Happy Labour Day.

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

Lunch.

At 3.15pm.
2 guys sporting tees, berms and slippers sitting amongst the well dressed office crowd at subway in Amara Hotel.
Talking about stuff from Beckham's tattoos to wine cocktails.

Enjoyed the walk.

Guru.

The New York Post labelled it as India's Citizen Kane

Not everyone had great comments,
But I enjoyed every moment.
I think Mani Ratnam's the best story teller India has to offer with the best cinematographer by his side in Rajiv Menon.
Abishek and Aishwarya Rai (the newly wedded couple) are the leads.

3.02am

I know she'll wake me at 11.15 tomorrow and tell me her final paper is finally done n over with.

My wrists still smell of perfumes thanks to todays shopping.

My nephew looks cuter than ever.

It's nice to know that when I return on the 1st Im gonna be watching the game there and will be back home the next day.

I'm a month away from hitting the one year mark.

I just watched Mani Ratnam's guru and loved every moment.

Tonight Im a truely happy man.
Good night.
I feel loved.

5 women.

Okay yes the saying goes, "Women like looking at women and men like looking at women too."

I'll agree guys might buy things with a lady on it, but not a football. ESPN hired 5 new female presenters for various shows, I'm yet to see all of them but Ive seen 2 and I'm really disappointed.

Presenter No. 1 - Jamie Yeo
Nokia Football Crazy is getting dumber by the episode and Jamie should quit trying to spit the facts she memorised hours earlier and start learning about the game of football. Seriously here's a tip: guys tuned into a football show aren't looking for race queens here, we are looking for facts, so cut the poses and stop combing your hair on screen and start saying something smart.

Sheikh H. guys already hate you for marrying A. Francis, I'm sad you lost your job at 987 cause you stink on the show too, your spastic laughter irritates the hell outta me and I think you should spend your time trying to release another flop album. Cause trying to sound Hip Hop on a football show works nowhere in the world.

Presenter No. 2 - A Dumb Blond as pointed out by Nivi
I read about her on some magazine in which she claimed she was a presenter on a Real Madrid highlight show and that she spent a season in their locker room knowing things inside out, claiming to have impressed many guys with her knowledge and drinking abilities on the road. I thought she'd be good.

But what I saw on tv was yet another disaster, sounding truly dumb and she actually posed a smile just before the break, which got all three of us really feeling sick. She returned after the break no better.

Back to the magazine I read, she claimed Victoria Becks didn't get along too well with her and Im not surprised cause her knowledge didn't reflect a person who spent her time talking about football for a season.

"If you don't like us, don't watch us." read the header on life today. A gentle reminder, we arent talking about their cutesy blogs or their songs here, we are talking about football, frankly I dont expect to see them around next season unless ESPN's got a real ego problem. It's like someone coming to your house and telling you not to look at them if you don't like them.

As I told Nivi n Funky, thank god these clowns didn't land a seat beside John Dykes taking over the likes of Shebby Singh (who is dumb but suddenly looks good) and the great Jamie Reeves. But wait! their excuse for not knowing anything about football is that they aren't pundits but rather presenters. I wonder if they've heard the name John Dykes cause I think a football presenter should know his facts and have the ability to ask interesting questions rather than backup what others say with a truly awkward smile.

With the cost of the sports package rising, I hope Im not paying more to see clowns parading on my tv.

I'm not being a chauvinist here, I think we have female friends who'd fit the bill better with their knowledge about football as compared to these jokers, I mean I dont think looks matter for a football presenter. We dont see Dykes splashed all over Mens Health or something, do we?

Im really disappointed.

You'll Never Walk Alone.

And so I wake up the morning after Liverpool lost away to Chelsea.
Im not confident of going through frankly unless something special happens.
And I tune to Star World in time to catch this:

Maybe it's a sign.
We'll see in a week.

The Struggle.

In summer 2004, 2 managers were asked to resign or rather TOLD to resign.

One was Gerrard Houllier, a man who failed to return to his best following his bypass despite having won a treble previously.

The other was Claudio Ranieri, the victim of a Russian massacre at Stamford Bridge despite having landed the blues to the runners up spot in the premiership.

In came two legends in the making...

One a former translator at Barcelona, the other a former youth coach at Real Madrid.


Jose Mourinho (left)

He came fresh after winning the Champions League with the unexpected Porto. Managed Chelsea to the premiership title during his first and second season at the club. The Champions league eluded him thanks to the "ghost goal" Garcia scored, which he has been whining about till this very day.

He can't get along with any of the top four managers thanks to his direct comments insulting everyone from the referees to the FA.

He has been enjoying the riches of the Russian Billionaire bringing in the likes of Ballack, Robben and Shevchenko.

Rafa Benitez (Right)

He came fresh after winning the less prestigious UEFA Cup and also stole the La Liga from the hands of the likes of Barca and Real. Won the Champions League coming back from 3-0 down in his first season and the FA Cup in his second.

One of the better liked managers cause he doesn't ruffle others feathers or as the NS term goes, he doesn't "stir shit".

Benitez on the other hand had to live with budget transfers for his first two seasons and for once will enjoy this summer, thanks to the American war chest which has just been handed to him.

Forget Sir Alex and Wenger, they've been around for so long that you'd know they are gifted. I think the introduction of Rafa and Jose's what the EPL just needed, a silent master tactician who stuns the continental giants and a bitter tongue that makes the European papers daily.

For once, the Italians and Spaniards have conceded that the best league at present lives in England, some claim it's C. Ronaldo that's getting England all the praise. I think it's the injection of two brilliant managers.

I think it is managers who keep a league at its best and not its soldiers. Look at Ronaldinho, crowned king by the media last season, this season the media turned around and branded him fat.

No matter how much we hate Mourinho, I don't want him to leave, it wouldn't just be a loss to Chelsea, but rather the entire league.

When you give yourself away.

Sometimes I wish I grew in the 80s or early 90s when Singapore was not as developed, when hand phones didn't exist, when skinny wasn't in, when music made much more sense, when Liverpool dominated football, when Depechemode came down here, when the visit to the Bird Park was such a big deal, when the Omni max theatre was something out of this world, when City Hall was in, when the Malaysian Cup was around, when the Satay Club was alive, when people collected stamps and phone cards, when kids loved the 20 cents tube of flavored frozen water, when gum was still allowed, when there were just 2 MRT lines, when everyone was still younger and finally when I was just learning my first footsteps.

I think it's the cough mixture.

Clinic.

And so the self medication failed to work and I ended up rushing to the clinic in the morning to get myself enough pills to keep me asleep for days.

The typical flu elements have been bugging me and my temperature just dropped a little after an ultra long sleep.

2 days of MC by the way.

Semis.

And so the two master tacticians clash again.
Insticts tell me pool will get through this round, maybe im just bias.
The first leg will be crutial and this is when suddenly form no longer matters.

Im surprised Jose's yet to start nagging, but it will come in time.
Then again Im starting to love Chelsea... infact anyone but the english team involved in the other semi final clash.

Suffer Well.

Not so horrible a suffering but Im down with a flu.
Atleast that's what I think.

Ive skipped the MO and have settled for a pack of Panadol for Cold Relief from the nearby 7 Eleven. Im gonna sleep.

Paulaner Bräuhaus

Following the feature in Life! with regards to micro breweries in Singapore, Funky, Nivi n I headed to the Paulaner Bräuhaus at Millenia Walk. For once I didnt feel full after downing a litre worth of beer. Pretty smooth and just nice to my buds Id say. Maybe the sides cost a bomb though, but the wedges were good stuff.

A pretty decent live band + live soccer on the plasmas + some ultra cool company + being intoxicated = an excellent evening.

I met Funky at my airbase for lunch the other day and we were already discussing which brewery to head to next.

L and R

Who'd have even thought white earphones would be in till these came around thanks to Apple? Yes almost everyone wears em on the train and maybe its an easy way to recognise that one is holding onto an ipod without seeing the player itself, but Ive given up on them seriously.

First I suffered from loads of distortion even before my volume was increased anywhere close to max and yes after a wee bit too much of cupid's chokehold blasting through em, the bass in it totally died and the music started sounding pathetic n started frustrating me real bad.

So needing an urgent substitution for my ultra long train rides to Tengah airbase, I settled for a super old pair of Aiwa buddies which were lying around and boy was I amazed, I just cant stop thinking about how good the sound would be if I grab hold of a new pair of earphones.

I dont know what Im gonna buy, but I know they wont be white.

Words.

I Love You.

I think the term is too overwhelming whenever used.

I Like you.

I don't know, I think it sounds so much less lustful and pleasing to the ears.

And so I asked my mom the meaning of love and she said it in an instance as though she saw my question coming, "It's something the people of today never do understand."

United?

So the Manchester United fans that traumatised my 90s went into hiding for a few years thanks to the riches of a Russian divorcee...

Last night as I sat watching the 7-1 thrashing in camp and feeling all pist at the useless italians, a message came through at that weird hour.

It read: Bila Bila Man U! We will win the champions league!

As stupid as the message sounded, I pray we win it for a 6th time.

On a different front, the prospect of meeting chelski again?

As I told Nivi today: "Bring it on!"

Fall.

A simple game of footie in camp.

I snatch the ball n close in on goal.

I'm tripped from the back sending me flying forward, my instincts take over and I reach out with both hands towards the "road surfaced flooring".

I ignore the concerned team mates as I get up and hobble off knowing my game was over.

A split-opened palm. All for the love of the game.

Click.

Goodnight Lovers.

A few months back I posted the lyrics of this song, here's the video from the live concert in Milan.

"When you're born a lover,
you're born to suffer...

like all soul sisters n soul brothers."