Sunday 31 August 2008

Ibrahim Yassin

Haji Ibrahim bin Haji Mohd Yassin, Acting Managing Director of Brunei Gas Carriers Sdn Bhd died last night at age 53, after suffering from colon cancer at RIPAS hospital. His body will be sent to his home in Sungai Liang from RIPAS and then will be buried in the Telisai Cemetary. My Condolences and prayers to the family.

100K and counting...

Honda Accord has reached 100k in 4 1/2 years now and so far, it has been a good car to me, bringing me around and abouts with my heavy feet and not complaining. Had it serviced recently and I find it too smooth for my liking in the upper revs. A friend mentioned to check out the fuel filter which I will do for the next service due at 110k. Thanks Hon.. (honda).

Saturday 30 August 2008

Asia Pacific Entrepreneurship Awards 2008

Attended the APEA 2008 last night at the Rizqun International Hotel Brunei located in the busy area of Gadong. Despite my bringing a driver to just drop me off, I was still late for the function so I'm not really sure who was the Guest of honor, most probably, the Minister of Health. But then again there were so many VIPs in attendance, anyone could have been the Guest of Honor.



The winners of the APEA 2008 awards, maybe next year it could be my turn up there on stage, LOL. But it was very interesting in a sense that it got me inspired with all the short speeches given by the winners. There were traditional dances and singing to entertain the hall full of Entrepreneurs, bankers, lawyers and many others in different trades, many of whom I recognize either by fame, friends, competitors and clients. Food was delicious and I was tempted to take pictures of it for my blogging purposes, but then again I can't be caught taking picture with my bulky phone of my food with so many people around in one round table. Its a big no no!

Anyway, congratulations to the winners of the awards and you guys inspire me to strive for my very own success. Thank you!

The Speed of light?

Yesterday, I was drafting an email and the intention was to keep it in draft form until the right time to send it. Unfortunately after I was done, I immediately clicked the "send" button. When I realised what I had done, especially when my internet connection is pretty fast in the office, I went to super duper speed mode where Superman would have been quietly envious, jumped out from my comfortable chair (which is a feat on its own), switched off the wireless button, pressed the hard shutdown button of my puny notebook and pulled out my networking cables just in case.

After a few minutes of recovering from the adrenalin rush, I slowly started to switch my computer back on, making sure the connection to the internet via the cables and the wireless is not connected/switched off, opened up my outlook programme, fear creeping in my mind on the possibility of not being able to stop the email from going through on time.....Lo' and behold! my email was registered in the Draft folder!!! Rechecked my sent lists, nope it was not sent. A smile crept to my relieved face as I could not as yet believe what I had just done?!?! I just outran a computer connected to the internet by wireless and also network cables and possibly by mere nanoseconds beating it to send my email through!?!?! Isn't that just incredible?

Friday 29 August 2008

Kuka-"burra"

Kuka, cooka or kokka usually refers to the type of high quality very hard tree wood or nut in which ornaments such as prayer beads (below) are made from. It was said that Noah used the Kuka wood to build his arc, and Moses's walking cane was made of Kuka, albeit its demand in the market. Very good quality is hard to find, as the wood is particularly found in Turkey and Egypt and scarces. Probably there are other countries nearby, but not as well known or as good a quality. The trees are protected, and therefore the nuts are used nowadays to make ornaments.
(Pictured) is a Turkish Kuka 99 beaded prayer beads which I attained a while back in 1986. Apparently, I've been told by Kukka experts and collectors that this is hand made from the rare Kukka tree and pretty old. That is probably why the beads are not uniformed, big in size and the sizes of each hole in the bead where the string is passed through is bigger on one side than the other side. The tassel was modified slightly and restrung, whilst retaining the original strings. I added two additional reminder markers also made of kukka, as you can see in lighter smaller beads most likely to have been from the Kukka nut. Many have offered a tempting price for this, but no its not for sale.

(pictured) This is also a Turkish Kukka 99 beaded prayer beads which I had bought from a salesman from Turkey who came to meet me one day at my office in 2005. The sizes of each beads is of the same size, and although it looks like an old traditional Ottoman carving, but it isnt. Its diamond shaped machine cut made from of course the Kukka nut. I took to liking this particular piece due to its uniformed colours of the beads. I also got 2 more for my family but in a small 33 beaded count and it was Cheeep! Cheeep!

Thursday 28 August 2008

Oudh & other authentic scents

My "valuable" collection of Bruneian Oudh scents. Derived from the resin of Agarwood distilled to make this essence. Just a drop and it will cover you for a day. In drier climates,will last for weeks.
(Pictured left) My Oudh Brunei from a younger tree it seems..3 1/2 tolas = about 45ml. Very Very rare and very much sort after. Just got it a few weeks back.

Oudh Brunei comparison. The left bottle is one of the newer batch, lighter but retains the distinctive unique smell only associated with the Bruneian Oudh. The right bottle is darker, had it a few years back from the 1st batch. I believe its from the older tree & has a richer sweet fragrance.


Rare Cambodian Oudh. Was considered the best Oudh. Only have 3/4 tolas= about 10ml left. Cant find anymore, anywhere with this kind of quality. Right bottle was recently barter traded with my sibling who totally dispises the smell, but knows the value of it. Now its mine! Haha! All mine! Notice how dark the colour is compared to the rest of the Oudh above.


Ambar Maliki. Just have 1 tola left, its a mixture of Cambodian Oudh, Amber & another deep sea derivative highly difficult to extract that makes this fragrance unique, expensive & appreciated to those who knows the mix. Purchased 3 1/2 tolas from Abdul Samad Al Quraishi, Mekkah, and I know this blend is Unique to them & have yet to find another shop that has this rich scent combination.

My whole collection of Oudh scents. Will last me many more years. There are a few in this batch especially the older Bruneian Oudh and the Cambodian Oudhs which I would like to preserve longer due to its rarity as the more you preserve it, the sweeter & richer it smells and apparently lasts longer when you wear it. Its what I call my expensive hobby & there is quite a few of us in this world that share the same passion as I do.

Tips to Oudh collectors and users:
- Keep it in a dry room and far away from anybody as it might end up in a dustbin. Its an acquired taste to appreciate the scent. A dry box is better or an airconditioned room.
- Store the essence in a glass bottle with preferably a glass dipper, otherwise cut the plastic dipper as this will ruin the essence in the long run.
- Keep it away from the sun or sun light, as this will definitely change the unique smell of Oudh. A cool, dark area will be the best storage.
- Drop by at any authentic perfumeries and be friends with the seller. They usually identify if youre a serious buyers or not. The perfumes in gorgeous bottles on display are usually low quality mixes with oil as its base. Good for everyday use, but the real pure essence is most often found hidden away and bottled in ugly looking glass bottles and usually not in big quantity.
- Do not buy the essence immediately, unless you know what you are looking for in a High quality Oudh. Take a drop onto your hand, give it a good rub otherwise you will have a difficult stain to remove on your clothings, then put it behind your ears and your beard if you have one, and the rest on your clothes. If the fragrance lasts a few days after that retaining its lingering smell as if you just came out of the shop, then go and run and get the Oudh before it runs out.
- A high quality Oudh if with one small drop will be very sticky and difficult to rub with your hands.
- Definition of extremely high quality Oudh: Old (80 years is nice), Sticky like glue, rich vibrant smell enveloping your nostrils for long long hours reminding you that you have the Oudh on, retains the smell after days on your clothings, darker coloured brownish black.
- Best Oudh comes from Cambodia, India, Brunei (Borneo Islands) as they tend to have older Agarwood trees and hence the older resins. However, Myanmar is also coming up there in terms of quality as the discovery of old Agarwood in sporadic areas of the country.

Wednesday 27 August 2008

Agarwood resin (Gaharu)

My Gaharu which I use to air my office & home with. It is an incense by burning the wood on coal or can be distilled & used as perfume"Oudh"(future article). It carries a unique distinctive smell and the longer one goes to the room, the sweeter and more alluring the smell.

The same goes for the perfume Oudh and the longer you preserve it, the better the smell. Just like fine wine. Due to its rarity, it commands a high price in the market. The finest of which may cost around US$7,000 per kilogram! Very expensive I might add, and some say that its worth more than oil & the most expensive of minerals! Agarwood is to be found in the regions of the Equitorial rainforests of South East Asia and East Asia. However, there is rumours that Agarwood is also to be found in the forest of Brazil and the South American continent due to its similar climate. But this is to be confirmed.

Some of the best Gaharu comes from Cambodia (no.1) and India (no.2) due to its sweetness & being longer lasting (Grade A quality), but Cambodian Gaharu has been extremely rare recently and thus Indian Gaharu has been acknowledged to be the best of its kind. However, it seems that Bruneian or even the Borneo Gaharu has been much sort after in the market with rumours that it is even better and more sweeter than the those above, most likely to fetch a price well beyond the market price due to its rarity and the trees being extremely highly protected.

Other Gaharu's worth mentioning comes from Malaysia, Indonesia, Myanmar, Thailand and other South East Asian Countries, with some standing in good stead with the very best.

It might be pleasant smelling to some and it could be an awful odour to most others, but definitely its an acquired taste and preference, just like the Durian fruit.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agarwood

Tuesday 26 August 2008

Good Veges and Fruits..

I thought this is good to share to everyone:

It's been said that God first separated the salt water from the fresh, made dry land, planted a garden, created animals and fish... all before making a human. He made and provided what we'd need before we were born. The following are best & more powerful when eaten raw. We're such slow learners...

God left us a great clue as to what foods help which part of our body!



God's Pharmacy! Amazing!

A sliced Carrot looks like the human eye. The pupil, iris and radiating lines look just like the human eye ... and YES, science now shows carrots greatly enhance blood flow to and functioning of the eyes.


A Tomato has four chambers and is red. The heart has four chambers and is red. All of the research shows tomatoes are loaded with lycopine and are indeed pure heart and blood food.


Grapes hang in a cluster that has the shape of the heart. Each grape looks like a blood cell and all of the research today shows grapes are also profound heart and blood vitalizing food.


A Walnut looks like a little brain, a left and right hemisphere, upper cerebrums and lower cerebellums. Even the wrinkles or folds on the nut are just like the neo-cortex. We now know walnuts help develop more than three (3) dozen neuron-transmitters for brain function.


Kidney Beans actually heal and help maintain kidney function and yes, they look exactly like the human kidneys.


C elery, Bok Choy, Rhubarb and many more look just like bones. These foods specifically target bone strength. Bones are 23 % sodium and these foods are 23% sodium. If you don't have enough sodium in your diet, the body pulls it from the bones, thus making them weak. These foods replenish the skeletal needs of the body.


Avocados, Eggplant and Pears target the health and function of the womb and cervix of the female - they look just like these organs. Today's research shows that when a woman eats one avocado a week, it balances hormones, sheds unwanted birth weight, and prevents cervical cancers. And how profound is this? It takes exactly nine (9) months to grow an avocado from blossom to ripened fruit. There are over 14,000 photolytic chemical constituents of nutrition in each one of these foods
(modern science has only studied and named about 141 of them).


Figs are full of seeds and hang in twos when they grow. Figs increase the mobility of male sperm and increase the numbers of sperm as well to overcome male sterility.


Sweet Potatoes look like the pancreas and actually balance the glycemic index of diabetics.]


Olives assist the health and function of the ovaries


Oranges, Grapefruits and other Citrus fruits look just like the mammary glands of the fe male and actually assist the health of the breasts and the movement of lymph in and out of the breasts.


Onions look like the body's cells. Research shows onions help clear waste materials from all of the body cells. They even produce tears which wash the epithelial layers of the eyes. A working companion, Garlic, also helps eliminate waste materials and dangerous radicals from the body.

Its a good day...

Its been a good day today, I'm happy and I wish everyday is a happy day. I'm in a kindda mood where nothing aside from the severe will make my mood change. And I like to keep it that way.

Funnily enough, my happiness today is not to the extreme happy, its not that I got myself a multi-million dollar project, a brand new Porsche 911 Turbo, a new baby, or whatever of that kind. Just the kind of happy where everything just goes on just right and comfortable. Oh how can I describe this? Well just trust me, I am just happy and thats that.

Wish all you readers a very happy day! :)

Macbook Air

I have had the Macbook Air for about 2 weeks now & so far due to being so busy,have not really had a chance to play around with it as yet. I guess the migrating of data from my ever reliable almost 4 year old Dell Latitude D420 notebook was just to much of work to deal with right now.




The thought behind getting my very own apple was to familiarise myself to apple hardware and its OS. Maybe I might have time this coming month to have a look at what I've got in my hands.







I love this standby feature on the notebook. The light goes on and dims till the light disappears and then goes back on gradually making the notebook look as if its alive.

Monday 25 August 2008

Sunday Dinner

Villa Mauri Restaurant is a new Italian restaurant in Sungai Tilong area recommended by a family friend and just for the sake of trying it out, I took my family to the place for din din. Had Romaine Salad for Starters, my pan fried red snapper, tiramisu dessert and rock melon juice. The Mrs had lamb shanks and my kid had Beef Fried Rice. The food is not bad at all! Even the atmosphere is pretty good, comfortable and cozy. The price is reasonable and the presentation of the food is very impressive.

Again, I forgot to take a picture of the food. Sorry about that. I guess when you're hungry, nothing else is more important LOL. Anyway, its advisable to book before you come over to the place as its pretty booked up most times. Oh by the way, the Italian chef was a former cook of Fratini's I believe and now he is one of the co-owners of the joint.

Lunch on a Sunday..CZ Q-lap

Haven't been in Coffee Zone for ages now and yesterday, Mr. Gadgetski called for lunch after my trip up to KB for some work done. Glad he did as I've developed a good appetite after work. Ordered Club Sandwich, mushroom soup as starters and my cool power cappucino. Alas, after I've gobbled my food up only to realise that I didn't take a picture of my lunch food. But anyways, here is a bottle of Maggi Chilli sauce to compensate for my missed lunch picture.

Saturday 23 August 2008

Quitting Smoking.

Come 1st day of Ramadhan, I'm planning to quit smoking for good. No patches, no reduction of cigarettes, no pills, nothing but cold turkey. I will need everybody to help me do this and show their support. Been smoking since college and noticing everything around you with all the casualties of smoking and its side effects, even noticing my heavy breathing in sports, I have decided to quit for good. Its about time really..

Friday 22 August 2008

Twinning Programme?

Is this two similar Nokia E90 communicator phones put side by side to each other or an altered image of the same phone? Hmmm...Its for me to know and for you to find out. Haha.. No one in their right frame of mind will want to have 2 phones of the same kind... or would they?

Thursday 21 August 2008

Coffee Club "java" finished yesterday....

In less than a week I have finished a pack of reserved Coffee Club Coffee beans which I have taken a love to. Coming back to the Lavazza Coffee bean just doesn't have that ummmmppphh and the right kick as the former. I guess like my uncle says, once you've tasted good coffee, everything else is just plain ordinary....*sigh*

fidget...fidget...tick...tick...fidget..fidget... *due to lack of high quality coffee beans*.

Phone Skin

I got myself a Nokia E90 mobile phone Slip-in leather cover case today and I am very pleased with myself. Not only does it match the colour of my brown communicator, but the best part is, it only cost me $4 buckeroos! Originally it was $8, and I thought it was cheeeeap cheeeeap already, but it was late in the day, I was in the mood for bargaining things and since it was the last piece, the shop owner agreed to my request for half the price! Lo' & behold, quickly took out my wallet & shoved the dosh to the man before he changes his mind, said my thank you and went off as soon as I could, smiling all the way to my car.

For all I know, the shop owner himself might be smiling as well as I left coz he might just have made 100% or more from this sale too, coz its one of those cheap jobbies kindda make, but who cares, I'm happy. I have a replacement for my thin Oakley pouch currently protecting/shielding my mobile phone with a Cheap cheeap LEATHER phone protector, Shop owner is happy ripping me off....we'll just leave it at that...

Monday 18 August 2008

Weekend Sunday & Wall.E

Its been a good weekend, a much needed rest as I surprised myself with my sleeping from noon till 4am the next day!?!?! Although I would have preferred to spend my time awake and enjoying my time with my kid. But anyways, on a brighter side, I was able to spend my morning time with her watching Wall.E at Seri Q-Lap Cinema and enjoyed it.

Its a good family show! As with all Pixar movies made, it was a good funny movie making you smile all the way. Fun.E Robots!!

Saturday 16 August 2008

TGIW

Woo hoo!!!!!! Thank God Its Weekend! Looking forward to be at home, enjoy the Olympics, the English Premier League Football and enjoying the company of my family. No thinking of work. Total shut down.. What work? Work? Is there really such a word? Hehehe...literally closing down here... focus..focus! A few more hours to go....

Freakin' almost lost my phone!

Have you ever accidentally left your mobile phone at the top of the car and then just drove off without realising it? Uh huh...I did just a few moments ago and it drove (literally) me freakin' nuts searching for it! If it had not been for my phone carry case, my mobile phone would definitely had been dis-figured! See damaged casing..

After 1 hour 40 minutes of driving, trying to recall and tracing my way back to the stadium tennis courts, I finally found my mobile phone intact in its casing lying beside the road. I was so happy and relieved and said a little prayer, thanking God that I found it.


Coz its surely a painful loss not only in a financial Cents (sense), but also the 1k plus name & addresses, calendar appointments, etc. (data loss) and not to forget also, the hassle to report to the police before I could get my new mobile number from the Mobile Service Provider (inconvenience).


So folks, here is some valuable hints for you Mobile phone users out there:

1) Always have a protective adequately padded carry case to safe guard your phone from hits, drops, nudges, dings and in my case, a flying mobile phone.
2) Always secure your mobile phone with a password to protect your data from unwanted intruder/thieves/others.
3) Relating to number 2) also, always backup your data from your phone just in case you totally lost your phone.
4) Always keep your IMEI number handy and in a safe place you can remember. IMEI is Short for International Mobile Equipment Identity, a unique number given to every single mobile phone, typically found behind the battery. When a phone is reported stolen or is not type approved, the number is marked invalid and therefore the Mobile service provider can trace the mobile phone provided that the phone is reported lost or stolen to the police.
5) Be sure to return the phone profile to General when other quieter profile is chosen as this will help in searching for your lost/misplaced phone.
6) Lastly but not least, always check the top of your car before you drive off to avoid any flying mobile phones!

The above health & safety hints are meant to avoid any painful, stressful, sad and maddening feeling of phone losses and is only intended as a guideline and help only. I hope I have not missed out anything. If otherwise, I would be more than happy to hear more helpful advises to add to the above. Thank you for reading and "Selamat Mencoba!"

Thursday 14 August 2008

I want my coffee!

My daily morning starts with my coffee. I must have my coffee! Its the first thing I will need, to prepare myself for my daily hectic work during my work days. I'm not a coffee drinker during the weekends however. But to call myself a coffee connoisseur is probably not accurate either. I do love coffee and its due to my college times when I learnt to appreciate coffee.
My invaluable coffee maker and my Heavy duty coffee grinder at my cafe. that makes my delicious coffee.


The latte which I am currently drinking right now as I type away. Depending on my mood, this is my regular coffee, otherwise my choices varies from time to time. Its just soooo guuuud!






I find Lavazza to be a good coffee bean. I have tried Boh coffee and others, but my preference is still Lavazza. Although I think its a fussier coffee bean as it needs a the right combination of water, coffee and milk mix. But then again, all real coffee requires all that right combination.




An uncle introduced to me a coffee bean from Coffee Club this morning at my cafe. This particular coffee bean is called Aged Sumatra Mandheling. I have to admit this is very very good, strangely enough, its actually better than the Lavazza beans I have been drinking all this while! Thats it, I will have to get more of these when I drop down to Singapore as the supplier will deliver it to my hotel when I'm there. The coffee taste is more prominent without being a tad bitter, the aroma provokes the senses as I inhale the expresso, and savour the coffee into my mouth.I have nothing but an expression of delight on my face. I have at last found my kind of coffee!

Gadgetski...you have to come down here and taste this coffee. Oh its just too good to miss until stock last! (That means before I finish the whole packet of coffee beans myself!)

Monday 11 August 2008

FA Community Shield 2008-2009



Results: Manchester United 0 Portsmouth 0
(Manchester United win 3-1 penalties)

Trophy number 30 under Six Alex Ferguson tenure.

Only saw the first half of the game until my sleepy eyes had the better of me. English Premier League starts next weekend. Man U will be playing at home against Newcastle United on Sunday, 17th August, 1600 hours BST or local Brunei time at 12am Monday, 18th August 2008.

Stay tuned Man U fans!

Trophies under Mr. Alex:
FA Premiership: 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2007, 2008
FA Cup: 1990, 1994, 1996, 1999, 2004
League Cup: 1992, 2006
Charity Shield: 1990, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2003, 2007, 2008
European Cup: 1999, 2008
European Cup-Winners Cup: 1991
European Super Cup: 1991
Intercontinental Club Cup: 1999

Brunei not represented in Beijing Oylmpics 2008

One can only guess what was the reason for Brunei not participating in the Olympics this year. But I leave that to those who knows and those who digress and make the excuses for such a sad thing to happen. I can only feel for those Bruneian athletes who was so looking forward and training for it and only to be cancelled.
An event that only occurs every four years, its a dream of all athletes the world over to participate in these kind of events. The Olympic Slogan " One world, one dream", just says it all as the Beijing Olympics 2008 is represented by 204 countries barring Brunei.
The opening ceremony was an absolutely grand affair, the amount of effort, the manpower, the discipline, the skills, the might, the pyrotechnics, the firework displays were all absolutely astounding and a sight to behold. It would be a tough affair to top that when Great Britain hosts the 2012 Olympics in London, England.

Saturday 9 August 2008

Dusting off my Nikon D200 camera

After reading Gadgetski's blog (with a little hint of jealousy), and also having had the opportunity to touch and feel his new D700 and giving it a shoot out with his Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 lens, I feel like I really need to take out my "Old Camera" out from the cabinet, dust it off and compare that "feel" and take it for a spin Sunday tomorrow. Errr...Gadgetski, the best move is to sell your Nikon D700 to me...cheeeap....cheeeap..Heheheh! Go Canon dude... Heheheh (kes Jeles bah tu!)

EPL season just about starting with Community Shield Cup on Sunday 10th August 2008

With a long transfer saga between Real Madrid and Manchester United now finally over with Christiano Ronaldo commiting to MU for a minimum of another season 2008-2009, I'm really excited and looking forward to another 9 months of English Premier League matches every week! That is one thing I look forward to each and every weekend after my hectic work week in week out, lazing about on my comfortable sofa alone with a serving of junk food and a drink to match. Everything will be focussed on the match of the day, my support for Manchester United as it embarks itself to defend its premiership title and its European Championship. Not a single thing will bother me, not even the most urgent of things as I watch contently munching my food and enjoying the only thing that pleases me more than Manchester United beating its rivals every week. Come to think of it, even if Manchester United loses a game, I will still be looking forward to another weekend of matches...I guess its just the excitement of the EPL that just does it for you. The thrill of victory and the pain of defeat, and the boring draw....all that allures you to watching it every single week. My hats off to EPL for which I believe to be the most exciting football league in the World! Don't get me wrong, the Spanish La Liga, the Italian Serie A are also up there in terms of technicality and skills with all its wonderful players playing there, but EPL just clinches it for me in terms of pure adrenalin rush as if I am playing in it too.

The EPL promises a more exciting season ahead with all the transfers going around and competition being more and more tighter than ever! The top teams in the EPL especially Chelsea who recently signed in Midfield Maestro Deco and their want for Mr Robinho from Real Madrid will be an interesting team to watch. Liverpool who signed up Robbie Keene for 20million pounds from Hotspurs, whose aggressiveness and determination could just be the right man to pair up with the very exciting Fernando Torres might be a more formidable opponent than last season. I have to also give a warm hard of applause for Mr. Wenger of Arsenal who has been a patient man since their move to the bigger Emirates Stadium building his young Arsenal players to one who for almost half the season looked like they were going to grab the Premiership last time around. With Eduardo recouperating from his injuries, I'm sure they will also be a top four team to watch this season too.

Other teams to watch is the Totenham Hotspurs in particular, as they have the services of the Ex-Barcelona Wonderkid, Giovanni Ramirez Dos Santos of Mexico, and Gareth Bale. Coached by a quiet but good coach in Juande Ramos, together with Dorian Dervitte and Ledley King now fit and ready for this season with Jonathan Woodgate, Luca Modric , Darren Bent, David Bentley, Jermaine Jenas and excellent striker Berbatov, they could just be the other team outside the top four who has a good chance of breaking the top four stranglehold of the EPL.

Portsmouth is another team to watch as well. Having included Peter Crouch to partner Jermaine Defoe upfront with some prominent players from Ex-Arsenal, Liverpool & Chelsea as well as other in the league such as Sol Campbell, Lassana Diarra, Papa Bouba Diop, Sylvian Distin, in-form keeper David James (who is now taken back into the England Squad), Glen Johnson, Nwankwo Kanu, Lauren, Nugent and Djimi Traore, they should be a formidable experienced force to be reckoned with.

Manchester United has a big strong squad for this next season, right up to number 28. However, it would be nice to add on an all and all striker within their ranks in Berbatov as Tevez is the only all out striker within the team currently as Rooney is recovering from a bad virus and Saha is just ain't doing it. Otherwise, MU still has the same team as last season. With a combination of experience and youngsters in Ronaldo, Anderson, Nani, Carrick, Hargreaves and the ever experienced Paul Scholes and Giggs marshalling the centre, Wes Brown, Evra, Rio Ferdinand, Vidic, Silvestre, and Neville protecting the back with the excellent goal stopper in Van Der Sar, I think we might just clinch the title again!

MU youngster to watch: Ben Foster (goalkeeper), Fabio & Rafael Da Silva (Left & right backs), Danny Wellbeck and Rodrigo Possebon.

MU First Team:
(1) Edwin Van Der Sar (Goalkeeper), (2) Gary Neville (Rightback-Captain), (3) Patrice Evra (leftback), (4) Owen Hargreaves (Midfielder), (5) Rio Ferdinand (Centreback), (6) Wes Brown (Centreback), (7) Christiano Ronaldo (Midfielder), (8) Anderson Oliveiro Bio (Midfielder), (9) Louis Saha (Striker), (10) Wayne Rooney (Striker), (11) Ryan Giggs (Midfielder), (12) Ben Foster (Goalkeeper), (13) Ji Sung Park (Midfielder), (15) Nemanja Vidic (Centreback), (16) Michael Carrick (Midfielder), (17) Luis Carlos Almeida Da Cunha Nani Bio (Midfielder), (18) Paul Scholes (Midfielder), (21) Fangzhou Dong (Striker), (22) John O'Shea (Centreback), (23) Jonathan Evans (Centreback), (24) Darren Fletcher (Midfielder), (25) Danny Simpson (Rightback), (27) Mikael Silvestre (Leftback), (29) Tomasz Kuszczak (Goalkeeper), (30) Lee Martin (Midfielder), (32) Carlos Tevez (Striker), (38) Tom Heaton (Goalkeeper), (39) Fraizer Campbell (Striker), (47) Danny Welbeck (Striker), (98) Fabio Da Silva (Leftback), (99) Rafael Da Silva (Rightback).

MU Players breaking into First Team:
Rodrigo Possebon (Midfielder), Craig Cathcart (Centreback), Evandro Brandao (Striker), Ron-Robert Zieler (Goalkeeper)

Tuesday 5 August 2008

A gadget of contemplation

Seriously looking into this right now:











Bushnell PinSeeker 1500 Tournament Edition.

FEATURES:
-+/- one yard accuracy
-PinSeeker mode - zeros in on flag
-Standard SCAN mode
-Built-in reflector / Reads distance in both yards and meters
-Ranges (5 yards minimum)
-Reflective surfaces: 1,500 yards
-Trees: 1,000 yards
-Flag: 400 yards
-Fully multi-coated optics
-Twist-up metal eyepiece with oversized ocular and ±4 diopter setting
-Completely waterproof
-Rainguard® coating
-Dimension 1.7x5.1x3.7
-Weight 11.9 oz.
-9-volt battery
-Premium carrying case

One of the problems I am facing right now in golf aside from my many other problems (ie: inconsistent back swing, inconsistent follow through, a lack of discipline in looking at the ball whilst hitting it, a shank, the ability to just feel like whacking, stamina, thicker eyeglasses, and lack of time to play) is the problem of distance.

Having gotten used to the distance measured in metres rather than yards, I am still having a tough time deciding what clubs to use despite fellow players telling me that metres is just 10% more than yards. Cheeach right....with the calculations going onto my head, then bothered by the clubs to use, the distance to the green, peer pressure as they watch you snickering away in the background and all...it all adds up to a "wonderful" hit....70% of the time the golf ball could still be there where you left it, may have rolled a few metres ahead, shanked it into the OB (out of bounds) or the wrong club used. That just saps the joy of golf out of you as you walk to your golf cart or towards the ball with your head looking to your feet bewildered on your mistakes, and if the ball is still laying around...highly likely to have disappeared and lost forever...one of the normal attributes to a high scoring round of golf!

With the Bushnell Pinseeker (TE) at my disposal, I will be able to eliminate the distance factor, the time wasting factor, the wrong clubs factor and most of all, the pleasure of having a new gadget!

I really need to up my golf game as its getting really embarassing. Prolly the gadget might help a tinge more, but a little more help is needed especially in a sucky game I got. Maybe I should do the voting thingamajigga like kambomambo and gadgetski did...haha!

Yes What a day!

Its Tuesday, 5th August now, and I can still feel the brunt of yesterdays hectic work. I feel for gadgetski as I too was working my buns off from yesterday early morning till evening time when I left the office. Its now 8:21am as I look at my clock on the wall of my office. I have just finished reading my football news on the internet and read my newspaper, sipping my coffee as I try to pick myself up after yesterday's aching work and psyche myself up for work today. There is alot to do, but my mind is still bothered by the football news. Just sell Ronaldo, thats what I say, too much hassle! Ummm...maybe not.

As my staff and other people start coming in to work from a quiet 7-ish time this morning, my mind begins to wonder on the bid I lost yesterday as I begin to analyse what went wrong. But then again, maybe I shouldn't be bothered really as I did it pretty well if I might add. Just that luck has not gone my way for this particular bid...although it would have helped alot as it was a lucrative deal. Well...as my 11 years experience in business has it, learn from it, then forget it and then move on....*smiles* I may well have something else working for me to look forward to. Who knows...

I met Gadgetski in the airport just after 7am before he left. Some things I had to give him for his trip. Maaan....I wish I could have joined, it would've been a good short break after an intense week. After reading his bloggie, I will not be surprised he will have a new gadget with him when he gets back! Oh...I am so jealous! LOL.

Early in this month, alot of bills to cover as usual, alot of things to do...this is the time I feel when everybody seems to be more dynamic than other times in the month. Its always NOW NOW NOW! Hehehe...

Alas I have no picture to put up for this particular article, I could borrow Kambomambo's icon of a man with a heated brain thingy...but naaaaah...just leave it as it is and let the more bored text loving reader enjoy my moans and groans of the day...