Tidy up - lots of rubbish

Phhheeeewwwww!! I just finished tidying up my room a few minutes ago. Actually, the tidy up is not completely finished - I still got a bit more to do, which I will (hopefully) do in the next few days. But at least I've done the hard bit this evening - vacuuming, rounding up 4 bags of rubbish & wiping the ceiling fan.

The tidy up is necessary as I may have to vacate my room for some visitors coming over for Val & Andrew's wedding. It's unbelievable how much rubbish I've accumulated - they're mostly annual financial reports from the likes of Suncorp & Telstra, periodic (usually quarterly) newsletters from various fund managers like Perpetual & Colonial First State. I've chucked them away as I've got little or no use for them. During the tidying up process, I've also found these:

• MTE (Men's Training Event) booklet from 2001 - goodness, that's like 6 years ago & 2 World Cups have passed by since I last touched it!
• August 2004 edition of the YF Newsletter, Pebbles - issued after YF Camp 2004. It had my Dear Diary entry occupying front page (courtesy of Iggy Wong, the editor), which I had a brief read & thought to myself: "Did I really write that? What went on in my head back then that made me write all that??"
• Various CCCB St Lucia bulletins.
• Various TV Hits magazines.
• A TV Hits poster which I've never ever used, which had Britney Spears (with hair, of course!) on 1 side & UK pop group S Club 7. How did it get there??
• Some documentation from MLC Masterkey, which was issued in August 2004. It included the quarterly statement of account. I knew that particular statement was missing & I thought it must have been lost in the mail. How wrong I was - it was sitting in my room all this time.
• Various stuff from Compassion Australia.

I didn't chuck away any of the above. Now my room looks a bit tidier ;) But at what price - back is slightly sore (although improving as I write), & my mind is even more sore. Yet at the same time, excited about the upcoming wedding. In a few minutes time, my parents will head off to the airport to pick up Aunty Susan & my cousin Nicholas. By the time they get back, I will probably be sound asleep - worn out by the tidying up. I will see them tomorrow. Nicholas will head off to Coffs Harbour to join his family (the Lai family), who borrowed my car to get there. The entire Lai family will get back to Brisbane on Thursday. And 2 days after that, wedding bells!!!

Relatives arrived - more people to come

The first influx of overseas relatives (from Malaysia) for Val & Andrew's wedding has already taken place during the past few days. Dad's eldest sister, Aunty Jenny, came with Uncle Jimmy during the weekend. They will be staying with Uncle Paul & Aunty Daisy - Aunty Jenny & Aunty Daisy are very close. Then on Wednesday nite, 4 of the 5 Lai family members arrived in Brisbane - Aunty Carol (Dad's youngest sister) came with her husband Uncle Steven & the younger 2 of their 3 children, Stephanie & Jonathan. The Lai family will be borrowing my car during their visit. Steph & Jon's brother, Nicholas, is tied up with his college in Malaysia & therefore can only come here on the last week of March, just before the wedding.

Oh, and that's not all. During the next week or so, more relatives & friends will head to Brisbane for the wedding. Hmm, let's see. Nicholas will fly here with Aunty Susan (Dad's middle sister). My brother's (Ryan) fiancee, Nicole, will also be coming. That will be followed by relatives from my mother's side, from Perth - Aunty Mui Lin (mum's second youngest sister), Uncle Siong (mum's youngest brother a.k.a. Stephen) & his wife Aunty Fong (a.k.a. Melinda) will come just a couple of days before the wedding. These 3 will stay only briefly, before returning to Perth. Aunty Lin's husband (Uncle Vernon) couldn't make it. Then, there's our very close family friends from KL, the Wang family - Mr & Mrs Wang, Paul (who lives in US, not sure if his American wife is coming), Luke & Eunice. Mark Wang is already based in Brisbane as he's studying in UQ. Unfortunately, the other son, James, cannot make it - he's very tied up with his studies in Waterloo, Canada.

That's a lot of people. All here to celebrate Val & Andrew's big day. It's going to be huge & I'm very excited about it!

Nice invitation....but I say no

I received an envelope from American Express (AMEX) in the post today. The words "Your Invitation" appear on the front. Inside the envelope is a letter with the CA logo at the top left & a picture of an AMEX Platinum card at the top right. The letter is an invitation by AMEX to me to apply for a CA AMEX Platinum Credit Card. The invitation is pre-approved, i.e. simply meet the income & credit criteria, & my application for the Platinum card (should I decide to apply) will be approved.

I received the AMEX invitation by virtue of holding a CA AMEX Gold Credit Card. The letter, apparently, is an invitation to take my AMEX up to the platinum level. The letter harped on about the benefits of holding the Platinum Credit Card:

• 1 Qantas domestic economy return flight every year - together with domestic & international travel insurance; plus complimentary annual subscription to Travel & Leisure Australia magazine.
• Earn rewards at a faster rate - 1.5 Membership Rewards points for every $1 spent up to $100,000 per year, & 1 point for each $1 thereafter. The cardholder will continue to be enrolled in the rewards program for no additonal cost, saving $80.
• A higher level of financial benefits (without specifically outlining what the benefits are), for a preferential annual fee of $295 for CA members - a saving of $100 per year, as the standard fee is $395.
• Having a generous credit limit, & "enjoy" a competitive interest rate.
• Yada yada yada....

I looked again at the image of the Platinum Credit Card at the top right side of the page. It looked good & very glossy. I'm impressed! Then I looked at the enclosed AMEX application form, which also contained an image of the Platinum Credit Card (albeit smaller than the one on the letter). I remain impressed! An image then crossed my head, of myself complete with suit & tie, holding a shiny Platinum card.

I read the letter again - & then decided not to pursue the thing. Call it what u want - a fad, a marketing exercise, consumerism, materialism, moneyism etc. I am no expert at these phrases (perhaps in mentioning them, I'm misusing them), but u might get the idea what I'm on about. You see, AMEX is a business partner of the Institute of CA (other professions have similar arrangement with AMEX, too). CA members get special offers from business partners of the Institute. In the case of AMEX, CA members (such as myself) are offered AMEX cards, with special offers in the form of reduced/nil annual fees, faster rewards points, whatever. The Institute gets money from AMEX for offering AMEX products to CA members. The more CA members sign up for AMEX cards, the more money the Institute gets. And of course, the more people sign up for AMEX cards, the more money AMEX will make, especially if people get slogged with interest charges when they pay their credit card balances after the interest-free period. It's a win-win for both the Institute & AMEX when CA members sign up for AMEX cards - & they do make it seem attractive for people to sign up.

So, if I were to sign up for the AMEX Platinum Credit Card, it would mean that AMEX gets $295 from me each year for the privilege of using the card. If I were to pay the AMEX balances after the interest-free period, AMEX would get more money from me through interest charges. Do I want to hand AMEX $295 each year? Hmmm, no. Yes, I'm aware of all the rewards points & all that niceties & razzamatazz that come with the platinum plastic. But I don't really need them & it's probably not advisable to go for them - I don't spend $100,000 a year, I don't even earn anything like that each year.

Hence, I won't be taking up this particular platinum card offer. Who knows, I might consider the Platinum card in the future, depending on future circumstances. But for the moment, I'll stick with the AMEX CA Gold Card - no annual fees ever. Asians just love anything that's free - that's why I signed up for the Gold Card a couple of years ago. Plus, I already got the Virgin Mastercard & JBWere Visa Gold. So, that's enough credit cards already.....perhaps more than enough.

Barca saves face

Thanks to a magnificent hat-trick from Argentinian wonderkid Lionel Messi, 10-men Barcelona secured a face-saving 3-3 draw at home to their traditional enemies Real Madrid in the latest El Classico in Spain.

Real Madrid was winning 3-2 when I left home yesterday morning for church (saw the progress score on the internet). As a result, I wasn't exactly in the best of moods heading to church & the heat did not improve matters, either (it was sooo hot, I was sweating buckets from the time I did Sunday School chairing). I found out the result when returning home from the usual after-church lunch with some church friends. After seeing the 3-3 scoreline, I was sooo relieved because all the while I thought Barcelona had lost the match. A huge thanks to Leo Messi (surely the best young footballer in the world) for his sterling contribution!!

Defeat would have been hard to take (for me & all Barcelona fans worldwide), even though Barcelona did play with a men less for the second half thanks to Oleguer's unnecessary dismissal just before half-time. But at least Barcelona fans can harp on the fact that Real couldn't even beat Barcelona even when they seemed to have things going in their favour -- soft penalty handing Real their first goal, Thuram's slip-up leading to Real's second goal, playing with 1 player advantage for the entire second-half, Barca denied penalty for injury-time foul on Ronaldinho which could have given them a 4-3 win.

Before the game, all associated with Barcelona FC would have expected victory against their arch-rivals, given the apparent turmoil that Real Madrid had been in (ok, not everything's rosy at Barcelona either, but Real appeared to be having an even worse time). But given the way the game transpired, the draw is acceptable & I guess the fans can live with it.

Barcelona fell a goal behind 3 times, & each time they managed to equalise. The fact that the 3-3 scoreline was achieved in the very last minute may suggest that Barcelona were fortunate. But their character & never-say-die attitude earned its due reward. Playing the second half with a man advantage, Real Madrid must surely feel they missed an golden opportunity to beat their arch-rivals in their own backyard. They may never get a better chance to beat Barcelona on Barcelona territory. But given the amount of pressure their coach Capello had been under, the draw at least gives him some respite.

By all accounts, Real played well - better than most of the matches they've played this season. But from watching the goal highlights, at least 2 (possibly all 3) of the 3 Real Madrid goals could have been avoided. Nevertheless, Real should be given credit for their part in El Classico, & if they play like this on a consistent basis, then their results would be better & their coach would not be under so much pressure as he's been experiencing. On a light side, the 3-3 scoreline could be taken as showing that Barcelona's defence is just as bad as Real Madrid's!!

That aside, reports suggest that some Barca players (notably Eto'o & Ronaldinho) are not in their best form - some just returning from injuries, some just lost form. I hope the come-from-behind effort against Real Madrid will encourage them to lift their performances & improve their form as Barca tries to retain the Spanish championship. Hola Barca!!

Poker can take so long!

If there's one thing I learnt (or was reminded of) from the time spent with friends at Winston's place on Saturday nite (his parents were away during that weekend, so the house was free), it's the fact that poker can be so time-consuming. The second poker game that we played dragged on & on, that the final 2 contestants (myself & Maria) finally, at close to 1am (Sunday morning!) decided to end the game, as a "stalemate" - I had on numerous occasions said that I was "pokered out" & I'm sure people could tell that I looked tired. So it was a tie with neither player winning outright, although Maria ended up with more poker chips than me. At least I was the best performer among the guys, & there's some satisfaction in playing a part in getting rid of the other guys - Ivan Choe, BT, Winston & Sean (Sandra was the only other female contestant besides Maria). In fact, if I recalled correctly, I was the one who eliminated Winston & Sean (maybe also BT?), as it was me who won the pots that "killed" them off, although it had to be said that Sean was a tad gung-ho with his betting & that played a big part in his demise.

But that was the second poker game. The first poker game saw me being the first contestant eliminated! So I obviously improved vastly in the second game. The fact that Sean jokingly advised me to "go against my instincts" when making a decision (bet or fold etc) perhaps helped me do well in the second game. Sean wasn't around for the first game; his cousin Sam was, & Sam actually did very well in that game (he had left before we started the second game). Not sure who won the first game - can't remember, maybe we decided to stop (although Sam would have had the most chips when we stopped) & go on to the Nintendo Wii that Ivan brought over.

Anyway, besides the poker & Nintendo Wii, we also played chor dai di (Big 2). Well, those that didn't play the Wii played chor dai di. Actually, we varied the rules a bit - instead of shuffling positions after each round, winner gets to start the next round. So I dunno if u can still call what we played chor dai di ;) Anyway, whatever it is we played, I wasn't so good at - didn't even win a single round. I'm even worse with the Wii tennis - got soundly flogged by Winston & Sean. But hey, it was great, great fun, but tiring (got home at 2am) - so tiring that I am now feeling the effects of the late finish! I'm heading off to bed soon after this post!

Huge matches this weekend

Just look at the huge matches this weekend in various domestic leagues in Europe. What a huge weekend it promises to be:

Barcelona FC v Real Madrid
Inter Milan v AC Milan
Bayern Munich v Werder Bremen
Lyon v Marseille
Celtic v Rangers

The biggest is arguably Barcelona FC v Real Madrid, also known as El Classico. Both teams enter Spain's biggest grudge match licking their wounds from their mid-week European disappointments & the match offers a chance for either side to put those disappointments behind them & achieve a measure of redemption & considerble bragging rights. There's no love lost between the sides & their fans, & neither will want to lose the match. In no way will I be a neutral observer - of course, I want Barcelona to beat Real convincingly & prove that they are still the best team in Spain & still the best team in Europe (notwithstanding the Champions League demise). It's true that Barcelona this season has not been as good as the previous one. But nevertheless, they have still been more impressive than Real Madrid - sections of the Spanish media have been very critical of some of Real Madrid's recent performances & lament the lack of quality football displayed by Real. That means that Barcelona will probably enter this weekend's El Classico as favourites. Hola Barca!!

As for the other big matches, I think the Milan derby will end in a draw & I'm more neutral on this derby than I am with El Classico. I also think the Bayern Munich-Werder Bremen clash will end in a stalemate, although I would prefer to see Werder win, as Bayern have been dominant in Germany over the last few years so it's good to see someone else taking the German spotlight. As for Lyon-Marseille, I would definitely be supporting Marseille (they're my French team), but I doubt Marseille would win the match - Lyon will either get a draw or (more likely) victory.

As for Celtic-Rangers, both of whom are from Glasgow - well, that's the Old Firm derby, unquestionably the biggest in Scotland (according to Wikipedia, apparently it is said that both sets of players get along very well that one would think that they are old firm friends). There's religious overtones to this derby, as it features Catholic Celtic against Protestant Rangers. Celtic are currently so far ahead on the Scottish league, but form goes out of the window with derbies like these. I think a draw is the most likely outcome.

More heavyweights crash out

A few more results from the UEFA Champions League overnight saw 2 more heavyweights crash out - Arsenal & Real Madrid. Arsenal, the team whom Barcelona beat in last season's final, were surprisingly held 1-1 by Dutch side PSV Eindhoven in London, meaning they go out because they lost a fortnight ago in Holland. Real Madrid (who of course are Barcelona's sworn enemies) bombed out to Bayern Munich on the away goal's rule - the same fashion that Barcelona did the previous night. Meanwhile, Manchester Utd & AC Milan scored expected but narrow home wins to progress.

So, the teams through to the Champions League quarter-finals are: Liverpool, Chelsea, AS Roma, Valencia, PSV Eindhoven, Bayern Munich, Manchester Utd & AC Milan. That means I only got half of my predictions correct. Who do I want to win? I don't particularly care, but I'd prefer that Manchester United don't win it. Who do I think will win? Hmmm, despite the elimination of some big names, it's still difficult to pick a winner, as some strong teams are still in the competiton. But if pressed to name one, I'd pick Chelsea to win. Mourinho & his players will be super determined & super motivated to win, & I think they might just do it.

Back to the drawing board?

Much to my disappointment, Barcelona, the defending European champions, crashed out of this season's UEFA Champions League at the round of 16 stage. Their elimination came despite bearing Liverpool 1-0 at Anfield, because Barcelona lost 2-1 at home a fortnight ago. So Barcelona bow out on the away goal's rule, & to be fair, Liverpool deserved to go through to the quarter-finals. Barcelona were simply abysmal overall over the 2 legs, although to harp too much on this would do dissservice to Liverpool's efforts on both matches. Having got past Barcelona, Liverpool will surely fear no one in the Champions League. Good luck to Liverpool.

So, I wonder - is it back to the drawing board for Barcelona FC??? In this season's Champions League (not just the matches against Liverpool), Barcelona has been a shadow of their previous season's vintage - they never scaled the heights of last season, when they swept aside all comers to be champions of Spain & Europe. Their failure to retain the Champions League will disappoint their fans, & changes in personnel will surely follow - perhaps the signing of 2-3 top players in key positions will add to their strength in depth. I was hoping that Barcelona could have signed Fernando Gago, the talented young Argentinian midfielder with a bright future. Gago would surely be a great asset to Barcelona's squad, or to any other squad for that matter. But instead, old enemies Real Madrid snapped Gago up. On that ocassion, Real were wiser & quicker than Barcelona.

Barcelona were not the only ones to taste European disappointment overnight. Joining them at the exit door are Inter Milan, Lyon & FC Porto. Just looking at these teams eliminated gives a good idea of how tough it is to win the UEFA Champions League.

But all is not lost for these 4 eliminated teams. There's still plenty to play for in their respective domestic league & cup competitions. By the end of the season, all 4 could well end up being champions of their country. For Barcelona FC, besides being in contention in the Spanish league (1 point behind Sevilla who they lost to during the weekend), Barcelona are in the semi-finals of the Spanish cup. So, they could well win the Spanish double (of course, to do so would require considerable improvement on their current form). I would like to see them do just that, & hope that they do so by playing the free-flowing, cavalier attacking football that Barcelona FC are reknowned for. Hola Barca!!

Another role in Clay

I attended the Clay meeting on Monday nite at Pastor Steve & Keiyeng's lovely unit at St Lucia (first time I've been to the unit - what a marvellous place). It was a gathering of mainly Clay leaders/facilitators, but several other people holding various positions within the Clay group turned up. It was a great opportunity for more fellowship with brothers & sisters - what a great bunch of people!

The meeting was to plan for Clay for the upcoming months, & also identify the various positions within Clay & the purpose for people having those positions. The meeting "officially" confirmed my "appointment" as the St Lucia Clay's events co-ordinator - the Southside Clay's events co-ordinator is Mel. It means that I will be working with Mel to help organise Clay socials & various evangelistic events & other events pertaining to Clay. It means that I now hold 2 positions in Clay - assisting Yuan with the Clay men's ministry/discipleship (I've talked about this briefly in previous posts), & now one of the events co-ordinator. All that, on top of being a full-time professional employee as well as my Sunday School teaching position.

I do feel blessed to be given another role within God's ministry, although I do realise that taking on more roles means less free time to myself to do whatever I want. I hope that I will be able to serve God effectively in my roles, & would need the support & prayers of my brothers & sisters that God would equip me to serve Him & His people.

Table tennis!

The highlight of the weekend, besides teaching Sunday School & having the usual after-church lunch with friends, was the table tennis on Sunday afternoon. If I recall correctly, it must have been almost 4 years since I last played the sport. A bunch of us Clayers (after having the after-church lunch together) went over to CCCB Coopers Plains church to get into table tennis. There were already 2 tables occupied by other churchgoers when we arrived. So we rolled a table to the other side of the hall & got straight into it.

We must have played for at least 3 hours. We mostly played doubles, but not before I handed close friend Ivan C a defeat in a singles match, although it was a close contest. The way we operate (in order that everyone gets a go) was that after each match, the winning team stayed on, while the losing team make way for new challengers to take on the winning team. I (or rather, my teams) did quite well, actually, because I stayed on at the table for quite a while. Finally, I allowed someone else to replace me in order to take a breath. I did return later to continue, & took a couple more breaks along the way.

I didn't play the whole evening undefeated - we did lose a couple of matches. I ended the evening by having a series of rallies with Winston, who's pretty good at giving the ball some spin. It was a most enjoyable Sunday afternoon/evening. The table tennis was really fun - I really loved it!! Overall, I felt that I can play well, although some inaccurate shots remain. Actually, everyone who came could play reasonably well. I know some Clayers could not make it for a variety of reasons, including the inter-church soccer that was also taking place at the same time elsewhere. Hopefully, the Sunday afternoon table tennis can be a regular event. Is anyone free next Sunday afternoon? :)