That Normal Regular Guy

That Day When Other People Celebrated

2011-11-29T05:03:00.003Z

There is only one team for me and will always be Manchester United. I may have joined the United band wagon because they were winning titles over the years. One of my previous post pointed out one other reason I support Manchester United; Paul Scholes. With the Ginger Prince retired, I still provide United with my undying support. I try to watch their games as much as possible.

With the sour taste of defeat at the hands of Manchester City still lingering despite it being weeks ago, I've noticed something.

Track back, when United beat Arsenal 8-2 weeks earlier or other demolitions such as last season's 7-1 against Blackburn Rovers, other fans just looked and turned away.

This time it wasn't only City fans were celebrating, other club fans were celebrating the very humiliation United players and fans suffer in the hands of our very own neighbour. Which also brings back to when United was beaten 1-0 by eventually relegated Burnley in 2009 when other people are sticking out their tongues to United fans.

No, I'm not mad or spiteful at other fans for I believe they have their rights to throw banters against United fans or any other club fans. Further understanding when it comes to the very mention of United being in 3 Champions League finals in 4 years. People turn to look and say, "Too bad Barca beat United twice."

Correct me if I'm wrong when I say United's success is what caused all this. When Sir Alex Ferguson took the hot seat, it took him a while before trophies start coming. Then winning doubles (FA Cup and Premier League) comes along. At one point its hard to see United ending a season without a trophy. Clubs start to come in to challenge United to the title and one by one Sir Alex tugged the titles away from them. Started off with winning the title from Liverpool and Leeds United. Then Blackburn Rovers surprised many. Arsene Wenger came along and thus started the battle between Le Professeur and The Tactician (Sir Alex later will be known as The Master) which lasted around 7 years when Roman Abramovich started to pour millions into Chelsea.

Then came the 2008/2009 season where Liverpool and United were battling for top spot with Liverpool winning 4-1 in the process. To make it unbearable for Liverpool fans but sweeter for United fans; United winning the league that season means standing on level terms with Liverpool in terms of English League titles.

Now its the challenge of Manchester City. I sincerely believe that City can win this season but highly doubt they can continue mounting title challenges over the years to come with Arsenal and Liverpool and Chelsea still tugging at Sir Alex's tail coat. Also, if Tottenham can keep their star players (yeah, you heard me Modric), next season they could be one to watch.

To conclude with a daring statement; other fans maybe oblivious but their hatred towards United is based on the simple basic jealousy. To watch many teams, whether its the beautiful football of Arsenal or the riches of Chelsea or City or even individual talents of Gerrard, be dispatched by United is very heart breaking. But know this, United fans envy achievements of other clubs as much as other fans. For me, I envy Liverpool the most for their achievements in Europe.

Understand your hatred,

the12thplayer

That Day I Rage Quit

2011-09-05T07:42:00.003+01:00

Rage Quitting (online gaming) - is the act of leaving the game before it ends usually due to a fit of rage.

Having picked up FIFA 11 online recently, I've spent quite some time on the PS3 and munching on snacks from time to time. At first it was a series of losses before I start having a win. Back to back wins eventually came by and then at one point I accomplished the '5 wins in a row' trophy.

Once you reached around level 18, I plunged back to the old routine where grabbing a back to back win is a rarity and almost no one wants a rematch. It is here around this level where rage quitters are regular.

Rewind to around level 3 or 4. I was down 2-nil at the half when my opponent started taunting me with juggles and back passes. I pulled one back past the hour mark. At this point my players are being hacked down like a grass cutter attacking the 'lalang' fields. Then I scored on the 89th minute. Oooo he was ticked off. This time he ran to the corner flag (my half of the field) and shielded the ball. A simple nudge, he fell over and no free kick was given.

I ran up the field with the ball and to make the victory even sweeter I rounded 2 defenders and then the goalie. Just before scoring he tackled my player from the back and the goal was deemed own goal.

"Menangis tu eh!" I thought.

Before the replay finishes the screen darkens and a message telling me that the connection has been lost shows up. Yeap. My very first rage quitter. I won't forget it. Though I forgot the username but that's not important at that time. You can imagine how pissed I was at that time.

I looked up the internet and found out about the term 'Rage Quitter' and also found out that if either players got disconnected, both players will receive a loss in their statistics and lose points. I was bitterly disappointed because its a very bad rule and there are countless of forums writing that EA Games should implement a better pointing system for such cases. No matter, on that day I've decided to never rage quit.

How true to my word I've been. One time I was losing 5-0 at the hour mark and decided to make substitution. Half way through my changing of players my opponent sent me a message saying 'quitting?'. I laughed quietly and continued playing till finished where the game ended 7-3.

He decided to rematch. While our game loads I messaged him 'Won't quit!' where he replied 'That's the spirit. P.S. Why on earth you left Drogba on the bench? Hahaha'. I thought to myself, 'There's still good laughs going around in the world'

Fast forward to this morning. The usual day on the controller. I played 5 games. My first two games was a win with rage quitters. I lost my 3rd and 4th game with one of the guys messaging me 'looooooser'. I guess he has a right to banter since he's beaten me 3-0. At this point I was very demotivated to continue playing given all I've done is lost points.

By luck my fifth game was against the guy from the first game. How I remembered? The username was silly and easy to remember. I decided to humour myself (and hopefully him too). As soon as he picked FC Barcelona, I quickly picked FC Barcelona B. Clearly this is going to be a very one sided match but he continued on.

Yup, I went and picked the same coloured jersey and he still played along. 10 minutes into the game I played hard. You know, like my life depended on it. I ran my players all over the pitch. Then by some sheer luck I was 1-on-1 with this goalie. This is to be the goal that give me the lead. I passed the ball to a player facing the open goal.

THEN HE SHOOTS. What?! Yeah. I paused before scoring. Quickly typed the message to my opponent. It writes:

"Hahaha SUCKER!"

Then I quit. Since it was around 6 am I rolled around holding back my laughs.

The thing is.... Typing all this down, really proves how much of an idiot I can be. But I'm sharing this because given whatever situation, don't ever forget to appreciate it with a laugh. May it be because of hardship or happiness. But when its because of your own idiocy you should laugh.

Thanks for reading,

the12thplayer

That Ginger Prince

2011-06-01T00:49:00.004+01:00

Paul Scholes

Some call him "The Ginger Prince" for the colour of his hair and his majestic football style.

(picture credit: mirrorfootball.com)

Some call him "Satnav of Manchester" for he knows where his team mates are and how to give them the ball.

"Gary Neville was having a piss one day, 45 yards away by a fence. Scholesy picked him out, sent a long ball and whacked him right on the arse."

-Sir Alex Ferguson.

"I love watching little Paul Scholes, he's so in control of what he's doing and is always so accurate and pinpoint with his passing - it's just beautiful to watch."

-Sir Bobby Charlton

Some call him the "Greatest/Best player of his generation" as no one compares or even comes close to his level of playing.

"Without any doubt the best player in the Premiership has to be Scholes. He knows how to do everything, and he is one who directs the way his team plays. On top of that, he has indestructible mental strength and he is a genuine competitor."

-Thierry Henry

Growing up watching football next to my dad, he kept telling me to watch out for Manchester United number 7 players. He's a big George Best fan. He went on and on how Best influenced his style of play. Step overs, over head kicks, ridiculous volleys and of course that burning pace. At that point we were watching the highlights on a Sunday where King Eric doing his thing against Liverpool in the FA Cup final 1996. I barely remember the game as a whole, but I definitely noticed a small ginger haired player jogging around doing one touch passes. Number 22? Who's that? My dad went "No idea!".

Then came that game winning goal where King Eric blasted a volley through the Liverpool players. My dad just raised his arms and smiled. "See I told you to keep out for the Manchester magic number 7."

I became a United fan that day. Me and my dad talked football ever since. I still wondered who is that number 22 player. I asked why field a small player? My dad could only answer: "Maybe he's a Maradona or Keegan. Small players definitely have speed and balance to beat players."

Paul Scholes didn't need speed nor quick feet skills. His game is all about creating space for himself and others, finding open team mates on the wings and executing that final pass. Yes, he has that killer right footed rockets if given the time and space.

Despite his retirement from football, players, pundits and managers alike thought that Scholes would have made a difference for the England squad in the 2010 World Cup tournament. But Capello decided to test Scholes' resolve by giving him a 24 hour notice and through his number 2 Franco Baldini.

That aside, the quotes from various players and managers proves how much he's contributed to Manchester United as well as providing a style of football to others where the fast modern game needs a creative variety.

Though there are very small number of fan video compilations of Scholes on youtube.com, I believe his magical moments are, even at least one moment, left a mark on anyone (fans, haters and neutrals) who've watched him played.

"My toughest opponent? Scholes of Manchester. He is the complete midfielder. Scholes is undoubtedly the greatest midfielder of his generation."

-Zinadine Zidane

My greatest thanks to the Ginger Prince of Manchester. Though this post is not fitting for a great legend, I realize there is no need for an awesome post, the name says it all.

-the12thplayer

That Facebook Girl (Part of That Facebook series)

2011-05-13T19:52:00.006+01:00

That Facebook Girl

You could try and 'like' her status updates. Try to 'poke' her. Or even throw in trying-too-hard-to-be-funny-replies whenever she commented on a mutual friends' pictures or status. You wonder why she never notices your status updates or the funny video you put up on your wall. Why she never laughs at your jokes when others did. You sit there flipping through her pictures and thought she looks beyond beautiful no matter the pose.

Is she too cool for me? Am I trying too hard that it creeps her out? Or I just didn't do enough to impress her? When you greeted her on her birthday, all you got is a 'like'. You scrolled through and she did the same to everyone, no comments-just 'likes'. You stayed online on your Facebook messenger just hoping she would start a chat with you. Your heart beats wildly when you she a green dot next to her name (which means she's online and available to chat). But you hesitated. You chose to wait for her to make the first move because the same thing might happened when you said 'Hi' to her last time.

What happened last time?

After gathering all the courage you clicked on 'chat' and then her name.

-types- "Hi"

After pressing 'Enter' you waited for her reply. You open other pages like your e-mail and BBC news just to calm yourself down. While reading articles on minor happening which doesn't really pose a threat to yourself you shift your gaze on the Facebook tab to see if she replied. The reason you pick to read minor news is so that you will be able to shift your gaze every now and then. Three articles and junk emails deleted still no reply. After half an hour of wait you decided to check on the chat box only to see a 'moon' next to her name (status: idle). You wanted to see if she has any activity on her Facebook in the last half an hour, but you feared being labelled a 'stalker'. You slump back in a mixture of relief (in case you might chat with her and make a fool of yourself) and disappointment. Like a person who's tired of working on the computer you shut down your computer and shook your head.

"What that girl can do to me," you sighed.

The next day:

Knowing her kind nature, you sensed she may have replied your chat. You quickly turned on the computer and logged on to Facebook. A box appeared at the bottom of the page.

"Sorry, I was busy yesterday and just noticed your text. Chat soon ok? Hugs"

This was 3 hours ago and her status is neither 'online' nor 'idle'. She's offline. You sensed she is trying to avoid you and some other creeps.

-to be continued-

the12thplayer

Note: I got this idea from a song a friend wrote which I've posted at the bottom. See you guys soon.

Lyrics:

Facebook Girl

I sit here watching your pictures go by

Your profile picture makes me feel so fly

I could fall a sleep staring in your eyes

I really do wish to know who you are

Facebook girl, oh Facebook girl

If only you knew I existed

Facebook girl, oh Facebook girl

Poking you ain't gonna cut it

Facebook girl, oh Facebook girl

I just wanna know you more

Please approve it

We've been poking each other all this while

Everytime you do it, you make me smile

Waiting for your reply would made my day

But baby, that's not enough I wanna know who you are

Facebook girl, oh Facebook girl

If only you knew I existed

Facebook girl, oh Facebook girl

Poking you ain't gonna cut it

Facebook girl, oh Facebook girl

I just wanna know you more

Please approve it

You post your pictures,

With guys who looked like they're asses

You changed your status, you're no more single

I don't wanna feel this, this heartache is breathless

I guess Im gonna wait until you dump that jackass

Facebook girl, oh Facebook girl

If only you knew I existed

Facebook girl, oh Facebook girl

Poking you ain't gonna cut it

Facebook girl, oh Facebook girl

I just wanna know you more

Please approve it

I could fall a sleep staring in your eyes

I dunno why, but I feel butterflies

That Exams of Mine

2011-05-12T01:38:00.000+01:00

They say Confucius started the examination system that we have today. Well, its true. Examinations are designed to test the level of knowledge within a person. The months and years of studying and learning comes down to the final few hours which determines your future.

I sincerely believe in the examination system but I utterly dread it. Or I thought I did. Examinations creates classes. Labels are put upon the results each individual obtained. I'm sure you've heard some of these labels; smart, intelligent, genius. Its the negative results many people refuse to label.

A person have equally good and bad points just like cars. An Echo for example; affordable, small, convenient and sips on fuel. Bad points are such its rarely a chick magnet, slow on highways, small space and you do not expect to tow another car with this. All this is as opposed to, say an X5. You get the big gangster look which definitely is a chick magnet and can pull a boat with ease. Downside is that the X5 is expansive, the fuel meter moves like the rev meter and there never seem to be any parking spots big enough.

The point is, if you put the car through the wrong examination, no matter how big the plus points are, it will fail miserably. However, human beings are much different. We are made to adapt to our environment. If you grab a small guy and get him to drag the piano up and down a street, he will fail the initial attempts but give him time he will eventually buff up and drag the piano with ease. But logically you don't want to do that. Be smart and grab a big bad-a$s guy to drag your piano to start off with.

Because examinations come at abrupt times, we are often caught off guard or, at most times, caught where we are no where close to being prepared. If the small guy is examined while he's still getting used to the weight of the piano but couldn't pull it fast enough, he will be marked as fail. Even when the big bad-a$s is not felling well on the examination day, he too can fail.

Eventually, I don't look at examinations as a monster waiting to gobble me up if I answered wrong. I now look at it as a wall. If its too high to climb, I'll walk around it. However, at one point I believe the wall will be to wide to go around. At that time, I will punch the wall hard enough to make Chuck Norris sweat and Confucius start eating the exam papers.

Good luck for your exams guys,

the12thplayer

-forget the big bad-a$s guy, get Bruno Mars.

That Facebook (Part 4)

2011-05-02T01:32:00.004+01:00

*the following story is fictitious and does not represent anyone dead or alive. Any resemblance is purely coincidential.

LET

Single guy = Mr.E ;took it from Batman comics - the Riddler's name

Opens his browser and typed out 'fac' and ta-dah! The browser fills in the rest automatically. Just to make sure the browser get it right Mr.E glances on the address bar.

www.facebook.com

suggestions: facial massage, face lift & face/off (movie) etc

*click* -Enter-

Three red spots blotted the signature blue facebook page heading.

That will be 1 Friend Request, 1 Inbox Messages and 4 Notifications for you sir!

"Wow! That's a hell lot of notifications since I logged on about 2 hours ago."

Mr.E made wild guesses on what's the notification all about. Looking at it, people usually get more notifications per hour compared to messages and friend requests put together. So if we write from left to right why not put the Notifications tab on the left rather than the right. Hmmm. Well I'm not a super awesome programmer. Just a simple dude. Of course there's a reason to putting it on the right, just like there is a reason to why the 'Friday' song is catchy but no one wants to admit liking it (since we're on the topic, why do they let 13 year olds drive?).

*click*

Almost everybody check out their notifications first. Its as if the tiny globe button fixes their addiction or something. Clicking it gave Mr.E a little tingle down his spine.

"Look who decided to 'like' my status update."

Mr.E

Damn tired. Don't feel like getting out of bed

2 likes 1 comment

Friend

I know right. Like omg. Bari malas. Kalau bukan pasal kraja malas tah ku ingau!

Other notifications didn't really surprise Mr.E. The usual tagged photo comments and comments for other people's status which Mr.E liked.

*click*

Clicking on the facebook logo takes Mr.E to the Newsfeed. Its much busier than a BBC or CNN newsfeed. I bet that most of you guys heard about big-news-but-not-important-enough-for-BBC/CNN-headlines on facebook before you see it on tv. You know, news such as a passing of a superstar or a highway accident.

*scrolls down*

One update struck Mr.E.

-Dude and Babe is no longer in a relationship-

Of course guys click on the girl first. Whether the relationship just started or they just broke up or they upgraded to married, guys always click on the girl first.

"Awww... that's too bad. They were good together."

"Hmm... I wonder if this works?"

*types* -single-

Before pressing enter, Mr.E waits if the facebook search bar suggestions will show up single girls.

-Searching-

"Damn! Of all times for the internet to lag!"

*click* refresh

*types* -single-

"Ah damn! All it shows is group pages with the word 'single' on it."

"If only facebook has that search feature. Nah! nevermind. I'll look up all my friends and see who is single and not in a relationship. But that would make me desperate."

"Hahaha. Who needs a partner! Im good on my own!"

A small part of Mr.E feels lonely.

-to be continued-

the12thplayer

"Kalau ia suka aku, ku bagi chan pulang.."

-Anonymous on the eve of 2010 New Years

That Facebook (Part 3)

2009-07-29T13:16:00.004+01:00

Why do we have that need to log on to Facebook for almost every hour?

You ask questions. Human are the most curious of creatures. We bother ourself with really tiny weeny little stuffs that won't even save the world from destruction. We find that knowing even the smallest detail over other people is fulfilling. So saying it plainly, human are generally a bunch of busybodies.

"No we're not!", says you.

Then why we read the papers (gossip column) and watch television (channel E!)?

"For fun lah!", you insist.

And the usual me would arms up and back away. I rest my case.

Fact: On average every Facebook account receives 1 update per minute on their News Feed.

And lets face it, Facebook always have stuffs to offer that will keep you coming back for more. At first Facebook is just a simple social networking service just like any other (e.g. the old Friendster and the ancient Community Zero), the only difference it has that 'write on my wall' thingy compared to Friendster's testimonial. Seriously, testimonials? Its as if we have already lived a full life and went over to the other side (if you know what I mean) and people are writing stuffs about you and your 'good deeds'. I bet most of the testimonials written are lies which is exactly what people would do when you went to the other side.

Months go on and you still scribble on people's wall and adding friends. Which is good because thats the reason for social networking service, to connect people. Then the logging on rate drops to 3 log ons a day. Facebook went and changed the layout. This got people pissed and starting to talk about it and making groups going against the layout change.

Then come the applications such as Vampire VS Werewolf. Oooooo I got bitten by a vampire... I'm changing. Simple click and play applications such as mob wars and sell a friend (why would you do that!?) are addictive even though there is nothing much we can do but point and click.

"Wahahaha.. My mob just mobbed your mob!", you would post on your friends' wall after beating him/her. Because applications like these requires you to invite more friends to join in order to advance to the next level, you paster your friends to accept the invitation request (Facebook put it in such a polite manner) they sent. You would even tell them to accept the request and don't have to put much into it.

This is when invitation requests became an annoyance. 20-30 request comes in one day. At one point, the point and click applications come to a halt. Less and less people participated. The log on count drops again. Yet some how Facebook pulled another one on us. Pet Society came upon us. And if that doesn't tickle your fancy, they have Restaurant City.

Same old story. "Please accept my request. I really need that oven. If you join I'll have an oven."

Side note: Sorry Kayun... Didn't mean to quote you.

Not to be a hypocrite, right now I'm kinda into the Typing Maniac and Pixel Ranger applications because you don't need to invite people to join your crew/party/gang/band/brotherhood/whatever. You just have to be damn good.

Well, I am just mediocre.

Till the next part,

the12thplayer

"Cliches became cliches for a reason.... because they work..."

-Dr. (McSteamy) Sloan, Greys Anatomy s05e14

2009-06-24T21:46:00.005+01:00

Hi,

I'm awesome.

I'm like the coolest guy ever because I can knit! And, the girls can't beat me! HAHAHA!

Someone said I'm the prettiest guy ever and I look like a girl. But, that is still awesome coz I'm awesome like that yo!

Rad needs a new plushie and I'm gonna get her loads. One for Hanis too pasal "ia alum pernah ada bf."

I just made a girl spoilt her cooking by saying "kicap". Ask me for more details.

My monkey is stolen by Kayun. It is renamed as "Murut" for the most obvious reasons. Rad calls it as "Murad" though. I have no idea why.

Pinico the fish has been eating stones. I feel like sticking my finger into its cute mouth.

I thought kimchi is Japanese. I am so blonde.

I went to the city just now. I tried to refund a pair of Puma shoes for Razan but I got busted. The person behind the counter actually asked if they were mine. They found out from the debit card, "MISS" and there's a small neoprint sticker on it (3 girls). Oh well. I tried to lie the guy but it was too obvious. haha

I didn't buy Rad her snacks i.e. krispy kreme to make her fat. Because she is so "kurus karing".

Do you still remember the cartoon(s?) we used to watch when we were kids? Try google or youtube for "Hakushon Damaiou". Brings lots of memories. ;D

Metis is fat. He's probably an XL now. He's throwing all his hardwork away by eating alot. Rad has seen him when he was in form 4 back then and he looks soooooooooooooooo different.

I am knitting right now. Because I'm cool like that.

the12thplayer
what i think he thinks,
may24

please wait for another 3 months before the next post done by the awesome me! xD

Watch me do my awesome thang and Shuhir beating Kash. haha

That (Those) 10 Things I Do Between Revisions

2009-05-27T02:18:00.004+01:00

1) Snacking

2) Watch Viral Videos

3) Wonder if world peace is possible.

4) Beat other people's brute on MyBrute.
http://razorres.mybrute.com/

5) Play games on www.kongregate.com

6) Wonder why Sue Son was pitted against Sue Boyle and Diversity in the Semi-Final (thats talent with a pretty face).

7) Try to beat my best scores on http://www.jamlegend.com/user/Razorres. Yeah, I used the PS2 controller which makes it SUPER easy for me. Regularly played songs: Canon Rock, On the Rocks, Metal Gear Solid Theme Remix, Naruto The Rising Fighting Spirit, F-Zero - Mute City Remix and Ken Stage (from Street Fighter II).

8) Pray that Manchester United wins the Champions League.

9) Toy around with that Rubik's cube of mine.

10) Wonder of the 10th thing I should do.

XD
the12thplayer

That Things You Need To Know

2009-05-12T00:58:00.001+01:00

That Facebook (Part 2)

2009-05-08T16:20:00.009+01:00

*Open door*

Sighs.... "Home sweet Home"

You drop your bag on the table and check your handphone for messages or missed call. Nothing. Hmmm... After the having hints of thoughts of friends' responses to your comments for the whole day the annoying 15 minutes of facebook you had this morning just sinks. You open your laptop to see the your facebook homepage is filled with newsfeeds of 'How well do you know me?' quizzes.

Unless you have been under a coconut shell for the past month or so, you would have noticed the numerous amount of quizzes set up by your facebook friends. Maybe you were on a hiatus because of exams (a sour breakup maybe?). Or maybe... *evil gril*

You're just pissed?

"WHAT!?! After all the comments and 'like's I've clicked.... ONLY ONE!?!", you thought in horror. As if things are going to get better when you click on the '2 Friend Requests'.

*click*

"W T F/H !?!"

"Siapakan ni?"

"Nama udah tah ku inda kenal... Gambarnya lagi inda ku tau siapa!!"

Names are C. 'The Poker King'Y.G. and Maria 'Ozawa' CX from top to bottom (fictional names not intended to harm anyone but for intentions to entertain).

"Apakan ni? The Poker King? CYG? Cayang kali ertinya. Gambarnya lagi", were your initial guesses.

*click*

"Ummm.. Four pics."

*click*

"Woot?! All four pictures don't show his/her face. Macam mana kan tau siapa ni. Ish~ Ku poker ko karang pakai lamp mu atu!"

If only there is one icon I can click to comment on his/her picture I would certainly click it!

*back* and looks at the second request.

"Eh sadang jua dih buat gambar Jesika Alba. Namanya lagi. Maria Ozawa. CX lagi tu. Charles Xavier apa kah kan di buat nya. Nada konektion langsung," you thought.

Same goes for the second request. Only pictures of hot and sexy Pop Star. Decision time. To add or not? Since you and Maria 'Ozawa' only have 3 friends in common you decided to ignore it. Whilst 'The Poker King' and you have 23 mutual friends and most of the are your friends from college, so you sent him a message.

"Hi, I'm afraid I don't recognize you. I do apologise for my poor memory."

*click* -sent-

Having no idea who is who - no one really notices anything you post although you tagged them - your comments on friends posts just gets a ;) - and your 5 pending friend request haven't been replied by your old seatmate back in primary school. You wondered whether your lack of popularity or your bad reputation during middle school or college is the cause of all these drama. As you ponder your self-esteem seeps away slowly. Just as this morning, you felt you've had enough of facebook for the time being.

You paused.

*click* on the notification.

All that lost self-esteem comes back and you feel a part of something. A friend has tagged you in a photo.

*click*

-to be continued-

the12thplayer

That Hot Yvonne

2009-05-01T19:12:00.003+01:00

Chuck second season draws to a close with the recent finale "Chuck Versus The Ring". The series definitely kept me entertained for a while now. Below is a video with Yvonne Strahovski appearing on Craig Ferguson Late Late Show.

That Facebook-Part 1

2009-04-26T20:08:00.012+01:00

[Insert song name you've set as your alarm tone]~~~

You wake up and hit the snooze button and begging for that extra 5 minutes in bed. Repeat process and forward to 30 minutes later. Forced yourself out of the bed and thought "I seriously need to change my alarm tone". Switch on the laptop. Connected to Wi-Fi. Homepage - Facebook. Automatically logged in. Ola! 20 notifications. And only 2 comments on a photo/video of you tagged by someone else in which the comment has absolutely nothing to do with you. 5 people has taken your quiz. 3 of them failed miserably and 1 barely passing and your best'est' friend in the universe got just one wrong. As for the rest of the notifications; that Mafia/Mob/Fashion War person in your crew just beat the heck out of you. Mental! Nyeh~ leave it for later lah.

As if application notifications isn't annoying enough, the top right of your Facebook homepage urges you to join a group or install an application. Nyeh, forget that... -Ignore All- *click*

Hmmm.... Highlights...
OMG!!!! Si ANU in a relationship sudah? With who ah? *click* *click*
Alaa~ Not stated with who. -scroll-scroll-scroll-
*click* "like"
*type* "sama siapa ni~~? Congrats!" *comment*

*click* "Home"
-scroll-scroll-scroll-
James Bond aiyaa~ I thought I knew you enough.

Hahaha... "I think I can do better". So you thought. Result time. Uh oh. 20%.

Ummmm... Let's not publish it.
*click* "Skip"

Looks at "What's on your mind?".... Stares at the ceiling for a good solid 5 seconds. What's exciting that has happened in my life since I've put "Watched Fast & Furious and it was totally awesome!!!". That itself generated 5 'likes' and 10 comments of either people agreeing it was awesome or it was lousy and that one "Ai siuk... Napa inda bawa aku??". Nyeh~ You know what... I'll lie.

*type* "Had a dream that tons of cash filled my room"
Hmmm.... Bad Idea... -backspace- *hold*

*type* "off to uni... Ugh"
Wait for it...
Wait...

NO Way! That dreaded red "X" appears on the task bar. You silently curse your laptop and grind your teeth.

-Connected-
*type* "Stupid internet connection"

Its been almost 15 minutes since you logged onto facebook and decided Facebook annoyed you enough for the morning. You close your web browser window, 'shut down' the laptop and then stormed out your room and went on to do your 'thing'.

As you go on with your daily routine, you wonder whether what you posted or who you commented, 'like'd or superpoked might pull someone's attention (maybe someone you fancy)? Or might it make people laugh? Or even make people angry!?

Expections are high. You wonder how many notifications will the red box in the corner of the window will show when you log in next. Who is my friend in a relationship with? Why?

Even as you go through your day, you wonder what you did that day should be on your "What's on your mind" column.

Facebook has that control on your day...

-to be continued-

the12thplayer

You should really change that alarm tone"

Not really one of those days.

2009-04-24T04:13:00.002+01:00

Hey all,

My habit as of late is definitely bad for health. Can't help it really. Just as holidays ended, my lecturers dropped the bomb. 7 assignments due in 1-2 weeks. Worse news, by the last deadline I'll have around 2 weeks to prepare for my exams.

Weaving my time between courseworks and examination preparations is taking a toll on me. Since my secondary years I pick to work on homeworks after the family is asleep which is past midnight. Why so? Firstly, my family can be quite a distraction. All sort of things can happen. Like my dad asking me to make a cup of hot drink cos he can't take his eyes off the oh-so-exciting golf match. Or my brother having trouble with his schoolwork. My sister? Ummm she's usually in her own world. Last but not least, Mummy! I can't stand the sight of her working all alone. Whether she's cooking or doing the laundry, I have to be there to 'dengani' her even if it means being scolded for bugging her. My good intentions usually meets with her favourite line - 'Apa lagi ko mau?!'

Yea sure, I can tell them not to disturb me or something. But that's the best time for me to spend time with my family. As I go through my years of education, the hours working on homeworks just gets longer which means me sleeping much later. Come my Sixth Form years, I'll still be up past 3am. This practice became more of a routine. Now, although I have absolute nothing to do in the afternoon, books and notes are just blank paper and pages.

I don't really see the problem on the studies point of view. I'am doing work. But I usually end up having a very low stamina in lectures. Longest I'll last in a single lecture will be 50 minutes tops. Eyebags and all. No wonder I don't get ladies' attention. But then again. Its Mechanical Engineering. Only 2 ladies. All the more reason to keep them eyebags.

Point is, we are playing towards the end of the season. To my friends in final year or doing Masters, there is no bigger stage than this to prove yourselves and see the end to your hardwork. Still in my second year, so I'll see you guys on the podium soon. Good luck with your revision no matter how you do it. May God Bless.

Work Hard, Work Smart
the12thplayer

Under The Spotlight

2009-04-02T05:49:00.004+01:00

Hi guys,

I'll admit I'm not much of a guy on stage. I prefer being part of the crowd. In fact, I LOVE watching people on stage and making fun of the mistakes made.

Huda rang almost 3 weeks ago with an offer to host Brunei Cultural Night '09 along with Vivi. Wanted to have sometime to think about it but got sold as soon as she said ticket is free and that 'pleaseeeee...' is definitely heart-melt'er'. As soon as I hung up the phone, I wondered if I'll regret to agreeing.

Zoom-in 2 weeks later (Wednesday 25th March): I was in London for the rehearsals. As I was working on the script with Vivi, I can't help but watch the play. Besides the casts being repeatedly used (meaning the cast holds up to 2 roles in the play, sings in the choir and perform dances), the storyline is something to be amazed with. Immediately the idea of 'I-will-regret-doing-this' was binned.

Saturday 28th March: The Day. Was a pack of nerves from the moment I stepped on stage 8.30am till curtain call 12 hours later. Thank God the play was outstanding that my mistakes were rubbed off. For you people wondering out there, no I didn't attempt lame jokes nor tried being corny. I did the simplest and most straight forward emceeing you could ever imagine.

Since I've come this far in writing about BCN 09, I might as well show my gratitude. Thank you to the producers (especially Huda) for having that hint of believe that I could put up a good show and giving me a taste of being under the limelight. To be paired on stage with Vivi is definitely the best solution to starting off emceeing for the first time (thanks Vivi!). Also thanks to buddies for that much needed encouragement. Thumbs up to the crew, casts, production team and volunteers for that very exciting show.

Under the weather,
the12thplayer

NB: I had make up on for the show. Kinda like it... Blushers and all... XD

The Yips

2009-03-15T04:28:00.006Z

Its been sometime huh peeps?

I'm updating my blog for one main reason and everyone absolutely knows the reason why. The massive defeat of United right at home at Old Trafford.

We saw the traditional United style of exchanging passes and dominating possession (55%) and with 17 shots, only 3 on target, pretty much shows what United has been lacking all season. We have been contemplating 1-0, 2-0 victories and finally paid the price. Liverpool turned on a different style with fast counter attacking football which proved extremely effective as they converted most of their chances (9 shots, 5 on target). Their counter attack football even worked against Real Madrid.

The the United defense which has been a record breaker in recent weeks didn't just crack tonight. We almost forgotten how it feels to concede. And of all games we picked to have the yips, we picked to have it tonight. Vidic is the defender who has been playing the whole time with Van Der Sar in the record breaking run of clean sheets and tonight he was the one who committed the very mistake that led to Liverpool's first goal. I've been there. To watch your very own trusted team-mate fail drastically isn't easy to get over. It was that first goal sparked life into Liverpool's faint title chance which has eluded them for a VEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRYYYYY long time.

To be defeated in such a manner is absolutely disheartening nevermind embarrassing. Right now as I'm typing this note there are plenty of banter towards United fans and my bet is that this will go on for another few weeks (which is much less than what Arsenal fans gave us few months ago) just like when they were leading the league. To have United sit on top of the EPL table ahead with few points and a game in hand, is truly frusturating after leading in the first few months. Finally after years of lousy sleepless night, Liverpool fans can finally rest easy knowing they are a force to be reckoned with. Rafa should be more pleased after that banter saying they will over take United a month ago and now boo-boys would return to be fans once again.

All that Liverpool fans say to us United fans, I'll take it as graceful as Sir Alex because we understand that need to finally say 'WOO'.

Thanks for the lesson Rafa and sleep well L'pool fans...

You'll need it,
the12thplayer

We must forget about this result, because next weekend I am sure we will be back with a good performance"

- Park Ji Sung

The Statue?

2008-12-02T18:16:00.009Z

When Manchester United won the European Cup way back in 1968 it featured the so called the 'Holy Trinity' consisting of legends George Best and Sir Bobby Charlton. Denis Law missed the final through injury. 40 years later a statue in memory of these legends was unveiled with Denis Law waving towards the statue of Sir Matt Busby and having George Best and Sir Bobby Charlton on either side also facing Sir Matt Busby. The statue, made out of 3 ton bronze and standing at 9 ft tall, was sculpted by artist Philip Jackson, who also created Sir Matt Busby's statue more than a decade ago.

Picture from: http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/s/1051910_holy_trinity_statue_unveiled

40 years on after the glorious victory against Benfica, Sir Alex Ferguson won it with the new Holy Trinity. Cristiano Ronaldo, Carlos Tevez and Wayne Rooney started against a resurging Chelsea. Similarly, both finals ended draw 1-1 at full time. However in contrast, Best scored 3 minutes into overtime with Brian Kidd adding another a minute later. Few minutes later, Sir Bobby Charlton netted his second of the night in Wembley Stadium, London - while the '08 Trinity had to be dragged to penalties with Chelsea coming close to scoring on number of occasion during extra time.

Many guessed that forty years after the final in Moscow that either Tevez, Rooney, Ronaldo, Van der Sar, Ferdinand or even Scholes will make it as a statue in front of Old Trafford. I guess neither will make the cut as an unsung hero (below) might be unveiled as United's 2008 European Cup Hero.

Picture from: http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/2008/05/29/3pm-man-united-s-2008-european-cup-winners-statue-89520-20588017/

"...it really is a tremendous honour, the only tragedy is that George is not here."

- Denis Law at the unveiling of the Holy Trinity Statue

The Big Game

2008-11-07T04:39:00.003Z

Hey all,

If there's any reason why I've started a blog its because I believe I have a little something for writing. What else better to write about than my main passion; football. No, write that off. My passion - Manchester United. Heck, I'd give up meal time to watch them play. Anyways, my last pre-game report was pretty much last season and it covered the biggest match up. Now, I'm trying my hands to be as impartial as possible. So here goes:

The Red Devils are going to take on the Gunners this Saturday at the Emirates. Arsenal are one point behind with the Champions having a game in hand. Ahead of the showdown, United have not won at the Emirates (D-1, L-1). Even at Highbury, the last time United won in a Premier League was during the 1999-2000 season. However, recent display showed that the Gunners are having a poor run at home collecting 10 points in their last 5 home games (home form: W-W-L-W-D). Seeing Mikael Silvestre not able to return to face former club adds to the injury list. Notable players that will be missing out are Emmanuel Adebayor (ankle), Emmanuel Eboue (knee), Tomas Rosicky (hamstring) and Eduardo (long term leg and ankle). Willaim Gallas and Theo Walcott are at 50:50 to face United.

United have not got it sorted either ammasing only 8 points in their last away games (away form: W-L-D-W-D). Manchester United are at experimental stage seeking the best combination between Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez to play alongside Dimitar Berbatov. Rooney and Berbatov were on top form before the last few games. None of the strikers scored in the last four games and Tevez last goal was against Liverpool. The defense however has been solid (aside from allowing 3 goals from Hull City) allowing only 8 goals which equals Liverpool's and only bettered by Chelsea. Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic and even stand-in Jonny Evans has been top-class alongside the rotation of Rafael Da Silva, Wes Brown and Gary Neville on the right and having Patrice Evra owning the left flank.

Both sides are hoping to bounce back from recent form and a win is definitely a must in order to keep up the challenge for the top spot currently occupied by Chelsea and Liverpool at second. Will Arsene Wenger be forced to put out Adebayor? Will Sir Alex Ferguson be able to find a better combination for Berbatov or stick with the last season's Holy Trinity (Rooney-Ronaldo-Tevez)?

Whatever they decide, I'm always on one side. And you know it.

Peace out,
the12thplayer

Some people think football is a matter of life and death. I don't like that attitude. I can assure them it is much more serious than that.

- Bill Shankly

One week

2008-10-14T23:42:00.007+01:00

Hello.

Ask someone if there's anything wrong and when they say 'yes', they are telling the truth. If they answer 'no' - then they are plain lying.

Define problem: (taken from http://dictionary.reference.com/)
1) (as a noun) any question or matter involving doubt, uncertainty, or difficulty.
2) (as an adj) difficult to deal with or control.

FACT
Anyone from the age of 4 have problems; from the unsecured teenager with issues up to the super-rich-retired-happily-married man/woman. World is full of problems - for example: the current financial situation. But that's just it. Problem is a part of our life.

Whether we can take it or not, it depends. Some of us cracks under the pressure, some of us handles it well and the rest of us turns away and ignores the problems. Simple maths - problems won't go away unless we solve it. However, people have different limitations where sometimes some problems are beyond our abilty to solve. Many people fail to realize that problems is what changes a person whether she/he was or wasn't able to to solve it. Changes happens in everyone - seen or unseen, for better or for worse.

Whatever the problem is, we should at least try to solve it. But like I said; we have our limitations. That's what keeps us human.

No problem solved,
the12thplayer

When you confront a problem you begin to solve it
- Rudy Giuliani

(Random Post) Son's letter to his Dad

2008-10-01T04:02:00.002+01:00

A father passing by his son's bedroom, was astonished to see the bed was nicely made, and that everything was picked up and tidy. Then, he saw an envelope, propped up prominently on the pillow. It was addressed,

'Dad.'

With the worst premonition, he opened the envelope and read the letter, with trembling hands.

Dear Dad,

It is with great regret and sorrow that I'm writing to you. I had to elope with my new girlfriend, because I wanted to avoid a scene with Mum and you.

I've been finding real passion with Stacy, and she is so nice, but I knew you would not approve of her, because of all her piercings', tattoos, her tight Motorcycle clothes, and because she is so much older than I am.

But it's not only the passion, Dad. She's pregnant. Stacy said that we will be very happy. She owns a trailer in the woods, and has a stack of firewood for the whole winter. We share a dream of having many more children.

Stacy has opened my eyes to the fact that marijuana doesn't, really hurt anyone. We'll be growing it for ourselves, and trading it with the other people in the commune, for all the cocaine and ecstasy we want.

In the meantime, we'll pray that science will find a cure for AIDS, so Stacy can get better. She sure deserves it!

Don't worry Dad, I'm 15, and I know how to take care of myself. Someday, I'm sure we'll be back to visit, so you can get to know your many grandchildren.

Love, your son, Joshua.

P.S. Dad, none of the above is true. I'm over at Jason's house. I just wanted to remind you that there are worse things in life than the School report that's on the kitchen table.

What the...?

2008-09-12T02:39:00.004+01:00

Has anyone here heard of Risky Business? It was the movie that made Tom Cruise famous. The first video is the very famous scene from the movie which is replicated and copied by many people in youtube.com. The other two video I'm sure you will recognize them immediately. Check it out..

Things we do to have a darn good time
the12thplayer

This is right, right?

2008-09-06T05:21:00.007+01:00

"Wassup! You doing good bro?" I asked my friend.
"You're not doing it right!" my friend pointed out to me. "Huh?"
"Try this: How's its going bruv!"

I repeated after him and he nodded he is feeling great.

Awesome!

"That's not how you do it!" he said a few minutes into working out a problem.
"Well, we got the answers right, right?"
"Well yea, but your method is too short for a 10 marks question" he pointed out again.

Cons: I'm very feel very uncomfortable when it comes to people correcting multiple times a day when at some point I'm right.

Point is, anything is the 'right way' as long as the outcome is correct, its what answers your query and its what gets the job done.

Epiphany

My mind drifts easily no matter what I'm doing. Well, more like I let it drift which makes me a very lazy person to focus. My mind mostly drifts when I usually do something which I can do subconsciously like taking a crap, washing the dishes, playing football and studying. Ok, the last two is me messing around. Anyways, that aside. Back to the real topic. (Drifting already)

After being pissed at being corrected multiple times, I thought to myself that it certainly is important to get to the finishing line but whats more important is the approach. Different approach to a problem give different effects and side effects to the result.

You can say 'it doesn't matter how you kick the football, just as long as it reaches the target' or 'it doesn't matter how you say it, just express how you feel', but there is one thing that we tend to leave out: the type of side effects. You do whatever it takes to finish the race first. Yes, performance enchancing drugs gives you a good chance of finishing first which has definite negative side effects. Waiting for you at the finishing lines is guilt, being labled a cheat and dissatisfaction. Approaching the race with consideration of the finishing line has to be to planned out for desired side effects. If not properly planned, some approaches may leave you stuck halfway to the finishing line. However taking too much time planning isn't going to help at all. That my friend will leave you stuck to the starting block while other people crossed the finishing line.

Hell yeah it does matter how you kick the ball for it to reach the target. Kick too low it will get intercepted, too high - you missed the target and take too long to decide - where's the ball? (stolen). Telling a person how you feel too hastily freaks him/her out, beating around the bush - he/she walks out before you get to the point and not telling at all and you won't get the chance to tell him/her.

Split second decision is required. However, most of us are not born with it. Here, I'll say is definitely the right thing to do. Just as long as you can run, no matter you got stuck halfway through the race or stuck at the starting block, stand up and try again from the start. Practice makes perfect; learn from your mistakes. True when people say life is short, but there is more than enough time to run the race over and over again.

One day you could finish first place.

I know this. Been there done that. Because my answer to my problem is correct but my approach is not textbook. At least my lecturer told me. He also told me to do it over and over again till I get it right. Ugh.

Keep trying people,
the12thplayer

(Random Post) Computer's gender

2008-09-03T14:02:00.005+01:00

Have you ever wondered if a computer is a male or a female? I was just roaming aimlessly looking for games online when I saw this. Definitely gives you the answer.

In a class, student asked,
'What gender is 'computer'?'

Instead of giving the answer, the teacher split the class into two groups, male and female, and asked them to decide for themselves whether 'computer' should be a masculine or a feminine noun.

Each group was asked to give four reasons for its recommendation.

The men's group decided that 'computer' should definitely be of the feminine gender because:

1. No one but their creator understands their internal logic;

2. The native language they use to communicate with other computers is incomprehensible to everyone else;

3. Even the smallest mistakes are stored in long term memory for possible later retrieval; and

4. As soon as you make a commitment to one, you find yourself spending half your paycheck on accessories for it.

(THIS GETS BETTER!)

The women's group, however, concluded that computers should be Masculine ('el computador'), because:

1. In order to do anything with them, you have to turn them on;

2. They have a lot of data but still can't think for themselves;

3. They are supposed to help you solve problems, but half the time they ARE the problem; and

4. As soon as you commit to one, you realize that if you had waited a little longer, you could have gotten a better model.

Women won

Women are right most of the time, so keep them happy.
the12thplayer

Finally back

2008-08-27T02:26:00.003+01:00

Wassup people?

I'm back and feeling great. As soon as I reached 688 Pershore Road, Birmingham (where I shared a semi-d with other 4 cool dudes) I sighed "Its good to be back". Compared to when I first touched down to Brunei I went "Ahhh~ Brunei". I guess I felt more 'home' in Birmingham maybe because my main responsibility here are my priorities. I run my day here. Back in Brunei its more like family first, my ownself, then buddies, then friends and if applicable then girlfriend. XD

By the way, apologies to friends and relatives whom I failed to meet or spend time with while I was in Brunei. Its not that I'm busy, I just have the need to lay back and laze around the whole day. Though my Brunei-Summer-Holiday this time was short, I managed to have a lot of good times. Highlight has got to be me teaching Suresh to do the "KA-WA-EE!!!" pose. He did it in such a way that the ownership shifted from the Japanese hotties to him. (Seriously... Cindy has a picture of the pose in her photo album. Check it out)

Just finished my reassessment today and I do hope for the best, well that's because I've tried my best and do wish me luck. Now going off to sleep. Like I said, 'Its good to be back.'

Keep it real
the12thplayer

Here I am!

2008-08-10T16:14:00.003+01:00

Hey all,

Update on my holidays: Lim teh, weekly futsal in UBD, family driver, occasional breakfast with Suresh but most of the time - sleeping. Huhuhu.

Firstly a shout out to some August birthday people. Happy Birthday to Liberty, Jung Seng, Natasha, Nida Ul and Jasmine. S'moga panjang umur dan murah rezeki. Apologies to Liberty for my late greet.

Secondly, congratulations to Yazsmine and Nurul Ain for their engagement and more apologies for not attending their ceremony.

Anyways, thats all for my current post.

Till then,
the12thplayer

Its about time.

2008-07-15T15:01:00.003+01:00

Hello people.

Really sorry for not updating my blog for ages. How true zeLnuT, its almost 2 months since I updated. This post is gonna be very short. Purpose: A shout out of thanks for friends who greeted me Happy Birthday either in Facebook, my C-Box, text messages and screaming out loud from your bedroom (even if I can't hear you).

Just a little heads up for my summer plans: Lufbru Summer Games 08. I'll be participating in an event or two. Do come and 'meramai-ramaikan' the atmosphere and watch the games. I'll bet is gonna be a great 3 days of sporting event.

Okies... more updates when I have time...

Enjoy everybody..
the12thplayer

I've made a mess

2008-05-27T20:42:00.003+01:00

Who said you learn from mistakes? Obviously I didn't. Each and every year I do the same thing over and over again. Prepared or not prior to examinations, I've managed to screw up almost every paper and ended up hoping some miracle would pop out and help me through. Last time, I've always pulled an all nighter because I wasn't prepared for a paper. With incentive this time around I was able to start revising ages ago. About a month to be exact. The incentive this time is my opportunity to apply for scholarship with the results from my current exam.

My chances of getting it is riding on each and every paper and coursework. Towards the end of the year I'd fairly say that I've done enough to satisfy many criteria. Just like football matches; Cristiano Ronaldo missed two successive penalties in the semis and the final of Champions League; I'm starting to fire blanks for my examinations.

It was MATLAB exam just now. The night before I was answering the past year papers with a few hitches. Come exam time I froze at the sight of the questions. The questions posted was nothing I've seen before. There were combination of commands which caught me off guard. Staring around me, I saw different expressions in everybody's body language. Only one thing in common in the expressions; 'Some shit ass difficult paper this is'. The only right thing to do is to do all possible questions as calm as possible. Past the one hour mark I've done answering the questions I know of. As I struggled through the rest of the question, my mind drifted to another type of calculation. I calculated my chances of even getting a borderline score so I don't have to resit this particular paper.

Towards the end of the examination, no one had their heads up. Felt a little comfortable. Most of my friends found the paper pretty hard. Even Mr. Computer Genius was shitting blood trying to figure the answers. Not sure if that was telling me that I'm in a comfort zone, but one thing is for sure; I've let down myself yet again. I've let my messed up mind take over my confidence again and again.

Today is done and over with. In 12 hours, I'm facing another paper. Yes, I'm almost prepared. I have yet to attempt the past year papers and will get down to it after this.

You know what, maybe the pressure is getting to me without me noticing its been pushing all this time. Whatever it is, giving up isn't in my dictionary.

Wish me luck,
the12thplayer

Why can't I stop
Maybe I'm weak...
Maybe I'm addicted...
Probably I don't want to...

Champions League Final

2008-05-21T04:24:00.003+01:00

Manchester United vs Chelsea

Today is the day to settle who is the best in Europe. Can Sir Alex Ferguson guide his team of mixed talents and experience to glory? Or can Avram Grant produce a Cinderella story after a dramatic first season? Sir Alex Ferguson has two European Cup under his belt, but it has been almost a decade since hes lifted the trophy or even reached the final. Avram Grant's side have nothing to lose as they could end the season trophyless. I've pulled together a few you-need-to-know's ahead of the big final. Putting aside the fact that I am a Manchester United fanatic, I really feel that this going to be a very tight game just like last season's FA Cup Final. One slip up and the game will swing towards opponent.

Statistics:
In the last 5 meetings Manchester United won 1 game, drew twice and lost twice with Chelsea losing at Avram Grant's first game in charge. Having said that, high-flying Cristiano Ronaldo haven't score against Chelsea. Yes, Ronaldo is the Champions League's top scorer bagging 7 goals this season. Right behind him is recently on fire Didier Drogba with 6 Champions League goals. These two goal machines will be playing their first ever Final and are linked to summer moves to La Liga. This might be Chelsea's first Final but they have players who has been in the final and some even tasted European Glory. Carvalho won it with FC Porto, Ballack won it with Bayern Munich, Makelele won it with Real Madrid and Ashley Cole was runner up with Arsenal.

Manchester United on the other hand has Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Gary Neville and Wes Brown from the Treble Winning Class of 98-99 season. And there's Owen Hargreaves who won the Cup with Ballack during their Bayern Munich years.

Strengths

Manchester United - United's Holy Trinity (Ronaldo, Rooney and Tevez) is well known for creating goals out of nothing. The trio scored 57 goals together in the Premier League. Wes Brown was the weak link for the best defense, which conceded 22 goals all season, in the League during the early stages of the season but has gained confidence lately. Main weakness of United is the young minds; if provoked could spell disaster.

Chelsea - On a good day Chelsea is very difficult to beat. The midfield is practially occupied by legends. The defense rarely makes mistakes which all points towards the attacking players whether they can perform or not. Drogba is not consistent throughout this season and the other striking option lays upon Anelka. Good substituion timing will be key for Chelsea as they did against Liverpool.

Possible Head-to-Head's

Seeing that Manchester United limited their attacking display against Barcelona; the Holy Trinity will be raring to produce mouth watering combination. Cole will have to try stop Ronaldo's run and Terry will have to on top form to battle strengths against Tevez and Rooney. Paul Scholes has finally found his shooting boots with that wonder goal against Barca. However United cannot afford to slip up in midfield with Makelele, Lampard and Ballack are capable of producing chances.

Possible Result

Although most betting companies are putting the odds against Manchester United given the statistics, I believe Manchester United will win the Final since all the players are fit and on top form.

Ok, break time is over. Its time for me to return to my studies. Hopefully I've dropped enough football knowledge. For the fun of it, if Metis dare take up my challenge; if Manchester United wins the Champions League he will be my bitch for a weekend. Well, if the result is the other way round (touch wood) the deal will be vice versa. Deal? Hahaha... I DARE YOU BOY.

Watch the Game people,
the12thplayer

This.. I'll never forget.

2008-05-19T01:41:00.003+01:00

For some, the fever is over. For others, the time is about to come. As for us here in Birmingham, we are smack right in the middle of examination season. Cramming past midnight and towards dusk is a norm for most BiBers. To make things worse, the good sunny warm weather we had last week ran off to God-knows where leaving us with lows of 5 and highs of 15 degree celcius. Yesterday is no different. Everyone shifting study places to avoid the evil dose of youtube and facebook. Kayun went the extra distance of picking to study in my room. Following suit is Azrul and Mallie. At 2ish in the afternoon, all four of us in my room with notes scattered all over the bed and an extra table brought in to accommodate Mallie. Well there is discussion amongst everyone. Jumping from Carnot Cycle to "Ton, pasang lagu Karispatih" and to "Ton, telefonkan si Hajah and suruh ia... ani... atu... Battery ku low"

Picked up my handphone and scrolled for the name "Hajah"

Me: (ringing tone starts) Mal, lurus ka ni nombor ku takan ani.

Everyone just stared and waited

Hajah: Hello?

Me: Hello jah. Tony ni.

Hajah: Huh? Siapa

I thought to myself, "Main-main lagi si Hajah ani".

Me: Jah, Tony ni. Kayun kan.... apa ah?

Turned to Kayun and asked what she wanted.

Me: Hello... Jah...

Hajah: Ah? Apa? Siapa kan ni?

Huh? This should be the right number.

Me: Tony bah ni. Kayun suruh keluarkan bajunya dari machine and simpankan dalam bilik.

Hajah: Tony? Siapa?

Dumbstruck...! Azrul shot a holy-shy+ face, "Hajah kawan ku di London kali?"

Me: (wish to be dead embarrased already) Hah?! Ummm... Sorry... -what to do?!-

Throws the phone to Azrul!

Azrul: Hajah! Sorry. Kawan ku salah nombor. Ia pikir ia telefon kawan kami si Hajah yang seorang lagi. Sorry sorry..

Hangs up and the whole room burst into laughter as I planted my face deep into my mattress with a pillow over the back of my head.

...

...

-___-

The laughter subsided after 5 minutes or so with everyone in the room embarrasing me more.

I am so embarrassed... Good thing I have no rep to start with. Ugh.

I have always embarrassed myself in public. Whether its with my family or with my friends, embarrassing moments never fail to make its appearance; what else around really hot babes - makes me even nervous. Making a fool of myself is something that happened on a regular basis that its normal for everyone around me. I've always taken cautious measure to prevent these moments from happening.

Zipped up? check!
Anything on my teeth? check!
Watch where you are stepping? check!

Nevertheless, goofyness is unavoidable. No, its not a disease because for me embarrassing moments makes me look back and laugh and at the same time prevents me from making the same mistakes in the future for bigger goofs to emerge. (like above)

Hajah texted Azrul minutes later saying, "I'll never forget that". I'm really sorry if I disturbed you from what you were doing and caused any discomfort. And if you heard the laughters over the phone, don't worry... They are laughing with you.. Laughing at me! I'll take back the 'Most embarrassing moment was puking on slippers and shoes' because nothing is more embarrassing than making a fool out of yourself in front of someone you don't know at all. This everybody has got to be the most... wait for it... EMBARRASSING MOMENT in my life. And thats official since I used the Barney Legendary line.

Take Care,
the12thplayer

Cry, and you cry alone
Laugh and the whole world will laugh with you
or at you...

NisaZ tagged me

2008-05-16T04:05:00.003+01:00

Hi,

I've seen this in emails, friendster bulletin boards and facebook notes. Haven't done it before because I've always have this thought of people reading through all this and judging me and so on. But this time... well... what the heck... when you want to do something just do it. Let the future you worry about the consequences. Haha... no worries Nisa. Its not like you forced me to do it. Its good fun. Here goes:

1. Where did you meet your bestfriend(s)?
= Well, at first it was Suresh and Kok Liang back when I started Kindergarten. Then met Kenneth (who is my next door neighbour and classmate) during secondary years. Along the way got closer to Jasmine and Liberty (knew them since primary years tho). Finally, met Sidney through Kenneth during a one of our sneak-out-from-home mission. Maktab Duli years; Metis from my Maths class(who already been a long time friends with Sidney).

2. Where will you go if someone sponsors you a tour ticket?
= Ayers Rock, Grand Canyon, Loch Ness and finally to Ibiza.

3. What's your favourite thing to do?
= a good long chats with friends over coffee/tea or a meal.

4. Which character out of your favourite Movie/Tv Show would you be?
= John Casey of 'Chuck'

5. If you can have one dream to come true, what would it be?
= A book of quotes taken from me written and sold in Pustaka Remaja and Bismi.

6. Do you believe you can survive without money?
= Not here in the UK. But I would certainly survive in Brunei.

7. What are you afraid to lose the most?
= My source of happiness; family and friends.

8. If you win $1 million, what would you do?
= Open a restaurant. The left overs are for tips and sidewalk beggars.

9. What is the most recent embarassing thing you have done?
= It has to be puking due to OD on anything. I remembered eating way too much during a christmas gathering and puked on relatives' shoes and slippers before I got to the kitchen. Gross..

10. List out 3 good points of the person who tagged you?
= Really takes care of almost everyone.
= Does not judge at all.
= Cooks real good food. (Seriously good food)

11. What makes you happy?
= Spending time with family and friends. Spending time with my little brother is the best. Imagine what innocent kids can come up with.

12. What type of person do you hate the most?
= Persistent, stuck up people.

13. What is your ambition?
= Have a certain amount of success

14. What did you regret doing?
= Always thinking way too much before taking the next step.

15. What do you think is the most important thing in your life?
= My responsibility to my family.

16. If you were a car/bike what would it be?
= A shiny white Audi R8. Feel my presance from miles away bebeh!

17. If you have a chance which part of your character would you like to change?
= Just for once, take some things seriously.

18. What music have you been listening to recently?
= Juneau - Funeral For A Friend

19. What is your least favourite animal?
= Pesky insects.

20. What is your ultimate addiction?
= Video Games!

Instructions: Remove 1 question from above, and add in your personal question make it a total of 20 questions. Then tag 8 friends. I tag:

Metis
Leong
Wendy
Huda
Aline
Lydia

Only one,
the12thplayer

New Layout

2008-05-13T05:05:00.000+01:00

Hey people,

Check it out. Decided to take off the old layout and stick up a layout from pyzam.com. As you can see I did some editing to the background and stuffed my picture just to show how competent I am with computer stuffs. I picked black for a background in an attempt to do something completely opposite to my previous layout (it was white colour just in case you are zoning out now). I know its exam time and I'm doing all this, but all this keeps my mind working and a little focused. Also, my next exam is not till 22nd, so all the more reason for me to squeeze some creativity time right?

Anyways, a little shout out to Kristy PC and Dk Ariana for their birthday (belated in fact). I hope you guys enjoyed your birthday. Well Ar is busy preparing for her exams but no harm in enjoying a little bit. As for PC her exams habis sudah, so no problemo. About exams, good luck again to all facing papers as tough as hell. A little advice from me, if you are caught revising last minute, check out youtube.com on how to cheat in exams. I haven't tried any yet but if any of you succeed, congrats!

So, I hope everyone is in good health for exams (and keep healthy) as mine is deteriorating a little. Well, just a small allergy problem (I think I'm allergic to revision).

Keep it real people,
the12thplayer

Glory Glory Man United
Now, for the Champs League.
And then equal Liverpool's Domestic Cup record

Men's Rules

2008-05-04T14:00:00.000+01:00

Hallo,

Decided to make up for loss time by posting in a quick succession. Read it off a forum, 'th3zone.com', and its pretty funny and has some truths to it. Take a look:

These are our rules!
Please note these are all numbered '1' ON PURPOSE!
1. Men are NOT mind readers.

1. Learn to work the toilet seat. You're a big girl. If it's up, put it down. We need it up, you need it down. You don't hear us complaining about you leaving it down.

1. Sunday sports: It's like the full moon or the changing of the tides. Let it be.

1. Crying is blackmail.

1. Ask for what you want. Let us be clear on this one:
Subtle hints do not work!
Strong hints do not work!
Obvious hints do not work!
Just say it!

1. Yes and No are perfectly acceptable answers to almost every question.

1. Come to us with a problem only if you want help solving it. That's what we do. Sympathy is what your girlfriends are for.

1. Anything we said 6 months ago is inadmissible in an argument. In fact, all comments become Null and void after 7 Days.

1. If you think you're fat, you probably are. Don't ask us.

1. If something we said can be interpreted two ways and one of the ways makes you sad or angry, we meant the other one

1. You can either ask us to do something
Or tell us how you want it done.
Not both.
If you already know best how to do it, just do it yourself.

1. Whenever possible, Please say whatever you have to-say - during commercials..

1. Christopher Columbus did NOT need directions and neither do we.

1. ALL men see in only 16 colours, like Windows default settings.
Peach, for example, is a fruit, not A colour. Pumpkin is also a fruit. We have no idea what mauve is.

1. If it itches, it will be scratched. We do that.

1. If we ask what is wrong and you say 'nothing,' We will act like nothing's wrong. We know you are lying, but it is just not worth the hassle.

1. If you ask a question you don't want an answer to, Expect an answer you don't want to hear.

1. When we have to go somewhere, absolutely anything you wear is fine ...Really .

1. Don't ask us what we're thinking about unless you are prepared to discuss such topics as Rugby, or Football, or golf, or Sex.

1. You have enough clothes.

1. You have too many shoes.

1. I am in shape. Round IS a shape!

1. Thank you for reading this.

Yes, I know, I have to sleep on the couch tonight;

But did you know men really don't mind that? It's like camping.

Pass this to as many men as you can - to give them a laugh.

Pass this to as many women as you can - to give them a bigger laugh.

Enjoy,
the12thplayer

A woman needs to know but one man well to understand all men;
whereas a man may know all women and not understand one of them
-Hellen Rowland

Spread Shit

2008-05-04T00:14:00.000+01:00

"If you're stuck, take a step or two back and try again. If you're still stuck after 5 steps, forget 'square one'! You're f*ck*d
-ME!!

Kusut! Mintal! Tension! ARGHH!

Gosh.. Its been ages since I've been under pressure. I'm doing a report on this Combined Heat and Power System (I put that in just to look cool.. damn cool right?) and damn stuck on the SPREAD SH|+. NEGATIVE VALUES is what I'm getting! Where on earth do you get negative values of price of electricity and gas? Maybe its me simply being stupid. All I do all day is sit at my chair and yet I still can't find the right formula for the calculations. I swear my chair already has my butt print on it.

Haha.. Anger aside. Its been a straining, eyebagging week for me. Just like most people, I picked to do work and study past midnight and sleep when the sun is up. But for the last few days 10am is my bed time. Ugh. Feel like batman already. But works for me eventhough I know its bad for health. And the effects kinda showed up yesterday.

Storynya like this... Went over to 8 First Avenue (Lisyah's place) to chill. Chill punya chill and story punya story, got in to a silly disagreement with Eena (wassup vice-prez!) on a out-of-the point topic on my theory of Male ego vs Female pride. My theory states that (wah seh!) ego is applicable to dudes while pride is applicable to babes. Proof? Check it out:

Tony: Stress ku!
Eena: Cry it out.. Baik tu karang
Tony: Crying are for sissies <--- ego
Eena: Its ok for guys to cry <--- pride

You talk shit Tony!! Hahaha. Ok ok... Chill...

BTW. Watched Iron Man tadi and heck, the babes squealing 'Tony... Tonyyy' in the scene where Tony Stark walks the red carpet sounds OUT! I've always held pride in my cool name and that few second just proved to me how the coolness to my name has its limits. NYEH!

Well, I don't have much word to spare since I'm not my talkative self as of late so I'll just post picture of my study table.

Good luck,
the12thplayer

Proof Tony Stark has a heart
-Virginia 'Pepper' Potts (IronMan)

Music to my ears

2008-04-09T01:53:00.001+01:00

If one plays good music, people don't listen and if one plays bad music people don't talk.

- Oscar Wilde

Hi people,

Music is an unescapable and unavoidable disease in our everyday life. I call it a disease as some tunes tend to stick in your mind and refuses to leave. I even had trouble sleeping once just because I had a tune playing in my head. Bad or good music, it WILL somehow find a way to get stuck in your head. Proof: The Para Pam Pam song by the Askar Kedayan is not a masterpiece, but I tell you, no matter how sick I am of the song, I'll sing along freely anytime any day.

The type of music usually defines the state of mind and emotion of the person. Well, not everyone turn to 'All out of love' by Air Supply (gila classic bebeh) when they are having hard luck finding love. But, music can also change a person's mood. Just like how they use the right music for the right scene. Thats just music. But to incorporate songs (musics with lyrics) the situation and mood has to fit the lyrics and the genre of the song. Good examples for me would be 'Here without you' by 3 Doors Down in the movie 'Goal 2: Living the Dream' and 'I don't wanna miss a thing' by Aerosmith for the Armageddon movie has got to be a great classic. Ashton Kutcher did pretty well in serenading the 'I'll be there for you' by Bon Jovi is one of my top choices..

Hmm... Covers, a definite for all great songs. Before i end this edition, check out the videos of great covers.

Cover for Crank That originally by Soulja Boy

Covered by Pari and Harvin

Cover for Without You originally by Mariah Carey

Covered by Valentina Hasan. Check out more at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cT18LZItBLA

My favourite! Cover for Umberella originally by Rihanna

Covered by Vanilla Sky

Credits to Ang Chee Huat, Zul Azri and Huda for introducing the videos to me.

Enjoy people
the12thplayer

A song is a story of life
Written by someone for others
All for everyone to appreciate

You talk Shit =)

2008-04-07T03:04:00.000+01:00

'ssup everyone!

Three weeks of here and there and this and that has all been good fun. BruNotts Easter Games, a visit to the Emirates, visits from friends (Azimah, Shukri, Zul Azri, Taufiq and others) and random football kick around pretty much sums up my Easter. In a few hours I'll be resuming lectures as usual. Thanks to the holidays, my biological clock is pretty much fucked up and an adjustment has to be done soon.

Word of the weekend (You talk SHIT Tony)

Azimah's visit is never simple. When I picked her up from the station and made conversation she said "Tony, you talk shit" or something like that. Yes, it was something I said.

Rewind to my London trip

A few nights after my visit to the Emirates stadium, I was hanging around at Brunei Hall to meet up with a few friends. Well, more like I went there for the fashion show. Hehehehe... It was the BSU cruise thingy and everyone is all dressed up. Dress code: Semi-formal. When everyone left for the cruise I chilled and chat with Ren Chong at his room till around 1am. Too late to go back to Doni's place and decided to cerita2 with people sitting at the lobby. There I saw Noor and Meezah. They thought I was on something (maybe cos I looked tired) and challenged me to say something smart.

I went and said, "Relationships are like flowers. Fake ones last longer."

Don't judge me. It doesn't stop there.

"For the real flower to last as long as the fake one, alot of tender care and attention is needed. Water it with affection, free it to the sunlight and seeds of love will....." Hahaha... I'll stop there before your view of me changes. I don't know how I was able to come up with that crap.

So PLEASE tell me that's right and prove Azimah wrong.. And also put a stop to Noor and Meezah's reaction to what I said (they laughed... like crazieee).

Anyways, that aside, analogies is my way of trying to understand different situations I'm in. I've made a few analogies and kept it up in my little head. Maybe I'll leak a few in future posts.

Thanks for reading,
the12thplayer

Choices made
Risks taken
remember; its always worth it

My daily dose of thought

2008-03-28T03:24:00.000Z

Hello,

Buffet and some football

Spent my last few days in London. Met up with Azimah, Kerol, Hazel and managed to meet up with the BiBers as they arrived London from Paris. Based from what I heard and the pictures I've seen, they a hell lot of fun. I'm pretty damn envious of them. Well, the only fun thing I've done for my whole holiday is daytripping to London just to have lunch, DDR and 'cerita kedai kopi' with Azimah and Kerol (some part with Hazel). Crazy thing about buffets in London Chinatown is the different prices they set. Honest, we walked through Chinatown to and fro to see the best deal. After lunch, guess what??? We came across at least 3-4 other restaurants offering better buffet set and cheaper price!! Arghhh.

Went back to London the very next day (not because I like London) but for the match at Emirates. Yes! Arsenal Football Club's very own home ground. I KNOW!!!
WHAT THE HELL AM I THINKING GOING TO MY FAVOURITE CLUB'S ARCHRIVAL HOME GROUND!!! Other Manchester United fans... Chill! I went to watch Anderson play for Brazil. Yup! Brazil vs Sweden.

Brazil samba: Me at the upper tier of the Emirates Stadium

All ends well as I spent the next day walking from end to end of Hyde Park in a very nice and warm afternoon. Felt like ages since the weather was that good.

REPOST: Karma, Newton's Third Law and yourself.

I'm really finding it hard to shape up words lately. But to make this post long I'm going to repost my multiply.com blog post I posted last year.

Firstly, the definitions. Credits: www.wikipedia.com and my memory. (seriously...i am not THAT forgetful and dumb).

Karma (Sanskrit: कर्म from the root kṛ, "to do") is a word of ancient origin meaning action or activity and its subsequent results.
Karma is further defined as the sum of all that an individual has done, is currently doing and will do. Karma is not about retribution, vengeance, punishment or reward.

Newton's third law of motion states that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.

Notice the uncanny similarity in the definition and difference in the nature. Both Karma and Newton's third law have definitions that regards to actions. However Karma revolves around the result and is of religious nature while Newton's third law is obviously of scientific nature but revolves equally on both actions and results.

Ponder upon the meanings and believe me or not, when both ideas are put together, its is our daily life that revolves around it. Sayings such as 'What you give is what you get', 'What comes around goes around', 'You will pay for what you have done!!!' and much more, are actually derived from the two definition put together.

Prime example... Love life... You love a person in the beginning, during and towards the end of the relationship ALOT that you would give up almost everything you have and yet you have trouble of keeping the one you love. Then comes the bitter pain of ending a relationship. After the relationship ends, you would sit down and think of what ended the relationship. They say 'Sorry, I just lost feelings for you' or 'Sorry, this isn't working' or 'Sorry, being with you hurts me alot...' and more of those sorry and most probably fake reasons. (no pun intended)

Here's where it all come together. According to Newton's third law, we can see that the amount of love we give to a person will have an opposite effect upon us, that is pain of the same intensity. Next, according to karma it is something that that person has done to you that made you fall in love with him/her and also it is something you have done to him/her that causes the end of your relationship.

In the end of the day... Notice that it is YOU that is in control of what will happen to you in the end. It IS a tedious task to plan your steps ahead thoroughly. But I am not here to preach. So thats all I have to say for now. Sorry for the short blog for this edition. If you have any doubts, please drop a comment or two... thanx

Posted: 10th Nov '06 - 23.15

Up yours! XP
the12thplayer

And we sing
Sing without a reason
-last train home

Alone Time

2008-03-20T14:11:00.000Z

Hello,

Its been over a week of holiday now and still not productive at my reports and assignments. Thanks to all the series I got from friends. I'm practically updated with Heroes, Prison Break and How I Met Your Mother series. Not only that, I unlocked all possible songs and stuffs in Guitar Heroes 3, sang more than half of the songs in Singstar Legends and Rock Star, solved Rubik's cube with one hand, rearranged my bedroom furniture and deleted all facebook notification mails in my inbox (yet they still come).

Random attempt at lameness: Prices so high its gay! (price in pounds and its a picture of the gas station in front of my house)

My housemates are out at the moment. Masdoni is in London now and the rest are in Paris with other BiBers. I do want to join them but my financials are pretty tight. Staying at home for the last few days isn't helping my well being at all. I am really not used to stay at home more than a day at a time. Happened a few times before and the result is all the same-getting sick. But I went and do it anyways. Everybody do need that alone time once in a while. Since the house is all for me, perfect timing for alone time. Traditionally, if I have depresssing problems I would resort to spending time with friends. I could sort of see how much different both treatment works. Friends are there to talk you through the problems and make you laugh in troubled times. Whilst alone time gives you time to look past yourself and the problems and understand what matters to you the most.

Like I always say, "Too much of anything is bad for you." (trust me, its true)
If anything was gained from alone time, I'd have to say my mind is clearer now (well, my nose is still blocked) but there is still some stuffs bothering me. But that's what life is all about, having problems and dealing with it. Whether or not alone time is what you need give it a go, cos you'll never know what you want.

Anyways, I think I've had enough alone time and I'm gonna go ahead and spend lost time with friends.

Happy Easters!
the12thplayer

...still on my mind

Record making out of boredom

2008-03-18T01:28:00.000Z

Hello people,

It seems like I am blogging like once in a week. But its still something right. Today is my first day of holiday and I'm making full use of the first day by sleeping through it.

FACEBOOK-ing

Its amazing how many hours you can drain just by sitting in front of the laptop and clicking around you facebook account. Ranging from looking through pictures up to sneaking into someone's wall and reading who said what and if it concerns you. I'd have to admit I am one of those who checks their facebook at least once a day. With the addition of applications, facebook is a little more fun. Well, I don't actually respond to any application requests and guess where it got me?

Over 1000 requests!! I skimmed through it and there funny and weird applications which appeals to certain people. Tried an application called 'Which DBSK member are you?' and the outcome, no idea why I even tried it. Nyeh.

My BEG 08 weekend

I yet again participated in another competition and this time, destination Nottingham. The train ride took about one and a half hour. The whole team (BruMingham V) continued their sleep during the whole journey. I tried to but can't. Anyways, when we got to Nottingham, I'd say the city wasn't much to look around at. But by GOD the university campus area is damn huge. Looks old fashioned and pretty much like a castle but it sure is something to look at.

All suited up and ready to go with our matching team shirts, the opening ceremony wasn't half bad only to have the PA system go dead on us. Still, the plus point is the singing of the National Anthem. Ahh~ sure brings back memories of standing straight and trying hard to sing along in one single breath. And NO, I did not forget the lyrics. That's anak Brunei for you.

Team BruMingham V and the banner

Our grouping was pretty harsh with Sakura, Matloes and Cardiff ganging up on us to heavy defeats. The lack of training showed when we only managed to score one goal throughout the tournament. The defeats were the only downside of the day. Met alot of my friends there. Even those I haven't seen for quite a while. Yes, that goes for my SYC '05 mates MalOne, MalTu and Nazim. Everybody looked great that day. Well, got elbowed in the face, so no 'cuci mata' for me. But hey, slightly bleeding lip doesn't mean I can't conjure a pick up line or two (wait... I DON'T HAVE ANY!).

Missed Chance: Firing blanks

After we finished our game, I yet again took the open shower. This time nobody was there (sia-sia-pun saja for those who missed out). Then we left the venue and got on the 1900 train back to Birmingham and this time I slept throughtout the whole journey.

By the end of the day, I'd give credits to Sukri since its his first time ever being a goalkeeper and her rocked at it. Also to the rest of the team for contributing sweat and blood (well, the blood part can be skipped) to pushing the BruMingham name one step up to some recognition. Last but not least great thanks to the nice-hardworking-single-available babes (well some of them are kinda taken) who worked through the early hours of the morning in making the awesome banner in attempt to support the team.

Blue or Red: The colour really brings out your... Ummm... Eyes?

I dared her to. And guess what? She did it.

But why she had to go too far?

Someone is just having too much fun. Or rather, someone is distracted?

Hope your weekend was fun as mine!
the12thplayer

Happy Birthday
Zhariff and Najaa
Enjoy!

Post Leicester-London Weekend (Part 2: London)

2008-03-13T14:23:00.000Z

Phew...

BruNotts Easter Games 08 is around the corner and still feeling unfit. My thighs still hurt when walking. Whatever it is.... PAJAL! Hahaha... Anyways, back to the orginal topic.

After our last game against LUFBRU, I rushed off to have my shower at the gym changing room. OPEN shower I tell you! Not going to elaborate what I saw and experinced. Sorry Aziz for making you and the rest of the BruWick people and the taxi driver wait for me. A man's gotta look his best all the time you know. Although I didn't look appropriate, but still... hahah

We beat the traffic and got at the station with few minutes to spare. With enough time to buy snacks amongst other stuffs. On the train we tried few games to entertain ourselves but nothing worked as everyone was tired. I managed to catch a few minutes nap.

In London, we took the tube from St. Pancras to South Kensington (i think). There Suresh Pillai picked us up and brought us to Imperial College. Huge I tell you. With all my bags and luggage, I made a little scene going up the steps towards my seat.

Got to my seat where Mei Ann reserved a row and to be honest I made it in time. The first half of the show is something for us Bruneians to generally understand. The play introduced our country pretty well showing the four districts. It went on surrounding the life of a Bruneian PhD student (name: Simpur) doing her final year in the UK. She is doing a dissertation on the different characteristics of different guys in the four districts.

To add to the hilarity of the play, Simpur is fashioned in a way that she kinda looks like UGLY BETTY. Loose dress, loose baggy jeans, slip in shoes, thick rimmed huge glasses and curly messy hair (one episode actully has Ugly Betty in curly hair). Obviously thats the common stereotype for female PhD students. Other stereotypes include Abdul Hunter (Temburong boy) as a nature loving jungle man who has no idea what global warming is about but has an idea that it is dangerous; Bandar boy who just goes for the exterior looks and ditches Simpur and not feeling bad at all; Tutong boy who rocks at making pulut panggang, is a liar and a player (i hear girls say 'GUYS, typical') but has a girl's name (Nurul if im not mistaken). And finally Belait boy; chinese looking, tall, not so dark, handsome, sensitive and so on.. I'd say the stereotype worked on the audiance and really, what's comedy without stereotyping!!

Dances and montages were good. But the one stereotype would make fellow friends back in Brunei upset would be the pinoy hairdresser guy. The accent is good for beginners. Guess he had no idea of the accent till he had to practice it for the play. 'Ai NAKO!' Thats a classic!

At half time, Fadzillah caught up with me and surprised me with her unannounced and unplanned trip to London. Back in Leicester she was half hearted about making more trips for the day. Amazing what a friend would do huh? I mean its not easy to be at two places in a day to visit friends in different places. She did it. Damn!

Back to the second half of the play. The storyline evolved to a point where Belait guy and Simpur is getting along well and the rest of the guys plot to curse her with a pulut panggang. By now you guessed right. Tutong guy made the pulut panggang and Bandar guy brings it to the Temburong guy to curse it. And like every other love story, curse makes love grow stronger.

The play summed up good. The hardwork put in by Bruneians in London are visible and we can hope for better shows next time... (To be honest, I was pretty tired that I dozed off every now and then during the show.. hehe, thanks to Suresh and Ren Chong for retelling the stories when I fell asleep.)

Next up is the Brunotts Easter Games 08. This weekend will be the last of my easter outing I guess. I'm looking forward to a good game with a few friends this weekend so gotta get fit soon.

P.S. Sorry no pictures, didnt have the thought of taking pictures... was dumbstruck. You know what I mean... ;P

Soon people!
the12thplayer

Post Leicester-London Weekend (Part 1: Leicester)

2008-03-10T03:10:00.001Z

Heya,

That was some weekend for me. You can say lose some, win some, but for me it was awesome (and that has got to be very lame). The lose part is Manchester United FA Cup campaign was ended by Portsmouth. Nyeh, shouldn't have put Rio in the goal. Might as well left it empty and I bet even cool headed Luis Figo would miss. The win part was my weekend.

Leicester

Reached Leicester around 8pm and Ariffin (with his new hair style) picked me up and we went down to the coach station to pick up his sister. When we reached Ariffin's place I was shocked with the face his house is right in front of the prison...

Prison break isn't gonna get easier than this.

The interior is great. Housemates (Wana, Yusreza, Icham and Sharon) were fun and the BruLeics people doubles the fun. There was a short briefing on the organization of the BruLeics Games attended by BruLeics people and 4 BiBers (Myself, Razan, Nisa and Diyana) and some others from different places (Mizah, Peanut, Rory, Riduan and some more). And thank you all in the briefing for the momentary embarrasing moment of being booed for wanting the event to finish early (because I have a train to catch to London for the ICUBS play). Tsk tsk tsk.

After that everyone went back to their respective places to continue preparing for the event. Ariffin served us with Smoked Salmon Frittata. Damn... I thought it was some kind of crisp or biscuit. Its a PASTA!!! Tastes good despite the name. Highlight of the night is helping out the BruLeics prepare food to be sold during the event. Helped them a little (very little) to make cookies, cup cakes (both by Sabreena), burgers (by Yusreza), hotdog (by Wana) and carrot cake (by Maskuwin). Thats Mashady and his girlfriend's bakery. Did my part by accompanying them till they are done (around 3.30 am).

Fast forward; Woke up at 6.45am, ready to go at 8.55am, arrived Mashady's place (gathering place) to help carry stuffs into the car for transport to venue and arrived at venue at around 10.30am. All teams arrive and reported in and everyone is good to go. BruLeics (representatives: Myself, Mashady, Fadhil, Yusreza, Riduan and Shazwi) first game is against BruNotts. We started on a high leading 2-0 with red hot Fadhil scoring both the goals. My last minute I-didn't-see-it-coming mistake led to a goal.

Second game (tired legs already) was a goal fest against BruLeeds where 8 good goals were scored. The game ended in a tie. Third game was a loss to BruManch (eventual champions) 2-0. Sprained my ankle in a challange and hurt my rib in an attempt to block a goalward shot. Fourth game we lost again against BruWick 4-2 with us having to be trailing 4-0 at half time. The last game was against LufBru where its the highest scoring match of the day. 5-5 was the final score with Mashady receiving a lobbed ball from the back and blasting a half volley to the top corner as THE goal of the day for me. I'd personally say that Fadhil was in red hot form as he scored most of our goals while Mashady was efficient. As for me, it was a way below par performance as the decisions I made and my mistakes lead to goal and we failed to win games which we could have. Sorry guys for my mistakes and thanks for keeping me in the field!

Injured myself, tire the hell out of myself, got elbowed in the chin and had to 'open' shower in the guys changing room; but its all worth it. To sum it all up, it was a fun event with good laughs and funny moments. Sorry BruWick guys for making you guys and the taxi driver wait for me as I showered and got ready for ICUBS Night.

Netball: BiBers Diyana heading the ball with Nisa confused in the back ground.

My lost composure and defense partner Yus.

Team BruLeics (L to R): Myself, Riduan, Syazwi, Yusreza, Fadhil and Mashady

Till later for the Part 2: ICUBS Curse of the pulut panggang.

Still in pain..
the12thplayer

Late Night Show

2008-03-05T02:01:00.000Z

Wassap berasap isap people? (Mallie's line)

I wasn't able to go to Cardiff for the Dirgahayu Darussalam as I was very tired. I worked around the clock in the university's computer lab doing CAD coursework. Yes, go on lecture me for doing work last minute. Well, we were given one and a half month to do it, and about a week before deadline and was 90% finished, I suddenly realized that all dimensions of the design is to be in inches. Pain; like being stabbed. I did all of my designs using the metric system (mm, cm and m). No way of correcting it except for starting from square one. Another stab, this time slower and deeper. Oh such agony.... Such.... Ummm...

Now thats overdose of drama. Palui eh. Forgot I am in a country which uses miles, yards, and confuses you with oz with currency. Well, just so you know, I started out doing my work on Wednesday evening and worked through the morning. Got home around 4am and slept till 8am and went to lecture. Continued my work after dinner till the next morning (Friday morning) and slept for a hour at my friend's place (campus halls) and continued till I'm done around 3pm and managed to hand in before deadline which was 6pm.

So, I'm sure my little story will provide some answer to Khaliza, Amir and my cousin Lydia as to why I was M.I.A. Nyeh, sorry guys I can't make it yah even though I profusely promised to see you all. Whatever it is, Cardiff is certainly a target for me to visit. But still not sure when to.. Hehe

Was going through my facebook and saw notifications about me being 'bought'. WTH? Ada saja pesbuk ani. And my value is $1,236???? And it gets worse, I am bought by Kieno??? He nicknamed me 'cjubur yg terkenal'.... NOOOOO... Hahahaha... Things that keep me laughing man. I'll kick you di Brunei karang for my cheap value man.

Before I end, here's a little bonus for you people out there. Was looking through youtube.com for cover songs I could try. Well, got what I could try. Catch me soon with these songs.

Rooftops by Lostprophets.

Cry me a river.

Crank That by a Kenny Lim look-a-like.

Laugh it out people.
the12thplayer

What?...
You still reading this emo shit?
Hahaha...

Post Paintball Report

2008-02-25T22:07:00.000Z

Update people,

Firstly, its great to see Dr. Aammton taking some time to drop by. Thank you. For you all out there, Dr. Aammton is the founder of MADPAINTBALL. According to Ariffin Adnan, he is the person who started and organized the first ever MADPAINTBALL in 2000 while persuing his studies in Cardiff (correct me if I'm wrong).

How did paintball go? In one word; 'crazy!'. Even me not sleeping all night the night before, I was pumped up. I didn't feel a single tired muscle. The day started with a 45 minute journey to Cosford. In the bus, everyone is hyped except for me though. Starting to feel tired already. Managed to take a few minutes nap in spite of the excitement in the coach.

At Cosford, the usual line up - get your things - follow me to the paintball area - go to your respected camp and the briefing. When the teams were grouped, 'Crazy', I said.
Group A - Welsh Guard A, BruLeeds, Welsh Guard C, BruNotts Havoc, MAKTAB DULI ALL STARS, Hantu Jepun and Kaizoku.
Group B - Slayer, BRUMINGHAM, SSN, BruManch Ravens, Welsh Guard B, LufBru and BruStu.

The eventual champions were Kaizoku followed by Slayer (from Leicester) and then Welsh Guard A. A long day I'd say, but its all worth it. Below are some pictures from the paintball.

Me catching some shut eye during the 45minutes coach ride to the site.

Team MAKTAB DULI ALL STARS with me giving some beginners tips. "Make sure you don't duck too near the barrier while taking cover to improve chances of getting clear cut shots." Just a theory. Worked out for me.

Brunei Flag (thanks to Afwi) placed between BRUMINGHAM and MAKTAB DULI ALL STARS' camp. Feeling a bit patriotic, National Day mah.

Birmingham beauties: Ahh, bahapa tu ah berdua-duaan dalam gelap. Lain kali sound sound la... Haha. XD

Headshot: Priceless trophy to bring home.

Ready for battle? Tonight we DIE in HELL. Nyeh, not naked enough for 300 sequel.

Guess what movie this time.

MAKTAB DULI ALL STARS. Bet you wished you were part of it.

Back up: Where is it when needed most?

Who said there isn't time for anything (especially posing) during intense battles.

Its a wrap to a great day: BRUMINGHAM AND MAKTAB DULI ALL STARS UNITED.

That's all my for my report for my MADPAINTBALL 2K8 weekend. Next stop; Cardiff Dirgahayu Darussalam. Gotta pack up for tommorrow. Catch up for more updates

*Photos are kindly sponsored by NisaZ.

Thanks,
the12thplayer

I wonder...
What if...

Paintball preparations

2008-02-23T04:56:00.001Z

Hey friends,

Its 5am now and everyone in the house is sleeping. BiBers (BiB stands for Bruneians in Birmingham) should be sound asleep by now with an hour to go before waking up to prepare for the MAD PAINTBALL 2K8. Peace and quiet. But it wasn't like this few hours ago. Starting from 6pm till past midnight, my (and my housemates') house is busier than a bee hive. We were preparing food for 240+ people who are attending the paintball tournament. Heading the kitchen is Ariffin Adnan (MDP 2K8 Head Organizer) and Azrul Nizan with Saifullah (BiB President), Nisa Z (BiB Vice-President), and others. Mallie continuously cooked 20 kgs of rice with only 5 small rice cookers (extra info, Mallie has always cooked the best rice amongst us housemates; not too soggy-not too dry).

Huda, Kayun, Wani, Diyana, Alisyah, Eena, Yani, Razan, Hanis, Mustaqim and so on, just to name a few who helped in the process (sorry for those I left out). The main talk of the night and a few nights ago was Kayun's extraordinary sambal. Amazing explains all about the sambal she and Azrul prepared last Wednesday. I would say the price of making such sambal would be the 'harum semerbak' smell that stuck on our clothes. Washing the clothes immediately is not an option. The smell was so strong that it speads through the laundry in minutes. If that was problem enough, Saifullah and housemates spent a few days with the smell stuck in the house.

When all the meals were packed properly in containers with individual forks, spoons and tissue, I sensed a sigh of relief amongst everyone in the house. To be honest, when I took up the responsibilty for preparing the meal for the participants, although all BiBers were agreeing to voluteer and spare sometime to help out, I can see that people were doubting whether such a thing is possible to do in a short time. During the process of preparation, no one was complaining nor feeling under pressure. Instead, they enjoy every second of it. Friends from Liverpool provided extra smiles. American Idol proved a good and entertaining break. Corny as it seems, I'd say BiBers already won the Teamwork Cup.

Anyways, I have to go now as people has to be woken up to get ready for the bus that is picking us up is coming in two hours. Sorry no pics, but surely for the next post (Nisa...... Minta...!). Extra info: at least 30+ BiBers and Bruneian friends from different universities in the UK came together to help out.

Haven't slept all night, hope I have some energy for battle. Wish us luck!

Take care,
the12thplayer

Still thinking of ...
The thoughts that keep me happy.

This is the week!

2008-02-20T01:13:00.001Z

Hello all!

Phew, just linked a few people by request. I'll be popping by more people's blogs and might link them up. But right now, I believe the links I've made are pretty much fun to have a click around. Pretty interesting bunch I'd say. Hey, for some of you out there, soon yeah. I'm still digging through my history for you websites.

Been having trouble finding time to post up new items. Obviously there's courseworks, designs and reports to do, but I'm damn addicted to something! To add to the list of episodes of Naruto, Bleach and some other I really need to catch up on, Saifullah made me watch Heroes. Hell lots of people out there been telling me to watch it since summer. Yes, that includes you Suresh (not them Mohider and Chandra). Dammit. Its been 3 days and I've watched about 15 episodes. Its not one of those series where you could just watch one episode and afford to miss the next few. Yes, I know theres that guy going "Previously on Heroes/Ugly Betty/One Tree Hill...' capping off the past episodes, but this series is different. Not really an addiction but it makes you think "Am I like them... Could I be gifted... Am I like Peter...", and you come back to reality, "BULL$HI+".

Really, for those of you who thought it was just one of those episodes, WRONG! I'd say its like a fusion of the movies X-MEN with CRASH. Those two movies were phenomenal. Imagine them put together by a team advised the guy doing the series LOST. Simply put, watch it.

Anyways, enought blabbering about HEROES. This weekend is the start of fun stuffs. BiB (Bruneians in Birmingham) are sending in a team of elite fighters and they would.... ummm.. I'll stop there. Myself and Afwi took some players from BiB and add some of our old friends to make up another team. The weekend after paintball, theres a function at Cardiff, Dirgahayu Darussalam, which is hosted by the Brunei Cardiff Society (not sure I got that name right). And the following weekend there's BruLeics Games and ICUBS Brunei Nite (Imperial College Bruneian student body, still not sure of the acronym). ICUBS has a play written out called 'The Curse of the Pulut Panggang'. A weekend later, BEG! And this time I have my info right. BruNotts Easter Games. Events competed are Badminton, Futsal, Netball and Squash.

Giler, that will be hell of weekends huh? Best of all, I'll may be there to make a little cover story and post it up here in The Dugout. But no promises.

Anyways, I was on my way to lecture on a Monday morning and to add to the blues I saw the Aston Lake. Share my blues people.

Ice Cold: Its about -5 degrees celcius that time. As you can see the ball and the cone is sitting on the ice. Reminds me of when Zazu wanted to train Metis the Spartan way (cos he just suck at football that time). Bet this would make a good training regime huh Zazu.

Okies, its close to 2am in the morning and still not feeling any sleepy. But since I'm not really up to finishing my work and watching more HEROES, I'll just turn in anyways cos I got to get up by 7am.

Good Night,
The12thPlayer

The more you sweat in practice..
The less you bleed on the battlefield..

Valentine's Day and Football

2008-02-16T13:36:00.000Z

I know this is a quick succession to my last post. The introduction was not much to read, so..... Anyways, people say loving a partner and loving football is two different kind of feelings. I would have to disagree with that statement. I know both (love for partner and love for football) has it's passion, emotion, both certainly takes up time and money and heartbreak is a package that comes with them. And yes, we have to dress up properly for attending football matches or a date. Really, I know my point stands pretty well. Well some of these people still don't get it. Below is an extract from the Metro (page 53, February 14, 2008) titled 'If football be the food of love, play on'. The research was made on 1,500 football fans in the UK to mark Valentine's Day.

- 76 percent quizzed would rather lose their girlfriend than their club.
- 85 percent would choose to watch their club over a romantic Valentine's date.
- 44 percent would buy their girlfriend fake goods but 82 percent wouldn't buy a fake football kit for themselves.
- 42 percent would find it more hurtful to watch their club get beaten by their arch-rivals in the FA Cup final than to know their girlfriend has cheated on them with their best friend.
- 42 percent would never go out with a girl who supports their arch-rivals.
- 78 percent would rather score for their club in the Cup final than with their dream girl.
- Men will spend on average 80.85 pounds watching their team away but only 51.85 on a date.

With that said, no wonder clubs and players are getting richer and have an increasing fan base. And now that you know ladies, you could either join the guys or date professional footballers. But you ladies can always offer to pick your man up to watch live football at your place and have the television set hidden (that is if you are just so desperate).

Enough said. Check me out soon.

Enjoy,
the12thplayer

this isn't the time to feel like this
to want you back...

First Post

2008-02-16T03:16:00.000Z

Welcome all,

This isn't really my first time at blogging (web logging). I had a multiply account where I used to post a few stuffs which is really, ummm... should I say 'kinda deep' which I might put up soon (that is if I feel it fits just right here in THE DUGOUT). Since I am very new to blogger.com, please forgive me for the lack of beauty of the page layout. I hope to be able to do a few stuffs to make it look good and enjoyable. No promises!

Why Blog?
There are times where I find it much easier and comfortable to write/type out compared to saying it in a conversation because there are certain things I have trouble letting out as I fear it might come out wrong. Plus, writing/typing allows you to delete or erase words that not right (which I have been doing way too many times since I started on this post).

Also blogging gives me the chance to share a few interesting things that has been happening to me over the next posts (not all though, just 'few'). Helps me to reply to instant messages on MSN which goes "What's up dude?" and I'll go "Check my blog and lets get to important things." Hahahaha.. Just kidding, that part came out wrong. I won't do that.

What are the reasons for the name of the Blog and the address?
I am a great supporter of football (soccer in the US and bula in Brunei) and since I don't play much as a player, that makes me the 12th player of any football squad. The blog title, 'The Dugout' is obviously where some of the 12th players sits.

What might be posted here?
Well, even though the blog title is based on football, I won't really enslave this blog all on football. Maybe tiny bits. But mostly on stuffs which I feel are interesing for readers and viewers.

Anyways, thats all for my post this time. Sorry for the boring introduction. Hope that was a good start. Alright, more to come soon.

Thanks,
the12thplayer