Astro Over The Internet for Free ? No Kidding !

My weekend nights has been relatively uneventful with due respect to following
my favorite football team Manchester United weekly EPL games. Whilst most
of my friends and cousin enjoys the dazzling performance of the Red Devils, I was left
alone following LIVE Text updates of the games. Why ? Because I dont have Astro, Malaysian
only Pay-Channel that shows Live Football telecast ...

However, recent visit to Singapore for training introduced me to a FREE service that can
make me glue to my PC during those LIVE EPL Games once again ! Why ?
Thanks to TVAnts ! I can now watch live channels through the NET for FREE !!!!! Yes no charge at all.

The trick ? TVAnts is a P2P program that enables its user to watch and broadcast their channels to the web. Its more or less like Bit Torrent concept where u share ur files whilst downloading it. Pretty cool huh ?

How possible is it? I have tested it on Singapore Broadband line and its pretty smooth.
A couple of my friends actually tried it back home using Streamyx ... the line is pretty slow. So I guess with a 1MB package we should get a decent transmission.

So ? why wait ? TVAnts is the obvious choice ... ! But then be forewarned.
The legal implications of it is not very clear as to whether the program is legal or not.
But till then, Manchester United ! Here I Come !

Farewell Bro ...

My dearly beloved brother, the one and only guy [except me dad] who has been with me through those times be it rough and sweet. Lived with this big guy for the past 27 years where 21 years we basically lived under one roof especially those 4 memorable years we have been staying together renting our auntie's house.

Well as people says good times does not last forever, me bro and sis in law has moved to their new paradise in Bandar Sentul Baru last Saturday. Mixed feelings drowsed thru my heart, one part excited and happy for my bro and sis in law because they hv finally been able to move and find their promised paradise and at the same time commencing the next stage of their life in their new found paradise. On the other side, I am a little depressed that after 4 years living under one roof with this big fella I would certainly miss his presence ... though at times can be annoying with his ultra-egomaniac [i think i am not any better also lar] ... but he is above all a very caring and understanding brother being there lending a helping hand through my rough times giving me opinions and advices. Those moments when me and him will stick our throats off debating of topics would be happily embedded into my very memories.

I would really miss the presence of the big guy and my sis in law in days and months to come. Without their voices around the house ... I will need to get used to the more hollow environment now and then :P
Anyway life goes on and bro and sis in law, I wish u all the best in ur pursue to eternal happiness with Lil Renee [and in the future baby Ryan :P ] with the moving to ur new house as the starting step.

Lastly, bro and sis in law thanks for all those support and helping hand that you lend me during my rough times. I will miss u all dearly especially little cutie Renee ... I will mostly miss the presence of this little cutie everytime she come and 'pest' around my room ... she is just sheer fun and enjoyment ! I will definitely miss her ... !!!!

Counting those who owe me meals

I am not a very good mathematician of any sorts but the last time I counted the stack of meals owed to me
is not so staggering but I think they can make me fell to the extreme obese category. Well thats how a kind and good hearted men get ... helping people with such they end up trying to repay you by promising you meals of any sorts. If my memory still counts correctly below is the list of those who still owes me:

i) Michelle Khong - 23 meals [1 meal equals to a LARGE value meal in MCD] since 2004 and she still mums on
it !!!
ii) Hooi Sin - 2 Japanese meals
iii) Cindy Phoon - [Special Egg Tarts + Devils Curry]
iv) TYTan - [Chicken Curry (pending when she cook it wor ... )+ 1 Cheese Cake ]
v) Sam - [Chillis]
vi) Afrah - Cozy Corner or Victoria Station
vii) SBHoo - Victoria Station
viii) Penny Tan - Secret Recipe Lamb Shank
ix) Soon Beng Wooi - Hee Lai Ton

Now who said good men easy to do ? Have to claim so many meals ... hurts the heart leh !

Tianamen Square - The Tank Man

I guess most if not all of us have heard of Tiananmen Square protest back in 1989 which led to a bloody civil bloodshed. Tanks and army personnel were deployed and gunned down thousands of protesters fighting for better civil rights, economic reforms, freedom of speech and against the ever corruptable ruling government.

However, we are not here to talk about that since most of us knew the background of the tragedy. The topic here as stated above is about the Tank Man. I doubt many would have known about the "Tank Man". Me in particular knew nothing about him until I watched a documentary of the symbol which the Tank Man carries.

Purpotedly happened a day after the bloodshed [5th June 1989] where the army tanks are to make their way back, a young man apparently carrying shopping plastic bags stood in front of the tank and blocked the path of the tank. Apparently disgusted with the massacare of unarmed civillians, the young man defied the military threat and hurled abuses at the army commanding the tank. It has been heard that his piece of mind have been carried out through words of anger "Why are you here? My city is in chaos because of you"; "Go back, turn around, and stop killing my people"; and "Go away."
The somehow "powerful" army tank couldnt do anything but just withstood the young man verbal attacks. These happened until a few people eventually hurled the young man away before he would suffered the same fate of his buried comrades.

What significance does this young man bring ? In the West, many lauded the young man as a SYMBOL to the Chinese democracy movement. A feeble young man, braving himself against tirades of juggernaut tanks eventually becomes the symbol of an individual's power to halt government and force a change in direction

But what becomes of the young man's fate ? The identity of the Tank Man remains a mystery though there are numerous reports claiming him as Wang Weilin(王维林), a 19 year old and was executed then. However the last official statement has it said that the Tank Man was not being executed in an interview between Barbara Walters and then ex-President Jiang Zhe Min in 1990.

For those who are interested in the documentary here is the link for the torrent : Tiananmen Square: The Tank Man

For those who wants to watch the 26 seconds video clip in youtube: You Tube - Tank Man

My tribute to my Alma Mater

SAINT PAUL'S INSTITUITION

( Founded in 1899 )

School ... a definite pathways for most of us if not all. Sweet and fond memories beckons and now I have left school [University Malaya] for good 4 years now. In my schooling life, I have been enrolled into different schools:

i) SRK Saint Paul - primary school
ii) SMK Saint Paul - Form 1 - early Form4
iv) SMK Teknik Tuanku Ja'afar - Form4 - Form5 studying Civil Engineering
v) SMK King George V - Form 6
vi) Malaya University - Computer Science

I can single out my time in Saint Pauls Instituition as the most memorable and cherished. Those thug fighting times, class ponteng times, study times, scratch teacher car times and yes,"flirting with those Convent gals times" has never faded and still vividly lives in my ultra-GazillionByte memory.


A school of old traditions, we called ourselves Paulians and as a self-professed True Blue Paulian I am proud to live my teenage days with my Alma-Mater . We used to have a spirited shout of "Whos The Best ?" and echoed with proudful roars of "SAINT PAULS !!!!!". My particular favorite are times when we manifest our love to our Alma Mater whilst singing our School Rally. But the highest of "highs" is when we sing our Victory March ! a spirited rendition of a song which carries the TRUE BLUE Paulian spirit to battle.

School Building ClockWise From Left: Old School Building located at Seremban Town, Primary School in Labu, and finally SPI Seconday School situated on top of Mount La Salle

What is so unique about Saint Paul's ? Well just the Paulian SPIRIT and its tradition alone is unique so to speak. Roars of "Saint Pauls The Best Of The Best" was never alien to us and our love to our Alma Mater has always been deep burrowed into our heart.

Serving Brothers Directors:
Highest Row From Left: Bro.Isidore (1909), Bro. Basilian (1910-1914), Bro. Adrian(1914-1921),
Bro. Lewis Edward( 1921-1930) , Bro. Dominic (1928-1930)
Second Row From Left: Bro. Barnitus (1930-1931), Bro. John (1933), Bro. Joseph (1933-1939), Bro. Anselm (1939-1941), Bro.Henry (1941-1946)
Final Row From Left: Bro. Lawrence (1947-1953), Bro. Chronan (1953), Bro. Casimir (1954-1959),
Bro.Celestine (1960-1963), Bro. Thomas (1963-1969), Bro. Felix (1970-1975),
Bro. James (1975- 1991)

Note: Brother James Macken served as the longest Brother Director of Saint Pauls Instituition building an era of unprecendented success

Saint Pauls has their classes and sport houses name after their serving Brothers. While other schools names their classes Science 1 or Kebaya1, we Saint Pauls has the classes named after our serving Brother directors.
In alphabetical order are Anselm,Basillian,Casimir,Dominic,Felix,Henry,Isidore,James,Lawrence,Thomas.



If class naming is not enough, try matching our Sport Houses as well ... we are too much into those unclassy Rumah Merah,Biru,Hijau,Kuning but Saint Pauls again with their past Brother Director has Adrian[Yellow], Barnitus[Red],Edward[Green],John[Blue],Director[Grey] and Paul[Purple] as the names of our sport houses. Now try beating tat for unique and meaningful naming for classes and sport houses. A symbol of class, history and uniqueness which also defines Saint Paul's Instituition.



Well as what people say, you dont proclaim yourself to be famous unless you are in Wikipedia, and guess what? Whilst I was searching somethign on Wikipedia, I somehow got this urge to search for my Alma Mater and GOD the search result is SPOT ON and for the next hour or so, I was back in memory lane.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Paul%27s_Institution%2C_Seremban

Eventually I was also brought to Old Paulians Association (OPA) and came to the knowledge that for a Semi-Government school-English medium-Christian based school, we were offered the "Sekolah Bistari" status. Now what are the odds of that happening ? And heard that finally we were to have our own school hall !

My apologies to my Alma Mater again because of my poor command of English here though enrolled into such prestigious English School, my command of English has not been up to YOUR expectation.

The Great Alma Mater of mine reached its Centernarian earlier than Manchester United or Real Madrid and the tradition has never faded and hopefully will stay intact for centuries to come.








Hail Alma Mater ! , Hail John Baptist De La Salle !!!

And my tribute to the following teachers who made an impact in my life:
Mr Chang Yok Son[Form2 Science Teacher],Mrs Wong Tee Soon [my Form 1 form teacher], Miss Wong Lai Kwan [ Form 3 Science Teacher], Puan Khor Yul Lin[Form3 History Teacher],Puan Velayuthan[Form2 Geo teacher], Mr James Wong[Form3 Form teacher], Puan Ng Yen Yen [Form3 M3 teacher], Cik Koh Seow Pen[the pretty and sporting teacher] and Mr Jakob [the discipline teacher who always "hentam" me]

Not to forget Mr Lam [My Form6 Maths teacher in KGV, he is the biggest role model]

[Review] The Departed

I fell in love with Infernal Affairs the first time I watched it. For me, its a new and refreshing to have the idea of a mole of a mobster living within the police force. Unforgetably, with first class acting dished out by HK's finest made this a classic to be remembered and amongst the finest HK shows that have graced HK movie scene for ONE decade. Two uneventful and unnecessary spin off sequels dampens the already highly acclaimed Infernal Affairs movie but it did not deter Hollywood from engaging their own version of Infernal Affairs ... Mafia style ... well not really Mafia .. but Irish thugs.

The Departed represents a badder, meaner and more violent version of Infernal Affairs which also promises amongst the finest and brightest stars of Hollywood with Matt Dammon filling in as Andy Lau's character as a high flying cop who is also a mole for the mobster boss of the show in which Jack Nicholson did a splendid job potraying the role of a mobster [played by Eric Tsang in Infernal affairs]. And how can we forget the purpoted hero of the show Leo Di Cap who plays Tony Leung's masterly potrayal of a police undercover working under the same mobster.

I think most of you already know the storyline rite? Well I would say 98% of the show follows back the script from Infernal affairs with minor adjustments to a few unrelevant characters and also a new character has been slated for Martin Sheen and Mark Walhberg.

Review:
As I said earlier, The Departed is just plain Infernal Affairs -> US style, simply badder, meaner and more violent. Unlike Infernal Affairs, The Departed is more physical and brutal and no hold barred. And of course 4 letter words flies here and there. Personally for me, the only enjoyment I found watching this show is to relate back to Infernal Affairs. I gotta say I am not too impressed with Martin Scorsese tis time.
As for acting, kudos to the ONE and ONLY Jack Nicholson for his ultra potrayal of the Costello the mobster. His trademark facial expression has always made him amongst the finest in Hollywood. Let me put it this way, this show was supposed to be Dammons and Caprio's .. but somehow Jack's acting simply blew the others away .... and I really mean blew them away like an F5 tornado.

In a nutshell:
I will watch it again in my PC ["when the original version comes out"] because watching in cinema the censoring of the show made me feel uncomfy and at times confused coz the conversation suddenly stops. So by watching in my PC I can hopefully grasp the entire movie ...
The feeling is like to watch a movie based on a book ala Da Vinci Code where u compare the movie against the book. This time is to compare a Hollywood made movie against a HK classic ... same feeling just different experience.

[Review] Death Of A President

Me buddy Mudz passed me this video a couple of weeks ago. I wondered why it took me so long to actually finish this 1.5 hours movie-documentary. Well actually it mades headlines back in the States recently where it got a big bashing from Republican politician calling it a movie of bad taste and exploiative. Too add wounds to it, 2 of American biggest chain of cinemas [something like our GSC,TGV lar] refused to screen the movie. It eventually won the International Critics Prize (FIPRESCI) at the 2006 Toronto Film Festival recently.

Well, what makes this documentary-movie to generate so much fanfare around? For those of you all still scratching your heads, this movie is purpotedly reporting the "actual events" prior to and post of the "ASSASINATION OF PRESIDENT GEORGE W BUSH, The 43rd President of The United States Of America.



Minor spoiler alert:
We are being brought forward to the events that "have taken place" in 19th Oct 2007 whereby President Bush is being fatally shot and eventually pronounced dead on the table. The whole movie revolves a documentary styled show whereby the "witnesses" ranging from "Secret Service" to the "suspect" as well.
Eventually and unsuspectedly, the whole assasination is being used by the US government to point the finger at the Islamic world [purpoedly Syria] as those behind the assasination. At the end of the day, a "scapegoat" has been caught, "tried" and death sentenced with just minimal evidence of gun residue on the shirt [which could be a contamination] and so initial reports of him being "involved" in al-Qaeda training during his visit to Afghanistan. The actual killer is a disgruntled father of 2 US soldiers that served in Iraq and ONE was killed, whom was angry at the President sending troops to Iraq for a rather senseless cause.

Review:
Its a very interesting movie for me as usually documentary based show are more towards events which already happened but this one is rather fictional one. I was particularly impressed at times on the level of details being potrayed by the show ranging from the CCTV shots, "secret service agents" rendition of events, footage of George W Bush being gun shot ! [i heard that its technologically imprinted on .. see the above pic] ... and I am still figuring how Dick Cheney could give a "BUSH" speech at the funeral because the source footage of the funeral is the funeral service for ex-President Ronald Reagan. [ I could actually see his lips uttered George W Bush !] ... cant imagine what i am talking about ? Watch it to see what I am talking about ... [its in most torrent sites anyways].

The storyline aint bad but yet is very expected. I can predict how the storyline goes from the assination of the president to the Syrian finger pointing to half -cooked trial of the scapegoat but not the actual killer ... [i tot his son, the other surviving US soldier did it].

Verdict:
3.8/5 for being creative and bold to have such attempt taken, enough homework being done on the events of the "aftermath", current global political climate.

Summary:
Death Of A President is a MUST see for those who follows the events of the current global political cimate especially those pertaining to the "main actor" here, how he was loath by both the Middle East Nation and also people in his own backyard. For those who dont have a SINGLE clue who George W Bush is, then dont bother watching this ...

Bolton 0 - Man Utd 4

My cousin bro passed me the torrent link to download the recent Man Utd game against Bolton Wanderers away in Reebok Stadium. Touted as their best performance for recent years especially the first 25 mins, I was tempted to see how good we were.

I gotta say I was not very dissapointed. A few slick passes and a couple of 1-2s shows that Man Utd post Van Nistlerooy era has been playing very fluid football.[So can we attribute Man Utd demise off late is because of the style of play is too Ruudy oriented? which resulted in stale movements]

I can see Saha + Giggs + Rooney + Evra [at times] starting to built a very good understanding with their slicing and one touches. Ronaldo having a rather quiet game at times shows his mettle, outrunning his opponent. But I gotta say I am encouraged with the prospects of Carrick-Scholes partnership. Though not up to my reserved expectation, I can see Scholes is trying his best on the field very contrast to his jogging days. Carrick has made a couple of long visioned passes which is a trademark of a world class passer.

Having said tat, are we EPL champ material yet? I doubt so, maybe its still early to tell. We need to play more of such fluid football week in week out and try playing it longer instead of just 25 mins. Maybe we havent peak, see how after Christmas ...

[Lyrics]Snow Patrol - Chasing Cars

We'll do it all
Everything
On our own

We don't need
Anything
Or anyone

If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me and just forget the world?

I don't quite know
How to say
How I feel

Those three words
Are said too much
They're not enough

If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me and just forget the world?

Forget what we're told
Before we get too old
Show me a garden that's bursting into life

Let's waste time
Chasing cars
Around our heads

I need your grace
To remind me
To find my own

If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me and just forget the world?

Forget what we're told
Before we get too old
Show me a garden that's bursting into life

All that I am
All that I ever was
Is here in your perfect eyes, they're all I can see

I don't know where
Confused about how as well
Just know that these things will never change for us at all

If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me and just forget the world?

Now you all know where I got the nick for MSN, YM and GTalk.
Soalan Cepumas -> Wat are the 3 words ?

The week it was ...

A week started off with a mid-distant trip to Southern Malaysia to Liang wedding luncheon with 2 beauties. Jalan2 cari makan in Melaka with guided navigation by dearest Pinky -> yummy. Tired, sleepy and energy-less

The next few days has been pretty boring except for some hours of senseless button PS2 bashing with Okami and FIFA2007. And that is how I call life without direction and aim. I am a bagged-eyed, senseless zombie. Sleeping and eating is all i do for the next 3 days. But then at least I settled "something" that has been burdening me for the past 1 month ... shoulders has been very light ever since.

Went back to Seremban on Friday with Auntie and I saw light in life for the first time in ONE week ! All those merry hoo haas has enlightened my rather quiety and hollow life of late. Made a few delicious curry puffs and the eating gala has started.

Watched Dog Bite Dog, loath it ....

Good new, Man Utd bashed Bolton 4-0 with Rooney bagging a hattrick and Ronaldo taking the other one. But Chelsea is still on our trail with a 2-0 win. Damn u BLUES .. get off our tail !

Finally the hoo haas of the Zakaria saga is coming to an end ... but as one story ends .. another unfolds .. LRT services has been giving lots of probs off late but the final scene was rather uncompromised for me ... a LRT deck overrunned ? This is such a BIG LOOF !

Racing GP, my expectations from both legends for F1 and MotoGp suffers from similar fate. Schumy dreaded in the first few ... only to mount a serious comeback but the be dampen last minute due to mechanical failure.
Tis week, Rossi whom I hope that can add another feather to his cap, lost his crown to Hayden ... a Double Blow for 2 of my pickcs this season. To add salt to my wound, Ross Brawn is leaving Ferarri for a one year sabatical with Schumy being offered the post of Special Assistant to Jean Todt. Will Schumy take it ?

A hell of a week? NOT !

Movie Review - Dog Bite Dog

Me bro commented about this show that he watched in a DVD he bought recently. He gave full thumbs up for this one noting that this one is rather different from those silly HK movies of late and I was thinking hey why not ? With the recenly influx of darker HK genre of films which harps on the grim yet successful Infernal Affairs saga which spawns equally society boggling movies such as "mobster-Democracy" Election 1 & 2 and a few more I think this is worth a shot.

The synopsis of Dog Bite Dog is pretty simple, no it aint ur next door Cinapek uncle rearing Rottweilers biting ur opposite indian neighbours Cina-auntie Beijing Shih-Tzu. This movie potrays Pang [played by Edison Chen who threw away his heartthrob image to don his first challenging role] a brutally bred and brought up Cambodian assasin being illegally shipped to HK to do a job on a barrister lady [whom the order was placed by her judge husband because she asked for a divorce which will take half of his wealth away]. Playing catch and mouse with the HK police force, Pang found himself lost in the cosmopolitan city and therefore seeks way to survive including bloody and brutal massacare of those who are in his path. The one who always on his tail is Wai [played by former funnymen Sam Lee but now an exaggerated SOB in an unwelcomed scene] who from time to time gone berserk with the downfall of his beloved comrades tries all his best to track the physco Cambodian maniac down hence the cat and mouse.

Recipe for a good and grim HK adventure? Not quite ....
Well HongKies are always masters of exaggeration ... this movie promote hatred, cruelty and brutality to the max. Blood are shed everywhere until there are no pints reserved for the blood bank. You witness the brutalest of murder even the beheading of POW are mere-childplay. I was disturbed with one scene where Pang took the ice breaker and slit in right to the throat of the police officer he held hostage [ I think Sharon Stome handles ice breaker the best].

As for the relevance of the homework done on how Pang was brought up, I cant comment much because I hv no depth knowledge about this but I thought I bumped somewhere abt children being raised to kill each other brutally. Art of survival to the max ... the most efficient way to nurture the PERFECT ASSASIN. Heartless

But for all that Dog Bite Dog offers, as usual I will ask back another question to those who brought this to the screen ... wats the message behind this show ? Sheer violence wihtout humanity values ? Or rather blatant promotion of hate of a heartless Cambodian physco assasin who found himself lost in the cosmopolitan city of HK? Call me narrow or shallow but I might not be artistic enuff to understand this ... but then HK movies are a bunch of crap which is riding on a direction-less [oh understatement] .. I would say that their industry is into no direction at all !!! Its just that they simple coax up a brutal, heartless and sheer violence show to the audience who enjoy movie without thinking ? I know I am not a moviegoer who does not think whilst watching ...

To top things, the ending is ridiculously stupid and at times hillarious. Sam Lee, my advise to you is that your business lies elsewhere in comical role, you cant play eye-lash shaven hard kicking phyco SOB maniac ... its not ur cup of tea. Your sheer exaggeration of the character is laughable at times ... and if this is how HK celebrate such movie that generates the future of HK movie scene, its rather pitiful for them as they are dying ... and worse than Malaysia because at least we have Yasmin Ahmad as the saving grace with Sepet and Gubra.

I cant be that cruel anyways, the saving grace of this show actually lies in Edison whom I think did an Oked job in potraying a confused lad running away from the law. At times his potrayal is less convincing but I reckon if he plays more of such roles will do him good than of those his heartthrobbing roles of late.

To sum it up => DOG BITE DOG .... I think it the Dog dropping in front of my neighbours gate smells better ...

Ciaoz

The day i rot in boredom...

The entire DeepaRaya was supposingly making me all hyped up with one week to go [October 19]. Liang supposedly wedding luncheon on the following Sunday [21st October] was supposed to light up a week of refreshing fun and eventful holidays. Moreover, the jalan2 cari makan at Melaka with 2 of xST's and Kok Seng was supposed to be fun. Well fast forward -> Good times flies fast, before I could utter my NRIC Number backwards its 0900 hours on a cloudy morning of 23rd October 2006. Liang wedding luncheon has already gone, the jalan2 cari makan adventure has pass thru all i find my stomach full of Malacca finest gourmet.

A great start to an eventful evening? God I am dead wrong, else I wouldnt be sitting here writign this uneventful blog rite?

The next few days was spent on senseless button bashing on my beloved PS2, gosh how do i live without my PS2 filling my void. After 2 days of mindless senseless and meaningless button bashing of PS2, I find myself havign a big gap to fill. One day, 24 hours of no objective no direction ... OMG wat is this kind of life ? I aint want this kind of life when I negotiate with the CREATOR to be brought to this world !

Today was supposed to be working day for most of my friends, and I am left alone at home looking at the top of my ceiling, marveling at the fan turning ... Spent about 2 hours preparing for the upcoming LANDesk training presentation for my client and then ... its boredom all over again. IM-ing with a couple close acquiantances managed to fill in for another 2 hours [thanks to TYTan,Michelle,Joey,Fuishi,Philip,Brother Tianhong for filling the gap]... and then boredom strucks again ...

My body,soul,spirit and energy is dwindling ... I am lying on my bed with nothign to think .. nothing to do... My soul is wounded like it has never been ... flesh is rotting with maggots of boredom eating the bits part by part .. consuming my flesh of soul. The foul stench from my rotten soul stinks the entire world i am now. I am turning into a zombie of my own boredom. I now hope that the holiday end faster before I turn into a mindless, directionless zombie. A modern walking Frankenstein.

And then I still have 12 days of burnt and non-carry forward annual leaves yet to clear ... Oh GOD why me ? Its unfair !

The Gauntlet Has Been Thrown: Morning Crew vs Big Bang Breakfast Show

The recent buzz surrounding the airwaves especially on local English radio station is about the new FlyFm Big Bang breakfast Show hosts, pairing the ever witty Fly Guy with the ever bubly Phat Phabes. Unsurpisingly this will not come good with Malaysia top English station Hitz.fm whom more or less ruled over morning airwaves for English station listeners.

Hitz.fm Morning Crew has long dominated the airwaves with their funny, witty, bubbly and at times "over" deejays. It was in fact, Fly Guy whom with Lil Kev tat started the Morning Crew hype that dominated the morning airwaves. It was Morning-Crewmania for those who tune in during the morning and many find these guys simply irrestible. However good times are over for them and also their legions of fan listeners when both of their services were terminated due to disputes in their contractual obligations .[ I could still remember that they were to interview by then outgoing Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir when suddenly the issue arised]. Hitz.fm initially has difficulty in finding replacements for the celebrated deejays which has been quite worrying for them since Morning Crew has a huge followers who has not fail to tune in to their favorite morning show. Eventually the pairing of Rudy and J Lo seems to work out a chemistry which give a glimpse of hope and Morning Crew breath sight of relief .... until J Lo was reassigned to HyperDrive slot and Jay Jay will fill in together with Rudy and the New Hitz.fm New Morning Crew. These new pairing was the best since Fly Guy and Lil Kev left the much celebrated radio station. More than a year has passed since the new Morning Crew gone on air and they have been quite of an entertainer minus some unnecessary "events" [especially the April Fool Gotcha 2005, that a very lame one].As for Hitz.fm paymaster, business are as usual ... Morning Crew once again dominates the airwaves ...... errr .... that wat they would like to think ... until now.

Fly FM, a spin off from Malaysia Premier Media Consortium -> Media Prima, was launched earlier this year with Fly Guy [surprise surprise, Hitz.fm .... look whos back ?]. If thats not enough, the morning show which is helmed by the ever witty FlyGuy would add another mouth bubbly radio icon .... no its not Lil Kev [though I hope it is] .... its Phat Phabes ... who jumped ship from .. guess who ? .. yes .. Hitz.fm. The bubly Phat Phabes will now join FlyGuy for FlyFm Bing Bang Breakfast Show and with these two guys around .. I would put my money that these 2 guys would give the morning crew a run for their money. Expect funnier, crazier breakfast show with these 2 guys around.

Unsurprisingly, the benefactors of the close fight are the listeners themselves .. who also hv to endure the sight of needing to choose ... which one to tune on to ? Morning Crew or Big Bang show ?

I dunno abt u guys out there ... but I hv now saved 95.8 as my second favorite channel ... and if they are good enuff ... for the first time in over 4 years [since i get my car]..... Hitz.fm will be dethroned as my favorite radio channel .....

Malaysian Idol vs One In A Million - Part3

Judges

Judges always played a rather important role in talent shows especially American Idol where ultra-cynic Simon Cowell seems to be influential in determining how things goes around in terms of the contestant's fate throughout the competition. However can we say the same with both Malaysian Idol and One in a million ?

Malaysian Idol again, harping on the immensely popular Idol franchaise follows strictly to the judges selection and they did comeout close -> against American Idol.
Let us take a closer look:
->Randy Jackson - Roslan Aziz [both very famous producers in their own market]
->Paula Abdul - Fauziah Latiff [both golden girl of the industry during their heydays]
->Simon Cowell - Paul Moss [One is a well known figure in the entertainment industry and the other ? well a
guitarist of a NZ band which has its short days back in the 80's (to be precised
Aishah and the Fan Club)]

If we take a little closer at the judges, Roslan Aziz for me is a man who dares to speaks his mind though at times does not make sense but we hv to give him credit for that. However we cannot deny that his way of commenting on the judges is more towards of a producers view and therefore at time could be excusable.
Fauziah Latiff or Gee, one might say that she is a singer who has sweet little voice but not a powerful diva and therefore her suitabilty to comment as a judge is questionable. However good sweet little Kak Gee is as sweet as ever, very often if not always she would post positive comments and her only usage of criticism in terms of singing is "pitching problem". However having said that, we have to admit that she is one of the most beautiful lady ever to grace the local music industry for 2 decades.
Paul Moss oh Paul Moss, always the Cowell wannabe. At times I wonder whether he actually got instructed by the producers to actually mimic Cowell moves. Eg: Remember the times Cowell left the audition ? And our friend Paul Moss did the same .. coincident or mere copycat. Anyways, Paul Moss position as the judge is to stand in as a honest, critical and most of all influential judges of the 3. Well, at times he did that quite well but at the other end his preference towards pretty girls makes people loath. Unlike Simon, Paul Moss focuses on the performance of the contestants without digging in to the micro level of the contestants ... like the feeling of the song etc. ..
To sum up, Malaysian Idol judges is just a blind carbon copy of the American Idol judges. Though I respect their status in the industry but at times their views are questionable.

One of the biggest accomplishment before One in a million even started is that they managed to rope in Syafinaz as one of the judges [having featured influentially in AF series as guest judge]. And guess whos back to partner her ? YES PAUL MOSS !

Syafinaz the UITM music lecturer has always been strict and technical in terms of judging contestants and she did very well whislt featured as guest judge in AF2,AF3. Her judging credibilty is dearly needed for one in a million in order to bolster the image of the show in bringing out The Next Big Thing. However I am quite worried in the initial stages of the competitions esp in Central Eliminations where Syafinaz did not showcase her sharp criticism towards the contestatns in terms of technical aspects. But we do not need to wait long before Syafinaz was all herself again. In the finals, her sharp criticism towards the singing techniques of the contestants is straight to the point and sharp as ever. This is what we need as in a judge, able to comment and pinpoint a contestant's weakness to the details of levels so that they can reflect on this after the show and put on a better one in the future. We do not need a judge to thrash out the contestant with vulgar and ultranegative comments just to make them feel bad and not knowign where gone wrong ? Kudos Syafinaz
On the other hand, Paul Moss is back as the judge for one in a million ... geez are we surprised. His criticism did not wane either .... but again like what I said earlier ... we need constructive comments ... not "You are pathetic" , "THis is rubbish" .. etc. We have to admit that these contestants are still raw ... they need guidance and not mere condemnation. I would strongly suggest Paul to reflect on this one. If not, the contestants would just feel bad not knowing where they done wrong .... or maybe Paul cant see where is wrong .. he just knows its wrong ... FULL STOP .. this is very unfair to the contestants themselves. Paul, u gotta learn from Syafinaz ...

Another thing which I believe most of us can realize that there seems to be a rift between Paul and Syafinaz. Somehow I think most of us can see that Paul Moss has been rudely intercepting whenver Syafinaz voices her opinion. Izit because after 2 years of "monopoly-ing" the judge's table somehow Paul Moss got intimidated by Syafinaz sensical comments ?

Malaysian Idol vs One In A Million - Part2

Competition Format

Malaysian Idol format follows closely in line with the already successful Idol phenomenon franchise. Its very simple -> Audition -> Central Eliminations -> Top 24 -> Top 10 and after that each week the lowest contestants who garnered the lowest number of votes gets the boot. Its as simple as that.

One in a million IMHO tries to take its shape out of the shell of Malaysian Idol ... again not wanting to be closely associated with MI. Instead of those simple format mentioned above for MI, One in a million tries to add some so called "added flavor" which for me more confusing, unfair and at times STUPID.
One in a million started out with auditions -> Central Eliminations -> Head To Head competition [Top 20]-> Second Chance -> Top 12.

Central Eliminations is the joke for the competition, why ? ... Though most part of the central elimination is acceptable but at times I am disturbed by the gimmicks from the producers

i) Male - Female group elimination -> unfair
Heres the rule, there will be 9 person in a group whereby each will try to outsing each other and the top 4 from each group progresses to the next round. It does not take long for the fans to notice how unfair this system goes because there are weak groups and there are strong groups. At times, not even the best of the weak teams can match those of the contestant from the strongerteams that could not make the cut... this is so unfair for the contestants who have better package ... if they are to do this . they should at least have to group the contestants equally ... I am tottaly against such idea which is unfair to deserving contestants.

ii) BLIND TEST-> STUPID
Of all the gimmicks, this one is the biggest joke. Well at first its sounded as a good idea. The contestants will sing behind a closed area where the judges can only evaluate the contestants voice quality instead of their physical appearance[Pity u Paul]. But then again ... the timing of the blind test is done at a very late stage of the elimination that I wonder whether it makes any difference or not. I mean by this time, the judges already know whom they are listening to because they are so used to the contestant by now. At times you can even see that the judges tries to act dumb as all they do not know the identity of the singers ... at the end of the day ... the blind test started out as a good idea but the timing of when it is done is simly stupid.

However, having said that One in a million did have something that is rather interesting in terms of its competition format. Blind test is actually a good idea in only it can be done in a stage whereby the judges does not have the time to "know" who are who. Another catchy idea is the personality test, I like the idea where each contestants personality is put to test. The entertainment industry nowadays professes alot on the packaging of an artist themselves. Whats the point of one having all the talent in the world but cant be packaged into a "sellable" figure. However the one that I love most is the head-to-head battle whereby the Top20 would be ranked first. Then the top10 got to choose whom they want to sing against. The one which outperform the other will be chosen as the top10 while the loser will get another chance to perform once more to strive for another 2 places to make it Final Top12. You will be surprised that the lower ranked contestants at times outperformed those whom the were pitched against. But then this shows that as a contestants you can never let your guards down because it can cost you ... DEAR !

Malaysian Idol vs One In A Million - Part1

VS


One in A Million, a relatively new "Talent Reality Show" braces Malaysian airwaves recently. Up for grabs is a million ringgit [well not so after u kena taxed by IRB] which would be invested into the development of the winner's label in terms of getting the best in album production such as song composition, marketing etc... [1 million enuff ?]. But why "One In A Million"?. After 2 successful season [yes, we can still say season 2 is a success] with Malaysian Idol, why not continue doing it? Maybe because the "Idol" franchise is too expensive ? Therefore a locally produced talent show fits the "budget" ? [Or the buy British goods last campaign still continues?]. But is the RM 1 million catch really worth it ? After a few episoded of One In A Million, I can see some rationale in giving this show a shot ...

So lets get a head to head comparison:

i) Contestants quality
Both talent show focused on giving a birth to the next Malaysia's Big Thing after Siti Nurhaliza [or maybe Mawi]. The very first incarnation of Malaysian Idol nearly did that, Jac possess the quality of international class. Flawless vocals, she has most of Malaysian regardless of race and religion backing her up all the way to crown her as Malaysia's very first IDOL.

Malaysian Idol, a franchaise from the "Idol" phenomenon globally has to follow the rules of acceptance in terms of contestant's participation. A person who is 16 -29 years old who is a Malaysian and WIHTOUT a PROFESIONAL SINGING CONTRACT will find themselves eligible to participate in this competition. If we are to reopen history books, except for Jac [who herself courted some controversies with her own published album] none of the other Malaysian Idol Top 10 contestants really lived up to the high standards that Malaysia's Next Big Thing needs to have. Not even the winner of Malaysian Idol2 Daniel Lee [though he is starting to make waves in Taiwan]. No not even both runner ups Dina nor Nita ... So one might question, are we the proud owner of the "Boleh-land" does not have talents out there and Jac is just one of those tiny handfuls of "real" and undiscovered talent out there ? But then what about other talent competition like AF, Asto talents search, Vaanavil talent search ... the likes of Mawi AF3 [the new phenomenon of Malaysian local music industry], Bob AF2 [for what his voice power has been discounted by his rather "incommercial" physical appearance, or what about Zhang Dong Liang [ the winner of Astro talent quest who made it huge in Taiwan]. What we are finding is a STAR which can appeal to most of Malaysians .. not one ethnic group

One in a Million, tries to tackle the weakness of or rather the limitation of the Idol show. Instead of all those singing contract limitations, now all Malaysians who are 16 - 30 years old can participate in this talent show regardless whethere they earlier signed any recording contract or not. This means that even recording artists have the chance to participate in this competition and before you realize, many recording artiste who did not make it big time takes this opportunity to give their singing career another shot. However havign said that these people have to gamble on ONE thing ... their most precious FAME, the one they have been working on for years. One fine example is the participation of Dayang Nurfaizah [Dayang]. A lot of people has been crying foul over the unfair advantage that she has over the other contestants since she has been pro for quite some time. But then many would also agree that she faces the risk of paying the MOTHER OF ALL RISKs, she needs to prove week in week out that she is way above the rest else her credibility would be heavily criticized and so is the pressure she has to face. But we have to agree that these bunch of top10 that we have in One in a million is one of the most talented lot that ever graced local talent shows lately. For the first time, I have more than 3 favourites to look forward to week in week out (Dayang,Zai, Faizal, Azfar [at times, coz i like Zainal Abidin and his performance reminds me of Zainal Abidin] , Aliff and Suki [coz shes from Seremban]) ... something which I only have the luxury on American Idol ...

One in a milion 1
Malaysian Idol 0

ANNOUNCMENT

Begining from 24th July 2006,

I Kwan Thean Keong in the eyes of the Malaysian Law is now a legally married man.

The Marriage registration took place at Thean Hou temple on the 22nd of July 2006. Giving the government office not working on weekends, I believe my new marital status will effectively take effect on the 24th July.
The pictures of the registration day are available here.

After 6 wonderful years of courtship, I finally decided to settle down with my now wife Louisa Moak Soo Fung.

Knowing this might heavily dissapoin my legions of fans out there, I cannot say much but hope that you all wish me all the best and a blissful marriage.

However having said the above. I hereby declare that nothing will be changed in my life.


" Horse Still Run "
" Karaoke Still Sing "
" Manchester United Still Supporting"
" Drinks Still drink " [ apologies to some of my Muslim frens]
" Outing and gathering still attending "
" Maybe no more womanizing "

For those who crazed on TOTO's -> the number is 5353.

Will need to learn not to tick on BUJANG or SINGLE options for "marital status" on any forms in the future.

The rule of resignation

I just realized that the first rule after you resigned is -> DO NOT ENQUIRE ABOUT THE WELL BEINGS OF YOUR EX-COMPANY.

This horiffic truth was brought up to me by an ex-colleague of mine lately.
Well I di not know about you all, I have been getting updates about my ex-company since I left them last January. I have been getting constant updates about the place which is spent for the last four years from my ex-colleagues.

However seems like my practice of asking on the well beings of my ex-colleagues has created quite some discomfort amongst a few of them. To some, even to the extent that I might have some ill thoughts behind wanting to know their updates.

This stir eventually came up to my ears and I am quite uncomfortable and disturbed of being labelled with such mindset.

Well I think I will need to tone down on asking about their updates...
Anyways .. the last of the ST gals is leaving...

The Race

The Race
( A Malaysia Boleh Story )

Once upon a time, there was a Malaysian Rowing team ...

In line with the Malaysia Boleh spirit, the goverment has agreed with the Japanese government to organize an annual boat rowing race against each other. It was also agreed that each team will consists of 8 men.








After months of intensive training, its RACE ON

THE JAPANESE WON BY 1 KM

The Malaysians were FURIOUS with the team's dismal performance . The government has decided to win the race next year at all cost !

Hence they ordered a team of analyst to observe the situation and reccommend appropriate solution(s). After detailed analysis, the analyst team found that the Japanese team has ONE captain and SEVEN rowers



At the same time, they also found out that the
Malaysian team has SEVEN captains and ONE rower





Facing such a critical scenario, the management team showed an unexpected wisdom: they hired a consulting company to restructure the Malaysian team. After months of studying, the consulting company concluded that the Malaysian team has too many captains and too few rowers. A solution was proposed on this brilliant analysis.

THE STRUCTURE OF THE TEAM HAS TO BE CHANGED !!!

The Malaysian team will now consists of ONLY FOUR captains which is led by TWO managers and ONE top manager and ONE rower. Besides that, they suggested to improve the rower's working environment to give him higher competencies



Next year its RACE ON again
THE JAPANESE WON BY 2 KM !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Being so depressed, the management team blamed the loss due to the rower's incompetencies and immediately sacked the rower !

But a bonus was paid to the management team for the excellent motivation the team has showed during the preparation phase.
The consulting company further prepared a new analysis which showed the team's strategy was good, the motivation satisfactory but the tools need to be improved.
So the Malaysian team is currently is designing a new boat ...


So we can ONLY DEDUCE from the above that ...

Was Twin Towers An Inside Job ?

Was Twin Towers An Inside Job ?

Michael Moore started everything with Farenheit 911 ... I watched it and it made some sense on the message he intends to send accross to his viewers. For me ... It did [at least most of it]

But recently I bumped thru a new documentary which is called Whats The Truth - How Indeed Did The Twin Towers Collapse.

The documentary claimed that instead of getting hit by airplanes, the reason of the collapse of WTC ist actually a 'systematic bulding demolition' which means that everything is actually "AN INSIDE JOB !!!" and it also highlighted something most of us do not know [maybe the ignorant Kwan only] ... actually beside Twin Towers aka World Trade Center and Pentagon got hit, there is also one more building collapsed 'mysteriously' shortly before the Twin Towers [which is WTC 1 and WTC2] ... This building is actually a 44 storey building which is WTC 7 and its not even hit by a plane.


Amogst the claims made [ and for me -> proven theories with examples] are:
i) The reason of Twin Towers and WTC7 collapse is not because of any huge impact
ii) The 'REAL hypothetical' reason behind it is Thermite reaction which melts the foundation steel of the building which means that something has been planted on the foundation of the buildings
iii) The way the buildings collapsed [the pattern, chronology and some video footage] shows tat they have VERY HIGH resemblence of those demolition of old buildings. This makes me think, its makes sense. How can all the buildings collapsed without 'affecting' surrounding bulidings [especially WTC7]?

For those who intend to pursue this topic further, u can download from this torrent link again Whats The Truth - How Indeed Did The Twin Towers Collapse.

So at the end of the day, is it Bush or Bin Laden .... i am starting to believe that its Bush anyways ...

Its the OIL !!!!!!

FIFA World Cup 2006 - My 5 cents worth of opinion

FIFA World Cup 2006

FIFA [Federation Internationale de Football Association]

It finally beckons ... 4 years after seeing Cafu chose to stand on a table to receive the FIFA World Cup trophy in the final of World Cup 2002 those sleepless nite is back haunting us. Unlike Japan/Korea 2002 which has more suitable timezone for us to watch EACH and EVERY live game, Germany 2006 does not offer such luxury therefore those Livita's,Red Bull's and Nescafe's (some maybe Ali Cafe's) are much needed now ... much more than ever !!!

Seeing the hypes around WC 2006, I would also like to pen down my 5 cents worth of opinion on the upcoming World Cup. Basically its Kwan's (or someone say TKKwan or Ah Kwan or Keong Keong) view on the upcoming WC.

1. The Teams To Watch


Brazil (World Ranking: 1)

What more I can say ? I have always been a Brazillian fan. The way their football was played ... 1 word can never describe how the play their football ... amazing ? magical ? fascinating ? one superlative word of ONLY will do injustice to the Brazillian way of football. I admit that I am a bias attacking football fan [ Attack is the best form Defense] and Brazillian way of attacking football is simply out of this world. Especially with Ronaldo,Adriano,Ronaldinho,Kaka and Robinho leading their attack ... their name alone simply makes my mouth waterish ...
However, every team has a weakness and the mighty brazillians has indeed ... in their defense. Well, history tells that the Brazilians were never famous for their defensive line [ unlike Germany and Italia] even their wingbacks are attacking prone ... with only Lucio seems the ONLY hope to cover against the Rooney's and Henry's ... the towering defender is deemed as the ONLY capable defender that can actually defend.

Probable Lineup (4-4-2):

Dida (GK),
Cafu (DR), Lucio (DC), Juan (DC), Roberto Carlos (DL),
Emerson (DMC),
KaKa (MR), Ze Roberto(ML), Ronaldinho (AMC)

Ronaldo(CF), Adriano(CF)

Dida will be the last man standing in between of the Brazillian goal posts. The ACMilan keeper seems to get the nod ahead of Marcos. Last man Lucio will be the heart in Brazilian defense. The towering defender seems reliable so far but sometimes tend to make silly mistakes which can cost the Brazilians. Juan will get the nod ahead of Roque Junior who was not picked for the team to Germany. Not much can be said about him but hopefully he will not be another Junior Baiano in WC 98.
In terms of attack I believe Carlos Alberto Pereira will focus on the wingbacks to fast track the ball upwards to Ronaldinho who will be the playmaker for the Brazillians. Pacey Roberto Carlos though already looked that aged has caught up with him might still deliver the usual busting runs from left back to overlap the opponent. Ze Roberto will feature as the Left Winger and i presume that he might make diagonal runs to the centre to cover for the extra space in the centre allowing Carlos to move freely on the left side.
The same can also be said on the right, Cafu will function as the wingback for the team on the right side ... of late he tends to slow down a little in terms of pace hence there are possibility that his place will be challenged by the younger and pacey Cicinho. Kaka will more or less play on the right role and i assume that he will move the the center of midfield just ahead of Emerson to make cutting passes to either strikers. Besides that, he might also bring the ball to the far corner to force a long pass ... Some might argue Robinho suits better in the right wing because he is pacey .. thats a dilemma for Carlos Alberto Pareira .. not me
Knowing that their full attacking flair might make them vulnerable, Emerson might be despatched to cover central midfield. A last minute callup to replace Romario in WC 1998, Emerson has been ever present in this position and his role this time around would be to clamp down the attacking midfilders or Strikers before they move within 12 yards.
Ronaldinho, the hottest footballer on the planet ... Brazil will heavily rely on his skills, wit and wizardry to open up the opponent defense as he does best for Barcelona. His cut thru passes or little chips will prove decisive in delivering the ball to heavily guarded defense. He can also whack the ball from the edge of the box ...

Ronaldo "The Phenomenon" has been out of shape. Though we cannot compare him now with the Phenomenon that wows the world 8 years ago ... he still proves that he is one of the most complete strikers in the world (Finishing, skillful but then he might lose his pace due to his weight). Adriano "The Emperor" will be another choice for the Brazillians strikeforce to net the goals in. Big size and strong on airballs he can also whip a venomous kick on the ball anywhere he wants ...

My Opinion: Not many people wants to associate themselves with the apparent and overwhelming favorites hence they chose a lesser opponent as their choice. But for me,why chose second best whereas the apparent winner is so obvious. But then again this is just my 5 cents worth of opinion ... rite.






Netherlands(World Ranking:3)

Much has been said on anak buah's of Marco Van Basten. No doubt they are the most complete team that will fly to Germany. In fact, the "oranje" are touted as "the next supportable" team after the Brazilians. Well those views doesnt come without any facts supporting them. Qualifying "stylishly" from their group the team comprises of exciting young guns in every department. Gone are the days of Stam, Seedorf and Kluiverts ... but the oranje relies on Robbens, Van Der Vaart, Makaay and controversially NistleRooy. The Dutch have quality in each and every department in their team. Added with Total Football (10 men up, 10 men down - if van Basten chooses to play so) Dutch are certainly a force to be reckon with.

For me, I would say that the balls will come from Robben and van Der Vaart to Ruud to killoff with his finishing prowess. We cannot discount Roy Makaay presence in the penalty box as well. Van Bommel will lead in midfield and maybe together with Cocu who will add more depth into midfield the Dutch engine will hopefully be able to generate much opportunities for their strikers to tuck in easy balls.
Edwin van Der Sar will helm between the goalpost tis time post Stam but maybe Mathijsen and Krmkamp will be his cover before the giant keeper comes out to save his team the blushes.

Dark Horses


Argentina:Riquelme, Messi, Crespo, Tevez, Saviola, Heinze, Mascherano, Aimar etc ... Another South American Powerhouse this time coached byJose Pekerman. The Argentines will attack will come deep in their midfield heart in the shape of Villareal playmaker Juan Roman Riquelme. Even wihtout him, Pablo Aimar will certainly prove to be another source of Argentines attack. Tevez and Crespo will just need to wait for those long ball passes and give them a connecting stinging kick to end it up on the opponent net. Messi touted as the next Maradona will also be a nuisance in the opponents half with his skills and pace. Argentina is a team we cannot take away from the list of the contenders

Italia: One of the big and performing teams in World Cup. Their 2002 setbacks has surely been put behind and maestro Marcello Lippi will certainly draw up something for the Azzuri's. We do not expect the Italians to defocus from their normal defensive mindset moreover Lippi is famous for playing defensively during his heydays in Juventus[hey this guys wins lots of Schudettos for the Fat Lady so I guess his medals speaks out loud what this guy has achieved in Serie A]. The Italians has the mindset of "If you dont concede, you will not lose" which forms their backbone in their defense with the likes of world class defenders in Nesta, Cannavaro. Zambrotta will be stinging with his busting runs in right flank. My choice for the World's Best Keeper in Buffon will feature in his first WC after his last minute injury last time around in 2002. Do not fancy their attack will be much interesting but most likely they will come from old guards Totti and Del Piero. Gilardino and Luca Toni will be their strikers to be dispense in case they really want to find the net.

Germany: History has taught us the might of homeground advantage, moreover football fanatics nations. This will be the main factor that the Germans will be banking on if they are to find success since their last kiss on the trophy back in 1990 (West Germany). Coincidently Juergen Klinsman is the man who herald from the winning team and he is trying to mimic Franz Beckenbauer "The Kaiser" footstep of winning both as player and manager. Much has been happening in the camp especially on Klinsman refusal to leave his current home in US to spend more time in Germany with his team. Critics are also skeptical about his attacking play compared to a more disciplined and patient defensive to attacking build up style which the Germans are famous for. The "Ultimate Football Machine" will be led by Michael Ballack who will be their playmaker and the hope of the whole Germany will rest solely on him with youngsters to support him in Schweinsteiger



France:Oh My missuer's ! How can we forget' the Les Bleus'. Zizou is back mastering their engine room. However this time around we cannot expect much wizardry from our aged magician though his influence and trickster are second to none in this world. Barthez "The Clown" will be the doing acrobatic saves like he used to be since 1998. Viera will also play a big role in shrugging off attacks or runs from the center. However Le' King Henry will be the player to watch. The Best Striker [ i think this is still an understatement] in the World will find himself celebrating again like 1998 if he can prove his worth but outpacing his markers and putting the ball in the net coz this guy can put the ball wherever he wants .. thats true u know.

England: oh England aka the most over-rated national team in the World. My oh my, this team of Porche, Ferrari, Lamborghini driving millionaires are like the superstars of football. On paper, England has the best set of players (?) that they can ever assemble since 1966 and this is deemed as their best chance to bring the cup to the games homeland. Sven Goran Erikkson who will be in charged for his last international outing will hope that his $$ career in England fruits something out of his 5 years helm in England. The usual suspects Beckham will fly-in his laser guided long passes to Owen or if fit already Rooney. John Terry will feature in the heart of England defense and we hope that Rio Ferdinand can keep fis focus on the game 100% entire 90 minutes for every game. Two of England best technically gifted central midfield Gerard and Lampard is Sven's biggest headache in making them able to play together. Lampard doesnt seem his usual self like his days in Chelsea while Gerard seems like lost in the middle of the field. Joe Cole might be need to burst up the left side with his tricks and pace while David Beckham just needs to launch his laser-guided precision long passes to search for Owen who will outpace his defenders but then again his finishing looks unconvincing. England's hope lies on the shoulders of wonderkid Wayne Rooney who is still nursing his leg injury but will most likely play in this edition of WC2006. The goals will most likely come from this influential player who never say die attitude will hopefully bear fruit in England's outing this time around.

2.Players to watch

My choice of 6 players to watch might be a little controversial especially with the inclusion of Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi ahead of more established players like Torres "El Nino", Schenchenko, Riquelme, Raul,Robben .. etc and the list goes. Forgive me for being bias to Man Utd players and skillful players as well ... this is my assessment on each player.


Ronaldinho Gaucho:Hottest player in the world now. Has all the characteristics of a legend in the making. FIFA Player Of The Year twice in a row speaks the accolades worthy the name of Ronaldhinho. His skills can only be dreamt by the common but this guy turned them into reality on the field [without camera tricks]. His influence and presence alone will frightened those weak hearted ones and him being the playmaker of Brazil will make his markers enduring their worst nightmares. With him around, another Brazilians success looms large.


Micheal Ballack: The influenctial skipper of the German team. He will play a vital role in the German's engine room opening up gaps around enemies defense area. An outing without Ballack will spell disaster for Germany because they does not have any effective attacking players right now.






Thiery Henry: Le' King. If the source of France goal is to come from one single source ... you have to bet the only one to deliver them are Henry. Pace, skill, reading of game,flair ... Henry is touted as the most complete striker in the world right now with only Andriy Schevchenko to be realistically compared to him at thie moment. He can dizzle from the side flank into the centre in the penalty box before unleashing a thunderous shot passing the helpless keepers. His slicing passes at the same time proves that striker aside, he can help to open the gap for his striking partner [most probably Trezeguet] to run the ball home. WC 2006 will be the stage where Le' King cements his status as the greatest striker of current time.

Lionel Messi: Touted as the next Diego Armando Maradona, some might argue why little Messi got the nod ahead of much established player like Riquelme. Well Messi has shown great promise as the one who will eventually ascend the throne left by Maradona. Great skills and pacey. Played and integral part in Barcelona's all conquering team this season and I believe he will continue where he left from Spain to Germany





Wayne Rooney: Manchester United wonderkid, the hope of the entire nation falls on the very shoulder of this lad. At 20, he basically achieved world class status as a player. Very strong physically, he can crash through the toughest defenders with his run. Also very good with shoots from the edge of the box. However his most favoured characteristics is his never say die attitude towards the game. Played an instrumental part in Manchester United. Currently still nursing his leg injury but most probably will be with the England squad,World Cup 2006 will be the stage where Rooney boy proves once and for all that his place belongs with the best of the best.

Cristiano Ronaldo: Another wonderkid from Manchester United, this might prove to be the most controversial pick on the players to watch but I am bias towards skillful and pacey players and Cristiano Ronaldo has both. His skills are amongst the best of the elites even comparable to those of Ronaldinho. Has very quick pace and combining it with his skills he is a menace to his markers. His typical quick stepovers as well as his sidesteps are just his normal typical steps. However this lad tends to overdo things clowning around his opponent might invite unwanted tackles which might shackles his WC campaign rather early. Also needs to learn on his football brains. But on the day which spells CRISTIANO RONALDO it also spells PORTUGAL

3. Adidas vs Nike: Battle of the Sportswear Giants

It has always been a wage of war between sportswear giants during this times of the football calendar. Well one has to admit that the lucrative market of football sportwear is like a goldmine. These companies basically needs to capture the market and World Cup 2006 offers the arena where these giants can cross swords .. well literally of course. Knowing that the best way to advertise your brand to the market is to have the football stars themselves to endorse the product and both companies did no waste time to sign the best players under their sponsorship deal to promote their products.


adidas: Drew first blood by becoming the official sportswear for FIFA World Cup for some time. adidas has long been in the football apparels market and was the leader before Nike threatens its very existense. adidas brand focused on quality of its products. It was proven when Predator boots revolutionized the how football boots should look like. Designed for exquisite ball control and greater long pass range Predator line has took the football world by storm. I remembered my footballing days in 1998 where everyone talks about Predator Accelarator. I have the luxury of trying it a couple of times and it really felt good. Extremely excellent ball control and I can bend really bend the ball like Beckham. In line with their quality approach, adidas has also selected only those of quality under their sponsorship with David Beckham leading the pack, Ballack,Raul,Saviola,Kaka and not to forget the maestro himself Zizou ...


NIKE(Just Do It): The Yanks are really a force to be reckon with. Nike has established themselves as the biggest player in the market. The American sportswear giant has dethroned adidas who monopolize the market for quite some time. Nike has captivated the hearts of young and their branding power has established themselves as the leader in the market. Aligned with their motto, they have signed basically the who's who in the football world from Ronaldinho to Rooney. From Brazil to Korea. Yes, Nike started off by grabbing the dream deal by snatching the sponsorship deal for Brazil from Umbro and its not turning back from there onwards.And they are very good with their marketing strategies as well, everytime when WC arrives they will come out with very captivating advertisement videos. I particularly liked those eye candy from the Brazilians.

4. Bookie - The 4th Dimension Of Football
Before I joined my ex-company, I just understood the obvious 3 D of football players,tactics,luck. But then I was enlightened by the very existense of the 4th Dimension of football ... a very powerful entity whithin the footballing world. It is so powerful that it can make a tiny country progress all the way to the semifinal of 2002 WC.

Yes, the 4th Dimension of football is none other than bookies themselves. Some might say that they are a syndicate bigger than football itself and has spread its influence to the entire football world. Hardcore football fans might not like this but I believe that with the presence of bookie(s) the results of World Cup 2006 can be 'set' by the powers that be ...


5. What does World Cup do for the players ?
For the players this is the stage where they will profess their talents in the biggest arena of all because the major clubs summer shopping will be based on the players performances in World Cup. One can say that World Cup 2006 can be likened to the Milan 2006 Summer Collection Fashion Show.
Players fate lies with their performances on the pitch ... if they can perform well they will see their price tag in the transfer market leaped sky high.
Others wants to prove to the world that they belong to the big boys whereas some established ones want to cement their name in the Hall Of Fame.
Not few would like to take this opportunity to capture the attention or to lure the big clubs. One notable player who will be desperate to lure the interest of giant clubs would be Ruud van Nistlerooy. Breaking ranks with his club, he desperately needs to find himself a giant club which is interested in acquiring his services and World Cup 2006 will be the most appropriate platform for him to do this.


Finally,
Whaterver I said above are just my thoughts about the upcoming World Cup 2006. I might not be correct on all the stuffs that I hv said. Please do comment if any ...