Monday, January 12, 2009

Thrashing The Blues At The Theatre Of Dreams







MAN UTD 3-0 CHELSEA

That was written on the front page of soccernet.com website when I logged on to check the scores this morning at 5am. It was a pleasant surprise and many pundits predicted a draw for these 2 teams. I was not able to watch the match last night because it was shown on TV at 11:30pm and I had to wake up with my toddler early every morning.

I was glad to see the huge score, especially when it is rival Chelsea being crushed at Old Trafford. I will have to watch the highlights later tonight but Vidic, Rooney and finally Berbatov were on the score sheet. According to the reports, it was a convincing win over the blues and Berbatov, who costs United over 30 Million Pounds made a significant impact by creating both the first 2 goals and scoring the last one himself.

So after the match, MU had closed the gap between them & leaders Liverpool to 5 points with 2 games in hand, thus strengthening MU's position towards their 3rd consecutive year of being EPL champions.




Thursday, January 8, 2009

What Can You Do In Cairns?

I had my xmas break for 9 days in Cairns, Queensland, Australia. Just happened that my bro in law got a job in Cairns, so we had the chance to stay with him for a couple of days in his apartment a few blocks away from the beach. Here are some of the things that we did in Cairns:

  1. Swimming - the beach is infested with stingers (jellyfishes) and also crocodiles, so the government built a man-made lagoon right next to the beach (Esplanade Lagoon). It has shallow areas & sandy parts for toddlers to play around. The max depth is only 1.5m, so everyone can swim and play in the lagoon that contains chlorined salt water. The place is also patrolled by full time lifeguards. I spent almost all my mornings in Cairns at the lagoon with my toddler son.
  2. Crabbing - termed after the word FISHING, meaning catching crabs. We used a crab pot (don't be mistaken for crackpots!) or crab cage stuck with fish meat or fish heads to lure the crabs along the Esplanade pier into the trap. There will be a follow up post on CRABS & CRABBING in the near future.
  3. Take a drive to Crystal Cascades - 1 hour's drive from the city, there's a small tar road leading to a waterfall with cooling waters.
  4. Port Douglas - this is the nearest town from the Great Barrier Reefs. We did not have time to venture off to the islands off Port Douglas with crystal clear seas. The beaches here were also full of stingers so we only managed to walk along the beach. The views from the car ride from Cairns to Port Douglas is very scenic. We also managed to visit the P.D street markets in town.
  5. Mossman Gorge Waterfalls - 1/2 hour from Port Douglas, these waterfalls have much clearer waters than the ones at Crystal Cascades and the rainforest here is the world's oldest.
  6. Cycling - best way to travel around Cairns city is by bike.
  7. Snorkeling, scuba diving & skydiving- did not have time to try this...maybe when our toddler son is older??
Pictures in sequence from left to right (Crabbing at the Esplanade Pier, Mossman Gorge Waterfalls, Esplanade Lagoon Pool, Port Douglas Beach, Cycling in Cairns).









Tuesday, January 6, 2009

2009

Hello and sorry for the long absence. I was kinda still in my Xmas holiday mood and too lazy to put in any posts until today.

Time flies, my hot hot Xmas holidays in Cairns were finally over and I am now back in Palembang with my family. We had a wonderful time in Cairns (which I will put in some posts in the very near future).

Here are some new encounters, happenings and plans for 2009:
  1. I just became older a few days ago - more people remembered my birthday thanks to Facebook!
  2. Met a family from Singapore who had been in Palembang for 3 years. We went out for lunch with them one day after mutual visits (thanks to blogging, my wife was contacted by the couple after her blog was stumbled upon).
  3. Looking forward to go back to Ipoh and Penang during Chinese New Year (3rd & final week of Jan'09).
  4. Will not be expecting any more huges bonuses due to the economy crises.
  5. Buy a Clavinova digital piano for my wife to teach my toddler son. Wanted to get my wife a sewing machine but she insisted to spend the $$ on the piano.....there will be other occasions to surprise her!!
  6. Install INDOVISION satellite TV (replace the discontinued ASTRO).
  7. Attend my driver's wedding in Feb'09.
  8. Expect to be in Ipoh again sometime in May'09 to attend my wife's grandpa's 90th birthday.
  9. Need to make a short trip to Jakarta to (look-see)2 - been in Indonesia for 2 years but never ventured around JKT, what a shame!!
  10. Plan a trip to Bali again in July'09.
  11. Annual trip to Australia again in Sep'09 during Hariraya Aidulfitri holidays.

The company will extend my stay in Palembang for another 2 years (until end 2010) but I am not sure if we will be sent back to Msia sooner if the economy does not become any better.... We just pray that the situation will become better in 2nd half of 2009.

2009/10 United Squad

2009/10 United Squad

Kings of Europe 2007/2008 - Manchester United

Kings of Europe 2007/2008 - Manchester United
UEFA Champions League & English Premier League Champions