A room made of chocolate??!!!

As someone who likes chocolates, the article on MSN below caught my attention. It's hard to believe, that there's actually a room made of chocolate. *drool* Wow, if only I could be there.....

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Godiva offers a night in chocolate room

Godiva offers night in chocolate hotel room if you buy the right box of candy

The Associated Press

updated 6:04 p.m. ET Jan. 29, 2008

NEW YORK - Don't lick the walls.

An all-chocolate room was unveiled in Manhattan on Tuesday — a pre-Valentine's Day creation complete with furniture and artwork made of the sweet stuff.

"It's the perfect bit of sin," said Ali Larter, star of TV's "Heroes," of the Godiva chocolate "pearls" that are her private daily indulgence.

Here, they were dripping off the chandeliers above the dining table, which was a sea of stars, truffles and crescents — all chocolate, of course, under glass.

Larter is the celebrity face hired by the Belgian chocolatier for its annual Valentine's Day promotion contest. This year, anyone who buys the winning box of chocolates — for $23 and up — may win the chocolate room. It is to be re-created in a suite of Manhattan's Bryant Park Hotel for a pampered getaway weekend for two in May.

The winning box — sold only in North America — will contain a note informing the buyer of his or her good luck.

While no doubt a shameless commercial promotion — created by Los Angeles designer Larry Abel — the demo chocolate room set up on the sixth floor of an East Village building packed a tasteful, artsy punch.

Hanging in the "living room" was a painting built entirely of multicolored chocolate pieces inspired by Gustav Klimt's painting "The Kiss." Above the dining table was a "canvas" dripping with brown and white chocolate — a takeoff on Jackson Pollock's signature "drip" paintings.

And instead of words, books opened to a mound of chocolates.

You could actually sit on the plush sofa, which was chocolate-graced only on its sides, and the walls are made of chocolate.

There were a couple of "dont's" in the room: lighting the fireplace (with its chocolate logs and mantle) and the candles (all chocolate).

In addition, sinking into the easy chairs was discouraged — unless you wanted to rise with a chocolate-covered derriere.

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22903236?gt1=10755

Jokes - blonde paint job & generous lawyer

Blonde paint job

A blonde, wanting to earn some money, decided to hire herself out as a handyman-type and started canvassing a wealthy neighborhood. She went to the front door of the first house and asked the owner if he had any jobs for her to do.

"Well, you can paint my porch. How much will you charge?"
The blonde said, "How about 50 dollars?" The man agreed and told her that the paint and ladders that she might need were in the garage. The man's wife, inside the house, heard the conversation and said to her husband, "Does she realize that the porch goes all the way around the house?"
The man replied, "She should. She was standing on the porch."

A short time later, the blonde came to the door to collect her money.
"You're finished already?" he asked. "Yes," the blonde answered, "and I had paint left over, so I gave it two coats. "Impressed, the man reached in his pocket for the $50. "And by the way," the blonde added, "that's not a Porch, it's a Ferrari."


Generous lawyer

A local United Way office realized that the organization had never received a donation from the town's most successful lawyer. The person in charge of contributions called him to persuade him to contribute.

"Our research shows that out of a yearly income of at least $500,000, you give not a penny to charity. Wouldn't you like to give back to the community in some way?"

The lawyer mulled this over for a moment and replied, "First, did your research also show that my mother is dying after a long illness, and has medical bills that are several times her annual income?"

Embarrassed, the United Way rep mumbled, "Um ... no."

The lawyer interrupts, "or that my brother, a disabled veteran, is blind and confined to a wheelchair?"

The stricken United Way rep began to stammer out an apology, but was interrupted again.

"or that my sister's husband died in a traffic accident," the lawyer's voice rising in indignation, "leaving her penniless with three children?!"

The humiliated United Way rep, completely beaten, said simply, "I had no idea..."

On a roll, the lawyer cut him off once again, "So if I don't give any money to them, why should I give any to you?"

Keegan is back

Kevin Keegan has returned to Newcastle United last week, for a second spell as manager. The former Liverpool, Hamburg & England player (also known as King Kev) replaces Sam Allardyce, who was sacked by Newcastle after some disappointing results & performances. Keegan returns for the first time in 11 years - he left Newcastle in January 1997 (& has since coached other teams until 2005), & the reasons for that departure has never really been made clear.

But look at the reaction that King Kev's return has generated on Tyneside. It was an unexpected but welcome return. The Newcastle supporters absolutely adore him. He's so highly regarded in that part of England. And with good reason, too. Under Keegan's management, Newcastle threatened to win the English Premier League title in 1995/1996, leading the table by 12 points at one stage. But unfortunately, they were pipped to the post by Manchester United. Keegan built a side which played vibrant, cavalier attacking football which delighted & entertained the Newcastle fans as well as neutrals everywhere in the UK. Unfortunately, they didn't win the title in that season, instead finishing second. The following season (midway during which Keegan left), Newcastle again finished second. They never finished as high again since.

The Newcastle fans obviously hope that the good times will be back. But judging by Newcastle's first game since Keegan's return, a 0-0 draw at home to Bolton, Keegan really has his work cut out to turn around the fortunes of a capable but underperforming squad. He's got a lot of work to do. Newcastle do have some good, talented players (such as Owen, Milner, N'Zogbia & Emre), but Keegan needs to bring the best out of them (something Allardyce failed dismally to do) as well as look to bring in some new signings to bolster the squad.

I like Keegan, actually; I like his attack-minded, "you score 4, we score 5" philosophy. Whatever his detractors may say about his tactical naivety/shortcomings, at least he tries to get his team to play adventurous football. Keegan is not arrogant, he never brags, & never has a go at match officials or blame them for his team's misfortune. He is a nice guy. I'm happy that he is back in football management. Welcome back to football, & welcome back to the English Premier League, Mr Keegan. All the best. And to mimic his famous rant back in the 1990s, "I'd love it, love it" if Keegan gets Newcastle playing the entertaining brand of football that they displayed during his previous spell in charge. And I'm not a Newcastle fan!

Qld Roar blew it

Qld Roar lost 2-0 to Adelaide in their last match of the regular A-League season. All they needed was any kind of win, & they would have won the minor premiership. But nope, they blew it with the loss. The dreams of the minor premiership are gone, & I don't know when they will get another chance like this.

What's more depressing than the loss itself was the way they lost. I saw much of the first half at home. And it was sheer torture to watch Qld Roar's performance. They were very subdued, totally lacking in urgency, motivation & cohesion. They never got going at all. And this was a match they needed to step up & go for the win! Instead, they never ever looked like scoring a goal. The first goal they conceded was terrible & could have been avoided, even if the Qld keeper could claim he was fouled in the lead-up to the goal. From that point on, Qld looked even less likely to score. Then came disaster in the 41th minute. Tiatto got a straight red card for clashing with an Adelaide player (who may have made a meal of Tiatto's foul). Qld Roar's chance of coming back disappeared with that sending off. As soon as I saw the red card, I walked away from the TV - I knew there was no way back. If I hadn't walked away from the TV then, I certainly would have done so 4 minutes later, when Adelaide got their second goal to take a 2-0 half-time lead. I didn't see the second goal, but learned about it on the internet.

So Qld Roar finishes fourth on the table. I'm not happy about the sub-standard display against Adelaide. I suppose I could rant & rave about it & be so negative. That said, Qld have never finished as high as fourth before, & overall they have had a good season. For that, they should be commended. It's just that having seen many of their games, I thought Qld could have done better in some of the matches.

Nevertheless, finishing fourth means Qld are in the play-offs, for the first time. Time to put the Adelaide debacle behind, & concentrate on the task ahead. Qld now play Sydney FC on a home & away basis - starting with Sydney away in the first leg this Friday, & then Sydney at home in the second leg. Loser over both legs are eliminated. Based on the performance against Adelaide, I don't think Qld will get past Sydney. Qld will certainly be underdogs, & perhaps the pressure is less on them & more on Sydney. That may be a good thing. I won't be that disappointed if they are eliminated by Sydney, as I think that will happen. Whatever the result, I hope Qld will step up, play a lot better than they did against Adelaide, & give Sydney FC a run for their money. Come on, Qld!

2008 Africa Cup of Nations preview

Look what's about to kick-off in Ghana. It's the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations. In Africa, this is absolutely massive! Many African football fans will be totally glued to this tournament, & they are nuts about it. And really, who can blame them?? For them, this is THE trophy, the big one....

Everyone in Africa will be crazy about it. The African football fans, most definitely. The African footballers, too. To them, it is a major honour to compete in Africa Cup of Nations. The European clubs who have African players on their books won't be so crazy about the tournament, because they will miss the players who are on duty at the tournament. Some of those clubs have moaned about this tournament taking place in the middle of the European club football season. But if the clubs are not keen about releasing the African players every time the Africa Cup of Nations is happening, then why sign the African players? Because they're good, that's one reason.

But anyway, back to the tournament. The format: 16 teams divided into 4 groups of 4; the top 2 teams in each group advance to the knock-out stage.

The groups for the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations are:

Group A: Ghana, Guinea, Morocco & Namibia.
Group B: Ivory Coast, Benin, Mali, Nigeria.
Group C: Egypt, Cameroon, Sudan, Zambia.
Group D: Tunisia, Angola, Senegal, South Africa.

Here's how I think the teams will fare:

Group A:

Ghana should finish top of the group. They have home advantage, & even more importantly, they have a strong & talented squad, one of the continent's best. They impressed in the 2006 World Cup in reaching the round of 16. Ghana look especially strong in midfield, where they can call on Michael Essien, Sulley Muntari, & Laryea Kingston. It's a shame Stephen Appiah cannot play due to injury - with him alongside Essien & Muntari, Ghana's midfield would be even more formidable. And oh, there's also young Andre Ayew to look out for (he is the son of old Ghana legend Abedi Pele) & Arsenal's Quincy Owusu-Abeyie.

The other teams in the will look to finish second. I think it will be a straight tussle between Guinea & Morocco. Morocco's football is heavily influenced by their French colonial masters & they can call on a host of footballers based in France. One of them is danger forward Marouane Chamakh (ably assisted by Youssouf Hadji, Tarik Sektioui & Mbark Boussoufa), & his goals might just edge the Moroccans to second spot ahead of Guinea who have their own star forward in Pascal Feindouno. Namibia look set to be the whipping boys of the group, though it is hoped that they will be able to give a good account of themselves & avoid thrashings.

Group B:

I think Ivory Coast will top the group, ahead of Nigeria. Like Ghana, Ivory Coast impressed during the 2006 World Cup, even though they did not make it past the group stages (but that is because they had Argentina & Holland in their group). Ivory Coast looked to have built on from the World Cup, & their squad is impressive. Just look at the names: Didier Drogba, Solomon Kalou, Aruna Dindane, Arouna Kone, Bakari Kone, Boubacar Sanogo, Kolo Toure & Yaya Toure. The Ivorians have a lethal attack & strong midfield. OK, the Nigerians too have a strong cast: people like Jon Obi Mikel, Obafemi Martins, John Utaka, & Nwankwo Kanu. But Nigeria's defence is said to be shakier than Ivory Coast's, so that might decide first from second. The match between the Ivorians & Nigerians will be much anticipated & promises to be an absolute cracker.

Another thing is that Ivory Coast were unlucky to lose the Nations Cup final 2 years ago, so they have a strong incentive to go one better this year. Nigeria won the Nations Cup in 1980, & again 14 years later in 1994. And 14 years from 1994 is.....2008. If the pattern holds, Nigeria will win it this year. Nigerian fans will certainly hope so.

I heard that Mali have a decent squad, & they are expected to push the Ivorians & Nigerians hard. Some people even tip them to finish ahead of Nigeria. I tip them to finish third, ahead of Benin.

Group C:

Egypt are the defending champions. However, they are expected to struggle to hold on to their title. It is said that North African sides do not travel particularly well to other parts of Africa. So, it is questionable whether Egypt can cope against the tough Cameroon side, known as the Indomitable Lions. Nowadays, Cameroon may not be held in the same awe as they were in the past. But they still have some good players, & they have arguably Africa's best forward, Samuel Eto'o. And as long as Eto'o stays fit & is firing, Cameroon have every chance of topping this group, which I think they will. The Egyptians have won more Nations Cups than any other African side, & will be favoured to finish second in the group & join Cameroon in the knock-out phase.

The chances of the other 2 teams, Zambia & Sudan, cannot be dismissed. Some people still remember Zambia for the 1993 air disaster that killed their football squad at the time, though they remarkably recovered to reach the 1994 Nations Cup final (but lost to Nigeria). The current Zambia team may not be as highly regarded. But reports say they have impressed during the Nations Cup qualification matches, & have a very decent team, & so they cannot be totally discounted. Meanwhile, all of Sudan's squad are made up of players from Sudan's 2 leading football clubs. That suggests that Sudan should have strong team cohesion.

However, I think Cameroon & Egypt will eventually prove too strong & a little too experienced.

Group D:

This looks like the most evenly balanced group. No team in this group is significantly weaker than the others, & each team can make a case for going through the knock-out phase. However, if forced to pick the 2 sides to go through, I would say Senegal & Tunisia.

On the whole, I cannot see Senegal slipping up. They will be remembered for their quarter-final exploits at World Cup 2002, & they should win the group narrowly ahead of the Tunisians. Senegal hotshot Mamadou Niang is in fine form with French side Marseille, & the highly-rated striker should figure prominently among the goals at this tournament. His partner should be West Ham's Henri Camara.

Tunisia should edge out Angola & South Africa to the second spot. The North African side have considerable pedigree on the continent. They took part in the last 3 World Cups, & have always been thereabouts in the Nations Cup over recent years (winning the trophy in 2004). Tunisian club sides are strong, & the success at the African club football competitions have rubbed off on the Tunisian national team. However, reports say they may be bringing a younger team to this tournament as a few older players have been phased out. That is one reason why I tip Senegal to finish ahead of Tunisia.

Angola, like Tunisia, took part in World Cup 2006, & performed creditably even though they did not make it to the knock-out stage. Apparently, they have built on the WC appearance & have been improving. Though they may not have the big name players of the African heavyweights, they can certainly not be dismissed as pushovers. Angola will be keen to make an impact in this tournament as they will be hosting the next Nations Cup in 2 years time.

That is the same time that South Africa will be hosting the World Cup. Whether they can make an impression on this tournament is questionable. So far, their coach (Carlos Alberto Parreira, World Cup winning coach with Brazil in 1994) has not made much progress with the team. He will be taking a young, experimental South African squad to the tournament, presumably trying out new players & tactics with the World Cup in mind. South Africa could be headed for an early exit.


So, in summary, the teams I tip to progress to the knock-out stages are Ghana, Morocco, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Cameroon, Egypt, Senegal & Tunisia. That looks like a formidable line-up, though the chances of a North African team winning the cup are not high as the tournament is held outside North Africa. For that reason, it is unlikely that Morocco, Egypt or Tunisia will get to the final. With the other 5 teams, I think Ghana & Ivory Coast more balanced & stronger squads (though not by a huge margin) compared to Nigeria, Cameroon & Senegal. For that reason, I think Ghana & Ivory Coast are more likely winners than those 3 teams, & the Ghanaians & Ivorians should contest the final. Who will win? Home advantage suggests Ghana, but Ivory Coast have more firepower up front. If pressed, I will say Ghana will just win it. Only just.

A-League regular season set for thrilling finish

Heading into the last round of the regular A-League season, 4 teams are locked on 31 points at the top of the table. Those teams are Queensland Roar, Sydney FC, Central Coast Mariners & Newcastle Jets. They have all secured the 4 play-off spots. But there's still the matter of the minor premiership (before the play-off series) - any of the 4 teams can win it. Remarkable!

Well, Newcastle beat Perth 2-1 last evening to move to 34 points with a goal difference of +4. This evening, Central Coast have beaten Wellington 2-0, & also move to 34 points with a goal difference of +5. So, Newcastle & Central Coast have played their last match in the regular season. Central Coast will finish ahead of Newcastle because of a better goal difference. Tomorrow, Sydney play Melbourne & Adelaide play Queensland. Sydney & Qld are the only teams that can finish ahead of Central Coast (albeit on goal difference), & both must win their matches to do that.

Qld & Sydney played each other last week at Suncorp Stadium & the result was 0-0. Qld dominated Sydney in an entertaining match, but was unable to score. Sydney themselves had a couple of chances to score when Qld gave possession away, but Qld's keeper made good saves. Nevertheless, for Qld Roar, the goalless draw with Sydney was a far better display than the loss to Melbourne. It should mean that Qld can approach the Adelaide match with a positive frame of mind. Arrggh, but if only Qld had beaten Sydney last week, then they would only need a draw against Adelaide tomorrow......

Currently, Qld's goal difference is +6 while Sydney's goal difference is +4. This suggests that Qld are in pole position heading to tomorrow's match. Maybe, but Adelaide away is a tough assignment. An Adelaide player said they want to finish the season on a high, so Qld Roar will certainly not enjoy a smooth ride. Sydney play at home tomorrow, but their opponents are their arch-rivals Melbourne, who surely will not lie down easily. I hope that match will end in anything other than a Sydney win, so that Qld can clinch the minor premiership with a win (by any margin) against Adelaide. A win by 1-goal margin (be it 1-0 or 2-1) will definitely take Qld Roar above both Central Coast & Newcastle. Whether that will be enough to finish in front of Sydney will depend on how Sydney fare against Melbourne. So, come on Qld Roar. You can do it!! Let's take the minor premiership, & then get on with the play-off series!

Football football football.....

OK, it's about time I put an end to my blog drought.

I've got quite a few things to blog about. Over the next few posts, I'll be talking football.

I can think of at least 3 football-related things to blog about immediately after this post: the thrilling finish to the regular A-League season this weekend, African Nations Cup preview (of sorts), & Kevin Keegan back in football management & back at Newcastle United.

So, watch this space.....

Psalm 1 - Blessed is the man!

Pastor Steve gave the first sermon of the year. It was on Psalm 1, & in the sermon, Pastor effectively issued a challenge. The challenge was for us to live godly lives.

He started by talking about New Year's resolutions (how some people are into making them etc), blessings & being blessed, & then asked us - will we have a happy year?

He referred to Psalm 1:1, & pointed out that blessing begins with God, for it is God who blesses people. God blessed those who avoid wickedness. The wicked are the ones who reject God, live their own way of life & reject God's way. Avoid being drawn in the ways of the wicked & we can look forward to a blessed new year.

God wants us to be blessed. It's not just those who avoids the ways of the wicked who will be blessed. Psalm 1:2 tells us that those person who delights in the command of the Lord will also be blessed. Pastor also referred to Psalm 119:97, 103 (blessed is the one who loves Scripture).

The outcome of following the first 2 verses is seen in Psalm 1:3. If we delight in the word of God, & get saturated in the Bible, we will have a happy & blessed new year. We will then prosper. The alternative is Psalm 1:4 - follow the ways of the wicked; the wicked will be like chaff that gets driven away. If we are not getting fed by God, the less we are shaped by the Bible. Then, we will have no fruit & no prosperity.

Psalm 1:5-6 shows 2 categories of people: those with God & are blessed, & those without God & are cursed.

The secret to happy (& blessed life) is to read the Bible, thinking about it, live & meditate on it. We are to read the Bible: # extensively # intensively # daily # memorise it # & teach it

Pastor also referred to Colossians 3:16: Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.


Reflections:

Nice sermon to kick-start the year, & seems to be a strong reminder to evaluate where we stand. Live godly lives by following the Lord, delight in His commands, avoid the ways of the wicked & we can enjoy His blessings. On the other hand, follow the path of the wicked, & it will hinder your relationship with God & you will be cursed.

According to the sermon, the wicked reject God's way & live their own way. Now let's look at me. I don't consider myself as one who rejects God. But I do tend to live my live my own way. So, I certainly have some characteristics of the wicked. It's definitely a big struggle - to obey God & live His way instead of living selfishly for myself.

OK, so a good way of living less my way & more God's way is to saturate myself in the Bible & follow it. And here we go again: read the Bible - my old application point. And from the sermon, it's not just reading for the sake of reading. And look at those 5 things about reading the Bible, I practically don't do any of those. Read extensively? Nope. Intensively? Nope. Daily? Most certainly not.

Well, I guess the first concrete step is to find the Bible reading plan that Pastor gave me sometime last year, so that I can get the reading habit started & get immersed in God's Word. I've checked my Bible, but can't find the plan. I will keep looking for it. If I can't find it, I might come up with my own reading plan. How's that sound, eh??

Back to the drawing board for the Roar

Qld Roar just lost this evening - beaten 2-1 by Melbourne Victory. I was at the game at Suncorp Stadium with a few others, & was not impressed by what I witnessed. The result is a fair one (just), & Melbourne just about deserved the win. Qld were just underwhelming & so subdued. Goalless at halftime, Qld let in 2 goals in the second half, managed to pull one back via Marcinho, but Melbourne hang on for the win. Me & the others left the stadium in the 85th minute to beat the mad rush that would come after the final whistle.

Bad performance, bad result. And not just that, the referee was blind, as well. Quite how he failed to see Muscat's handball & award a penalty, was a mystery. Had Qld been given a penalty & scored from it, it would have been 2 goals apiece. But honestly, not getting the penalty shouldn't be an excuse for the loss. Qld shouldn't have to depend on a refereeing decision to get a result.

Any other possible excuses for losing? Missing key players? OK, perhaps they did miss Moore & Tiatto. But both players have been absent before & Qld previously managed to cope with their absences. So why couldn't they cope now? Bottom line is, Qld simply weren't good enough this evening. They didn't show their forms of the past few weeks (don't know why). That's a reason why they lost, & they got to get back to the drawing board. Because visiting next week are Sydney FC & it will not be any easier against them. In fact, harder, for Sydney FC are the form team of the A-League & probably with the best squad in the league. If Qld repeat this evening's performance against Sydney, Qld will lose by a few goals.

Qld coach Frank Farina claimed that Qld did well until they were caught with a sucker punch on the counter-attack. He's right regarding the sucker punch, but wrong in thinking Qld did well. They were uninspiring, never showing their normal game & it's really back to the drawing board.

The main thing, really, is that Qld Roar need to get back to maintaining sustained periods of possession. They gave the ball away too many times against Melbourne. They should also stop hoofing long balls aimlessly to the forwards. Qld are better at playing short passes & they've done that in some of the games which they played well & won. Qld also need to create chances (which they can do if they keep possession). They didn't create enough against Melbourne, & never looked likely to score more than the one goal that they did get.

So, after the A-League matches played yesterday & this evening, Qld Roar still tops the ladder. But that could change when bottom side Perth Glory play Central Coast Mariners tomorrow. The Mariners will get back to the top with a draw or a win. Of course, I hope Perth beats the Mariners. Huh, having to resort to relying on others to do the Roar a favour. Not good. Qld Roar must buck up & pull their socks up to recapture their good form of the past few weeks. And fast!

Qld Roar - top of table, playing Melbourne tomorrow

It's true! The heading's not a misprint. Queensland Roar are currently top of the A-League (though only on goal difference). And they're playing Melbourne Victory tomorrow evening, at Suncorp Stadium.

Since their last home game (the win against Central Coast Mariners), Qld played 2 away games: 1-1 draw against Wellington Phoenix, & 4-1 win against Perth Glory. At the same time, the Mariners lost their matches against Sydney & Melbourne. That allowed Qld to pull level with the Mariners on points, but Qld's better goal difference means they are leaders.

Who would thought it possible? Not me. But the table doesn't lie. Qld got to the top by putting together a run of consistent results, only losing 1 game in the last 3 months. And tomorrow, they have the chance to maintain the excellent run when they play Melbourne.

Melbourne are the reigning A-League champions, so the match tomorrow is league leaders against current champions. It promises to be a cracker. Both teams have everything to play for. Qld can consolidate their position with a win. If that happens, Melbourne will miss out on the playoffs & therefore surrender their A-League crown. For Melbourne to have any chance of reaching the playoffs, they simply must beat Qld, then win their last 2 matches, & then hope for favourable results elsewhere. So, a lot is at stake.

Qld must watch out for Melbourne's attackers. They are dangerous, as evidenced by the 5-2 thrashing of the Mariners last week. It's not going to be easy, though. Qld will start with a reserve goalkeeper - the first choice & another reserve keeprs are both out injured. Qld's defence are also weakened by an injury & a suspension. So, Melbourne must feel confident of scoring against Qld. I don't think Qld have any injury worries in midfield or attack, which is good news.

Qld managed to contain Melbourne the last time Melbourne are in town, & win. In fact, Qld kept Melbourne scoreless. It would be good if Qld can prevent them from scoring again, but it will be a big ask. If they maintain their recent form & play their normal attacking game, then Qld can win again. What a great chance Qld has of ending Melbourne's season by beating them tomorrow. Come on Qld, you can do it!

Rain, rain & more rain

Wahhhh. It's been raining & raining here in Brisbane. Like today especially. It was raining when I was out in the Brisbane CBD for much of today , & now, it's raining big time. Good weather for sleeping. *yawn*

With all the rain, it certainly doesn't feel like summer at all. I mean, it's hot in most of the other cities in Australia. But Brisbane, noooo, it's been raining. So no summer heat, no scorching heat - I can't remember experiencing a cooler summer than this. Not that I'm complaining. Far from it. I like it like this actually (much preferable to stinking, muggy hot summer) & am quite happy for it to continue raining for the rest of the summer. Though, it would be good if the rain comes at the "right" times, & not too heavy.

Thank you, God, for the rain. Because it means no suffering in the summer heat, & it brings water to the dams, & it gives water to the people in the outback. Let the rain continue.

Mouth ulcer.....arrrgghhh

Guess what? I got mouth ulcer :(

I've had it for a few days now. It's inside my right lip. So I've had to eat mostly with the left half of my mouth, so that the food doesn't touch the ulcer too often. Still, food manages to tap on my ulcer a few times. And it really hurts when touched, more so when I consume spicy food (curry, laksa gravy, red chili).

What causes mouth ulcer? According to Wikipedia, factors that appear to provoke the ulceration of the oral tissues include stress, fatigue, illness, injury from accidental biting, hormonal changes, menstruation, sudden weight loss, food allergies & deficiencies in vitamin B12, iron and folic acid.

Hmmm, I think my ulcer possibly came from accidental biting (though can't remember exactly when it happened) or deficiency in vitamin B12 & folic acid (haven't touched those Mega B tablets for ages). I think I've got enough iron (I take enough veggies, red meat, fish & poultry). I don't think any of the others apply. Menstruation is definitely irrelevant in my case! And no stress & fatigue, eh - I'm currently on holidays & feel reasonably well rested. Likewise, no illness, hormonal changes or food allergies.

Hopefully, the mouth ulcer will go away sooner rather than later. I feel like some Indian &/or Thai sometime during the next few days if I get the chance, & want to enjoy with my full mouth, instead of just half my mouth. So go on, off u go. Hurry up....

New Year's Day email group reunion

I had a quietish New Year's Eve. The relative quietness carried over to New Year's Day. At the last moment, I decided to pike church's NY Day picnic at Sherwood Forest Park in the afternoon. That's mainly due to the bad weather & absolute laziness on my part. So, I remained indoors & watched a Transformers DVD.

Then after dinner, me & 3 friends (Al, Fat & George) had an "email group reunion" near Sunnybank Plaza. We are a group that email each other during our work hours, though probably not that much these days. Unfortunately, the other member of this group, Yunita, wasn't with us (she's probably back in Sydney). Al & Fat are based in Sydney & are in Brisbane on a break. As for George, he's based in Brisbane but I barely see him around. I can't remember the last time I saw him.

We firstly met at Cafe Di Luna, for some dessert & drinks. I ordered a choc cake (the exact name escaped me), & ice coffee. What I ordered dwarfed the orders placed by the other 3, who each ordered smaller drinks than my ice coffee. The dessert was good. We spent time talking at Cafe Di Luna, & then continued the conversation at the McDonalds nearby.

What did we talk about? Well, lots of stuff, lots of catching up. We had deep & meaningful discussions as Christian brothers & sisters, mainly about how we found year 2007 & our resolutions for 2008. We also talked about stuff such as how we're going with our walk & any issues/challenges we currently face. There were jokes thrown about too - but that's mainly from George & myself. It's just guys being guys. Some of George's jokes were at Al's expense. Georgey - tsk tsk tsk. Actually, I could be pretty bad, too, with the jokes (Fat: "How's your walk?" My reply: "Walk? I drive a car...").

But jokes aside, much of our discussions were serious. We reflected on what's happened & what's been happening in our lives, & talk about our hopes for the year ahead. We also tried to encourage & spur each other on. The 4 of us went from just after 8pm at Cafe Di Luna & finished up just before midnight at McDonalds. I think our get-together took longer than expected, mainly because we had so much to talk about. A couple of us said some prayers to finish up.

And oh, yeah, I did come up with resolutions for the new year. Normally, I don't make such resolutions. But this time, I did. Though, to be honest, I was pushed into coming up with the resolutions. Anyway, my resolutions for this year are:

# To spend more quiet time with Bible & prayer (sounds familiar to some of u!). More in terms of both quality & quantity. Actually, I think I might have said spend quiet time everyday. Wow, that's really raising the bar!
# To keep blogging.
# To read at least 1 crime fiction a month.
# Also, I think I might also have said build up my friendships.

The last 3 resolutions are easier than the first one! In particular, I will easily manage 1 book per month - I might probably achieve 3 books every 2 months. That might mean a fair few book reviews popping up on this blog.

But anyway, I thank God for the time I had with my 3 friends. I found the time spent together very edifying. It's good to come together & talk about serious stuff like we did, as opposed to chatter about stuff which are not that important. I hope I will get the chance to have such deep & meaningful conversations in the future, whether with this group or with other friends.

PS: I've posted pictures on my Multiply blog.

Happy New Year 2008

Friends, loved ones, readers of my blog. Happy New Year!! I hope & pray that u will all have a blessed 2008, that the year 2008 will live up to your expectations.

I don't know about u, but I thought 2007 went by so soooo quickly. It only seemed recent that we started 2007, but now that year has passed! I still can't believe that we are now in 2008!! It'll take a while to sink in. Goodness gracious me....

So what do I look forward to this year? Well, the things I look forward to in 2008 include (well, these are the ones that spring to mind as I type):

# Weddings - I know there'll be at least 2, possibly more....
# Euro 2008.
# Beijing Olympics, especially the football tournament.
# More football....
# Building up friendships with my friends.
# Blogging & more blogging.
# Growing in my walk with God.
# Bonus - a decent bonus (though realistically I'm not expecting any, as I still haven't been told what the bonus eligibility threshold is)
# Pay rise!! A huge huuuugggeee pay rise....
# Travel overseas at the end of the year.

Hmmm, that's all I can think of.

Resolutions for the new year? Ehh, well, let's go to my next blog entry for that one. Because I did talk about it with 3 of my friends.

I can't help but wonder what this year has in store for me. What I can say is that I'll be happy if this year's at least as good as last year. There's some good things to look forward to. May God bless the year ahead.

Reflection on 2007

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.

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.

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!

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!

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 :)

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.