ABOUT ME

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

Friday, 26 June 2009

Blog Prompt 4 - My favourite part in Village by the Sea

My favourite part in the story would be the ending. Not surprisingly, this is again a happy ending, not unlike from most stories, if not all.

Firstly, it was Diwali and Hari had come back from Bombay. His mother and sisters missed him a lot, and were certainly glad to have him back. Hari had become more independent and grown-up, and went to Alibagh to fetch his mother, who had recovered from her illness, which brings me to my next point. The mother had suffered a bad case anemia and was extremely severe, but the de Silvas brought her to the hospital, and she was finally cured. She would be able to fulfill her role as a mother then.

Furthermore, the father had given up drinking and turned over a new leaf, when he found out that the mother was in the hospital. He realized his mistake, and the impact of it on his family. I believed he was truly sorry for what he had done. Therefore, he would start performing his duty as a father of four children.

Besides that, the future of the family is bright. Hari’ watch mending skill would bring a steady income for the family, when lots of townspeople came to Thul to work in the factories. Meantime, they could set up a poultry farm, which would be the first and successful too. Hari’s father could also find himself a job. In a nutshell, they did not have to worry about financial difficulties.

Well, the ending is close to perfect, thus it is my favourite part in Village by the Sea. What about you?

Sunday, 14 June 2009

Blog Prompt 3 - My favourite character in Village by the Sea

I believe everyone has his or her own favourite character in any book. In Village by the Sea, I encountered difficulties in choosing my most favourite character. In other words, I had no definite favourites in the book. I pondered over this for quite a while, and came up with Mr Panwallah.

Most of the time, the favourite character will be the protagonist, which in this case, is Hari. Nevertheless, I admired Mr Panwallah for many reasons. He is Hari's most significant benefactor. Besides teaching him how to mend watches, he also looked upon him as a close friend. He was the one who suggested Hari to sleep in the park, which made his life a lot easier. His generosity could not be denied. He taught Hari watch mending skills without charging him a cent. When Hari started mending watches, he made customers pay Hari, though the money should be rightfully his. He also bring Hari out on Coconut Day, and buy him things.

Most importantly, it was Mr Panwallah who changed Hari's mindset. "The wheel turns and turns and turns, it never stops and stands still." This made a great impact on Hari. Mr Panwallah told him that change is inevitable, and we should embrace it, instead of evading it. He also suggested to Hari of opening a poultry farm back in Thul, thus making him more confident and assured of his future.

Furthermore, Mr Panwallah had garnered much respect and made a good impression on everyone, particularly his neighbours. This can be seen when he was sick. Everyone was concerned and took turn to care for him.

In conclusion, Mr Panwallah is my favourite character in Village by the Sea. Frankly, he simply had no faults at all, thus could be described as perfect, and I had learned a lot from him. Therefore, he is worthy of the place of my favourite character.

Thursday, 11 June 2009

Blog Prompt 2 - I rather be the city rat than the country rat

Being a city rat has its advantages and disadvantages, so does a country rat. Thus, I decided to compare the pros and cons of living in the city and the country.


City Rat

Firstly, the technology is more progressive. The standard of living is definitely higher compared to the countryside. This is partly because the city is close to all amenities, hence life is more convenient. A city rat has the advantage of having better access to shops, food, internet, etc. Besides that, getting from one place from another is easier, since there are more means of transport. The city rat will have better accommodation too. A city rat will also receive better education, as the level of education is significantly higher, and people will consistently improve because of the competitive community. There are also more jobs opportunities in the city too.

However, pollution is severe in the city. Air pollution, water pollution, sound pollution and land pollution caused by irresponsible acts deteriorate our health. In addition, crimes occurred frequently. People lived in a constant fear of being robbed, kidnapped, etc. Most importantly, city rats lead fast-paced and stressful lives, resulting in many affected by mental illness.


Country Rat

In contrast, pollution and crimes rarely occurred in the city. People lead a peaceful, relaxed and healthier life. Furthermore, relationships between people are much better. For instance, country rats recognise almost everyone in the village, unlike city rats who are too occupied with their respective responsibilities.

The technology in the country is not so advanced. Life is not so convenient compared to country rats as they have limited access to shops, hospitals, etc. They also face the problem of lack of resources. The education received in the country is not as good as the city. There are also limited jobs available.


In conclusion, I prefer to be a city rat as being one is more beneficial as compared to a country rat. What about you? Please comment.

Wednesday, 10 June 2009

Blog Prompt 1 - The book that impacted on my father the most

Recently, I interviewed my father about the book that made an impact on his life the most. According to him, the family condition during his childhood days were bad, thus he could hardly afford any books. However, there was one book which intrigued and affected him a lot -- Rich Dad Poor Dad, by Robert Kiyosaki and Sharon Letcher.

Below is a picture of the book :

In the book, there were two dads. One dad was highly educated and intelligent; he had completed four years of undergraduate work in less than two years. He then went to universities to do his advanced studies on full financial scholarships. Meanwhile, 'my' other dad never finished his eighth grade. Both were successful in their careers, working hard and diligently, and earned substantial incomes.


However, one dad struggled financially all his life and the other dad would become one of the richest men in Hawaii. One died leaving tens of millions of dollars to his family, charities, etc. On the other hand, the other left a legacy of unpaid bills. Both men were strong, charismatic, and influential. Both offered 'me' advice, but they were very different. Both had extremely different perspective on the subject of money. For instance, one would say, "The love of money is the root of all evil," while the other, "The lack of money is the root of all evil."


The book touches on/state that :

  • the value of financial intelligence
  • corporations spend first before paying taxes, while individuals must pay taxes first
  • that corporations are artificial entities that everyone is able to use, but most of the time the poor don't know how

"The poor and middle class work hard for their money. The Rich have their money work hard for them." This is one of my father's favourite quote in the book. Through this book, he realises the importance of money and how to "make money work" for him. Therefore, the book Rich Dad Poor Dad made a great impact in my father's live.


Below are some links which I find relevant to Rich Dad Poor Dad :


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

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Liverpool 5 named by Spain

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

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