It's the last day for the year, so I think it's a good time to reflect on the year 2007. For me personally, 2007 has overall been a very good year. And I think my family members are likely to view the year as being a good & memorable one, too:
My sister got married in a wonderful God-centered ceremony at the end of March. So, she gained a good godly husband.
My parents gained a son-in-law - & me & my 2 brothers gained a brother-in-law.
One of my brothers has just graduated from medicine.
The other brother got baptised in April.
So, I thank God for those great things which have happened to my family members. Besides that, there are also other things which I am thankful to God for:
# For blessing me with friends, including friends at church & my Bible study group.
# For all His blessings on my friends & loved ones, & for taking good care of them.
# For the people involved at various activities for my church & Bible study group, which include preaching, Bible study leading/facilitating. Also, thank God for looking after those who have gone away on short-term missions trips & for blessing the time they had.
# For growing & maturing my Christian brothers & sisters.
# For all the fellowships I have had with my Christian brothers & sisters.
# For my cousin-in-law's salvation.
# And for various other things which have currently escaped my mind! (Haha, not a bad idea to insert a "catch-all" point, eh??)
Okay, I've talked about memorable things for my family members. What about me? Well, I started a blog - this one. Actually, 2 blogs - but the other one being a photo blog (at Multiply). Besides that, I have also rekindled my passion in reading crime fiction novels, so I may include book reviews/reflections on this blog in the future.
Apart from blogging & getting back to crime fiction reading, there hasn't been that much about me that has radically changed.
Physically, I'm still the same. Whether that's good or bad, I'll leave it to others to decide!. Spiritually (including my relationship with God), it's been so-so, not much has changed (haven't backslided, but haven't grown exponentially either). Again, I'll let my friends judge me on that. One thing I can definitely say is that I've become more & more interested in learning more about missions, hence why I've been attending the various Missions Encouragement Meetings. I will continue to attend MEMs as often as I can. And may God continue to grow my interest & knowledge of missions.
I also realise that some people may not look on 2007 quite as fondly as I would. I can think of at least 1 friend who has not found 2007 quite up to expectations. I hope & pray that these people will have a better year next year, trust that God knows what is best & trust that He will continue to bless them.
Again, this year has been pretty good for me. As we head into 2008, the one cloud in my horizon (not that this is meant to be negative) is that I'm uncertain as to what lies ahead for me in the new year & beyond. In relation to that, I hope I am able to put more faith & trust in God & less on myself.
To finish up, I shall leave with a Bible passage which Pastor Mun included in the most recent church bulletin. That passage is Proverbs 3:5-6. Here it goes:
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, & He will make your paths straight."
I hope to take this passage with me into the new year & beyond.
Monday, December 31, 2007
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
RIP grandaunty
My grandaunty (from dad's side) in Malaysia was called home to be with the Lord this morning, after a period of illness. She's now in a better place - heaven, i.e. heaven is now her home forever.
I did visit her, early in January 2005, on my last visit to Malaysia. She seemed better then, but obviously has deteriorated since.
It's sad to hear of someone's passing, more so when you know that person. But the fact that grandaunty was a Christian does somewhat, as pointed out by my parents, make her passing more bearable. She is now with her Lord & Saviour Jesus Christ, & reunited with the other relatives who have gone before her (including my grandparents). RIP grandaunty.
I did visit her, early in January 2005, on my last visit to Malaysia. She seemed better then, but obviously has deteriorated since.
It's sad to hear of someone's passing, more so when you know that person. But the fact that grandaunty was a Christian does somewhat, as pointed out by my parents, make her passing more bearable. She is now with her Lord & Saviour Jesus Christ, & reunited with the other relatives who have gone before her (including my grandparents). RIP grandaunty.
Monday, December 24, 2007
Sunshine Coast Day Trip (Sunday, 23/12/07)
I went on a day trip to Sunshine Coast yesterday with a bunch of people. Apart from one person (Van), the bunch is made up of members of our Clay group. The day trip was the idea/suggestion of my buddy Ivan, who is back in Brisbane for the Xmas break. We went in 2 cars - Ivan, Maria, myself, BT & Wong in Maria's car; Van, Minnie, Suzanne & Sandra in Van & Minnie's Mercedes. There were lots of banter & laughter in our car, both to & on the return from Sunshine Coast.
Despite the bad weather (there was considerable rain), the roads were busy with commuters travelling up north. We had lunch at the KFC/McDonalds stopover at Caboolture. We then visited the Grace Christian Church Buderim (Suzanne's parent's church) for the afternoon service. However, the service was in Mandarin so most of us couldn't understand! Suzanne might have been the only one who could. Anyway, the church had afternoon tea after the service & we joined them.
Then we hung out at Suzanne's parent's place (nice house!), & had a game of poker, which was apparently won by BT. We later had dinner at a some bar/cafe/restaurant that serves modern Australian cuisine (albeit with selection of various ethnic dishes which were somewhat westernised). The dish I ordered (Thai yellow curry chicken) initially was ok, but as my eating progressed, I soon realised it was not authentic. Phhhahhhh. Mental note for future - only order Thai dishes at Thai dining places. After dinner, we returned to Brisbane.
Unfortunately, it was rainy for large parts of the day, so we couldn't go to the beach, as Ivan had planned (and I borrowed a soccer ball for nothing!). I felt sorry for Ivan. He said Sydney & Melbourne (where he works) were rainy & he came to Queensland for the Xmas break to get the sun, sand & sea (or so he said). But the rainy weather contrived to make that plan impossible. I joked that the reason it rained was the rainy weather followed Ivan all the way to Qld. Nevertheless, we really enjoyed each other's company; as Wong rightly said, it's the company together that counts.
Thank God he brought us all safely back to Brisbane. The 5 people in our car hung out at Maria's place for a while, & I played football with Ivan a couple of times on the Xbox (he hammered me both times) before heading home. It was an enjoyable day!
Despite the bad weather (there was considerable rain), the roads were busy with commuters travelling up north. We had lunch at the KFC/McDonalds stopover at Caboolture. We then visited the Grace Christian Church Buderim (Suzanne's parent's church) for the afternoon service. However, the service was in Mandarin so most of us couldn't understand! Suzanne might have been the only one who could. Anyway, the church had afternoon tea after the service & we joined them.
Then we hung out at Suzanne's parent's place (nice house!), & had a game of poker, which was apparently won by BT. We later had dinner at a some bar/cafe/restaurant that serves modern Australian cuisine (albeit with selection of various ethnic dishes which were somewhat westernised). The dish I ordered (Thai yellow curry chicken) initially was ok, but as my eating progressed, I soon realised it was not authentic. Phhhahhhh. Mental note for future - only order Thai dishes at Thai dining places. After dinner, we returned to Brisbane.
Unfortunately, it was rainy for large parts of the day, so we couldn't go to the beach, as Ivan had planned (and I borrowed a soccer ball for nothing!). I felt sorry for Ivan. He said Sydney & Melbourne (where he works) were rainy & he came to Queensland for the Xmas break to get the sun, sand & sea (or so he said). But the rainy weather contrived to make that plan impossible. I joked that the reason it rained was the rainy weather followed Ivan all the way to Qld. Nevertheless, we really enjoyed each other's company; as Wong rightly said, it's the company together that counts.
Thank God he brought us all safely back to Brisbane. The 5 people in our car hung out at Maria's place for a while, & I played football with Ivan a couple of times on the Xbox (he hammered me both times) before heading home. It was an enjoyable day!
New personal records
I should be resting now, but thought I'd write a lazy post, if only to proudly announce that I've just set 2 new personal records (& rather "dubious" records at that).
Firstly, I've gone 13 days since my last blog post. I think my previous record without post was 10 days. For some, that might not seem much, but it seems for me, anything more than 4-5 days without posting is a drought. And 13 days, that's one heck of a drought ;) I've been so out of it.
Secondly, I've set a Xmas shopping record of waiting till the very last moment to do my Xmas shopping. I started my Xmas shopping today, this morning, Xmas Eve. I've always done my shopping late in the past, but have never left it as late as Xmas Eve. So that's a personal record. Some of my friends were shocked when I told them. It's due to a mixture of slackness & busyness. But at least I managed to get the shopping out of the way with not too much trouble (finished before noon). And I've wrapped them all up, so that's good. No more Xmas shopping until next year's Xmas Eve! Hahaha....
So, anyway, some may ask, what's been happening with me (besides the last minute Xmas shopping), what I've been up to during the intervening period between this & my previous post? Hmm, my mind's in a blur, but let's see what I can remember:
# Sister had her birthday.
# Brother graduated from medicine, & we had family dinner at that Thai place in St Lucia. After the dinner, we went back & cut a birthday cake for sister.
# Clay had Xmas Party, which I organised. Thank goodness, nothing went badly wrong. Nothing much happened at party, just dinner & chit chat. Some people brought board games, but they were never touched as people were happy to chat & catch up with each other. So that's fine.
# Clay committee had another Clay planning meeting, to discuss plans for next year & talk about the proposed retreat. I attended the planning meeting. At the end, I suggested that the facilitators find new events co-ordinators for next year, because Melina won't be around, & I decided not to continue - better to give others a chance, like my previous group YF does where people are appointed to various positions each year.
# Work closed up for the year this past Fri (21/12/07), so I'm on leave now. I will be back at work in the middle of the second week of January. Work had break-up lunch (for Xmas & end of calendar year) at Stamford Hotel. The seafood was superb!
# Then yesterday, I went on a day trip to Sunshine Coast. Ah ha, that one, I think I'll put into a separate blog post. Yeah? See u at the next post!
Firstly, I've gone 13 days since my last blog post. I think my previous record without post was 10 days. For some, that might not seem much, but it seems for me, anything more than 4-5 days without posting is a drought. And 13 days, that's one heck of a drought ;) I've been so out of it.
Secondly, I've set a Xmas shopping record of waiting till the very last moment to do my Xmas shopping. I started my Xmas shopping today, this morning, Xmas Eve. I've always done my shopping late in the past, but have never left it as late as Xmas Eve. So that's a personal record. Some of my friends were shocked when I told them. It's due to a mixture of slackness & busyness. But at least I managed to get the shopping out of the way with not too much trouble (finished before noon). And I've wrapped them all up, so that's good. No more Xmas shopping until next year's Xmas Eve! Hahaha....
So, anyway, some may ask, what's been happening with me (besides the last minute Xmas shopping), what I've been up to during the intervening period between this & my previous post? Hmm, my mind's in a blur, but let's see what I can remember:
# Sister had her birthday.
# Brother graduated from medicine, & we had family dinner at that Thai place in St Lucia. After the dinner, we went back & cut a birthday cake for sister.
# Clay had Xmas Party, which I organised. Thank goodness, nothing went badly wrong. Nothing much happened at party, just dinner & chit chat. Some people brought board games, but they were never touched as people were happy to chat & catch up with each other. So that's fine.
# Clay committee had another Clay planning meeting, to discuss plans for next year & talk about the proposed retreat. I attended the planning meeting. At the end, I suggested that the facilitators find new events co-ordinators for next year, because Melina won't be around, & I decided not to continue - better to give others a chance, like my previous group YF does where people are appointed to various positions each year.
# Work closed up for the year this past Fri (21/12/07), so I'm on leave now. I will be back at work in the middle of the second week of January. Work had break-up lunch (for Xmas & end of calendar year) at Stamford Hotel. The seafood was superb!
# Then yesterday, I went on a day trip to Sunshine Coast. Ah ha, that one, I think I'll put into a separate blog post. Yeah? See u at the next post!
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Cousin-in-law saved!
It seems the good news just keep coming! Fresh from learning of my friends' engagements, I found out that my cousin-in-law in Malaysia has received salvation. For those who don't know, this means that he believes that Jesus Christ is the Son of God & that Jesus died for his sins, & that he has accepted Jesus as his personal Lord & Saviour. My cousin-in-law is now a Christian :)
An aunty in Malaysia had phoned my parents on Sunday afternoon to tell of the good news, & Mum duly passed it on to me when I came back from that work Xmas function. Great, huh! It means my cousin-in-law will get to meet the Lord one day in heaven. How marvellous is that!! To me, the salvation was a bolt out of the blue. But my cousin-in-law, so I was told, has been attending church, & learning about the gospel (& someone may have been guiding him through the gospel).
My cousin-in-law is a chef & has worked overseas - he might still be working overseas, not sure (which reminds me, I've misplaced his business card somewhere). I have met & spoken to him a couple of times (& I loved his prawn spaghetti). He's nice & I am happy for him, my cousin & my aunty & uncle. I trust that God will bless & grow my cousin-in-law in his stage of life as a believer :)
An aunty in Malaysia had phoned my parents on Sunday afternoon to tell of the good news, & Mum duly passed it on to me when I came back from that work Xmas function. Great, huh! It means my cousin-in-law will get to meet the Lord one day in heaven. How marvellous is that!! To me, the salvation was a bolt out of the blue. But my cousin-in-law, so I was told, has been attending church, & learning about the gospel (& someone may have been guiding him through the gospel).
My cousin-in-law is a chef & has worked overseas - he might still be working overseas, not sure (which reminds me, I've misplaced his business card somewhere). I have met & spoken to him a couple of times (& I loved his prawn spaghetti). He's nice & I am happy for him, my cousin & my aunty & uncle. I trust that God will bless & grow my cousin-in-law in his stage of life as a believer :)
Sunday, December 9, 2007
How today (Sun 9/12/07) went
Refer to previous blog post re. my itinerary for today.
Sunday School Break-up Party went well. All the classes did their skits/performances well, & it was heartening to see. There was some rushed, last minute running around the place as each SS class tried to sort out their skit costumes & props out. But thank God it all went well. The skits was followed by prize-giving, which went normally as expected.
Work's Xmas function at Booroodabin Bowls Club in Newstead was ok. I won't say there was anything really to write home about. And I say that with no disrespect to those who organised it - it's only because I'm not that keen at lawn bowls club & it was so hot. Nevertheless, I thought I'd still give it a go & braved myself in the baking sun. I had lots of drinks (it was on the tab - I mainly had lemon lime bitters) to hydrate myself. Me & a few colleague didn't take the bowls seriously, yet I think overall I definitely bowled better than I did at Winston's Bucks Day!
Then, after resting at home for a while, it was out again for Qld Roar v Central Coast Mariners. The game was ok, with some good end-to-end action, although certain moments of the match descended into mediocrity. Qld certainly played better than they did previously against Newcastle Jets. Qld had to come from behind to win 2-1, & overall, I'm happier with the result than the performance. Qld started the game sluggishly & remained so up until they conceded the goal in the 11th or 12th minute. They then rouse themselves out of their slumber & did well to get 2 goals to give themselves a lead which they took to half-time, & didn't relinquish thereafter. They showed character & fighting spirit to not only fight back from a goal down, but also to show overall general improvement from the previous week's match.
Improve they did, but overall there were still some aspects of Qld's game which need refinement. The forward line's finishing power is still inadequate, in my opinion. Decision-making is still not great at times, & each bad decision-making (such as making a poor/inaccurate final pass) was greeted by sighs from the crowd. And one thing I didn't like was the fact that Qld gave away too many free-kicks to the Mariners. On another day, Qld could have been punished.
It's not that I want to sound like a grumpy, hard-to-please fan. But it's my honest reflections, & I have to be sufficiently objective to tell it as it is. As opposed to being completely one-eyed & get carried away with the win & think everything's going to be plain sailing. No way! The next few weeks in the A-League will certainly not be plain sailing. It is hoped that Qld can step up their game further, show better finishing & shooting, while maintaining the character & fighting spirit shown against the Mariners. They will be alright if they can do that.
After the game, we had a bite at the McDonalds outside the stadium. I practically had my dinner at the stadium just before the match started. McDonalds after the match was my second dinner instalment. Haha. I'm so tired now, so I think I'm off to bed shortly after this post.
Sunday School Break-up Party went well. All the classes did their skits/performances well, & it was heartening to see. There was some rushed, last minute running around the place as each SS class tried to sort out their skit costumes & props out. But thank God it all went well. The skits was followed by prize-giving, which went normally as expected.
Work's Xmas function at Booroodabin Bowls Club in Newstead was ok. I won't say there was anything really to write home about. And I say that with no disrespect to those who organised it - it's only because I'm not that keen at lawn bowls club & it was so hot. Nevertheless, I thought I'd still give it a go & braved myself in the baking sun. I had lots of drinks (it was on the tab - I mainly had lemon lime bitters) to hydrate myself. Me & a few colleague didn't take the bowls seriously, yet I think overall I definitely bowled better than I did at Winston's Bucks Day!
Then, after resting at home for a while, it was out again for Qld Roar v Central Coast Mariners. The game was ok, with some good end-to-end action, although certain moments of the match descended into mediocrity. Qld certainly played better than they did previously against Newcastle Jets. Qld had to come from behind to win 2-1, & overall, I'm happier with the result than the performance. Qld started the game sluggishly & remained so up until they conceded the goal in the 11th or 12th minute. They then rouse themselves out of their slumber & did well to get 2 goals to give themselves a lead which they took to half-time, & didn't relinquish thereafter. They showed character & fighting spirit to not only fight back from a goal down, but also to show overall general improvement from the previous week's match.
Improve they did, but overall there were still some aspects of Qld's game which need refinement. The forward line's finishing power is still inadequate, in my opinion. Decision-making is still not great at times, & each bad decision-making (such as making a poor/inaccurate final pass) was greeted by sighs from the crowd. And one thing I didn't like was the fact that Qld gave away too many free-kicks to the Mariners. On another day, Qld could have been punished.
It's not that I want to sound like a grumpy, hard-to-please fan. But it's my honest reflections, & I have to be sufficiently objective to tell it as it is. As opposed to being completely one-eyed & get carried away with the win & think everything's going to be plain sailing. No way! The next few weeks in the A-League will certainly not be plain sailing. It is hoped that Qld can step up their game further, show better finishing & shooting, while maintaining the character & fighting spirit shown against the Mariners. They will be alright if they can do that.
After the game, we had a bite at the McDonalds outside the stadium. I practically had my dinner at the stadium just before the match started. McDonalds after the match was my second dinner instalment. Haha. I'm so tired now, so I think I'm off to bed shortly after this post.
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Got heaps on my plate
The next few days will be busy for me; I've got plenty on my plate. It all starts tomorrow (Sunday), which promises to be jam-packed.
That's because I got the Sunday School Prize-Giving/Break-up Party in the morning. I have to be at church at 8am to help with the decorations. This year, each class will be presenting an item relating to Jesus, since Christmas is just around the corner. My class (the kindergarden class) & the toddler class will jointly present the nativity scene - so one boy will pose as Joseph, one girl as Mary, a few girls pose as angels, one boy as 1 of the 3 kings (we don't have enough people to be 3 kings) & the toddler kids will pose as the sheep & we will rope in an adult to be a shepherd. So not only will I have to help decorate, I also got to worry about the skit costumes & props, all of which are right behind me right now. Oh, & the presents, too. Got so much to bring to church.
Then after the Sunday School Break-up Party, I have work Xmas function at Booroodabin Bowls Club in the afternoon. Thanks to this work function, I can't attend my friend's engagement party. But unfortunately, my friend only contacted me on Thursday to advise of the engagement party & the fact of his engagement. Yeah, only 3 days notice before the engagement party takes place. So, I can't go, because I've already committed to the work Xmas function. Who knows, I might still manage to turn up at the end of the engagement party, but chances of that happening are not high. And oh, bowls club....don't get me started, coz I'm really useless at lawn bowls.....
The work Xmas function finishes at 3pm. That won't be the end of my day, because Qld Roar play Central Coast Mariners at Suncorp Stadium. The game kicks off at 6pm & I will be there, along with a few others. We'll probably need to have dinner before the game. As I've blogged in a previous post, the game is clash of the top 2 on the league ladder. Come on Qld.
So that's tomorrow. Then, I also got to worry about next Saturday's Clay Xmas Party. I've already emailed out the details, but still got bits & pieces to co-ordinate/follow up on people. Goodness knows what last minute things will pop up between now & next Saturday, which will mean more work. So yeah, I've been so busy with planning for Sunday School Break-up Party & the Clay Xmas Party. I'm very tired & feel "burnt out". I think here's a good spot to sign off, coz I'll need lots of sleep because of a busy day tomorrow. Good night.
That's because I got the Sunday School Prize-Giving/Break-up Party in the morning. I have to be at church at 8am to help with the decorations. This year, each class will be presenting an item relating to Jesus, since Christmas is just around the corner. My class (the kindergarden class) & the toddler class will jointly present the nativity scene - so one boy will pose as Joseph, one girl as Mary, a few girls pose as angels, one boy as 1 of the 3 kings (we don't have enough people to be 3 kings) & the toddler kids will pose as the sheep & we will rope in an adult to be a shepherd. So not only will I have to help decorate, I also got to worry about the skit costumes & props, all of which are right behind me right now. Oh, & the presents, too. Got so much to bring to church.
Then after the Sunday School Break-up Party, I have work Xmas function at Booroodabin Bowls Club in the afternoon. Thanks to this work function, I can't attend my friend's engagement party. But unfortunately, my friend only contacted me on Thursday to advise of the engagement party & the fact of his engagement. Yeah, only 3 days notice before the engagement party takes place. So, I can't go, because I've already committed to the work Xmas function. Who knows, I might still manage to turn up at the end of the engagement party, but chances of that happening are not high. And oh, bowls club....don't get me started, coz I'm really useless at lawn bowls.....
The work Xmas function finishes at 3pm. That won't be the end of my day, because Qld Roar play Central Coast Mariners at Suncorp Stadium. The game kicks off at 6pm & I will be there, along with a few others. We'll probably need to have dinner before the game. As I've blogged in a previous post, the game is clash of the top 2 on the league ladder. Come on Qld.
So that's tomorrow. Then, I also got to worry about next Saturday's Clay Xmas Party. I've already emailed out the details, but still got bits & pieces to co-ordinate/follow up on people. Goodness knows what last minute things will pop up between now & next Saturday, which will mean more work. So yeah, I've been so busy with planning for Sunday School Break-up Party & the Clay Xmas Party. I'm very tired & feel "burnt out". I think here's a good spot to sign off, coz I'll need lots of sleep because of a busy day tomorrow. Good night.
Friends engaged!
It's been an interesting week. Two close friends of mine have got engaged: one in Malaysia, one in Brisbane. Both are Christian :)
The Malaysian friend is a family friend, who I have known since we were both kids - almost 19 years already, I think. I found out the great news on Facebook :) I'm not sure exactly when he got engaged, but I found out in the middle of this week. Now, I've never met his fiancee, & in fact don't even know her name & haven't even seen her picture. (Maybe it's classified top secret. Haha) But once day, we shall meet. I'm really happy for my friend :)
The Brisbane friend is also a close friend. This news, I didn't find out on Facebook! Haha. Nevertheless, I'm just as happy for this friend as I am for the Malaysian friend :) I found out on Thursday morning, when he rang me up (while I was at work) to invite me to his engagement party on Sunday. The details re. when he got engaged are a bit fuzzy (I blame my friend for mumbling into his mobile) - he either got engaged last Saturday, or is about to propose this Saturday (i.e. tonite). I think it might be this Saturday. Oh well, either way, he'll already be engaged by the end of this week ;)
And, I know who his fiancee is, & have met her. She's really sweet.
But unfortunately, I doubt I will be able to attend his engagement party, as I've already committed to work's Xmas party & the circumstances is such that I can't really opt out of the Xmas party. My friend understands, & he said it's mainly because of how hastily he organised the engagement party that he only gave me short notice.
To both friends, I thank you both for our friendship, which I so cherish. Praise be to God for your engagement, & may He continue to bless u both & your future spouses so richly!
The Malaysian friend is a family friend, who I have known since we were both kids - almost 19 years already, I think. I found out the great news on Facebook :) I'm not sure exactly when he got engaged, but I found out in the middle of this week. Now, I've never met his fiancee, & in fact don't even know her name & haven't even seen her picture. (Maybe it's classified top secret. Haha) But once day, we shall meet. I'm really happy for my friend :)
The Brisbane friend is also a close friend. This news, I didn't find out on Facebook! Haha. Nevertheless, I'm just as happy for this friend as I am for the Malaysian friend :) I found out on Thursday morning, when he rang me up (while I was at work) to invite me to his engagement party on Sunday. The details re. when he got engaged are a bit fuzzy (I blame my friend for mumbling into his mobile) - he either got engaged last Saturday, or is about to propose this Saturday (i.e. tonite). I think it might be this Saturday. Oh well, either way, he'll already be engaged by the end of this week ;)
And, I know who his fiancee is, & have met her. She's really sweet.
But unfortunately, I doubt I will be able to attend his engagement party, as I've already committed to work's Xmas party & the circumstances is such that I can't really opt out of the Xmas party. My friend understands, & he said it's mainly because of how hastily he organised the engagement party that he only gave me short notice.
To both friends, I thank you both for our friendship, which I so cherish. Praise be to God for your engagement, & may He continue to bless u both & your future spouses so richly!
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Qld Roar v Central Coast Mariners coming up
As I've moaned previously, the last Queensland Roar home game was an abject 1-0 defeat against Newcastle Jets. So bad was the game that Catherine's cousin fell asleep at one stage during the second half. So bad that Terence was moved to actually cheer when Newcastle scored their "later than late" goal, the only goal of the match. Terence later said he paid money to see goals, so he cheered because Newcastle's goal rescued the match from being scoreless. The result means Qld lost for the first time since the last game of September. All good things have to come to an end, I guess. I just wished it could have happened later down the track.So, how to get a loss out of the system? By doing better in the next match. And what a match it promises to be - coming to town this Sunday are high-flying Central Coast Mariners. Roar v Mariners - second v first. Credit must go to the Mariners' coach & playing staff for their consistency this season. They are very difficult to beat, & according to some observers, they can play some good football, too. Qld Roar will definitely lose if they repeat last week's performance, & that will allow the teams immediately behind to overtake Qld on the standings. Beating the Mariners will ensure Qld remains second on the table. It will also reduce the gap at the top of the table to just 1 point - Mariners are currently enjoying a 4 point lead & a game in hand (last week's scheduled match v Sydney FC was postponed due to bad weather conditions). So, Qld Roar don't need any further incentives or motivation to win this Sunday's match!
The players are certainly up for it, judging on the comments that came out in the wake of last week's match. OK, so they had a very bad match. Time to look forward, time to gear themselves up for the upcoming match. Let's hope they will change things & do the business. If they can reproduce the form that saw them go unbeaten between October till last Friday, then I'm confident that Roar will win. Go the Roar!
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Euro 2008 - the draw
By now, all football aficionados (I consider myself one) would already be aware that the draw for the Euro 2008 finals has already been made. Here are the groups:Group A: Switzerland, Czech Republic, Portugal, Turkey
Group B: Austria, Croatia, Germany, PolandGroup C: Netherlands, Italy, Romania, France
Group D: Greece, Sweden, Spain, RussiaMany football aficionados would also have been just as shocked as I am at the teams lumped together in Group C. Take a look: Netherlands, France & Italy all in the same group! (Romania is also tough)
It's so unbelievable! The Euro 2008 draw was shown on channel SBS on Sunday night. Just before the show started, I had logged on to the internet while mistakenly believing that SBS would be showing the draw live. Then on the Soccernet page, I saw the heading announcing that France & Italy had been drawn together! Quickly realising that SBS was showing delayed telecast (& not live), I quickly got off the internet as I didn't want any further spoils to the surprises. The show then appeared on TV, & I had to sitting through all the entertainment prior to the draw. The draw then unfolded, & when it became clear that France was grouped with the Netherlands, I became absolutely stunned. Stunned at the realisation (given what I saw on Soccernet) that Italy was also grouped with the Netherlands.
The seeding system for the Euro draw works as follows. Each of the 4 groups have a seeded team. The co-hosts, Austria & Switzerland, & reigning European champions Greece took 3 of the seeded spots. The other seeded team was Netherlands, because the seeding system looked at the results in the qualifying competition for World Cup 2006 & Euro 2008, but not the finals of the tournament. The Dutch, apparently, had the best overall results in the qualifiers, even though teams like Italy, France, Germany & Portugal did better than them in the 2006 World Cup.
That seeding system put France as among the least seeded teams, even though they did reach last year's World Cup final. So that left the French open to the possibility of being drawn in the same group as the Dutch - a possibility which did eventuate. The look on the face of France's coach, when his team was drawn together with the Dutch, was priceless. He wasn't at all happy, & slammed the Euro seeding system after the draw. Given the choice, one would think that the French would have preferred to be drawn with Austria, Switzerland & Greece, as none of these teams are as strong as the Netherlands. In the event, the coaches of the Netherlands & Italy also recognised how tough it will be. The other team in the group, Romania, are no slouches either - they finished the Euro 2008 qualifiers ahead of the Dutch.
There's something odd about Groups C & D, as both groups bring together a reunion of "old friends". You got France & Italy once again. Both teams contested last year's World Cup final, & both teams were in the same group in the Euro 2008 qualifiers. Now, they have been drawn together again in the final stages of the tournament! They must be sick of seeing each other. Then, as previously mentioned, the Netherlands & Romania, who were in the same group in the Euro 2008 qualifiers. Needless to say, Group C is the toughest. As for Group D, Spain have interestingly been grouped with Greece & Russia. These 3 teams were also in the same group at Euro 2004, where Spain crashed. Surely this can't happen again. Spain certainly hope not. I certainly hope not, & will be hoping the Spaniards can go all the way. Sweden & Spain were in the same Euro 2008 qualifying group, & now they are again reunited. It won't be easy, but one cannot imagine Spain failing to qualify from this group.
People might think Groups A & B look straightforward for Portugal & Germany. But I don't think so, certainly not for Portugal. All of Portugal's opponents will give it a tough game. At a glance, Germany's group may look easier than Portugal's group. But look closer, & one will see teams with which Germany has some sort of history. Certainly that is the case with Austria & Poland, who though not exactly heavyweights, are teams who will raise their game when facing the Germans. Croatia have had some "feisty" encounters with Germany in recent tournaments (Euro 1996, World Cup 1998), & would fancy their chances of following Germany into the later stages of Euro 2008.
So, all in all, Euro 2008 promises to be very interesting. There's 185 days to go & I cannot wait. I can go on & talk all night about the teams & the players. But I guess I shall stop here. We will talk about Euro 2008 again. I will preview the tournament as it draws closer, & you will see that on this blog. Watch this space.
The seeding system for the Euro draw works as follows. Each of the 4 groups have a seeded team. The co-hosts, Austria & Switzerland, & reigning European champions Greece took 3 of the seeded spots. The other seeded team was Netherlands, because the seeding system looked at the results in the qualifying competition for World Cup 2006 & Euro 2008, but not the finals of the tournament. The Dutch, apparently, had the best overall results in the qualifiers, even though teams like Italy, France, Germany & Portugal did better than them in the 2006 World Cup.
That seeding system put France as among the least seeded teams, even though they did reach last year's World Cup final. So that left the French open to the possibility of being drawn in the same group as the Dutch - a possibility which did eventuate. The look on the face of France's coach, when his team was drawn together with the Dutch, was priceless. He wasn't at all happy, & slammed the Euro seeding system after the draw. Given the choice, one would think that the French would have preferred to be drawn with Austria, Switzerland & Greece, as none of these teams are as strong as the Netherlands. In the event, the coaches of the Netherlands & Italy also recognised how tough it will be. The other team in the group, Romania, are no slouches either - they finished the Euro 2008 qualifiers ahead of the Dutch.
There's something odd about Groups C & D, as both groups bring together a reunion of "old friends". You got France & Italy once again. Both teams contested last year's World Cup final, & both teams were in the same group in the Euro 2008 qualifiers. Now, they have been drawn together again in the final stages of the tournament! They must be sick of seeing each other. Then, as previously mentioned, the Netherlands & Romania, who were in the same group in the Euro 2008 qualifiers. Needless to say, Group C is the toughest. As for Group D, Spain have interestingly been grouped with Greece & Russia. These 3 teams were also in the same group at Euro 2004, where Spain crashed. Surely this can't happen again. Spain certainly hope not. I certainly hope not, & will be hoping the Spaniards can go all the way. Sweden & Spain were in the same Euro 2008 qualifying group, & now they are again reunited. It won't be easy, but one cannot imagine Spain failing to qualify from this group.
People might think Groups A & B look straightforward for Portugal & Germany. But I don't think so, certainly not for Portugal. All of Portugal's opponents will give it a tough game. At a glance, Germany's group may look easier than Portugal's group. But look closer, & one will see teams with which Germany has some sort of history. Certainly that is the case with Austria & Poland, who though not exactly heavyweights, are teams who will raise their game when facing the Germans. Croatia have had some "feisty" encounters with Germany in recent tournaments (Euro 1996, World Cup 1998), & would fancy their chances of following Germany into the later stages of Euro 2008.
So, all in all, Euro 2008 promises to be very interesting. There's 185 days to go & I cannot wait. I can go on & talk all night about the teams & the players. But I guess I shall stop here. We will talk about Euro 2008 again. I will preview the tournament as it draws closer, & you will see that on this blog. Watch this space.
Monday, December 3, 2007
Queensland Roar - the last 3 matches
Just a bit of a run-down on Qld Roar’s last 3 matches in the A-League. It's a mixed bag of results: 1 win, 1 draw, 1 loss. Qld Roar 1 Melbourne Victory 0
This match took place at Suncorp Stadium on Friday evening (16/11/07), the day before Winston & Eilen’s wedding. A few of us attended the match, & it was a good, entertaining game with end-to-end action. Qld Roar played well, & deserved to win. Scoring the goal early helped. The defence did well, though there were a couple of moments of concern where they allowed Melbourne chances which could have resulted in a goal. And on another day, those would have been goals. That said, Qld themselves had a couple of other very good chances, too. So, all things said, we went home happy with the result & the performance. Very happy in fact, as Melbourne are my least favourite A-League team.
On the way back, me, BT & Nigel had a chat in the car about the wedding the next day. Nigel had been wondering about what to include in the best man’s speech, & BT made a couple of suggestions, one of which was suggesting that “Nebuchadnezzar” be mentioned in the speech. Nigel did that!
Sydney FC 0 Qld Roar 0
A week after that, Qld travelled to Sydney & played out a goalless match with Sydney FC on Sunday evening (just days before Sydney played an exhibition with David Beckham’s LA Galaxy). I saw part of the match on Foxtel. Chances were few & far between, with both sets of defences being on top of their game. Reinaldo, typically, missed a sitter in the first half (shocking, according to BT). It was one of those games which was destined to be scoreless. Qld was not as impressive as they were against Melbourne. Then again, Sydney FC weren’t fantastic, either, so a draw was certainly fair.
Qld Roar 0 Newcastle Jets 1
Then, just this past Friday (30/11/07), Qld hosted Newcastle Jets. Qld lost 1-0, with the goal coming deep in injury time, just seconds before the full-time whistle. The result & the performance was deeply disappointing & very lamentable. In my opinion, Qld Roar went 10 steps backwards from the Melbourne game. They were so subdued & cagey, & I could not understand why. I’d say that was the worst performance at home this season.
Sure, Qld Roar have had some ordinary home games. But at least in those games, Qld did show some urgency & did create a handful of chances. Against Newcastle Jets, there was no urgency & I can only remember 1 chance, maybe 2 chances, Qld created all night. That did not count the penalty miss by Qld in the 65th minute - & that was really an awfully taken penalty. Anyway, I don’t want to dwell on that – Qld should not have been able to rely on a penalty to win. They should have shown some initiative & injected some urgency into their game. But the midfield could not keep possession for a sustained period of time, & therefore not able to create chances for the forwards.
To be fair, Newcastle Jets were just as bad as Qld Roar. They too, were abysmal & misplaced passes, & they created just 1 chance the whole game. But at least they made it count, & that, at the end, was the difference. I was very very disappointed & livid after the match & went home fuming. A 0-0 draw would have been a fair result, considering the inadequate displays by both teams, but it wasn't to be. And Qld Roar have only themselves to blame. Next game is at home against Central Coast Mariners, this coming Sunday. And they’d better improve drastically & quickly!
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