Another published article

I finally got to finishing my next article for Sportingo and you click here for the link.

Hope you enjoyed this one.

Before the year ends I shall review the year and talk about the lows and highs on a few things.

Ponderings

I have always wondered about Adam and Eve.

As I am not Christian I am not very informed about what happens after these two came to the world. I know there was something about them having two sons and one killing the other. That is about it.

After that, I gather that they went forth and multiplied and we are now a planet containing 6 billion people.

Now I can explain why we have people of different colours, physical characteristics and languages because people spread forth over the world and over hundreds of years, they physical features adapted to the surrounding area they lived in and their languages evolved.

But the part between Adam and Eve to people spreading around the world is what I have always questioned.

If they were the first two people on Earth and had two sons, how did they procreate? Where did the women come from? IF Eve also had daughters, then her sons and daughters would have to get together to populate the world. Right??? After all they would be the only people in the world.

Maybe I would have the knowledge if I paid attention during conversion, I mean, Religion classes during my primary school days. But unfortunately I do not so if anyone can clear this up for me I would be most appreciative.

* * * * * * *

Hope everyone's Xmas was fun or fun filled. Melbourne certainly experienced a somewhat strange Xmas day. It actually snowed here!

You may say that Xmas equates to snow but listen up, it is summer here downunder (or that is what the rumours are). So some parts of Melbourne had a white Xmas. Unfortunately we were not so lucky, we were pelted with hail and rain.

Was pretty miserable but it was also cold, like a winters day!

We live in crazy times!

Yesterday was boxing day and that means Cricket tests and sales, the latter of which we partook in. We started out at 7am standing outside a major department store and once the doors opened we began an 8 hour shopping odyssey. I am glad to report we made it through although I was exhausted. but i out bought Metria!

YAY

The 100th Blog

Christmas this year has coincided with me contemplating what to write for my 100th blog entry. It is quite a milestone when you make 100 runs in a cricket match, when scoring goals in sports and when reaching that age. So I guess writing the 100th blog has to mean something.

However, first things first:

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah and any other holidays that coincide with the 25th December.

As for my 100th entry, I thought I would 10 top ten's. Some are fancy, some are boring but generally these are things I want to share. I have decided not to provide an explanation for all things as I may want to revisit them at a later date and expand some more. Also note that some of these top 10's are not in order or reverse order or something or another. I just see what happens as I type.

So here goes with my 10 top 10's (because it adds up to 100 - get it!!)


Top 10 in paperback

10. Emperor series - historical fiction about Julius Caesar
9. Asterix
8. Robbie Fowler's autobiography
7. The Chronicles of Narnia
6. Any book written about Michael Jordan
5. X-men titles (yeah this old and still reading comics)
4. Fever Pitch by Nick Hornby
3. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
2. Harry Potter - can't wait for number 7!
1. Long Walk to Freedom - The Nelson Mandela Autobiography

Top 10 TV shows:

10. Heroes - its new and I like where it is going!
9. Red Dwarf
8. The Simpsons
7. Blackadder
6. Angel
5. Battlestar Galactica (the new version)
4. Veronica Mars
3. Smallville
2. Star Trek - all series
1. Buffy the Vampire Slayer

10 things I want to do or happen before I die (not in any order)

1. Sky diving
2. Score a goal in a football match with my friends and wife watching
3. See Liverpool play live at Anfield
4. Get up and sing live at my cousins pub in Malaysia (Bojangles)
5. Have another run with the AWESOMES
6. The world to stop paying attention to Paris Hilton and people of her ilk.
7. Watch a world cup in person with Australia playing in it.
8. A cure for cancer because one Uncle and one friend passed away from it and one Aunt managed to beat it - that is 3 people too many to know who have had cancer.
9. Liverpool win the English Premier League
10. People just getting on with people no matter what and people not being nice to people they know because they want something but because it is the right thing to do (hope that last one makes sense)


Top 10 movies

10. Snatch
9. Matrix trilogy
8. X-men Trilogy
7. Quarbani - my favourite hindi movie of all time which I saw when I was 8 or 9
6. Gandhi
5. The lord of the Rings Trilogy
4. Star Trek 2 - The Wrath of Khan
3. Star Wars Episodes 1 to 6
2. Mississippi Burning
1. Do the right thing

Top 10 musical artists who I would listen to

10. Nirvana
9. Public Enemy
8. John Legend
7. The Jackson 5
6. Arrested Development
5. Smashing Pumpkins
4. Stevie Wonder
3. Prince
2. U2
1. Michael Jackson

I was contemplating a top 10 of songs and albums but that was too difficult given the variety and numbers out there - this is better saved for another time. Instead I embarked on making a list of musical artists who I enjoy listening to. Some are dead and some do not perform anymore but their music is all that matters.

Top 10 people who I am most grateful for having in my life

1. My wife
2. Mum, Dad,my sister and brother.
3-10 (not in any order).

• DM, Parv and Tharan (also known as the Awesomes;
• Clarence J - for helping me settle into Melbourne and for being a top fella to know;
• The Tatla's of Taylors Lakes - for they really helped me feel like a part of their family when I moved to Melbourne and will forever be grateful to them even thugh the last couple of years they have not seen to much of me;
• Lena John;
• Sunil and Sushil - for all the good memories and times we have had;
• Jes, Sandog and Raj - good times and good friends here in Melbourne;
  
• Harry and Jen Chemay; and
• My football team.

10 things that annoy me

10. Overzealous people who try to force their beliefs on you.
9. People who have no belief system
8. People who take themselves and life way to seriously
7. People who complain and bitch about something but never do anything about it.
6. Football players who do not respect the umpires decision and carry on like twits, especially after I tell them not to talk back to the referee
5. Cruelty to animals - the thought of anyone hurting my Jordan makes me angry!
4. George W Bush
3. Ironic by Alannis Morisette - it so missed the point about what irony is about
2. John Howard
1. People who will not open their mind and will not change for the betterment of society

10 places I love to be at or be doing if I was not at work (all these events involve my wife of course)

10. On the pitch coaching (some would say screaming at) the football team
9. Cottesloe Beach
8. Margaret River
7. Adelaide with the big fella!
6. Yum Cha at Dragonboat Restaurant
5. At the movies watching the latest releases
4. Down the Mornington Penninsula
3. KL - for the shopping and being around my family there.
2. Perth
1. At my parents house in Perth


10 reasons why I heart Liverpool Football Club

10. Being the most decorated club in England
9. What LFC is all about
8. Following them for over 20 years
7. The Rafalution and the possibilities it offers
6. The rivalry with Manchester United
5. The mystic and power of Anfield - as witnessed when we played Chelsea in the 2005 Champions League final
4. The KOP
3. "You'll never walk alone"
2. Robbie Fowler
1. Steven Gerrard


10 things to do in 2007

10. Work more and stop surfing the net/chatting on msn/emailing people
9. Finish redecorating the house
8. Travel somewhere apart from Perth or Malaysia
7. Spell better on my blog
6. Watch less TV
5. Catch up with my cousin Steven and try not to torment him about the Ashes or about the English football team.
4. Stop procrastinating so much
3. Write more and get more articles published with Sportingo
2. Get fit and lose weight
1. Become a father (no one is pregnant yet)


So that is my 100th blog. Hope you enjoyed it. Also let me take this opportunity to wish you a Happy New 2007!

Woopidy Diddly Doo - The Ashes have returned

Yep, sometime yesterday afternoon (Melbourne time) Australia won back the Ashes after beating England in the third test in my old home town of Perth.

The good thing about the victory is that I can give my cousin and uncle in England a hard time and meke comments like:

"Can I tell you a joke???"....."The English cricket team!"

"Mate, the cricket team makes your football team look like superstars"

and jokes like:

"What do you call an Englishmen with a hundred runs next to his name?"...."A bowler"

Good times!!

Now that is done I read the local Australian papers about how great this Australian team is etc etc. How England stuffed up and how we deserve it.

Goodc god, the papers sometimes are so full of it. Take the victory with some sense of sportsmanship and grace. Please.

they are mentioning how good Shame Warne and what a sportsmen he is. PULEEAZZE, he is such an arrogant twat. Watching his appealing was just plain embarrassing and h showed what a spoilt brat he is.

why he is not reported and fined by the authorities shows how gutless they are sometimes. He is such a baby if he does not get his way and i can not stand that arrogance. I rather be tied to a chair and watch 3 hindi love movies in a row that watch his crap.

oh well...at elast Monty got selected and took a bag of wickets (just shows one major flaw the selectors got wrong there). Good to see a brother do his magic!

* * * * * * *

Liverpool 3 and the Djimi Traore recital 0

We probably should have scored more goals but looks like the team is on goal scoring fire!! Good to see and we even moved into third spot. Liking this outfit now but alas....too late now innit!!

BARGGER!!

Still at least we are winning and the aim is to maximise points over the xmas/new years break where there is an orgasm of football. so many matches over so many days. Lets hope ManUre and Cheqski get a few losses along with the Arses, Bolted and Boredsmouth.

But good to see Djimi Traore repay us for giving him a Champions League and FA cup trophy by kung fu kicking Jermaine Pennant head and thereby, giving away a penalty. Good work, no wonder we sold you!

That is my xmas wish!

Also how di MU get the easiest team in the chamops league draw and we draw Barcelona? How?? The draw was made by MU right?

PS. This is my 99th entry. Guess the next one better be a good one!

Friends

A old friend of mine from university was in town the past week and the weekend was spent entertaining him and reminiscing about the old days.

I have to really thank Metria for letting me hang out with my friend and not do a lot of things that I should have done. Guess that is my Xmas present - not that we really celebrate.

Amongst the activities we partook in was a BBQ in my back yard where he enjoyed some lamb chops i concocted and some veru spicy sausages I bought, watching the cricket, drinking, watching football, drinking and talking about the old days.

He happens to be an Arsenal loony, i mean fan so there is a bit of verbal sparring going on between us about who is the better team. I believe I should win that argument as we won a trophy last year!

There was also some frequent gossiping and yes, us guys do gossip here and there. In our case we discussed some old "friends" outlining their obscure good points while analysing (bitching) their flaws and negatives. There were a lot of laughs in the latter.

The interesting thing to note is how we have changed over the last 9 years. We are both married and well into our careers. We have a lot more responsibility on our lives now but somehow, when we are together things seems to regress to being 20 something fools again.

Above all that, the bonds of friendship will forever remain and it is good to catch up. This kind of friendship shall remain long lasting between us as we just have that kind of relationship I guess.

Good times

An enjoyable weekend for me but I feel guilty about the lack of time I spent with the missus. Still the long weekend will allow me the opportunity to make it up to her. :-)

One person's freedom fighter is another person's terrorist

The Australian media has been taking up the case of freeing David Hicks from Guantanamo bay where he is being held as a prisoner of war by the USA of A. Particularly they have made an issue that his human rights have been violated and he should be treated like an Australian.

Mr Hicks is in this predicament after being caught with fighting for the Taliban army which was engaging American forces shortly after the 9/11 attack.

I have to clarify that he was fighting for the Taliban army NOT against them.

The media says that he should be brought back here to face an Australian court. While these sentiments are noble, they have the wrong person.

While I am not a fan of the US/Australian/British war of terror on Iraq, David Hicks does not deserve to be brought back. That is my opinion on this matter.

After all, he went to fight with the bad guys. He is the mercenary who decided to ply his trade for the Taliban and he got caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Remember he was out there looking to kill and hurt people. His bad call so he has to live with the decision and not hope for someone to fly in and save him. He lost his right to be an Australian when he decided to fight against his fellow countrymen.

However, one thing I do wholeheartedly oppose is the abuse and inhumane treatment of prisoners. Sure they have done the wrong thing but to treat them worse than animals is uncalled for and indecent.

I think the media’s intentions are in the right place but they have focused on the wrong person. There are other people in the world which deserved to be freed from incarceration and the focus should be put on them. People like the Dalai Lama, children who are used as slaves to facilitate the mega corporations, and women abused by scared, small minded and insecure men deserve this type of focus and attention.

Many years ago, the worldwide media focussed their attention towards Robben Island which held a great man unjustly. After years of ignoring his plight, the international family (finally) focussed its attention towards this backward hole and this occupant. Eventually this worldwide pressure forced the South African government to free this man.

Eventually, it was acknowledged that he was being unjustly imprisoned for being an alleged terrorist when all that he wanted (or was fighting for) was for all South Africans to be afforded the same opportunities, the rights to the basic nees, education and the right to vote . This person was Nelson Mandela, a hero of mine who greatly helped the process of righting the wrongs of South Africa.

But sadly, with David Hicks this story has been picked up for the wrong reasons by the media and politicians, once again they are making a big deal of the wrong thing.

My first time

I have been published!!

WOO HOO!!!

click on this to go to the article

Thank god it is FRIDAY

Upon reflection I must say that this year is moving faster than a contestant on "The Biggest Loser" to a Krispy Kreme store. I can not believe it is already 1 December 2006!

With this date, comes an exciting time. The introduction of the SCI FI channel on the local cable network. WOO HOO for me, Boo Hoo for Metria.

This means I can get my overfill of Star Trek, Stargate, X-Files, Battlestar Galactica, basically anything with a "star" in the title can be viewed. Along with the explosion of sport that will be available I will be really making my mark to enter the couch potato hall of fame!

Of course, I wait until this paragraph to bitch about the pathetic display by the Pool last day. A 0-0 draw against a depleted Portsmouth at Anfield. What makes this worse is that a win would have pushed us up to 3/4 with the other results. DAMM!!! But I shall bit about it later.

Today is Friday and as Austin would say "YEAH BABY"!

The weekend is upon us and all that. 2 days no work except for the work at home!

Have a good one peeps