A Bridge Too Far...

Much had been said about the building of a new bridge to replace the old one which connects Malaysia's Johore Bahru and Singapore. The initiative started many years ago and recently the Malaysian government announced that they are not going ahead with the construction. Many supported the decision, but some had voiced out objections regarding this decision, including Malaysia's ex-prime minister, Tun Mahathir.
Personally, I support the decision to build the bridge to replace "Tambak Johor", but I do not agree with Singapore's request to sell them sand and for air space to be used for their air force training in lieu of the bridge. This is asking far too much and the Singaporeans had the cheek to voice out these requests.
Singapore knows that the new bridge will certainly benefit them in the long run, but I fail to understand their reason in making requests that Malaysia will not agree. The losers are Singapore. They are not very wise in maintaining a cordial bilateral relationship with Malaysia. Singapore must realise that their water supply depends on Malaysia and if we decide to block it one fine day, it is the Singaporeans that suffer. The Singaporean government is stubborn and a very proud one, I might say.
So, buck up, Singapore! Without Malaysia, you CANNOT survive!

Birmingham And West Brom Are Relegated

Birmingham City and West Bromwich Albion are relegated to the English Championship after Portsmouth secured a 2-1 away victory over Wigan Athletic. Sunderland had been relegated earlier. Meanwhile, the race for second place hots up when Liverpool secured a 3-1 win over Aston Villa, levelling the Kops with the Red Devils.

Chelsea Are Champions Of England Again!

Chelsea celebrated their second successive Premiership title after romping to a 3-0 win over their nearest challengers Manchester United at Stamford Bridge.

Jobhunt a.k.a. "Cari Rezeki"

It has been around six months since I last held a job. Although I am serving VIOBA Foundation as their honorary secretary, the honorarium paid out to me is just not sufficient to bear the cost of living of my family and I. I need to get a suitable steady job and get it sooner, rather than later. My mother has suggested that I register my CV with the local Labour Office and I will be doing this very soon. I need its location before I go to the office, though. Then, I need to try my luck with local job agencies that are available. Who knows that I might be able to land a suitable job. If you guys out there want to help me, I can e-mail my latest CV to you. I have more than 12 years working experience. My main working experience is in a commercial bank where I served in an administrative and operations capacity. I have a diploma in computer engineering, though I must admit that I have not been keeping up with the latest trends in technology, engineering and ICT. I am internet-savvy and have knowledge of all the basic Microsoft software. If you think you can help me, please e-mail me at akram98@pd.jaring.my . Your help is needed urgently.

Massimo Sends Boro Into Final

Massimo Maccarone was again Middlesbrough's UEFA Cup hero as his late goal sank Romania's Steaua Bucharest 4-2 (4-3 on aggregate) in the semi-final at the Riverside Stadium.

Gunners Face Barca In Euro Showpiece

Arsenal will face Barcelona in the Champions League final on May 17 after the Spaniards secured a 1-0 semi-final aggregate win over AC Milan.

Water Woes

I will remember 17th April 2006 forever.
On this day, the water supply to my apartment was blocked by the management office. Reason? My apartment's landlord had not settled the maintenance fees for the past ten months. I do not know why they did not settle the relevant fees, but I deplore their actions. After the water cut, there was still water running in my apartment's taps, thanks to the full water tank. However, on Thursday, my wife called me when I was out doing some assignments that there was no more water. I kept my cool and remembered that the only way we could get the water supply back to normal was to settle all outstanding maintenance fees. I called some close friends, but there were either unable or hesitant in lending me the cash. I promised them that I would pay back the following Monday when funds from a cheque I deposited cleared. Finally, I made a call to my sister in Penang and thank god she agreed to loan me the amount needed. True to her words, the money was credited into my account the following morning and immediately after withdrawing the cash, I settled the fees and my water supply was back to normal soon after. We can live without food for several days, but without water, we suffer faster.

Gunners Sink Yellow Submarine

Arsenal have reached the Champions League final after Jens Lehmann managed to save a controversial late penalty to secure a hard-fought 0-0 draw at Villarreal.

The Mokhtar Dahari Challenge Shield

The late footballer Mokhtar Dahari was once a feared striker for Malaysia. He had a knack for scoring goals and his midas touch put many opponents into fear. Mokhtar passed away many years back due to muscular dystrophy.
In his memory, the Victoria Institution Old Boys' Association (VIOBA) decided to name the existing inter-batch 7-a-side football tournament in his name. This year's Mokhtar Dahari Challenge Shield is the fourth in series, but only the second using his name.
April 22, 2006 saw 34 teams gathered at the Victoria Institution (VI) green, accompanied by family, friends and supporters. There were more than 500 people present. This tournament serves as a focal meeting point of the past students of VI. This is also the time to catch up with news, views and issues besides the aim of spending the weekend trying to play some football.
I am from the VI batch of 1981. After much deliberation, we decided to send two teams to compete. One is named Lajoo, the other, Xenon. We have Malay, Chinese and Indian players in our teams. A real muhibbah example to others. Prior to this tournament, a few training sessions were organized and some were committed enough to make it happen. I salute you guys for your commitment as I could not make it to any of these sessions.
Like last year, I played as the goalkeeper. This time, it was for Xenon, and not Lajoo. With no prior training and preparation, nothing much was expected of me. I tried my very best, but my best saw me concede four goals resulting in Xenon losing three out of the four matches played. My participation was sort of a last-minute decision. Hence, the ill-preparedness.
Lajoo did not fare better, losing twice and drawing twice. We were in different veteran's league groups and both of our teams sadly finished at the bottom, hence, failing to qualify for the quarter-finals.
However, we had much fun on and off the field. Yes, some of us had bruises, knocks etc. But, you cannot blame us for we are not young any more. Most of us are already 42 years old. So, expect the unexpected. Part of the blame lies in the various injuries suffered by players before and during the matches.
Naga, the fact that you flew all the way from India just to play here speaks volumes of your commitment and interest. See you again next year. Miera, thanks for coming. You really added spice to our atmospehere. Also, an advice to all of you. Don't despair! There's always the next year and we can try to win it with one gargantuan effort from all before age catches up with us.
For the record, batch 1982 upset the odds to win the veteran's league, while the super league champions were batch 1994. Now for the FIFA World Cup...

Hammers Meet Reds In FA Cup Final

A goal by Marlon Harewood saw West Ham United scrape past Middlesborough in the second FA Cup semi-final. The Hammers will certainly be underdogs as they face the might of Liverpool in the final at the Millenium Stadium in Cardiff. My bet is on Liverpool!

Tun Ghafar Baba Passes Away

Malaysian ex-Deputy Prime Minister, Tun Ghafar Baba, passed away at 7.35 a.m. today at Gleneagles Intan Hospital. He died of multiple complications of heart and kidney. Aged 81, Tun Ghafar will always be remembered for his humble attitude and his grass-roots origin. A teacher by profession, he rose through the ranks in UMNO to eventually become Malaysia's no. 2 under Tun Dr. Mahathir in the eighties. Tun Ghafar's death is a great loss to the nation and may God bless his soul. Al-Fatihah.

Canaries Secure Another Victory

Norwich City FC recorded their second consecutive win as the season is ending with a 1-0 away win at Cardiff City. In the FA Cup semi-final, underdogs Liverpool shocked Chelsea by winning 2-1 at Old Trafford, courtesy of goals from John Arne Riise and Luis Garcia. Portsmouth improved their chances of avoiding relegation by defeating already relegated Sunderland. With Birmingham City drawing and West Bromwich Albion losing, Portsmouth are odds-on favourites to play again in the EPL next season. Elsewhere, in the London derby, Arsenal drew with Tottenham Hotspur, while Newcastle and Bolton both won.

Silly Me!

A fortnight ago, I was carrying out a routine antivirus scan for my PC. I was using a free antivirus edition which proved to be not as good as the predecessor whose license had expired. Then, I was manually removing some viruses from my C: drive when I made a mistake. I accidentally deleted some system files which resulted in my PC being unable to boot up the following day. Silly me! Being tight on cash, I had to wait around a week before I had the funds to repair my crashed PC. It was done three days ago and after a slight hiccup, where I had to bring back my PC again to the computer shop, I'm back in business.

Canaries Win And Lose

Norwich City FC recorded a win and a loss in their past two matches in the English Championship. The Canaries lost 0-1 away to Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough and unlikely won 3-2 against Queen's Park Rangers at Carrow Road after being two goals down. In the EPL, Chelsea need only a point to secure their second successive premiership title. This may happen when they play against Manchester United. At the bottom end, Portsmouth, Birmingham City and West Bromwich Albion are all in a dog-fight to avoid relegation. In a poll, Portsmouth are favourites to avoid the dreaded drop and Pompey is currently showing good form.

Canaries' Dream Dies

Two own goals made sure that Norwich City FC remained in the English Championship for another season. They lost 0-2 away to Preston North End. In the EPL, Chelsea edged closer to retaining their Premiership title with a 4-1 win over West Ham United. Manchester United, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur all won to put the pressure on the leaders.

Champion League Semi-Finals

Here is the draw...
ARSENAL VS VILLARREAL
AC MILAN VS BARCELONA
It'll be interesting if Arsenal meet Barcelona in the final!

Canaries Tame Foxes

Last week, Norwich City FC kept alive their already slim hopes to qualify for the English Championship play-offs with a 2-1 home win against Leceister City. The Canaries meet Preston North End away next in a do-or-die mission. In the EPL, Chelsea were surprisingly held at Birmingham City. With the Red Devils winning at The Reebok, this means that the Blues lead is trimmed down to seven points. Liverpool also won to consolidate their grip on third spot. While Arsenal humiliated Aston Villa to chase Spurs for fourth spot.