Happy New Year!!

Goodbye 2009! Welcome to 2010!!!

To all my relatives and friends, here's wishing you great health, wealth and luck for the coming year! May everyone be in the pink of health as that is the greatest Wealth ever!!!

And may Arsenal bring home the Premiership trophy that we missed for some years.
Go Gunners!!!

My New Year Resolution

I resolve to help more people in the coming year. And for the first time, I already started!! hahaha....

For the past month or so, I have helped about 8 groups of tourists found along City Hall. Normally, I walk away but somehow, after helping the first tourist who approached me, I felt happy enough to entertain the thought of helping more.

One thing led to another and Nowadays, I do not hesitate to walk up to those furrowed looks over a map to tell them what to do or where to go around City Hall.

Do I dare to call myself the City Hall Cavalier? hahahaa... Not yet. Not until I help 100 groups in total. Hope I can fulfill my reslotuion this year.
:)

A hearty lunch...

As I drifted into the peaceful environment of a holiday mood office, I guess that there is little impetus to push issues through other than to catch up with some of the more mundane or pressing stuff.

The hours flew by as I grapple with the administrative issues before Lunch time beckons. Somehow ZAM ZAM murtabak and bryani crept into my mind and I quietly requested my dear colleague to fetch us there... :) Ever the gracious lady (Thank you, Ah min!), she readily agreed and 6 of us packed into her car and zipped along to North Bridge Road....

Once we negotiated the parking, which incidently was the first trip for Suhaila in a lift for cars, we arrived at ZAM ZAM ravaged by hunger. Orders flew in and we waited impatiently for our briyani-s and murtabak to come.

Strangly, the chicken briyani were not really up to standard (though still nice). A tad disappointing to say... Thankfully, the Murtabak is a God-sent as we quickly whacked the huge piece away.. hahahaa.... ever the glutton of me, I ordered another 2 egg and 2 koso prata which I thgt were of the normal side. Lo and behold when the pratas came, the size took everyone by surprise. HUGE !!!! Much as we tried, we were unable to finish all of the orders but it is suffice to say, we did not waste much.......

All in all, a Hearty Lunch.. and it sure feels good to have good company for a good lunch.

Merry Christmas and A Happy New year!!!

Merry Christmas to all my friends and wishing you a great year ahead!

and a special merry christmas to my new addition, baby Ray! Grow up strong and well!
:)

Birth of a Gunner!

Hi everyone,

Its been a crazy 5 days with the birth of my a new Gunner. My son, Ray Chong was born on the 16th of Dec 2009. Weighing in at 3.19kg and length of 53 cm, he has the assets of a striker like his daddy. hahahaa... i dream too much....but hopefully he will be a star striker one day.

The past 5 days has been crazy and yet, strangely rewarding in many ways. We met many kind individuals along the way who help us cope with the arrival of baby Ray. I really have to thank the many kind nurses at KKH who helped us with the many questions we have. Also, have to thank my brothers and sisters who calmed my nerves while I was waiting for the emergency Ceasarian after the natural way failed to materialised for my wife.

Staying the private room at KKH was wonderful.. I just wondering how much is the bomb at the end of 3 weeks which they will drop to my mailbox..

Bringing Ray home is only the beginning of our journey, but I am sure we will walk strongly together on this road and I hope to bring him proudly along the way.

Go young Gunner!!!

Weird behaviour by MRT passenger

i was travelling on the other MRT on the other day. It was a busy evening and the seats are all taken. A pregnant lady stood beside me and I signalled with my eyes to this fit and healthy guy who was occupying the reserved seat. Well, guess what? He ignored me and went back to his Sudoku.

As i was about to open my mouth and ask the man to get up, the lady sitting beside him asked the preggy lady if she like to have a seat. Well guess what? The pregnant lady just nodded her head. No words of thanks or even a smile or something. She even went back to her handphone and ignored the kind soul who gave up her seat.

All these happened within a few seconds. I was like dont know what to say or do... So is the pregnant lady worth the effort? I only felt sorry for the kind soul who gave up her seat. The guy is shitty and the pregnant lady is too presumptious..

sigh... life sucks in a unglamorous environment...

Wonderful Dim Sum

I had a wonderful Dim sum dinner last night with the Mrs, my bro, Samuel and my sis, Jenn at Swee Choon Tim Sum at Jalan Besar.

This was my 2nd trip there as they now rest on Tues (latest update not available on most website) and I unfortunately went on a Tues the first time.

Anyway, back to the FOOD!!! Glorious I tell you!! And the best part is you have DIM SUM at night!! how cool is that!!?!?! From 6 pm all the way to 10 am, this place serve some of the best Dim sum i have tasted....

The "Zhao Pai Cai " must be the mee sua Cake. The ingenious frying of the mee sua into this juicy pancake-like dim sum is really a stroke of genious. Just blogging about it set my saliva going again!! Damn cool loh....

The xiao long bao is bigger than normal at a reasonable price! The best part is of course the soup! after you 'open' the bao and start sucking at the juice, i tell you, its one heavenly taste that you dont wish for it to finish! We finished up 8 baos together.

There was a very special dish of fried brinjal with meat floss. Its somehow fried until so hot but not shown. amazing no indication of how hot they were until it reaches your tongue. you being warned!

I think in all we ordered like 20 over plates in total of har kao, siew mai, luo mai kai, fried banana, mango pudding, green bean soup, fried prawn, carrot cake, zhu chang fen etc etc..... the funny part is that all the normal stuff are not so good (i.e har kao and siew mai) but the not so common dim sum are absolutely WONDERFUL!....

Definitely worth another round ! What say you ppl?!

Quote of the Week

Silence is sometimes more painful than rejection.


A friend told me this quote. If you think hard enough, you can really feel his pain.
shucks...

Arsenal lost... 1-0 to Sunderland

The effects of the internationals took its toll on our players as the team started without Gibbs, RVP or AA. The rest of the players look tired especially the CBs; i guess that explains why Darren Bent had a 2nd chance at finishing off his opportunity.

Almunia once again proved that he is a bit slow and off when it comes to games against smaller team. Lack of motivati00on or too easy at times that he switched off? not an easy riddle to sort...

Dudu is still very rusty and is no ready made substitute for RVP. Nasri, Rosicky and Walcott are all not ready as their injury period out made them raw with one another and look like lost sheeps on the pitch....

I can only hope that we would be ready in a week's time for the big showdown against chelski

Go Gunners!!!

Eve of my CIPS paper...

The days of mugging is reaching its end as I faced my first 2 papers tomorrow.
Stressed? yah.. a bit..
excited? yah.. a bit
Cant wait to get it over with? Hell, LOTS!!

Lets do it... Bring it on...!!! I want to ACE it!!!


must put a special thanks to my dearest junita tan.. as she answered my stupid question on credit period. (financial ratios that dont make any sense at all... )... Thanks you sister,, for picking up my call all the way in France.. Hope you have a good working trip there...

Day 6 of the studying....

I have almost finish reading the whole 5 books for the first time! hahaa....

6 days without oxygen is bad....
Jia you bah! Almost to the finishing line....

:)

STUDY STUDY STUDY!

I would be having 5 exam papers on 16 - 18 Nov 2009 for my certification in the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply.

Its such a different experience to study for an exam after so many years. The experience in purchasing work does help, but the brain is quite rusty in the mathematical department. haha.....

Why am i doing this? All in the name of upgrading i guess..... but it is sure interesting to study something that I am actually interested in.

Some say i have set the standard too low and I should have gone straight to the diploma or Master... hmmm... maybe I like to start slow. And it is sure good to find some work life balance to enrich the soul....

hahaa... i am philosophical today...

RVP is the best striker in the BPL now!

Wenger believes RVP is the best striker in the league now!
Not sure if he really means it or its to booast RVP confidence!

but RVP is sure hitting a good form now with 8 goals so far!
yeaH!!

Go Gunners!!!

CURSE THE damn Uncle who stole a parking lot from a pregnant lady!

Today (1st of Nov 09), Me and the Mrs were on our way to a Karoake session at Teo Heng in Katong Shoppping center.

As it was a Sunday, we thought we should save some parking $$ to go into the baby fund. We reached Ean Kiam Place at around 140 pm. As the karoake was at 2 pm, I was sure we can find a parking lot by then.

sadly, luck was not with us... a full 8 mins or so passed before i spied a car coming out from my rear view mirror. As we happily back towards it, this blue MPV-like car came from behind. (Really shitty. I shd have noted down his car number). As he was in a more strategic position, he slotted in his piece of shit into the lot after it was emptied.

I got down and reasoned with him, telling him that we have waited a long time for this lot. He answered, " call police, then." What the shit!!! After that, I told him my pregnant wife in my car and he is fighting with a pregnant woman for the parking! you know what he said, " he say Lan Qiao" which to the unknown means DICK! in hokkien...

Great! Start all the expletives. I gave him my well kept vocal of hokkien verse also. Trust him to fight with a pregnant lady for a lot that we should have!! he has no respect for his mother, his wife (if any) and his daughters (if any!!!) To HELL with you!!! you will get your just deserve!!!

To the Old piece of shit with the blue car that stole my parking lot on 1st Nov 2009, 150 pm at Ean Kiam Place in Katong, i sincerely hope you get your just deserves. Nobody bullies my wife and get away with it.

Thank god, i drove straight to katong shopping parking after that and we got into our karaoke in time... or else, that old piece of shit could have spoiled more than a parking lot space......

Arsenal vs Spurs

Tonight, we will host our arch rival down the road.
Almunia will play. Nasri will play some part. AA, Fabregas and RVP will torture Spurs!

In addition, harry redknapp added spice to the game by claiming that Arsenal cant win the BPL title. I hope this will fire the boys up! And lets win BIG. 3-0 to the Arsenal.

Go Gunners!!!

Quote of the week

This week quote of the week is contributed by my "Xue Di" : Gim Yeow

When referring to an issue at work, his ex boss said to his colleague:

"This is NOT an egg! Dont sit on it!"

Totally cool statement.
:)

Arsenal vs West Ham: The Aftermath....

First of all, i am devastated. the one thing that Sagna reminded all his teammates not to do and we did it: We switched off after a 2-0 lead.

Points of contention:
1) not going for the jugular and killing off the opposition. Wenger reminded us again of this in his post match conference.
2) AA having a listless night. At his age, he shd have to gain some level of consistency if he wants to win all the trophies
3) No quality passes or crosses for the strikers
4) Fabregas completely switiching off after the 2-0 lead. He did not help in the defence at all.
5) Diaby holding and holding the ball... And not defending at all. HELLO!!! wake up and start defending till the last min. Isnt the lesson at AZ a good enough reminder?
6) Eboue is not a striker. Play 4-3-3 with Bendtner or Dudu in his place. To be fair to Eboue, he had a decent game but he cant shoot at all. Also, I noticed he has bulked up so this kid has grown up and has put in hard work.
7) Mannone is to blame for the first goal. Rule no 1: Push out and over OR push away from goal. NOT push into the 6 yard box.
8) Lastly, I HATE giving up the chance to TOP THE TABLE!!! This is sickening...!!!

Baby P.... Gone to a better place....

I just watched this clip on a very very very sad story.... of an innocent young boy...... and the atrocities done to him..... i hope his torturers rot in hell!!

The link is below. Be warned. Watch it somewhere comfortable as you may start bursting into tears.....

http://media.causes.com/570929

The Mrs Birthday!

It has been a wonderful week of celebrating the Mrs birthday. Food food food galore!!!..
hahhaaa... yesterday being the actual day, we had a small dinner with jus the two of us.

After the italian, japanese, chinese etc... meals that we had for the week, I had to come up with something special to outshine the rest of the choices.

Out pops Doong Ji Korean Restuarant at East Coast Road. Wonderful is the word... or shd i say awesome...

The starters were great, the drinks great and I must say i like the chosen Ginseng chicken soup and Bimbibah.... We ate so much for 2 ppl (haha.. maybe 3 with baby).....

Check out the photos below:

Quote of the Week

Human beings are like Angel fish....
They start to bite when they reach puberty.....

Is it time for Wenger to deliver?

With all the pressure building over the past four years for Arsene Wenger to deliver a trophy, Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis has upped the stakes by saying that the board expects a trophy. And they expect it NOW. This season!No more buts or “great potential” talk. So is it time for Wenger’s team to deliver? Or rather, is it time for Wenger to deliver?

The potential in the current Arsenal team is never in doubt. From the young Vito Mannone at the back to the equally young Theo Walcott up front, coupled with the even younger Jack Wilshere and Aaron Ramsay in midfield, nobody would openly question the talent that has been showcased over the years. The question has always been: “Will all this talent translate into trophies?”

The last pieces of the puzzle seemed to be fixed this season when Wenger sold the troublesome Emmanuel Adebayor and bought Andrei Arshavin (last January) and Thomas Vermaelen.
Then Wenger stunned everybody by selling Kolo Toure too! It seemed like a mystery, but the general consensus is that Wenger chose William Gallas and some cash over Toure to achieve peace in the dressing room.

Mind you, the team started the season well enough with an amazing 6-1 win at Goodison Park and decent wins until the two Manchester weekends rocked the confidence of the young team.
They have since steadied themselves with the last win sealed by a fabulous Fabregas performance in the 6-2 demolition of Blackburn Rovers.

Having said all of this, does this team have what it takes to last the season and win some trophies? The answer is a resounding “YES”. The time is now! The team deserve it.
Mannone has displayed his maturity and is a candidate to challenge Manuel Almunia for the No.1 jersey ahead of Lucasz Fabianski. The defence is in great form with Vermaelen proving to be an astute buy by Wenger.

A stunning return of five goals have made the Dutchman the top scorer in the team. With Gallas, Gael Clichy and Bacary Sagna providing the stability from previous season, this is a defence that can hold out for the title.

In midfield and attack, Wenger has employed an exciting 3-3 formation not unlike the one used by Barcelona. With Cesc Fabregas liberated from defensive duties, the likes of Robin van Persie, Arshavin, Walcott, Nicklas Bendtner and Eduardo take turns to torture different teams into submission.

No doubt, this formation will require a very hard-working defensive midfielder, a job filled by Alex Song at the moment. Song is a raw diamond but I believe this will be the season when he steps out of the shadow of a certain Patrick Vieira.

Finally, the return of the wily and experience Czech midfielder has given us a cool head to deal with things. Tomas Rosicky dictates the play whenever he has the ball and gives Fabregas so much support that it is a true joy to watch them play together.

If this team stays injury free, I believe we will be able to grab a few trophies.
Go Gunners!

Starhub vs Singtel; Who suffers?

The scoreboard points to a Singtel Victory. But who actually suffers?

For those in the woods on what I am talking about, the recent winning bid in Singapore for the television rights for the BPL games were won over from cable providers Starhub to Singtel. As many of us are tied to long term contracts with Starhub, it may be necessary to install two cable boxes in our houses.

Competition should bring improvements and also to slash prices for the consumers at large. Instead, this competition has led to more inconvenients and most likely more expenses ($$$$) to the innocent consumers........

Plus the tie up in also mobile phones and internet connection, the loss to a starhub subscriber may also include the loss of discounts from hubber club benefits.

Battle of the Goliaths... and Davids suffer......

Arsenal vs Blackburn

We host Blackburn this Sunday with hopes that Walcott will finally make his appearance for this season.Blackburn arrives in Ashburton on the back of an impressive win over Villa. The good news is that the Emirates Stadium is not a happy hunting ground for Blackburn Rovers. The Lancashire side have conceded 12 goals in three Premier League appearances here.

Big Sam may have wave his magic wand with Bolton but the wand seems a bit malfunction (hope it stays like this) at the moment with Blackburn. Nonetheless, they are solid at the back and David Dunn will be their man in the middle.

We should have Walcott and Bendtner back in the team. However, we have lost Eduardo to a groin injury suffered during the Greek CL game. Nasri and Fabianski continue their recovery from injuries.Man of the match-Mannone will once again deputise between the posts as Blondie is still out with his mysterious virus.

I expect a tough game with us finally winning after many crunching tackles to win 3-1.

GO Gunners!!!

Foreign talent in Singapore

I had my Ikea delivery of a Chest of drawers yesterday.......

The first 2 delivery man were Singaporean Malays. Once the packaging was opened, the top shelf is found to be dented and one corner chipped. i asked for a new one but the delivery guy insisted to fix it up. He said no problem sure can change. Just hold on to this for a few days.. yaddar.. yaddar...... yadddar..... all sorts of excuse andd talk cot to get it over with and move on....... regardless of my views.....

When they finished, the other guy asked me to sign the delivery form which i firmly refused. He just went,"ok, dont sign, dont sign.. its ok..." with a very sickening attitude.... I was deeply appalled at his attitude and just managed to keep my cool and sent them out.....

Once they are gone, I called the delivery team and got to speak with a very nice lady named March. Not sure where she is from (i certainly hope she is Singaporean!!) but after some ding dong, she managed to get another delivery within the same day so that I need not be at home for another day...

2 hours later, a very polite CHINA chinese guy came knocking at my door. He was very polite and very efficient. He explained to me what he is going to do and reassured me that it wont take more than 10 mins. With well polished efficiency, everything was settled within 5 mins. I was totally impressed. I thank the young lad and was of course super happy with my brand new perfect looking chest of drawers.

After the dusk settle, I asked myself, " Is this why we need foreign talent?" Is this the reason why we as Singaporeans are too contented and lazy that we have fallen behind? sad but true?
I wonder, wonder ,,,... wonder......................

Quote of the week

Love your past
Feel your present
Embrace your future.....

:)

F1 $10 mil Toto

Results of the Formula 1 $10 mil Toto draw
2
4
22
29
31
39

Additional number: 37

Any lucky winners?

Arsenal vs Wigan: Preview

This Saturday, we return to the comfort of our home at the Emirates to host Wigan.After a rousing start to the season, we lost our way in Manchester by outplaying manure and losing while being outplayed by citeh.2 defeats out of the first 4 games is not championship winning form. The season must start now and I am afraid to say, there is no more margin for errors and there is no more defeats that we can afford.

On the injury front, only AA has a chance of making it on Saturday but I dont think we shd risk him again. Walcott, Nasri and Almunia are still out along with the long term injured guys.

Come on gunners!!I say a big win. 4-0 to the Arsenal!

Man City versus Arsenal: The aftermath

The build up to the Manchester city versus Arsenal was full of speculation and talks of revenge and a certain Judas. The match itself was very entertaining with 6 goals while the aftermath is even more though provoking as the devil spreads its wing.

The greedy money grubber in the form of a certain individual named Emmanuel Adebayor showed he is more than just a materialistic idiot. His motor mouth goes hand in hand with his obnoxious attitude and ungrateful nature. No wonder he had to talk before the match, during the match and even AFTER the match. A Judas to all Arsenal fans and a reminder for all how malicious he can be when he stomp his studs into Robin Van Persie's face. How ironic that the commitee awarded the man of the match to Adebayor. I wonder if it was for the face crashing stomp.

If we look back at the match, there were a couple of talking points. Lady Luck was on City's side when a soft looking header from Lescott hit the post and bounce back off the head of Almunia into the Arsenal net. The city fans may think that is skill but to the honest eye, I dont think the materialistic former Everton defender knew what he was doing.

After the lacklastre first half, the match came to life only after Denilson was substituted with the lively Rosicky. RVP proved that there is life after Ade with a brilliant turn and shot past Givens to equalise for Arsenal. As the Gunners start to dominate as they seek the winner, the incidents piled up to make every second of the match so exciting and emotional.

Ade decided to leave his studs mark on RVP face, baring a few centimetres which would have blinded the Dutch forward for life. Then Wright Philips dribbled down the flank and cross for a Craig Bellamy shot that Blondie failed to save. As much as I dont like the Welsh striker, he was very hardworking and ingenious on the pitch. Applause for his goal.

Then, Gareth Barry handled in the penalty box which the blind officials failed to pick up. At 2-1, a penalty would have given Arsenal the chance to equalise and go on to win the match. The decibal level went off the mark when Ade score the third goal with a header. The motor mouth idiot then ran all the way to the other side of the field to remostrate to the Arsenal fans! It incited scrimages in the stands and certainly deserve a ban from the FA. If Eduardo get a two match ban for a 'dive' that he did not even asked for a penalty, Ade should be ban for 25 games for inciting crowd trouble and a career ending stomp for a fellow professional.

3-1 up and the match was sealed with a Wright Philip goal as the Gunners went for broke and left gaps at the back. Rosicky did mark his first appearance in a league game for over a year with a consolation goal but RVP hit the post and Bendtner skied most of his attempt to leave Manchester empty handed again.

As a Gunner, this loss means we have lost 2 matches to potential title challengers. It also gives tremendous confidence to Mark Hughes side and also threaten to put a mark over our amazing start to the season. The season starts now!! If we dont get our walking wounded (Walcott, Nasri and Arshavin) back in the team or make some signings in the January transfer window, I am afraid we wont be laughing much in May 2010.

Citeh vs Arsenal

This Saturday, we travel to manchester again but this time to the blue side to face a very rich Citeh overflowing with Arab money,......

Our squad is depleted and with an already very thin roaster, I dare say we shd try to put some youngsters in!... hahaa..

Jokes aside, injuries look terrible with Nasri, AA, Djourou, Vela, Fabianski and Walcott out. The good news is we might be able to play Rosicky for a half or so..... and captain fabulous is back.Citeh is on fire at the moment with Ade in red hot form.

As there are a few big men in the team, expect them to go jostling at Almunia when the corners and freekicks come flying in.Expect Wenger to stick with a 4-3-3 formation

Almunia
Sagna, Gallas, Vermaelen, Clichy
Song, DenilsonFabregas
Bendtner, RVP
Eduardo

I predict a 1-1 draw.
Hope the gunners prove me wrong and beat the shit out of Citeh
GO Gunners!!!

Quote of the week

Why dwell on the past when the future is within your grasp?

Unfortunately, many of us do not see this... including myself...
So i will try to take the brave step forward.

Go Gunner!!!

The Mrs is sick...

Been a rough day... the Mrs is down with suspected food poisoning.... after the initial diarrhoea... the vomiting was quite a hassle as it comes without warning....

In the end, she puked 5 times.... only 1 time was successfully into the plastic bag while the rest is everywhere....

Well.. you guessed it. I have to clean up everything... Not that I was complaining.. but was more worried about her and baby...

Hope they wake up fine tomorrow.

Gambate!!!

3 Question marks to Arsenal quest for glory

As Arsenal is brought down to earth by our physical and defensive fragilities, the same critics who a week ago was declaring Arsenal a winning team have changed their voices to a nearly team.

Which definition fit yours? Is the current team a winning team or a nearly team? What factors or personnel can change the course of this team at this moment of the league run?
In my mind, barring any injuries or new signings (if ever), the three most volatile players in this current team would be Arshavin, Diaby and Almunia or ADA collectively. While Fabregas, RVP and Gallas can be depended on week-in and week-out to play at the highest level, ADA’s performances can fluctuate from brilliant to despairing. Depending on how ADA plays, they can influence the outcome of the trophy cabinets in the Emirates stadium.

Almunia answered his critics last season with a solid season that gave him confidence to command the posts. It even led to suggestions that he could be the answer to England’s goalkeeping problems as he is eligible to play for England this season. His run of eight clean sheets in his first 11 appearance was cemented with a splendid stop from Robbie Keane’s spot kick to allow him to claim number one position in the fan’s heart. However, he began this season in quite horrible style.

He was out-jumped by Kaboul in the Portsmouth match to a high floating ball that any decent goalkeeper could have caught. As the game was held precariously at 2-1 after the goal, Almunia should have thanked the guys for sewing up the match for him. He was again caught out with his awareness and judgment when he came rushing out to give Rooney a chance to dive even though the Manchester united striker was going nowhere with the ball. Many fans wondered what he was doing rushing out like a mad dog. I think Almunia was still thinking about that when he failed to come out and claim the high cross which was eventually headed in by a totally confused Diaby for an exquisite own goal. It is a simple communication process of shouting, “My Ball!” and coming out for it.

Will Almunia rise to his levels of last season or will he sink to the depths of being sold? Will Fabianski or Mannone step up and give Almunia a reminder that the number 1 shirt needs to be earn on merit and not age? Almunia himself should know consistent performances from an experienced keeper are the key to trophies.

What about Diaby? This lad can make you cry in pain or make you scream for joy. As shown in the Portsmouth game, he can single handedly destroyed a team with his silky skills and powerful runs. However, his lack of concentration is also evident when he inexplicitly flicked the ball home with his head for United under no pressure at all. Much like the Sound of Music song of “What do you do with a girl like Maria….?”, I often scratch my head and wonder, “What do you do with a player like Diaby?”

This is a player who was deemed to be the next Patrick Vieira and who captained France Under-19s to success in the 2005 European Championship. At 23 years old, he is the most appropriate player to fit into the mould of the central midfielder to complement Fabregas vision. However, his inconsistency and injury-plagued career has left many gunners pulling their hair out in frustration when one looks at the output of this raw diamond.

He was purring at the start of the season until that own goal marred an otherwise perfect start to the season. He actually had a chance to redeem himself straight away after his own goal with a brillant shimmy that left two United defenders gasping at air. However, when one on one with Ben Foster, Diaby shot wide and missed out on a chance for hero-ship. Will the young Frenchman recovered from this setback or will the own goal haunt him for the rest of the season? The way he reacts will play a great part in determining the success of the Arsenal team on the pitch.

The greatest enigma will be on the shoulders of a certain Russian named Andrey Arshavin. Captain of the Russian side and at the age of 28, his experience in winning leagues and cups put him in a great position to help this team to greatness. His four goal exploit against Liverpool at Anfield also made him an instant cult hero among the Arsenal supporters. Arshavin is truly a world class player capable of winning games on his own.

So what is wrong with Arshavin? In the past few games, he did not looked happy. Even when he scored his thunderbolt against United, his happiness seemed muted with a definitive stare at the bench instead of true happiness which was seen at Anfield last season. The murmurs on the tax structure by Arshavin’s agent and also the claims that Arshavin is only a 20 minute player did not add to a happy background at all.

Will Arshavin become the destabilizing factor similar to the then-captain of Gallas? Or will he rise to the occasion like the ex-captain Gallas? Which player will we see? I sure hope he will match the exploits of Gallas this season and contribute more goals with his Russian torpedoes.

With the spine of the Arsenal team in place, these 3 players will play a crucial or cursory part to assist the spine in search of titles. Will they destroy the team with their performances or will they rise to the challenge of the game? For the sake of Gooners around the world, I hope it’s the latter that will materialize.

Man U vs Arsenal - The match officials won

All the match officials were against us. They cannot spot a real penalty but they can spot a marginal offside.......

Its quite sad to see an emotional Wenger cheering for the last min goal only to be told that it is disallowed for offside and then be sent off because he kick a bottle which was in the way.even the commentator say it is ridiculous that the referee waste time by trying to force wenger out of the area into the stands when he has NO way to go.

MIKE DEAN is a MANURE fan. He has shown it a few times already. The FA shd go after such referees!! Go after Rooney instead of Eduardo as he dived faster than Eduardo did!!! The blody ball was going out somemore!!!

What a horrible few days for me personally...
sigh...

Arsenalisation!

is it Wenger or someone that coined the term: Arsenalisation? well.. not important where it came from but very important what it stands for...

The Arsenalisation of the Emirates is to fill the stadium with memories and more.. to create history and memories for many gooners just like what Highbury did for us. To do so, we jolly well fill up the cabinets with trophies.

After a brilliant start with 3 wins, 12 goals for and 2 against, we are ready to roll. That is IF injuries do not derail our focus. So much excitment for me and I am so looking forward to settling the 2nd leg of the CL qualifier against Celtic tomorrow and then the BIG game against Man U on Saturday.

With our new found team spirit, we will find our way and hopefully lift some trophies this season!
Go Gunners!!!

Quote of the week

Train Station = Where train stops
Bus Station = Where Bus stops
Work Station = Where work stops!!!

:)

Celtic vs Arsenal

Tonight, we take a short trip up north to scotland.

With Rosicky, Nasri and Djourou confirmed out and with Fabregas, Walcott, Sagna and Denilson listed as doubtful, the injury bug of last season continues to haunt us.

But with the $$$$ at stake and our reputation on the line, i expect no less than a win from the young ones.

Watch for a 2-0 for Arsenal.

GO GUNNERS!!!

bad day yesterday...

17 Aug 2009....
found some dent/scratch marks on the passenger side on my Ah blue...
dont know who is the mean guy who made the holes..... as the marks are white, they stick out in the blue background of my car...
sigh...

also, accusations of my work integrity has not been retorted although it is common knowledge that the accuser is at fault.... .... as the chinese will say, must "see open"...

Life is suckie at the moment...

Everton vs Arsenal 1-6

Amazing score as the gunners rip everton apart.
6 goals in a first game!! never heard of and never expected as more than half of the world condemn Arsenal before the start of the season....

Are we going to bang bang bang?
You bet your last dollar on it.

Sure makes going to office on a monday morning much easier...

Go Gunners!!!

4 days left to the BPL start...

Cant wait for it to start. Come on, you gunners!!!

for the rest who have been following my countdown on my forum,

4 days left....

4 is the number that makes up our defence in front of the keeper. And there is where our biggest worries are.....

Quote of the Week

A streetfighter should return to where he fights best: The street......

Is the current Arsenal Team strong enough to win the Barclay Premier League?

The dust has just settled down on a turbulent transfer season for Arsenal. But the questioning of the team’s ability and potential has just started to brew.

Wenger has delighted Arsenal fans worldwide with the capture of the captain of Ajax within the early weeks of the transfer window. Thomas Vermaelen may not be a household name yet but he does come with strong credentials as a captain with leadership and experience at international level. With his capture, the gunners were set for a strong assault on the title with the hole in the back plugged with a strong trio of Gallas, Toure and Vermaelen.

Then amazingly, Le Boss started dismantling the team. First, he sold Adebayor to a direct rival, Manchester City. Then, to make matters worse, he removed the rock in our defence with the sale of the last of the Invincible, King Kolo Toure. To who? To Manchester City, where a surprised Mark Hughes rubbed his hands in glee for capturing two leading players from Arsenal at half the price of a certain whinny Ronaldo. The amount paid for the two stars hardly made a dent in the vast fortune of the Middle Eastern owners.

Why has Le Boss done so? Why has he removed the African connection that he single-handedly built? Nobody knows but everyone is guessing. The more important question raised is that is this current Arsenal team strong enough to challenge for the Barclay Premier League (BPL) title? I guess this time round, even the most optimistic Gooner has to think twice before saying yes.

In the pre-season Emirates Cup, the team shown that we have strength in depth in attack. With a forward line of Robin Van Persie, Eduardo and Arshavin, well supplied by Fabregas, Rosicky and maybe a certain Jack Wilshere, Arsenal’s attack can be the best in the world when we are on song. The problem lies in defence and the defensive midfield position.

Our two full backs can be world class going forward and tracking and tackling back with speed. However, when the ball is crossed in, we do not have the height or body mass to push the opposition out. As Le Boss once pointed out, if any team plays football with us, we will beat them. The story will be different when the opposition plays shut up the store and aerial attack the base.

So, is the current Arsenal team strong enough to win the BPL? In my opinion, we need one more signing in the form of a gigantic yet mobile and experienced defensive midfielder or center back to beef up the hole in the centre. With such a signing and together with the team staying healthy throughout the season, we will make a decisive run and bring back the BPL title back to the home of football.

Emirates Cup

Arsenal won their first game in the Emirates Cup with a very lucky 2-1 win over A. Madrid. Arshavin score 2 goals in the last 5 mins to secure the win while our leaky defence once again shown that it is capable of leaking goals.

Tonight we face Rangers with a win to secure the Cup.

Go GUnners!!!

Szombathelyi Haladas 0- 5 Arsenal

Great Show by our gunners by a healthy scoreline of 5 goals to nothing....

Dudu celebrated his first pre-season appearance of the 2009/10 campaign with a classy brace as Arsenal brushed aside Szombathelyi Haladas 5-0 in Hungary.It had been rumoured that Dudu was injured and would miss the first two months of the season.

Nicklas Bendtner also poached a pair before the interval while RVP converted another penalty.

So looking forward to the new season...

Go Gunners!!!

Who will drop out of the top 4?

As we moved into the last stage of the transfer market and head towards pre-season, it is anybody’s guess if there is any team that can break the stranglehold of the top 4 teams in the premier league.

On paper, it seems that Manchester United has lost the most stability with the loss of whining king Ronaldo and bulldog Tevez. With their departure, they also lost the bulk of their goal scoring ability as they share 23 league goals between them.

More importantly, the £80 million pounds earned from the sale of whiny translated into a skilful winger (Valencia) with not many goals and erratic form and a has-been (Owen) wishing for a miraculous recovery under red nose. With due respect for Sir red nose, I seriously think this team is worse off than last year’s cast.

Chelsea, on the other hand, seemed to have done a U-turn on its transfer policy. However, the change in approach has not turned out any significant signing as new coach Ancelotti tries to exert his Italian influence into the Russian bought team. All of Abramovich money could buy is a left back named Zhirkov for £18 million for a position that is adequately filled by a certain Cashly Cole; and a back up keeper from a relegated team. These signings hardly signaled an intention to conquer the premiership again.

Of course, one could argue that nobody left from this Chelsea team. Together with a new coach and unity again within the team, the team is very strong with the likes of Drogba, Anelka finishing the assists from Lampard and hopefully, a fit again Joe Cole. If they managed to keep John Terry shielded from Manchester City approach and Cavalho away from his former mentor (Mourinho), the Chelsea defence can still be formidable if Cech plays to his best form.

Now what about Liverpool? The team that came desperately close last season with their great show of form in the last third of the season has shown great resolve to keep their team together. Benitez is holding tightly to his holding midfielders of Alonso (interest from Madrid) and Mascherano (interest from Barcelona). If my crystal ball is correct, Alonso should get his wish to join the “great project” at Madrid and then Benitez has to scramble for another defensive midfielder to cover for Mascherano.

The financial muscle of Manchester City has been flecked at the stingy board of Arsenal. With £25 million, they secured the services of the money faced Adebayor. It is no question that he could be a 30 goal a season striker but he has also shown that he is capable of being offside for 30 times in one game. It’s a deal that benefited both Arsenal (remove of the consistent rumor of Ade’s departure) and the player (stop grabbing money, you greedy guy).

What has Wenger do to improve the squad from last season? He plugged the big hole in defence with the captain of Ajax. With the capture of Thomas Varmaelen and the growing maturity of Djourou and Sendereos, it can be said that the center back problems of last season should be a thing of last season. What is still missing is the capture of an imposing defensive midfielder. As evidently shown last season, we have not replaced our former defensive star of Patrick Vieria or Edu or even Ray Parlour to a certain extent. Arsenal needed bite and strength and direction in midfield to ensure that the collapse of last season is not replicated.

All said, I believe next season will be tough for the top 4 to remain there. The main contenders to break into the Champion league circle will be Villa, Manchester City and Tottenham. After the dust is settled, I still believe that Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United and Chelsea will remain standing (and in the order I wrote) in the top 4.

Ah Blue

Finally... I managed to take some photos of my new car. Check out Ah Blue!! SJR4014X

Countdown to the new season.....

In the midst of all the transfer rumours and nonsense, I believe I should start a countdown to the new season... 30 days to the first game against everton on the 15th of August...

So lets start with...
30+ players at Real Madrid.. more than a dozen are available.. and it sure wont hurt if Huntelaar replaces Adebayor...

:)

Quote of the week

A long awaited return....

Quote of this week by my good friend, Mr Jimmy Ang.

Courage is like a muscle....
You strengthen it with use!

My Arsenal Team of 2009/2010 season

The promise of the 2008/2009 season came and passed. With so much promise in the young team, the addition of a certain Samir Nasri made us believe that we had what it took to win a trophy since 2005.

What we never counted on was the lost of players to our very thin squad. Coupled with an amazing outburst by former captain Gallas and a long term injury to new captain Fabregas, the young squad was not able to overcome the instability and lost its way early in the season. It took 4 months or so to stabilize the ship and we went on an effective unbeaten streak but did not have enough experience or form to bring back the trophies.

So what do I think we need for the new season? A new coach? No way, Wenger is the man. A new stadium? Well, the Emirates does seemed unlucky for us but its not going to happen so lets forget about it. New players? Yes, we need and we need 2 in my opinion without considering any sale of player.

First up is the big hole in our central defence. There is no Adams or Keown or Bould to scream, shout or cajole the young ones to watch their men during corners. There is no Patrick Vieira or Edu or Parlour to cover for the defence when counter-attacked. We need a big strong guy and Haageland fits the bill. The Norway captain is 6 foot 5, imposing and has leadership quality. He is experienced in the Barclay’s Premier League and certainly fits the shape of a center back; not unlike Adams.

The next position is the defensive midfielder position. A couple of names come to mind such as Esteban Cambiasso, Sulley Muntari and Miguel Veloso. A lot of people may be shocked by my choices but realistically, Arsenal does not have the financial power to fight off other rich clubs if we went for the other names such as Alonso, Sneijder or Mascherano. Between the mentioned 3 choices, Veloso would be a great choice to add to the team if he could get used to living in London. The problem with trying to get Cambiasso is the same issue of acclimatizing while at the same time, Inter might not be willing to sell their defensive midfielders. In an ideal world, with the combination of luck and fortune, I would be able to get Muntari and he would sit right in front of the defense like a wall and give support to our playmaker, Fabregas. In addition, I believe Song will learn a thing or two off the beast.

With the purchase of these 2 key players, I certainly hope for good fortune in the injury front. Nobody would have known what the outcome of our title run is if Rosicky, Eduardo, Fabregas, Gallas and Adebayor were not out for such a long time. In fact, Rosicky was out for the whole of last season and still listed as doubtful for the start of next season.

All said, my first team for the 2009/10 will be (starting from goalkeeper and right to left): Almunia, Sagna, Toure, Haageland, Clichy, Walcott, Fabregas, Muntari, Nasri, Adebayor and Arshavin. On the bench, we will have RVP, Song, Vela, Gallas, Bendtner and Mannone.

With this team, I believe we can win the title and possibly one of the cups as the hunger is there. Mixed with a bit of skill and experience, we can bring back the glorious years.
Go Arsenal!!!

The Ronaldo issue.

Ronaldo is set for Real in an amazing £80 mil deal. The contract details are so stunning that it seems he will get half a million every week by playing soccer or even NOT playing...

I mean the prick is skillful and good etc.. but surely, one man cannot make a team. if you top up the £80 mil to £100 mil, you can actually get a whole club. i.e Newcastle United.

This deal raised many questions in the soccer world. Is a player really worth so much? Can or should a player earn so much? Should there be a transfer limit and salary cap set? Where in the world does one club get so much money? What is the impact of such a STAR player on a team? The list goes on and on....

As much as I hate Ronaldo, what if some desperate club decide to send a destroyer on Ronaldo? A player who is worth £50,000 and is very envious of Ronaldo's fortune. His only job is to chop Ronaldo into pieces. I think this will happen either sooner or later...

The soccer world is going crazy and Platini is screaming for rules. And this time... I truly support him.

The legacy of Rickmobile....

after selling my rickmobile, we were given a nasty surprise tonight when we received the notification of a summon.

AGAIN, it was for infringing into a bus lane on the 21st of May....

well... last present from my car.. Ex-car.....

Last Day of My Opel Combo Van (The Rickmobile)

Tomorrow, I will be handing over my little silver Opel Combo.... After 5 1/2 years, the little beauty has fulfilled its job scope and done its best for the Chong family.....

Its has been great fun and lots of memories to bring along from the Rickmobile.... I guess many of my friends and colleagues that has enjoyed riding in it can also vouch for them. Well, there will always be time for the union to end.......

The Mrs and I said goodbye to rickmobile for the last time and cleared all our stuff for it for one last time and off the engine...

Good job, mate and I will remember you fondly.....

My Australia Trip..... Fun Fun Fun!!! Day 11

One more day?!?

no lah... just a wake up call at 5 am and a ride to the airport at 545 am to catch out 8 am flight back to home sweet home......

:)

My Australia Trip..... Fun Fun Fun!!! Day 10

Oh No! its the last day.... 10th of may....

For the last day we took a day trip so as to be more relaxed.... The bus picked us up from the hotel and our first stop was at Featherdale Wildlife Park. Its really cool as we were up close and touched Koala bears and Kangeroos for the first time... Feeding the kangaroos were also quite fun as they whack the ice cream cones with very sharp teeth!

My personnal favourite was the Wombat. But i was not able to touch it as they were apparently dangerous..... Look so cute.. but well, better listen to the experts......

After the pleasant time in the wildlife reserves, we proceed on to the 3 sisters at the Famous Blue Mountain. In the cold air up in the mountains, one ponders about life and the mysteries it brings....

We were brought to the Scenic World around the Blue Mountain region and had our first buffet lunch in Australia. The spread was reasonable although not fantastic, we also had our first taste of kangaroo meat. Quite similar to chicken, i must say.....

The scenic World is a really nice Rainforest area and we had a cable car ride, tram ride and skyway to enjoy. All scenario stuff to enjoy and a slow walk in the rain forest (on elevated planks) was quite nice...

The tour bus brought us to the river where we board the RiverCat on our way back to Sydney Harbour Bay........... A short bus ride brought us to our dinner place and we reach out hotel after dinner tired and totally happy to have concluded a memorable trip to Australia......

Good bye, Mate!

My Australia Trip..... Fun Fun Fun!!! Day 9

We woke up to a bright and sunny day. Once dressed, we made our way to our first stop, The Rocks. It is located in the Sydney Harbour Bay area. As it is a weekend, the weekend market was on and we went around with great interest to look at the ang moh "pasar malam".

At the sydney harbour bay, of course, you can see the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the famous Sydney Opera House. And Of course, we were busy snapping away (in the hot sun) happily like happy tourists. hahahaa....

After a few 'thousand' photos, we went in search of a branch of Pancakes on the Rocks (pardon the pun). Highly recommended by our friend for its delicious pancakes, we were not disappointed. The pancakes are well done with lots of tension and 'passion' thrown into the mixture. It was a delicious branch encounter.... if i dare say it, the best we had in Australia so far... After branch, we board the ferry towards Manly. Its a nice beach tpwn that is not too far away and we enjoyed a nice walk around, eating ice cream, watching the surfing, feeling the damn cold sea and generally relaxing and forgetting all the problems in the world.

We went home tired but very happy that day.....

:)

My Australia Trip..... Fun Fun Fun!!! Day 8

Our First Day in Sydney! As we wake up to our Krusty Kream Donut breakfast, I was looking forward to a fun filled day ahead.















The first stop was at the Sydney Fish Market. We took the Light rail who had a stop there. Boy oh Boy oh Boy!!! Seafood Galore!! After stooping around for a while, we started the feast with some cooked fresh prawns.






Fresh is the word! And all around the market, there were tons of fresh seafood. There are many people rushing around to buy the delicious stuff to satisfy their tastebuds.


Check out the oyster bars!! Cool like dont know what as the staff pop open the oysters with experienced flicks of their knife.

There are also live crabs and live lobsters for you to purchase and buy. We really saw a few lobsters that are BIGGER than little girls. OR in chinese, " Long Xia Da Guo Xiao Nu Hai!!!"






We ate till we almost burst with seafood. hahahaa.......



Next up is shopping!!! lots of shopping as we arrive at Paddy's Haymarket (near China town). We bought a lot of souvenirs and stuff. It was a pretty big place and lots of different types of stuff to buy. In the end, we carried bags of T-shirts, magnets, shot glasses, key chains etc etc......back into our hotels before we can come out again. Lucky we forecast this and bought an unlimited train ride ticket for the day.


After a short rest, we were back up on our feet and on our way to Darling Harbour. Darling Harbour is a nice shopping place beside the sea with lots of attractions. I only had eyes for one as the Mrs dutifully accompanied me into the Sydney Aquarium!


Once inside the aquarium, i was lost in my favourite world. Nothing distracts me more than fishes. We spend almost 3 hours inside as the beautiful world of the underworld whirls around us with Dugongs, Sharks, Sea Turtles, Lobsters, Crabs, Penguins and tons and tons of fish...... No need to write more... Check out the photos.....

After the aquarium tour, we walked around Darling Harbour and had our dinner at this little japanese place. Not too fantastic though.. so i cant remember the name of the restaurant. hahahaa...

As it was Darling harbour's 21st Anniversary, there is a fireworks display scheduled that evening. A bit of an extravagant display, but hey! What's not to be done to lift the gloomy recession mood..... Very very nice though and truly enjoyable.... and a great way to round off the day.... (albeit we did one short stop for some food at Chinatown... was really tempted by the tou hwa that night... hahahaaahaha....)