarimbun that were remote and where the trees are dense. Unfortunately, we misinterpreted the map and went the longer way. Along the way, we were stung many times by mosquitoes and I had an ant bite. Finally, we reached the place where the fourth challenge was held. We were supposed to boil water. This was elementary! We completed the task and went to the place where we should go after finishing the challenge. We were pleasantly surprised to find out that we were the first group to complete the challenge! We thought that we had wasted a lot of time in the second and third task, and for sure there were few groups ahead of us. Till now, I am still pondering about it and please tell me if you had any idea of what had happened.

We had lunch and after that, cooking, fun fitness games and campfire preparation. The fun fitness games were fun, just like its name. The first two games required teamwork from all team members. The third one was where we had the chance to get wet, dirty, muddy and smelly. We slided down and splashed into a pool of muddy water. It was quite fun actually, but many missed the opportunity as rain came pouring down and the activity was called off. During the camp preparation, we practised old cheers and learnt new ones. We showered and ate dinner, probably the best meal we ever had during the 3 days camp. I even took a second serving. It was the campfire afterwards, which was supposed to be the climax of the camp, but I do not think so. It was quite monotony actually. After supper, we went to sleep nearly midnight, terribly exhausted.

We woke up at 6 and embraced the final day of the camp and packed our things. Breakfast that day was the worst meal we had during the camp in my opinion, and was endorsed by many. Personally, I felt that better food was served at the start to give us a good impression and the last meal, you should know. Then, we helped to carried the floorboards of the tents set up for those who were not sleeping in huts. We had area cleaning again, and our group cleaned up the campfire site.

At eleven, it was prize presentation with only two prizes to be given -the best group and the best improved group. Group 17 and 2 won the awards respectively. The journey back to start at 1145 hours and last 45 minutes and thus marked the end of the camp. Back in the boarding school, I repacked my luggage into the going-home mode and boarded the bus at 4:30 in the afternoon. I am back in Malaysia now for the school holidays!

The camp left me a good impression and I have gained much, especially experience, through it. I hope that I am able to take part in future camps and shall grab any opportunities, unless it clashes with more important events.

As we have been temporarily cut off from the outside world with mobile phones and other electrical devices disallowed, I just found out that Liverpool triumphed 4-0 against Real Madrid and advanced into the quarter-finals. Great display. They will be facing (or is it taking place now?) Man Utd and the result shall decide the fate of Liverpool's title hopes. The best of luck, Liverpool!

Secondary 1 Camp (day 1)

It has been a long time since I have blogged. This was because I was busy preparing for the Sec 1 camp and afterwards, school holidays. I spent days packing and buying the necessary things. Before the camp, I felt excited as I have never participated in any camps before. However, I also thought that the camp would be boring and unsuccessful as this is what we heard from our seniors.

The night before the camp which was held at Sarimbun, I tried to sleep early as we were told that we would not be getting much sleep during the 3 days 2 nights camp, but to no avail. I was simply too excited and keep thinking about the camp. The next morning, I woke up quite late and after having a hurried breakfast, rushed to the school. After flag raising, we were being grouped into groups of 20 and I was in group 4, with 7 from my class (1A2) and 13 from 1A3. We assembled at the clock tower and boarded the buses after the ice-breaking session. For reasons I did not know, our group was named Lyche2 (Lychee) as the majority agreed.

The trainer in charge of our group was known as JK. He refused to reveal his real name and was never seen without his cap. He was humorous and joked with us throughout the camp.

The journey took approximately 1 hour and we arrived at our destination at 11. We went to our respective huts which can house 10 people and where we would be living in the next 2 days. The huts were quite small and dirty, especially the floorboards and we had to clean them. We had lunch at the white tentage after that. The meals were actually quite good, at least better than I had expected. Then we had team building games, which was a little boring as I had played the same game for many times already. We also went rafting which was fun. We were required to build a raft with 3 tyres, 3 planks and as many ropes as you need. There were disagreements on how to build the raft but it was eventually settled. We launched our raft with 3 brave volunteers on board. Our raft was the fastest among 3 groups. After that, we also had fun fitness games.

At 1830 hours, we had dinner and went to shower after that. We were supposed to have open shower but few abide by that. We went into the cubicles instead. After song session and supper, we went to sleep. Everyone was tired out and wished to sleep soundly, but we were constantly woken up by chatters and giggles of those who had or did not sleep.

To be continued -(day 2&3)

Thursday, 5 March 2009

What happened today?

Today, the fifth of March, is quite a good day, for me, at least. I found that the questions in the Maths test were quite easy except for the bonus questions which was not so important. I managed to solve 2 out of 3 questions anyway, so it is actually quite okay.

Few hours later, we had Literature Arts. I was dreading it because we would receive our test papers which I did not think I had done well. The teacher started giving out the test papers and you would have feel the tension if you are there. This is our last paper we would receive for this term. Some of them smiled in sastification while dismay was written all over some faces. Many people were also comparing results. Finally, the teacher called my name and I rushed forward to receive my paper, folding it so that I would not see the marks yet.

When I got back to my seat, I slowly unfold my test paper and a digit 2 was revealed (the total mark is 30). I was almost ecstatic. However, I would still get a B3 if the next digit is 0. According to our teacher, there were no one who score A1 and for A2, a miserable 1. I took a deep breath and the second digit was 1! I was even more ecstatic as I thought that I was the lucky one. Later, I learnt that there were at least 3 people who got an A2. Still, it was a commendable result for me.

Besides that, I was finally chosen by the teacher for the Current Affairs dicussion. Everytime the activity was carried out, I was never chosen although I had raised my hand every time, either Chinese or English.

During this afternoon, I went to play street soccer with my friends and some seniors at the futsal court. I managed to score a goal unexpectedly. This was my first goal in over a month. This was not strange actually, as I did not touch a football at all during the past three weeks of tests.

On the other hand, there were some less fortunate incidents which happened today. Together with my friend from another class, we were supposed to consult a teacher regarding a Chinese competition which clashed with the Sec 1 Annual Camp. The office was closed when we got there after school at 2:30 pm. We were unable to find the teacher earlier because our recess time are different.

Furthermore, while we were playing soccer, one of my friend accidentally hurt himself quite severely. We took him to the general office to receive treatment. After that, he would be sent to a clinic. We promised to be more careful when we play next time to avoid this kind of incidents to happen again.

Manchester United win Newcastle 2-1 today. That does not concern me too much but I think this might be the end of Liverpool's title dream. Sad. More (in a new window)

That's all for today. So, do you think I have a good day today? Or just the opposite? You can share your views in the comment box. Wait for my next post!

Wednesday, 4 March 2009

Liverpool 2 Sunderland 0

Finally, a Premiership victory for Liverpool.

Their Premier League title challenge was back on track with a 2-0 victory over Sunderland at Anfield. However, if rivals Man Utd succeeded in winning out-of-form Newcastle, their efforts would be wasted. Still, I am not complaining; I am trying to be positive but Liverpool do seem to have little hope of regaining the title.

The visitors almost took a shock lead in the 4' minute as the sides fought out a goalless in the first 45 minutes. David N'Gog's shot on 52 minutes broke the deadlock, while Yossi Benayoun's 65th-minute strike put the match beyond doubt, most of all mine.

This win gets Liverpool back to within 4 points of Premier League leaders Manchester United, albeit having played two more games than their rivals. If, just if, Man Utd lost to Newcastle, preferably a goal difference of more than 3, all could be well again.

Click on the following link for more information about this match: http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/football/premier-league/2008-2009/liverpool-sunderland-236899.html

Tuesday, 3 March 2009

LA Assignment - Does disable equals to unable? A story of Miss Oh Siew May

(Attn : Ms Gordon)

Today, on this hour, on this minute, on this particular second, I will be blogging about an article.

"Scaling one peak after another
She has cerebral palsy but has climbed Mt Kinabalu and written a book."

I will be sharing with you about this article. It can be founded in last Friday's(27th February 2009) The Straits Times, although this might be a little "outdated". I was moved and motivated by Miss Oh Siew May, aged 38, and how she overcomes her plight and succeeded in scaling the summit of Mount Kinabalu, East Malaysia, which is the tallest peak of Southeast Asia at 4,095 metres above sea level. Furthermore, she also published a book titled "Scaling Walls" to immense success, , with over 3,000 out of 5,000 copies sold when it was released.

This is a character-driven narrative as the story mainly relates about Miss Oh. She walks with an awkwardly and have problems with speaking. She was a born victim of cerebral palsy. As a result, she was an easy target for taunts, discrimination, etc. However, Miss Oh makes the decision not to wallow in self-pity, but live and chase dreams instead.

Most unfortunately for her, she is not the only one in her family to suffer from diseases. Various diseases have robbed her of her families and friends. One of her siblings once had a high fever causing the sibling to be mentally impaired. Her father and one of her friends, Lui Ming, who had a great impact on her life, succumbed to colon cancer.

Miss Oh became a victim of recession when she had to be let go as business of her company where she has been working as a clerk has suffered. In order to cope up, she had to have her own pushcart business in a shopping mall, selling knick-knacks. According to her, convincing employees and she is able and to take her in.

But she was not totally drained of luck, she met Lui Ming, who greatly inspired her greatly, died in 2005 at the age of 44. She and her daughter, Aurora encouraged Miss Oh in many different aspects. They even persuaded her to climb Mt Kinabalu and to write the book. Luckily for her, she has other friends who are willing to assist her. They include a motley group who rallied around her when the fate of her book was undecided last year. They pooled a total of $10,000 and formed a publishing company. Scaling Walls was published, thanks to their help.

Miss Oh's objectives of writing this book is to tell everyone that the disabled can be successful and the disabled must never-say-die and continue fighting to achieve their dreams. As a generous person in nature, She had donated some of the money earned by the selling of the books to the needy.

Ms.Oh has been a great inspiration to me. Most of us, I believe, will be motivated by just looking at what she has done. She has overcome more barriers and setbacks compare to others. Besides that, she also has some moral values like resilience and generosity that we should emulate.

Click here to view the full story.