Paul Scholes retires

This announcement came as no surprise. You could see it coming as Scholes was relegated to a squad player in the 2nd half of the season; in the misplaced passes when put under pressure.

But at 36, having given United fans so much joy in the years when he was spraying inch-perfect 60-yard passes, belting in 30-yard net busters and ghosting in to head the odd goal - we can hardly complain. And I'm glad that he got the chance to atone in 2008 for missing the 1999 Champions League final.

And I'm happy that he's joining the United coaches. More than skills, Scholes' eye for a killer pass and shot was an extension of a brilliant football brain - and I'm glad that he will be imparting some of that knowledge to United's youths.

Heck, I'll even miss the sight of Scholes getting a yellow or red card ....

Rent-seeking OK if everyone benefits ?

Seriously, is this guy running a state ?

Other than the fact that his comment validates a cop out for Malay 'businessmen', his definition of 'everybody' is very revealing. His statement that 'everybody' benefits infers that he considers 'everybody' to consist of only businessmen and rent-seekers.

Doesn't somebody have to pay in an Alibaba arrangement ? The taxpayer perhaps ? Us ? Or are government funds considered to be a piggy bank that Alibaba companies can withdraw from ? Doesn't somebody have to fill up the piggy bank ? Wouldn't that be us, the tax payers ?

vol. XII

Steamboat - imo, one of the best meals to get people together as a group

Sometimes it's so easy to get children occupied - and off the Playstation

in the right environment, even complete strangers can be friends ...

this looks absolutely beautiful on my handphone screen

say "Cheese!"

Body Paint

There we were - walking along Abbey Road looking for that historic and famous Abbey Road Studio. It was nowhere to be found. No surprise really, as we found out later that we had been walking in the wrong direction.

Being (slightly) lost wasn't really an issue for us. Wandering around trying to find our bearings has a charm all of it's own when one is travelling - unless one has a plane to catch !

But that little walk about brought it's own unexpected reward when this little beauty turned up :

I've seen cars painted and personalized, but this was and remains the most original idea I've seen yet. Wish I was behind that wheel !

fare thee well, Ollie ...

Now that Blackpool have been relegated, I have to confess that I'm going to miss their manager Ian Holloway. Blackpool were so skint, they didn't have any business being in the Premier League in the first place. But they were, and they stuck to their beliefs and played some very attractive attacking football. And all credit to their manager for that. Pity they couldn't defend to save their lives.

And I won't be the only one who will miss having Ian Holloway doing interviews. The guy was totally original. Here he is talking about Cristiano Ronaldo :

“He’s six foot something, fit as a flea, good looking – he’s got to have something wrong with him. Hopefully he’s hung like a hamster – That would make us all feel better. Having said that, me missus has got a pet hamster at home, and his cock’s massive.”

Blame it on the Heinz

A live performance can bring so much more to a song in so many ways. An instrumental solo - an extended jam - scatting - or in this case, a narration of the genesis of one of my favourite songs :

on Sight ...

Life is filled with simple pleasures - a walk in a park, the smell of coffee in the morning, a beautiful sunset, a heartfelt hug ....

We get so caught up in our busy, busy lives, we sometimes lose sight of that fact.

Catriona drew this bear 2 months ago while we were at a hypermarket. It was at a counter set up for kids to draw on cut-out bears and she had a lot of help from the single very helpful counter staff.

That bear's been in our bedroom ever since - a reminder of her happy 20 minutes.

A Winter's Tale

I remember where I first heard this. It was on a compilation made on tape by my cousin back in the 80's. Fabulous song. Makes frequent appearances when I compile playlists for songs of that genre/era.

it's just a shelf of vases

So the SPM results are out again; and despite Najib's promises of equal opportunity for overseas scholarships for the first 300 top scoring students, it seems like a case of same old, same old ....

Aren't we all the same ? Malaysians all ?

Apparently not. When I'm not busy being a pendatang, I'm a Chinese from Malaysia. With the occasional calls for 'balik Cina'. Except that the Chinese in China couldn't give a damn about overseas Chinese be they from Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia or Timbuktu.

Aren't we all the same ? Malaysians all ?

Have you ever met a Malay nationalist ? One who goes 'Hidup Melayu' rather than 'Hidup Malaysia' ? I was totally disgusted. So how do you think I feel about our Deputy Prime Minister who confesses that he is 'Malay first, Malaysian second' ? Knowing that he is next in line to be PM - isn't that reason enough to vote against Barisan Nasional ?

Aren't we the same ? Malaysians all ?

There was a time when the missionary schools were a melting pot where students of all races learned and lived together. Half my class mates were Malay and we got on very well. I spoke to them in pasar Malay and they spoke to me in English. We played football and we played truant together. It was great times and, frankly speaking, 1 Malaysia happened there long before Najib came up with that slogan.

That was then. Things have changed quite a lot since then.

But why ? Short or tall - Thin or fat - brown or black or yellow or peach - we all look the same when the lights are off.

Aren't we the same ?

Malaysians all ?

What is the secret of Donald Trump's hair ?

You've got to love it when stuff like this turns up. It's whimsical and yet it's the sort of question you can imagine being asked at a coffee table chinwag.

that Thin Line

Do you ever wonder whether the grass is greener on the other side ? When you're walking along that thin line and pondering whether to step off the edge and explore .....

Especially if your side - beautiful as it is - is filled with cold, hard stones ?

I wasn't thinking all that when I took this photo. I took it simply because I thought that it might look good.

It's still a pretty apt description.

The End of the Road

In the end, it just wasn't meant to be. Age and injuries did the Celtics in - with the biggest question being 'what if Rajon Rondo had been healthy ?' The series was closer than the score of 1-4 would suggest, with the Celtics level or leading into the last 6 minutes of 4 out of the 5 games. As it stands, this looks like the passing of an era in the NBA with all the remaining contenders being young teams. Except for Dallas - who are old, but have lost in the 1st round for the past few years (Go, Dirk!).

Stepping up to the plate will be GM Trader Ainge. Will he keep the core for one last hurrah in 2012, or will he blow it all up to rebuild ? I think that he will go for that one last hurrah but he'll have to be extremely inventive to build a team that's capable of challenging, and beating, the new teams on the block.

9th May 2011

Loot at what the heat wave brought home today.

Cabaret

Finding KLpac on Saturday proved to be an absolute chore as we were not particularly familiar with Sentul. We were going around in circles even with Google map. This being Malaysia, signboards were rather haphazard - for KLpac, there was just one small sign with miniscule writing right at the entrance of a big gate with prominently showed "HO". So it wasn't a wonder that we were late for a local production of :

Once there, getting in was also a problem. Apparently it was corporate night and local corporation Berjaya had bought up all the tickets. Now, I thought that the tickets I purchased was for that night's performance - but I couldn't be certain. So there was a predicament. We weren't keen on going back any other day (commitments, commitments ....) but we couldn't get in either ...

That was until a 50-ish gentleman gave a call "anybody want tickets ?"

Eventually, we took him up on his offer, thanked him and watched the performance.

It was a decent show. We didn't have any complaints. But what I remember most about Cabaret isn't the performance, or the fact that parts of it were echoed in the "Chicago" movie musical. What I remember most is that gentleman giving us his tickets for free.

Adding another chapter to the legacy ...

Take a good look at this video clip. Or maybe not, if you're squeamish ...



That's a dislocated elbow right there for the Celtic's All-Star point guard Rajon Rondo.

I winced every time I looked at it. Who could imagine that he would be back 10 minuted later to play the last 12 minutes of the game ? With his left arm hanging by his side ? Essentially catching, dribbling and passing the ball with only his right hand ?

It was a must win game in the playoffs. KG and Pierce had the outstanding performances. But this game will be remembered primarily for the toughness Rondo displayed in returning to the game after that injury.

Just another chapter to add to the Celtics folklore .....

vol. XI

Balik Pulau, Penang

One of the things I miss most is being around an extended family. Here in Puchong, we're pretty much all alone - the very definition of a nuclear family. We've got friends ........ but they've got their own families and extended families - so the girl doesn't have cousins to play with and we've had to pretty much set up a self sustaining schedule to fit everything in.

So when we were in Penang last week and had a chance to meet up with some of my cousins whom I had not met for a very, very long time .... it felt like rolling back time to an age when gatherings with that particular extended family were a regular occurrence (they moved out of Malaysia some 15-20 years ago). The adults had their dinners and the children had a paddle in a stream.

It's a pity that the girl does not know what it's like to live grow up in an extended family environment. It's one of the things I wish for her....