Robbie Keane - Welcome Home!

Got the news through me phone last night at Desa Hartamas that Irish marksman, Robbie Keane has signed for us. The transfer fees is reportedly around £19million (possibly rising to £20.3 million through bonus payments). This is absolute great news as i rate him a heck lot higher than the other big target of the gaffer: Gareth Barry. Can't believe it when it was reported he rejected us for Wolves 14 years earlier. Well, now all the stars have aligned and he's back to his true spiritual football home: Anfield.

It's been know we have turned into a 2 man team - Gerrard and Torres and the rest of the team ain't exactly supplying the fire power to kill teams off. Remember how frustrating it was to be unable to win games and kill off the opposition last season in games we should have won? Keane i seriously think will be the perfect partner for Torres as he operates deeper as the 2nd striker and thus will create more space and opportunity for "el nino" to work higher up the pitch. My mouth is watering at the prospect of seeing the both of them at work.

Then that leads us to the question of where will Gerrard operate from. The easy answer would have been to stick him back in the middle since it's his favoured position. But, when / if you put Barry in the equation then that changes the whole complexion of the formation. Gerrard to the right? Barry as a left winger and Gerrard center? I seriously have my doubts on how much do we need Barry in our team. I'd have to admit here, i am a big Alonso fan, even though he's not been the same after his block-busting debut season. In my books, he is still the best passer . Anyhow, i'd rather seem him stay (and the board seems to think so too) but the meeting that supposedly took place with the gaffer didn't exactly turned out well and he is now linked to Fenarbache, and with an even lower price of about £12million (Juve reportedly offered more).

Now, this gets even more interesting. What happens to Kuyt if Gerrard is stuck to the right? What happens to Babel if / when Barry is stuck to the left? And now, with French teenage striker David N'Gog has just signed as well. Chances are Babel will definitely stay as he has got bags of potential. Kuyt for all his hardworking could be sacrificed, again something i won't enjoy witnessing. Already some reports are stating that he might well be the one to go.

Is it just me or are we getting a bit too aggressive with our pursuit of transfer targets through the press? We've already have to apologize to Spurs with the manner of how we went ahead with the pursuit of Keane. Rafa's comment certainly did not sit well with their chairman. No matter what, the fact is it will never be easy to loose one of your most popular player and captain to a rival. At least he ain't going over to the Gunners.

The off season is getting crazier indeed with the season starting in about 3 weeks. Till then, keep checking news reports. Who knows our very own nutty professor / gaffer might spring a few more surprises and rabbits out of his Spanish "El Matador" hat?

PS: Am definitely looking forward to the Keane trademark cart-wheel machine gun goal celebration at the Kop end. ;0)

-JonC-

WhY So SEriOUs?

Heath Ledger - you got it mate. You definitely got it! RIP.

The rest of you, go watch possibly the best villain ever on the silver screen.

-JonC-

Million Dollar Smile?

How much are you willing to spend to get THAT million dollar smile? I just got whack with a 190 bucks dental fee yesterday for some dental work. The cost covers re-filling 2 cavities (darn ori filling came off) and some other extra work to repair my 2 chipped front teeth and realign 'em.

Thanks goodness i can claim about 100 bucks back from me office. If not, i'll be eating rocks until the end of the month! I really curse and swear every time i have go to the dentist. Absolutely hate the noise of the drill, the smell from the drilling and worst of the lot, the amount i get charged for it.

Was it worth it to get me teeth done? Re-filling the cavities was an absolute must but doing something about my chipped front teeth, dunno yet as no chicks have really praise how good my smile is yet. Hehehehe.

-JonC-

Jazzing Away My Monday Blues: Diana Krall sings Nat King Cole Trio

Was fooling around in youtube looking for some Diana Krall jazz song to kill time in me office when i stumbled upon the cool looking video below. Check it out, Frim Fram Sauce youtube style!



What more can i ask for? One of my favourite female jazz vocalist / pianist playing and singing my all time favourite jazz trio - Nat King Cole Trio songs.

She's gonna be in town at KLCC Plenary Hall this coming Oct 2nd for a show. Any takers? I'm seriously thinking of going and getting the RM 188 tickets..... poor man can't afford to get any better seats. Need a date too for the show ;0)

Coming EPL 08/09 Season - My Thoughts

In about a month 3 weeks, the new EPL season will start. The silly summer transfer merry-go-round has made us Reds glow red, not because of the excitement or booze but because of the money constraints imposed by our current dire financial situation and the 2 imbecile on top. That being said, most of the major English clubs have yet to really make any bank-busting transfer as of today. Looks like the after-effects of the global economic slow down thanks to the weakening US Dollar have hit the rest pretty hard too; except a certain club bank-rolled by a certain Russian :0P

Then again the slow-down didn't help lower down the transfer fee for the English players: case in point - Gareth Barry. I still can't fathom how on earth Xabi Alonso will cost less than him. The only selling point to him is he's English and the "6+5" Fifa ruling is not making the situation any better. I believe one of the only reason the gaffer is thinking of going English this off-season is because of that stupid ruling.

I am all for the clearing of dead-woods in the team but the mere thought of us actually having to sell before we can buy is really disheartening. But looking at the current crop of youngsters that we already signed, i still have high hopes of us doing well in the league. We're definitely following the Arsene Wenger route by investing heavily in youth players. Then again, buying potential is a double-edged sword: some will excel and some will fail due to high expectations. I'm personally keeping a close eye on a few of the youngsters - Pacheco, Insua, Lindfield, Nemeth, Plesis, and Spearing. There a few other members from the reserve team thats potentially world-class if they're nurtured properly.

On the club management front, looks like we're set to suffer again under the 2 imbecile thats making us turn into the mockery and joke of the league. All have gone quiet on the DIC takeover, but i am not surprise the sheik is planning his cunning move to wrestle the control of the club. I personally am really disappointed by the short-sightedness of Parry and sadly Moores who sold the club for a few quid more instead of selling to DIC, a much more stable and state funded company.

Most of you guys that know me personally, knew i've joined the "i doubt Rafa" brigade since mid 2 seasons ago. As, i've grown up watching the all conquering team from the 80's era, i'm a true believer in the "pass and move" football philosophy perfected by the great Bill Shankly. I miss those all or nothing attacking football from back then. I do understand the modern game have change significantly, but i did not sign up for drab and boring "effective football." This is well and truly Rafa's make or break season.

Back in the home front, i'm truly feeling the pinch from the fuel price hike. So much so that, i'm really gonna limit my outings to join the MyRAWK gatherings. I've calculated that on average before paying up for the booze, i would need to spend 20 bucks on the traveling expanses alone from my place in Klang. It's gonna be expansive for me to join every gathering so chances are i'll be joining the boys most probably once a month or on big matches only. It ain't gonna be fun shouting and swearing alone at home. :0(

-JonC-

Bloggers' & Broadwalk's nite out - Saturday, 12th July 2008.

This is the gang of bloggers and Broadwalk regulars at Sam's after the dinner last Saturday evening at Fatty Crab.

Ummmmm.... beeeeeeer! Doesn't it just tells you how much i love me beer? Hehehehehe. Pic was taken at Fatty Crab.

A big thanks to AD for organising the meet up and Bernard for the pics! Was great to finally be able to meetup with everyone from Broadwalk and blog-land after so long. Looking forward again to seeing you gals and guys next month.

Live Tonite: The Rise of Anwar or The Fall of Shabery

For the first time since i can remember, there will be a live tv debate among the opposition and the Barang Naik government. The topic will be on the price of fuel - all your how, where, what, why and when questions will hopefully be answered in a measly 1 hour show. Better pray Astro don't try be funny by censoring or delaying the proceedings by going to endless commercial breaks. Would you be surprised if it happened (knowing how the mass media works)?

Remember tonite - Tuesday 15th July, 2008 at 9pm in Astro Awani, TV9 and BernamaTV. See how a minister might possibly be made to quit for failing to defend his beloved government. ;0)

Would have been better if the 2 main top man themselves would show up instead of the Information Minister. Come to think of it wouldn't it be more fun to have the infamous Minister of "Mis"information also? I can never forget how he basically screwed all of us Malaysians over in his Al-Jazeera interview before the elections. Really made us look as if we're still staying up trees with his replies.

Checkout the following video of DSAI challenging the power that be for the debating showdown. Link courtesy of "Becky" Mark.



PS - I think the lady's commentary in tis video sucks. Sounds like she's stoned or something. Hehehehe.

My Handy DIY Re-deco Work - Living Room

Finally more or less 85% done with my re-deco job in me living room. Still got a bit of cleaning up to do to clear my old junks lying under me staircase. Also i might have been overly enthusiastic in Ikea and bought a way too big Lerberg coffee table (made out of steel) that do not match the whole look i am going for.

Here are a few pics of my handy work - all the wall shelves are mounted by me, all the lighting / wiring by me, all the potted plastic plants and also all the other deco items or center pieces using plastics / rubber foam lotus flowers, rock and pebbles is done by none other than me!


All of my stuff are bought from Ikea ( tables/shelves/candles/glass vases/ceramic tray/lights), Living Cabin and Parkson (decorative plastic plants) and *tada* of all places Giant (decorative rocks and pebbles). If ya wondering what the heck are those things in the shelves in the 3rd pic, they are actually my collection of Transformers toys. Hehehehe...... i know i'm still a kid albeit an old one. :0P

For those who are into audio visual stuff, yup the white thingy next to me Sony Bravia LCD TV is me fabled Playstation 3. ;0) I am still missing an a/v amp for my home theater ever since i sold off my old unit. Will get a replacement unit come this end of July in the KLAV show in JW Marriot. Forgot to mention i'm running a 7.1 surround setup. So any takers for a movie night in Klang in me pad?


The last 2 pics are the center pieces i created with rocks, white / black pebbles and those plastic / rubber foam lotuses. Any of you with a outdoor mini water fountain / fish pond / pool can actually get them to spruce it up as they can float! They come in 3 sizes - 10cm, 20cm and 30 cm.

Well, thats pretty much it for my diy re-deco job.

-JonC-

Bolehwood Blockbuster: JonC's guide to making the ultimate thriller / drama / action movie in Bolehland!

Ever wondered how to make the perfect movie to storm the box office in Bolehland? Well, i have the perfect formula:

Get a Mongolian model, an arms broker, a powderful minister and his other half, the military, the police special unit and tie up the whole plot together with a handsome amount of special military only grade of explosives. Get some supporting acts like a blogger to spice up the sub plot. Remember to make the explosion BIG and spectacular like a Merdeka day fireworks display by hiring an overpaid bunch of pyrotechnic experts.

In order to add in a bit of comedy, throw in a drunk lawyer uttering those famous lines - "correct! correct! correct!" and "he looks like me, sounds like me, but is not me!" You can also throw in a senile senior politician that likes to bud into everything under the Bolehland sun into the fray as well for more bumbling comedic relief.

Must also not forget about the sodomy plot to go with it. Nothing spice up a story better than a sex scandal in the political scandal - may it be homo or heterosexual.

Do not forget the customary police interrogation scene with a handful of beatings thrown in for a good measure. Use the most sophisticated special effects methods possible to make the main protagonist look like he got whacked by 300 Spartans.

If any of you budding movie makers out there succeeds in breaking the bank with this, please give me a share of the spoil and credits. ;0) Need more moolah to pump petrol and survive the inflation!

-JonC-

PS - Disclaimer: This is just a fictional take and parody on the political uncertainty / scandal in the country. Any fictionous characters with resemblance to person (s) dead, living or dying is of pure co-incidence.