1st day in England

This is what I scribbled on a receipt when we first arrived at Stansted Airport in England and were waiting for the bus to Manchester :

13/5/10 @ 2330 UK :

Had tomato and basil soup with focaccia bread at Ponti's @ Stansted Airport. When they played 'Silencio' by Trio Los Panchos, it felt like we were having soup at home in Saraka.

It was just a moment. I'll relate the rest in photos.

M sleeping @ Ponti's, Stansted Aiport

Our room at Premier Inn.

This budget hotel actually had Sir Alex officiating their opening ceremony.

Just to show how far Premier Inn was from Old Trafford - all of 200 meters.

We had traditional fish & chips along the road for lunch.

The place was filled with Man Utd photos & signatures from Utd players.

I decided to re-enact a photo that was taken in 1999

the 1999 photo

this statue was opposite Old Trafford's main entrance

inside Old Trafford

groupie

Sir Matt Busby

Sir Alex Ferguson - and a famous photo

in the press conference room

Eric Cantona

for the 98/99 season Treble

Unfortunately, the dugouts, tunnel and players changing room were off-limits on the day we were there as Audi was using the facilities as part of their sponsorship deal. We ended up visiting the directors' facilities and press room instead.

there was a wall which showed when players joined United's first team squad

at the room commemorating the Munich crash

It is said that the streets of London are paved with gold.

The street leading to Old Trafford is paved with players' names.

leaving for London the next morning

Play of the NBA season ?

Having been off line for over a week while in England, I was very happy to have internet access at the last hostel we stayed in on our trip. Not that there wasn't access at the other places we stayed in, which all provided wifi, but as I hadn't brought along a laptop, I had been offline for over a week.

And the first chance I had, I checked on the Boston Celtics.

And they're not only still surviving in the NBA playoffs, they're absolutely thriving !

When I checked, the Celtics were 2-0 up in a best of 7 games Eastern Conference Final and had one leg in the NBA Finals and a chance to win it all. When I got off the plane on my return flight to KL, the Celtics had won game #3 and are now in position to win the series against the Orlando Magic in a few hours time.

And one play in particular in game 3 has caught the eye of anybody who follows the NBA :

It's quite an incredible play - to dive onto the floor and grab the basketball right off the opponent's shoe laces - having started off from a few feet behind said opponent.........

And to put it in context : the Celtics were already up 34-17 in this game having won the first 2 games. They were already cruising at this stage.

As KG put it, this was a pure 'I-want-it-more-than-you' play. And Ray Allen had a really good perspective : "It's one thing to have the ball and make something miraculous happen, but not having the ball and making something miraculous happen ?"

Make no mistake. The Celtics are proving that they're still a force to contend with as the Big Three are healthy and playing well in this year's playoffs, but the best player on their team right now, as he has been all season, is one Rajon Rondo.

Another List

Things I'll miss when in England :

* The kitten

currently insists on being carried in this manner as she pretends that she's a dog

* Checking on the Boston Celtics in the NBA playoffs.

An old team who had problems with injuries and getting motivated during the regular season have suddenly transformed into a serious contender for the NBA title. Currently holding a 3-2 lead on the Cleveland Cavaliers, the team with the best record in the NBA regular season, in the semifinals of the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Led by a mercurial young point guard in Rajon Rondo, who is making a case for being the best player on this year's team roster. And the Big Three of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen.

Would love to be along for the ride. Hopefully, they'll still be playing when I get back.

* Bayern Munich playing in the final of the Champions League

I'll be in a plane on the return trip so I'll miss the live telecast.

* the Internet

Offline most of the time. I'll survive.


No, I won't miss being at work. Or my family and friends as we've gotten used to being separated for short periods of time. They will survive.

On the bright side, Old Trafford here we come ! :-)

A list

I came across this rather interesting list and thought that I'd share it :

Truths for Mature People

Kids' Corner

We were at MidValley on Saturday and happened to bump into my cousin who was on a flying visit to KL. Looking at her little girl, Isabelle, and Catriona - I'm reminded of conversation that we used to have on the two girls.

The two girls are quite alike - with both loving books, having loads of stuffed toys and both have learned to weave fantastical stories. It's a pity that they don't get to meet more often.

Happy Mother's Day !

The first time Catriona went up on stage for a performance, we were caught off guard because she had not indicated that she was going to join in the performance. Consequently, we didn't get a video of that debut performance. That was during Easter this year.

The second time Catriona went on stage, we were also caught off guard. But for a very different reason this time. She's the furthest on the right, bottom row.

Dust if you must

I had received this mail some times ago, still feel it is appropriate to sum up bit of my philosophy about housekeeping. LOL.
>LADIES!!! Remember...a layer of dust protects the Wood beneath it.

'A house becomes a home when you can write 'I love you' on the furniture .'

I used to spend at least 8 hours every weekend making sure things were just perfect - 'in case someone came over'
Finally I realized one day that no-one came over; they were all out living life and having fun!

NOW,when people visit, I don't have to explain the 'condition' of my home
They are more interested in hearing about the things I've been doing while I was away living life and having fun.
If you haven't figured this out yet, please heed this advice.

Life is short. Enjoy it!

Dust if you must .......
but wouldn't it be better to paint a picture or write a letter, bake cookies or a cake and lick the spoon or plant a seed,
ponder the difference between want and need?

Dust if you must, but there's not much time . . . .
there are rivers to swim and mountains to climb , music to hear and books to read, friends to cherish and life to lead.

Dust if you must,
but the world's out there with the sun in your eyes, the wind in your hair, a flutter of snow, a shower of rain. This day will not come around, again.

Dust if you must , but bear in mind, old age will come and it's not kind. . .

And when you go - and go you must - you, yourself will make more dust!
It's not what you gather , but what you scatter that tells what kind of life you have lived.

best countries in which to be a mother

So i read this article about best countries in which to be a mother in Yahoo news and some shocking truth,

"A woman in the Unites States is more than five times as likely as a woman in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Greece or Italy to die from pregnancy-related causes in her lifetime and her risk of maternal death is nearly 10-fold that of a woman in Ireland,"the resport said.

REALLY? Bosnia? Who would have thought that?

That make me wonder how is Malaysian women will rank in this statistic and I manage to find the whole list. The list has divided 125 countries into 3 tiers, the more developed, less developed and least developed countries. Of course as much as our katak di bawah tempurung government continue to think that we are a developed country.....well we are not. So i found Malaysia in tier 2 and rank number 38 among 77 countries!!! Not toooooo bad. :-( but when you see who is ranked higher than you will really go mad; Cuba (1), Israel (2), South Africa(16) really!!!!! Ok, ok may be we shouldn't compare with the countries so far away, look at our own neighbor first, Thailand (11), Vietnam (31)!!!!!!! =:=

The women index rank even lower at no 45. The "Mothers' Index" is highlighted in Save the Children's State of the World's Mothers 2010 report, which examines the many ways women working on the front lines of health care are helping to save the lives of mothers, newborns and young children, and makes an urgent call to increase the number of front-line health workers in the world's poorest nations. Wow... how we have been treated!!! Aiz....

But very strangely, I couldn't find our favourite neighbor in the list?!!

Nikon D90

Some of the shots from Bangsar trip, using a Nikon D90 which the photographer manage to set the setting as vivid plus. =:=

the Treble is On...

Deja vu.

Not sure how many people have noticed, but this season mirrors the 98/99 season when Manchester United won their Treble, and Bayern Munich just missed out on one of their own. This season sees both Inter Milan and Bayern Munich still on course for a Treble.

Inter Milan still control their destiny in the Serie A and are in the final of the Coppa Italia, whereas Bayern Munich have practically won the Bundesliga and are in the final of the DFB-Pokal. Both teams, of course, will be playing in the final of the Champions League.

So, now that Manchester United have been eliminated from the Champions League, I'm hoping that Bayern Munich go on to win the Treble. I have a soft spot for them as Bayern were the first team I supported way back when I was 7 years old. I've since switched allegiance to Man Utd but I still look out for Bayern's results.

the aptly nicknamed pair of Robbery - Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben

As an item of interest, Jose Mourinho used to work as Louis van Gaal's translator when the latter was the manager at Barcelona. So they meet again - with Mourinho having an inside track into van Gaal's footballing philosophy.

On another note, Real Madrid's recruitment drive of stars this season led to the sale of some stalwarts from the previous team, including one Wesley Sneijder and Arjen Robben. Both these players are now starring for their new teams - Inter Milan and Bayern Munich. Real have long since departed the Champions League. Those two must be rubbing their hands in glee at what's transpired.

Memories are made of these...

The e-mail title was Reunion for 2010 - and one of my class mates gave his take, shown below :

It's hard to imagine that it's been 28 years ago that I woke up in Coronation with Colgate on my cock ......

Yes, the things that one remembers about one's school days.....

Coronation was the venue where Penang's scouts used to hold their camps. Colgate is a brand of toothpaste. As for the latter bit, that was an initiation rite practiced by Penang's scouts.

Worst Miss of the Century ?

"Worst Miss of the Century" - a bit of hyperbole, I thought. But check it out for yourself. I had to see the slow-mo to really get it.