EUROPA LEAGUE: Atletico Madrid 1 - 1 Bayern Leverkusen (Highlights)

Atletico Madrid 1 - 1 Bayern Leverkusen
(0-1) 39' Derdiyok, (1-1) 51' Simao (p)

Atletico Madrid complicate matters with a draw against Bayer Leverkusen in their second group tie of the competition. With Sergio Agüero left out as a precaution, Bayer took the lead just before half-time with a well drilled shot in the area. After a dismal first 45 minutes, Atletico came out a different side in the second half and it didn't take them long to draw level through Simaos penalty. Tiago made an impression when he came on, but with the game wide open any one of the two teams could have gone on to get a decisive winner. As it was the match ended in a draw and Atletico are now obliged to start picking up wins if they want to make it out of the group.

Borussia Dortmund 0 - 1 Sevilla

(0-1) 46' Cigarini

Vital win for Sevilla in Germany as Italian Luca Cigarini grabbed the all-important goal in the Westfalenstadion. Gregorio Manzano didn't waste any time in his first match on the Sevilla bench, breathing new life into a souless set of players at half time. And it only took them a matter of seconds to get the winning goal, Cigarini taking advantage of a loose ball in the area to slot in and put his team back on track in the Europe League. Soon after Dortmund defender Schmelzer saw red, which allowed the Nervionenses to dominate the second half and leave with the three points that were so essential to any hopes they had of staying in the Europa League beyond the group stages.



Young Boys 2 - 0 Getafe

(1-0) 10' Degen, (2-0) 63' Degen

Shocking performance from Michels Getafe team which sees the Madrid outfit take a step backwards after their opening round win. With Pedro Leon and Roberto Soldado sold over the summer, Getafe are seriously lacking in quality this year, so it will be a test of Michels managerial ability whether or not 'Eurogeta' suffer this season.

Villarreal 2 - 1 Club Brugge

(1-0) 10' Rossi, (1-1) 46' Donk, (2-1) 56' Gonzalo

Villarreal survived a barrage of brutal tackles from Brugge to sneak past the Belgians courtesy of Gonzalos 56th minute strike. Villarreal outclassed their rivals who were left with no choice but to resort to dirty tactics to stop the Yellow Submarine. Cani was injured by a shocking challenge and Vargas was sent off for Brugge. Guiseppe Rossi continues his impressive start to the season with another goal. The Italian/American is on fire.

Valencia 0 - 1 Manchester United (Highlights) | Rubin Kazan 1 - 1 Barcelona

Valencia 0 - 1 Manchester United
(0-1) 85' Chicharito

Valencia learned the hard way as they fell to their first defeat of the season. Fail to take your chances in the Champions League and you'll pay the price. After converting pretty much everything that came their way in Turkey against Bursaspor, last night Roberto Soldado was guilty of missing an open goal as Manchester United stole victory in the dying minutes through that little pea, Javier 'Chicharito' Hernandez. It must have been strange for Valencia going into this match. With Man United going through a rough patch and 'Los Che' flying high at the top of La Liga, they were regarded by many as pre-match favourites. And they justified the tag with a performance that offered everything but the finishing touch.

Early on the label of favourites clearly didn't sit comfortably with the Valencia as they showed far too much respect to their opponents, giving them plenty of time and space to stroke the ball around when it would have been far more effective to press and harry a jittery United into mistakes. As mind-numbingly boring as some spells of the match were, the last 15 minutes saw the tie liven up and after the introduction of young guns Federico Macheda and Chicharito, Man United grabbed the all-important winner with a late counter which was dispatched with lethal accuracy by the young Mexican. Classic Man United performance away from home in the CL, but a disappointing finale for Valencia, who on reflection deserved at least a point, a fact lamented by Unai Emery in the post-match press conference. Still, two wins against Glasgow Rangers will get their campaign firmly back on track.

Rubin Kazan 1 - 1 Barcelona

(0-1) 30' Noboa (p), (1-1) 60' Villa (p)

Barcelona made it three Champions League ties out of three without a win against little Rubin Kazan. Teams sometimes feel they only have one way of getting a result against Barca these days, and it's unfortunate that it involves packing ten men behind the ball. Rubin lined up in a 5-4-1 formation with a double defensive pivot and it strangled the life out of Barcelona and the match in general. There was not an inch of space in sight as Iniesta, Villa, Pedro and Xavi struggled to create chances. The two defining moments in the match came courtesy of two clumsy challenges in the box, which lead to penalties converted by Christian Noboa and David Villa. Lionel Messi made a return from injury to spark the match into life, but even the little wizard was unable to find a way through the wall of browny purple. Matches of this nature have to be expected as smaller, inferior teams try to cope against the mighty Catalans, but things will change as we enter into the knock-out stages.

Livinlaliga Podcast with Forzafutbol!!

Just to let you all know that tonight, or tomorrow morning depending on how you look at it, I will be taking part in a one hour podcast with the guys over at Forzafutbol. Never done anything like this before so naturally a little nervous, even more so when I think about setting the alarm at 5.45am to start at 6am! But the truth is it will be a lot of fun, chatting about the weeks action in La Liga and the Champions League, no doubt discussing Real Madrids current 'plight' if you can call it that, as well as a few words about me, the blog and my team Real Zaragoza. Now there is a team in crisis if I've ever seen one! So, just to say many thanks to Elisa and Mando for inviting me to take part and here's hoping all goes smoothly. You'll be able to listen to the podcast here, and I'm sure I'll stick a link up later when it gets put up on the site.

And if you fancy the inside info on Atletico Madrid, why not catch the latest podcast just released on Forzafutbol in which they interview Gary from MadridAtleticos....well worth a listen!

Forzafutbol interview Gary Nunn from MadridAtleticos

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: Auxerre 0 - 1 Real Madrid (Highlights)

Auxerre 0 - 1 Real Madrid (Highlights)
(0-1) 81' Di Maria

Real Madrid left it late to secure a win in Auxerre which leaves them on course to qualify for the knock-out stages of the Champions League. Yet all those question marks that have been hanging over Mourinhos men remain as they produced another misfiring performance in the Stade de l'Abbé-Deschamps. It's a pattern which has plagued Real Madrids showings since the start of the season: largely untroubled at the back, relatively lacking in creativity and  in the middle and woefully inaccurate infront of goal. Cristiano Ronaldo and Gonzalo Higuain are now officially in the midst of a crisis of confidence, both in desparate need of a goal or two. As for Karim Benzema, it's becoming increasingly clear he simply is not good enough to play for Real Madrid. With those three in dire form, Madrids lack of goal isn't hard to understand.

On the up side, young Angel Di Maria hopped off the bench to slam home a superb late winner and do that funny heart-shape thing with his hands. Good job too, cause no-one else would have scored for love nor money. Still, it's six points from six in the so-called 'group of death' and you have to wonder how efficient this Madrid team will become once Ronaldo and co get their scoring boots on. Not all doom and gloom by any means.

Lady Crush

I would not be ashamed to tell you that Shakira is my lady crush. LOL. She's become my idol, I don't even know how it started.


She's almost perfect, for me that is. As I was telling my cousin, she could have all the guys in the world that she like with her beauty and talent. And I'm sure she's got a good heart ^____^

Plus, she's one of the luckiest person ever (or is it the other way around?)

Pique, Messi, and Nadal? Seriously? =P I wouldn't be surprised to see if in her next MV we'll see more sports icons ;)

Athletic Bilbao 1 - 3 Barcelona (Highlights) | Levante 0 - 0 Real Madrid

Athletic Bilbao 1 - 3 Barcelona
(0-1) 54' Keita, (0-2) 73' Xavi, (1-2) 90' Gabilondo, (1-3) 92' Busquets

After their uninspired win over Sporting Gijon, all the talk in the Spanish press had been about Barcelonas 'Messidependencia'. When you think about it, which team wouldn't depend on a player like Messi? It was the same last season with Real Madrid and the 'Cristianodependencia' debate. It's an argument I don't really understand. Teams will always depend on their greatest stars to produce the goods. And they'll always miss them when they're injured. Just some handle the loss better than others, especially when you have Xavi, Iniesta, Villa and Pedro to fall back on. Tonights trip to the Cathedral of Spanish football was a test of Barcas mettle. A raucous home crowd, a rain-soaked pitch and a team of red and white foot soldiers. There are few tougher assignments in La Liga, especially when you're without your biggest name.

Barca passed with flying colours. Yes, they were helped by the refs odd decision to send off Amorebieta for a robust challenge on Iniesta, but the Azulgrana were always in control. Athletic Bilbao probed away and the giant Fernando Llorente threw himself around but with Iniesta and Xavi dominating in the centre and Villa a constant threat, Bilbao always struggled to get hold of the ball. And things were made even more difficult after half an hour when Amorebieta was shown red when the ref should really have produced yellow. With the sending off, Athletics hopes vanished into the cloud filled skies. David Villa had hit the post in the first half, but the inevitable opening goal came early in the second half as Keita neatly slipped the ball under Iraizoz. Then Xavi fired in before Bilbao gave themselves late hope with a tap in from Gabilondo. But with seconds remaining Busquets made sure of the three points after David Villa had also seen red for hitting out at Gurpegui. Messidependencia? Not today.

Levante 0 - 0 Real Madrid

I'm pretty sure tonight was the night Jose Mourinho realised the scale of his task at the Bernabeu. Off the pitch he's doing all the right things. This weeks comment that 'teams gift wins to Barca' made sure Real Madrids dodgy start to the season has stayed well clear from the back pages of the papers. On the pitch is another matter. The defence is fine, with Carvalho, Pepe (suspended for tonights match), Sergio Ramos and Marcelo protecting San Iker admirably. Astonishingly it's up top where Madrid are suffering. Gonzalo Higuain has been shocking at times this season while Cristiano looks desparately short of inspiration. And as for Mesut Özil, the young German just can't get into games away from the Bernabeu. I have no doubts that all will come good, but the longer their dry spell continues, the more problems Real Madrid will have in putting teams to the sword. Six goals from 105 efforts so far this season tells its own story.

But to only speak of Madrids failure infront of goal would be doing Levante a huge injustice. After the start they've had, you would think they would have been dreading the visit of Madrid, but Levante were well up for it. Ballesteros and Nano were rocks at the back but it was very much a team effort. Manager Luis Garcia (an ex-Atletico player) remarked that his team finished the match 'physically exhausted'. It was certainly a point well-earned and after the midweek win against Almeria, they seem to have finally acclimatised to life back in La Liga. But for Madrid it was another 0-0 to add to their opening day no-score draw at Mallorca and they drop a point behind Barca and two behind leaders Valencia.

Sporting Gijon 0 - 2 Valencia

(0-1) 7' Topal, (0-2) 10' Soldado

Valencia carried on their stunning start to the season with a notable win against Sporting Gijon at El Molinon. Topal and Soldado got the two early goals that ripped the life out of Sporting and had the match sewn up after only ten minutes. Juan Mata and Pablo Hernandez put in classy performances and Roberto Soldado always looks like he has a goal or two in him. Sporting manager Manuel Preciado believes Valencia are serious candidates for La Liga but I have to disagree with him. Yes they've had a storming start to the season, but I look at the teamsheet and while it is full of quality, I can't see them seriously challenging Barca and Real Madrid over the course of a whole season. As always when it comes to the debate of the 'big two' in Spain, I hope they prove me wrong. In the meantime they have an impenetrable defence and an exciting attacking style that is bringing goals and points. Their biggest test so far awaits midweek. A visit from Manchester United.

Atletico Madrid 1 - 0 Real Zaragoza
(1-0) 20' Diego Costa

Deportivo La Coruña 0 - 2 Almeria
(0-1) 4' Uche, (0-2) 18' Uche

Hercules 2 - 0 Sevilla
(1-0) 21' Trezeguet (p), (2-0) 38' Trezeguet

Espanyol 1 - 0 Osasuna
(1-0) 24' Alvaro Vazquez

Mallorca 2 - 0 Real Sociedad
(1-0) 5' Cavenaghi, (2-0) 61' Cavenaghi

Racing Santander 0 - 1 Getafe
(0-1) 16' Victor Sanchez

Malaga 2 - 3 Villarreal
(1-0) 4' Eliseu, (1-1) 21' Cazorla, (1-2) 23' Rossi, (2-2) 29' Rondon, (2-3) 33' Cazorla

Obsession. Football. Internet. Blog.

It took one subject to pinpoint how much of an addict I am. LOL.

Yesterday, during my computer class, we were talking about Internet's role in our lives.

We talk about the usual things and then our teacher ask us if certain characteristics applied to us.

Facebook. I think I'm an FBookworm TT. My blockmates think so too.
Blog. I keep lots of blogs. And each with a specific purpose (most of my bmates don't keep one).

Fandom and the internet. My teacher asked us who were fangirls, and my bmates immediately pointed me. What did I told them? My fandom and SHINHWA! and man was I proud >.<

Internet issues. I contributed a lot, and this just intensified people's view that I'm an internet addict.

Internet and media consumption. Answer: Kdramas, movies and FOOTBALL. Most of my classmates were amazed that I'm a football fan and as expected I told them of how MUCH I love football.

Sites, Tutorials. My teacher told us of this site:


this prompted me to ask if there was a Spanish tutorial in that site, and when I did, one of my friends told my teacher that I wanted (badly) to go to Spain and that I wanted to marry a Spaniard! Imagine that?

as for the site above, if you're interested to learn a language, do sign up, I think it's super helpful :)

Vamos a aprender español!

Rest.

Sem's almost done. Not quite but still a lot of my worries ended within this week.

So hello, worry-free weekend, though I still have an exam in Chemistry but it's fine. At least I get to relax and do things that I was used to doing before all those academic related stuff (and tutorial job) got in the way xD.

I had a super hyper day yesterday, as in I was talking a lot (which is unusual), I don't care wth I'm saying, I participated a lot in class discussion, and I drank 3 cups of coffee, not to mention that I had 3 hours (?) worth of sleep. No wonder why.

And my Spain & Brazil lanyard arrived today, so if ever you see someone wearing a Spain FIFA lanyard, that will probably be me :P

LA LIGA: Barcelona 1 - 0 Sporting Gijon (Highlights)

Barcelona 1 - 0 Sporting Gijon
(1-0) 49' Villa

Atletico Madrid 1 - 1 Valencia

(1-0) 19' Simao, (1-1) 83' Aduriz

Real Zaragoza 0 - 0 Hercules

Almeria 0 - 1 Levante

(0-1) 39' Sergio

Sevilla 1 - 1 Racing Santander
(1-0) 13' Negredo (p), (1-1) 54' Pinillos

Villarreal 1 - 0 Deportivo La Coruña
(1-0) 33' Nilmar

Getafe 0 - 2 Malaga
(0-1) 54' Rondon, (0-2) 62' Apoño (p)

Real Madrid 3 - 0 Espanyol (Highlights)

Real Madrid 3 - 0 Espanyol
(1-0) 28' Cristiano Ronaldo (p), (2-0) 79' Higuain, (3-0) 87' Benzema

Strange old game that saw Real Madrid struggle to find their rhythm before putting nine man Espanyol to the sword with an improved second half performance. The first 45 minutes saw Espanyol battle away in the middle of the park, making life uncomfortable for the home side, although Madrid carried the greater threat through Di Maria and Ronaldo. Trouble was they found it hard to create chances against a well-organised defence lead by Forlín and Galán and with Cristiano Ronaldo a shadow of the all-conquering winger/goalscorer extraordinaire we are so used to seeing. In the end it was a harsh decision on Luis Garcia, punished for handball when he was protecting his face in the wall from a free kick, that saw Real edge ahead with a Cristiano penalty, despatched with aplomb. It was hardly a fair reflection of proceedings at that stage and Espanyol had cause for complaint. With the speed that CR7 gets on the ball, I'm not sure how it can be labelled intentional handball.

After half-time we saw a more fluent Real Madrid, with impressive showings from Sergio Ramos, Ricardo Carvalho, Marcelo and Xabi Alonso helping things along nicely. Slowly but surely there are signs that Jose Mourinho is beginning to turn things around at the Bernabeu. Winning is one thing, but these most demanding of fans want to win in style and there were signs after half-time that Real Madrid are beginning to loosen the shackles of doubt that has plagued their start to the season. Pepe and Galán were both harshly sent off in quick succession, with Galáns red card surely a result of the uproar following that tackle by Ujfalusi on Messi. Had the defender commited the same foul on anyone else apart from Ronaldo, I'm convinced he would only have seen yellow. Gonzalo Higuain and Karim Benzema (what good that goal will do for his confidence) wrapped things up late on with well-taken strikes before Forlín saw the third red card of the evening after seeing two yellows, both for berating the ref. Pochettino didn't look overly impressed with the needless petulance shown from his centre back, nor with the manner of his sides defeat. The result flattered Real Madrid, and a dangerous-looking Espanyol will feel hard done by, but there's no denying Mourinhos men deserved all three points.

Tonights other matches:

Athletic Bilbao 3 - 0 Mallorca
(1-0) 44' David Lopez, (2-0) 62' San Jose (p), (3-0) 92' Perez

Osasuna 3 - 1 Real Sociedad
(0-1) 16' Tamudo, (1-1) 37' Pandiani, (2-1) 42' Camuñas, (3-1) 74' Aranda

Leo Messi ankle injury - Leo only out for 10 days (Photos)

David Villa described the tackle as 'horrifying'. Gerard Pique came out and stated that it seems as if you can do anything these days to stop the best players in their tracks. 'They hunted him down' he snarled. Johan Cruyff bizarrely claimed it was Barcelonas fault that Messi got injured. The failure to snatch a killer third goal kept Atletico hunting for the equaliser until the last second. The culprit, Tomas Ujfalusi, bravely faced the press to say it was bad luck and that he never intended to hurt Leo Messi. I'm inclined to agree with him. A very poor, mistimed tackle it was. A deliberate attempt to snap Messis ankle it wasn't.

In any event, when Messi went down screaming in agony you feared the worst. Then when the cameras panned in on his hideously swollen ankle, you were left wondering how many months we would be without his mercurial talent. So it was relief all round when Barcelona released a statement this afternoon that claimed Leo would only miss ten days of action, with sprained ankle ligaments the diagnosis. He'll miss the league matches against Sporting Gijon and Athletic Bilbao, returning to action against Rubin Kazan Wednesday of next week. Good news.

Atletico Madrid 1 - 2 Barcelona (Highlights)

Atletico Madrid 1 - 2 Barcelona
(0-1) 13' Messi, (1-1) 25' Raul Garcia, (1-2) 32' Pique

Having lost in the Vicente Calderon on their last three visits, Pep Guardiola finally broke his duck at the home of Atletico Madrid, but it came at a cost. Lionel Messi had been his usual magnificent self, scoring the first and forcing the corner which lead to Piques strike. Barcelona rolled out some champagne football, but Atletico more than contributed to a feisty contest which ended with Tomas Ujfalusi planting the sole of his foot on Messis ankle, a tackle which lead to the Czech defender seeing a straight red and which will see Messi miss the next ten days of action.

Atletico put their UEFA Europa League flop behind them with a commited display, coming from behind to equalise through Raul Garcias header. The talk of the build up was whether Sergio Agüero would make it in time for the match. He did, but he clearly wasn't match fit and was hauled off after 50 minutes. It wasn't one of those vintage displays from Barcelona, but ultimately their sporadic flashes of class were enough to see off the Colchoneros, with David De Gea pulling off some world class saves in the second half to keep the defecit respectable. The young keepers mantle as Iker Casillas' heir to the throne in the Spanish national side is gathering more and more weight by the day. Pep Guardiola claimed after the match that if Atleti show this much fight in all their matches, they'll be contenders for the league. Post-match goodwill or not, you can't help but agree. Trouble is, can they maintain this form over the course of a season?

Tonights other results:

Malaga 1 - 2 Sevilla
(1-0) 14' Rondon, (1-1) 19' Alfaro, (1-2) 46' Caceres

Racing Santander 2 - 0 Real Zaragoza
(1-0) 76' Henrique, (2-0) 90' Ariel

Levante 1 - 2 Villarreal
(0-1) 16' Nilmar, (0-2) 42' Nilmar, (1-2)  90' Caicedo

Hercules 1 - 2 Valencia

(0-1) 2' Mata, (0-2) 23' Pablo Hernandez, (1-2) 43' Trezeguet (p)

New header and Özil.

Someday I'll be a pro in photoshop xD

So what's with the header? I was making a poster for one of my major subjects and I kinda get the hang of PS-ing which led to the creation of my present header.

I was thinking of putting Sergio and Cesc together as my header but it's too much for a noob like me.

Don't judge me by my header. I was looking through my Sergio pics, and I thought the one above suits the header best. LOL. And have you seen the quote? Lol. So ironic right? Where is the shirt Sergio?

-----

On to other things, the ad for FIFA 11 came out recently,

Mesut Özil.

You have a way of capturing people's attention.

The part where in his name was shown glowing is super cool, don't you think? Plus, I read @ unamadridista's blog that his favorite drink is iced tea, now tell me, can I ever ignore this man? We can drink iced tea all day long, my treat! haha. And oh well, he can rap.

Jose Mourinho gets angry! (Video)

I just had to post this video. A few of the many highlights Jose Mourinho produced during the match between Real Madrid and Real Sociedad in San Sebastian. The fantastic bottle-throwing moment was courtesy of a defensive mistake from Sergio Ramos which almost lead to a freak equaliser from Antoine Griezmann. I liked Manuel Pellegrini, but he's not even close to Mou when it comes to sideline histrionics. Keep them coming Jose.

LA LIGA: Real Sociedad 1 - 2 Real Madrid (Highlights)

Real Sociedad 1 - 2 Real Madrid
(0-1) 51' Di Maria, (1-1) 61' Tamudo, (1-2) 75' Cristiano Ronaldo

It wasn't a great day for Jose Mourinho, but it ended on a high note as Real Madrid fought out a precious victory in Anoeta. Real Sociedad put up an almighty fight, and had the lively Antoine Griezman taken one of two glaring misses in the first half, they could well have caused a deserved upset. Having been spat at upon leaving the team coach and deprived of taking over Portugal for two matches next month by his club, Mourinho cut a frustrated figure on the touchline, with one truely comical moment in the second half when he flew into a blind rage, launching a bottle of water into the dugout in the process. The sulky showman is already causing a sensation in Spain and while many strangely take offence at his arrogant demeanour, I can't get enough of the man. Football is all about entertainment and Mou provides it by the bucketload.

Madrid are still to get into their stride, but as always they did enough to claim the three points. Angel Di Maria finally marked his entrance into Spanish football with a goal of the highest order and although Tamudo sneaked in to deflect Greizmanns ferocious free-kick in the net to level the scores, Cristiano provided one of his trademark bullets, aided by a heavy deflection from Pepe, to hand his team the win. It's dubious as to whether he should be awarded the goal, and even he looked embarrased to celebrate, but what CR7 wants, CR7 gets! Madrid survived a late onslaught, aided by the awesome defensive partnership of Pepe and Carvalho, and now all eyes focus on Barca as they travel to the Vicente Calderon tomorrow to take on high-flyers Atletico Madrid.

Todays other results:

Sporting Gijon 2 - 2 Athletic Bilbao

(1-0) 12' De Las Cuevas, (2-0) 23' Sangoy, (1-2) 28' Gurpegui, (2-2) 58' Llorente

Espanyol 1 - 0 Almeria

(1-0) 47' Callejón

Mallorca 2 - 0 Osasuna

(1-0) 25' Chori Castro (p), (2-0) 92' De Guzman

UNDP 8MDG & the La Roja boys

What's with you Spanish men? You're totally making me fall for you~~

In line with UN's 8 Millennium Development Goals, our boys appeared in this ad:

for the translation, you could go over at conlaroja.

NOW. I really love Sergio's voice (and he was featured longer than the others), I mean he has one of the most manly voices in the team (and perhaps even in Spain? lol), and I love his sincerity. Plus, he talked about the environment, Mr. Ramos, can I interview you for my group's research paper? <3>:)

As for Nando, I find his pose awkward? still he's as handsome as ever.

CESC! What will I do with you? You're getting hotter by the minute, but I was surprised about your voice, lol. Well it doesn't matter ;)

I personally like Capdevila and Pepe Reina's voice sexay! Special mention to DAVEEEED, stay gorgeous :)

CRes blockmates

Communication Research Block 8.5.

Call me emo but I think I'm glad I shifted to my current course (though research is like harakiri) and that I was able to meet my blockmates! LOL.

EUROPA LEAGUE: Aris Salonika 1 - 0 Atletico Madrid (Highlights)

Not a great night for the La Liga contingent as Atletico Madrid, Sevilla and Villarreal all slumped to defeat, with only little Getafe maintaining pride for the Spanish quartet. Ironically, Atletico Madrid were downed by two Spaniards, with Hector Cupers tactics and Javitos screamer (see video) sending the Liga leaders home pointless. Not the result everyone was expecting after their riproaring start to the season. Villarreal came a cropper in the Ukraine as Juan Garrido rang the changes, giving starts to back-up strikers Marco Ruben and Jozy Altidore. But Dinamo Zagreb were just too good for the Yellow Submarine, as Brazilian schemer Jorge Sammir stole the show with a goal and assist as they ran out easy 2-0 winners.

Sevillas ongoing European nightmare continued as a late goal from Nene for Paris St Germain punished a drab performance from Alvaro Alvarezs team which earned them a good few jeers once the final whistle was blown. More is expected from trhe likes of Luis Fabiano, Jesus Navas and Frederic Kanoute, and Del Nido knows it. So it was left to Getafe to pick up the only Spanish points of the night as they overcame a shocking first half to stick two goals past Danish side Odense, who had a familiar face in goal: only Roy Carroll! Arizmendi and ex-Xerez man Pedro Rios with the second half strikes.

Aris Salonika 1 - 0 Atletico Madrid

(1-0) 59' Javito

Dinamo Zagreb 2 - 0 Villarreal

(1-0) 18' Rukavina,  (2-0) 80' Sammir

Sevilla 0 - 1 PSG

(0-1) 76' Nene

Getafe 2 - 1 Odense

(0-1) 43' Andreasen, (1-1) 50' Arizmendi, (2-1) 80' Pedro Rios

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: Real Madrid 2 - 0 Ajax (Highlights)

                        Photo courtesy of EFE/Alberto Martín at elmundo.es

Real Madrid 2 - 0 Ajax

(1-0) 30' Anita (o.g), (2-0) 73' Higuain

Nothing overly spectacular from Mourinhos men in white, but enough to get the job done. Following Cristiano Ronaldos comments yesterday when he claimed the crowd should spend their energy cheering the team on instead of booing, there were some grumbles from the Bernabeu and in a way you could understand why. At times Real Madrid produced some quality football, but they were almost always let down by poor finishing or a poor final ball.  Frustrating for fans who over the years have become accustomed to the Zidanes, Figos and Ronaldos of this world. They need to give this team time to settle, they'll be told. Story of the last two years. One shining light was young Mesut Özil, who carried on were he left off against Osasuna with another exciting display that earned him his second ovation in four days. The German is going to be a big hit in the capital, no doubt about it.

Cristiano Ronaldo on the other hand had a miserable night. Maybe it's just me, but I can't help but feel the guy has created an ongoing battle in his mind against Leo Messi, and he's losing in a big way right now. Nothing went right for CR7, not for want of trying, though he really doesn't help himself with those temper tantrums. After one particularly glaring miss late in the second half he remained rooted in the Ajax penalty area while play continued. You could sense the crowd were getting tired of his petulance. The sooner he sorts out this childish attitude the better. For him, for Mourinho and for Real Madrid. Bigger battles lie ahead, but a solid start from Madrid. Check the goals from Anita (o.g) and Higuain below.

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: Barcelona 5 - 1 Panathinaikos | Bursaspor 0 - 4 Valencia

Barcelona 5 - 1 Panathinaikos
(0-1) 20' Govou, (1-1) 21' Messi, (2-1) 33' Villa, (3-1) 45' Messi, (4-1) 77' Pedro, (5-1) 92' Alves

For 60 seconds the Camp Nou was getting worried there. They needn't have, not when Leo Messi is in this mood. The Argentine conjured up another special performance on the biggest stage with two glorious goals, a masterful assist and a shot which hit two posts and lead to a Pedro tap-in. He even earned (and missed) a penalty with one of his trademark runs. 'La Pulga' was once again unstoppable, and Panathinaikos had no answer. Sidney Govou put the Greeks infront after twenty minutes but any lingering doubts from the shock defeat at the weekend were banished with one dink of Messis left boot, not even a minute later. Leos second was sublime, a work of art, with two one-twos on a sixpence and a thunderous finish that gave the defenders and keeper no chance. David Villa opened his Champions League account with a typically sharp finish from a corner with Pedro and Dani Alves getting on the scoresheet late on to make the scoreline a fairer reflection of the match. They were given an almighty kick up the backside on saturday but Peps men are back in business.

Bursaspor 0 - 4 Valencia

(0-1) 16' Tino Costa, (0-2) 41' Aduritz, (0-3) 68' Pablo Hernandez, (0-4) 76' Soldado

Just check out that opener from new boy Tino Costa. An absolute scorcher. His 40 yard bullet and a superb curling free kick which lead to the second set Valencia towards a commendable victory over the Turkish champions Bursaspor with a scoreline that will have been read loud and clear over in Glasgow and Manchester. I had read earlier today that Manchester United would soon be facing a 'declining Valencia' in the next Champions League matchday. No doubt judged solely on the departure of the two Davids, because they still have more than enough artillery to trouble Europes finest. Aritz Aduritz and Roberto Soldado both got on the scoresheet which will do wonders for their confidence as they seek to emerge from Villas shadow, with Pablo Hernandez poking one in after some confusion in the Turkish box. Stunning start to the season for 'Los Che'.



LA LIGA: Nothing changes at Real Zaragoza

It's been two long seasons since I was last present at La Romereda. Real Zaragoza spent the first battling out of hell. The second was largely spent fighting not to slip back in. You would have thought one season in the second division for one of La Ligas 'historicos' would have been enough to learn a few hard lessons. Yesterdays horror show against Malaga proves otherwise. It reminded me very much of a game I witnessed during the 2007/2008 campaign against Real Valladolid. A team, like Malaga, many were predicting to be part of the relegation scrap come the end of the season. An easy three points were on the cards. One devastating counter attacking performance from Valladolid later and 'Los Maños' were planted firmly on their way towards 'La Segunda'.

Trouble at Zaragoza, is that nothing is easy. Not one win or draw comes easily. Every match is a battle of attrition. A downright struggle. And when things often go all curveball, we get to see a goalfest. And Real Zaragoza are more often than not on the wrong end of it. Think the opposite of Keegans Newcastle United! Malaga at home is really a game they need to be getting three points from. But they were systematically ripped apart in a whirlwind opening 35 minutes, which saw the away side storm into an unassailable 0-5 lead and had fans leaving the stadium before the half-time whistle. Defeats of this nature will more often than not lead to relegation. So where have lessons not been learned?

Success starts at the back. For the comedy centre backs of the 2007/2008 elect, Sergio and Roberto Ayala, read Matteo Contini and Jiri Jarosik. Simply not good enough. Diogo is a liability, not to mention a maniac, whilst Leo Franco is a joke. Tough times ahead in that department. Don't sign for the sake of signing. When it comes to summer transfers, Agapito Iglesias is a poor mans Florentino Perez. It's quite astounding how many players Agapito gets through, with very few actually making any difference. Two that did make a difference last season, Humberto Suazo and keeper Roberto, were not kept on the books. Utter lunacy. Mr Iglesias is one of those businessman presidents that has no idea about football, and he simply needs to go. 

Get a decent manager in. Real Zaragoza supposedly had a good manager when I first set foot in La Romareda. Victor Fernandez was his name. Lead the team into the UEFA spots the year before and he was even being touted as a future Spain manager. A few shocking results later and his was packing his bags. They've never replaced him since. The current incumbent is the unfortunately named Jose Aurelio Gay. And what's clear to me is that he's not up to the task. Perhaps Agapito is hesitant to start the manager merry-go-round that took place in 2007/2008 when four came and went, but if Fernandez wasn't good enough, neither is Gay. Get a proven, seasoned pro in there. Time to trust in youth. The 2007/2008 elect was ridden with players on a downward curve, counting down the years and the pay cheques. Leo Franco, Gabi (a truly shocking excuse for a midfielder), Diogo and Jarosik all fit that bill. Time to get youngsters like Laguardia, Kevin, Borque or Alex Sanchez in there to help out poor Ander Herrera. Kids that will fight tooth and nail for the badge.

It's sad for me to see a team like Real Zaragoza slip into this mess once more. I can only imagine what it's like for those who have been fans since the glory years of the 60s and 90s. I hope for the sake of the club and their loyal set of fans that this season doesn't turn into the nightmare that I was part of two seasons ago. Only time will tell. Next up: Racing Santander.

nando.alejandro.nomorebumming

I dreamed of Nando. again. (part of this blog's purpose is to be an account of my dreams xD).

weird. it was short, nando and I were like groupmates in school (research groupmates), and we were about to have a group meeting but he did not showed up, so I called him, and he answered! My subconscious that time told me that I was lucky to have my call answered by him (he was like the school's heart throb), and do you know what? his voice is to die for, I mean it's really really really really manly and I felt my heart skip a beat while talking to him. He apologized to me because he had to go home (to his wife! wth, even in my dream?) and he'll make up for it. Basically that's what my dream's all about.

HAHA. I know it's simple but hearing his voice was so unforgettable. lol. So now it's two for Sergio, two for Fernando and one for Cristiano (that I'll reveal if I'm up to it).

And because we're in the topic of Nando, do you know that everytime I hear the song Alejandro, I always imagine Fernando, who wouldn't?

I'm not your babe.
I'm not your babe, Fernando.

When will I dream of Cesc? Speaking of Cesc/Cescy, everytime I see him tweet, I can't help but smile, 'coz I can't stop picturing his profile pic in my head. Cesc=Cecsy=Sexy.

-----

On to other things, I recently discovered that most of the people who view my blog were searching about football. Can you imagine that? HAHAHAHAHA.

-----
no more lazy bum.

Gone were the days when I can watch a drama, movie, or read a book every weekends (and school days). Hello college! Suddenly, I can feel your pressure onto me, why is it only now? (after 3.5 years of spending time together). TT

LA LIGA MATCHDAY 2: Hercules shock Barcelona at Camp Nou (Highlights)

Barcelona 0 - 2 Hercules
(0-1) 26' Valdez, (0-2) 58' Valdez

No one can say they saw that coming. Unless your name is Esteban Vigo of course. When the Hercules manager stated midweek that his team would only be happy with a win in the Camp Nou, there was a deathly silence followed by howls of derision. No-one had won there last season so how on earth were newly-promoted Hercules going to. You'll be lucky if you're not on the end of a thrashing thought the rest of Spain. But had they read the history books? The last time Hercules were in the top flight, they did the league double over Barcelona. An own goal by Pep Guardiola in the Camp Nou to boot. And he committed another own goal today when he messed around with a winning formula to give a debut to Javier Mascherano, who had a miserable first half before being hauled off at half-time. A foul from the Argentine led to Hercules' opener, and in all fairness he was lucky not to be shown red having already been on a yellow. Another reckless purchase to rival big Zlatan?

Perhaps it was the fact that half his team had been involved in a meaningless friendly in Argentina days before. Maybe it was the herculean effort from keeper Juan Calatayud. But whatever it was, Barcelona were utterly incapable of breaking down a stubborn away backline. So it was left to Paraguayan striker Nelson Valdez, (remember the name!) to mark his debut in the grandest of manners with a clinical double which grabbed his side the points and the weekends headlines. David Trezeguet and young sub Kiko (the kid looked extremely useful in a late cameo) even had gilt-edged chances to make it three. A surreal match the like of which we probably won't see again too soon. How many times will you see Victor Valdes saving Barcelona from a hiding at home against a new boy in town? Massive slip for Barca and they now slide a point behind Real Madrid.

Real Madrid 1 - 0 Osasuna

(1-0) 48' Carvalho

You look at the Real Madrid line-up and it has GOAL written all over it. In Cristiano Ronaldo, Gonzalo Higuain and Karim Benzema they have at least 60 goals a season guaranteed. Slightly surprising then that Real Madrid struggled past Osasuna with a goal from new centre back Ricardo Carvalho, so far the only man to get on the scoresheet for 'Los Merengues' this season. Higuain was once again wasteful infront of goal, while Cristiano struggled to get into the game on his return from an ankle injury. Mourinhos team still havn't got into their stride yet but they had enough to see off Jose Antonio Camachos predictably rugged team, with Mesut Özil wooing the Berbabeu crowd with a cultured home debut full of attacking vivacity which earned the ex-Bremen man a well-deserved ovation when he was subbed late on. But all that will matter to everyone connected to Real Madrid is that they are one point clear of eternal rivals Barcelona. Advantage Mourinho.

Athletic Bilbao 1 - 2 Atletico Madrid

(0-1) 10' Forlan, (0-2) 80' Thiago, (1-2) 88' Llorente

Atleti fly back to the top of the table with a performance that offered yet more evidence that this season they should be ironed on certs for a Champions League spot at least. Over the course of a season I'm still not convinced they'll quite have enough to challenge Barca and Real Madrid at the top but a new-found resilience in defence coupled with the usual attacking flair means they will be a match for anyone. Diego Godin looks a superb signing at the back and his assertiveness is rubbing off on Luis Perea and Antonio Lopez, players who thrive when high on confidence. After a superb goal from Diego Forlan and a header ten minutes from time by sub Thiago the points looked safe. But Athletic Bilbao pulled a goal back in the dying minutes through Fernando Llorente, courtesy of a flying run from the impressive De Marcos, to set up a tense finale but the late equaliser never materialised. Atletis first real test passed with flying colours, though the biggest test of all is just around the corner. Home tie v Barca.

Valencia 1 - 0 Racing Santander

(1-0) 45' Maduro

Unai Emery couldnt have imagined a better start to the season in his wildest dreams. But sometimes the loss of a couple of stars can galvanise a team, and the departures of Villa and Silva seem to have done just that. Valencia were dreadful in the first half but numerous saves from veteran keeper Cesar and a late goal from Dutch defender Maduro sent 'Los Che' in at halftime in the lead. If Racing had brought their shooting boots it could have been a rout, but they were no doubt left in the cupboard back in Santander. The second half saw the home side find their rhythm, but there were to be no more goals. Only an unfortunate injury to midfield showman Ever Banega soured a win that sees Valencia on six points from six.

Villarreal 4 - 0 Espanyol
(1-0) 23' Rossi, (2-0) 31' Valero, (3-0) 55' Rossi (p), (4-0) 77' Nilmar

Sevilla 0 - 0 Deportivo La Coruña

Sporting Gijon 2 - 0 Mallorca
(1-0) 47' Botia, (2-0) 86' D. Castro (p)

Real Zaragoza 3 - 5 Malaga
(0-1) 1' Fernando, (0-2) 7' Juanmi, (0-3) 27' Fernando, (0-4) 29' Juanmi, (0-5) 34' Quincy, (1-5) 40' Edmilson, (2-5) 68' Marco Perez, (3-5) 80' Ander Herrera

Getafe 4 - 1 Levante
(1-0) 5' Gavilan, (2-0) 10' Colunga, (2-1) 13' Rafa Jorda, (3-1) 90' Gavilan, (4-1) 90' Arizmendi

Almeria 2 - 2 Real Sociedad
(0-1) 8' Tamudo, (1-1) 21' Piatti, (1-2) 33' Sutil, (2-2) 90' Ulloa

Kill me quick. Kill me now.

ARGGGGHHHHH. Too stressed out to think.

What will become of me for the weeks to come? Let alone this coming week?

Things that've been bugging me

[] Tutorial job - I have to go to Simon's place tom. and tutor him for 6 hours. Since 1 pm this afternoon I am trying to study about Chemistry because the materials that were given to me didn't contain answers. BLEH. Plus I have to think of Math questions worthy of a college entrance exam level. Screw math and science =D

[] Comm 140 report - this one's on tuesday, and as I always say, I hate reporting, I haven't even started with my slides

[] BC 100 report - on Wednesday, same as my problem in 140

[] CRes 115 data gathering - data collection for McDo/Jollibee consumers in QC. Target sample size = 384. Heaven bless our group.

[] CRes 115 - ttest for survey questionnaire, due tom. I'm planning on computing it manually (I don't trust computers)

[] CRes 125 - poster/pamphlet. The deadline was supposedly yesterday, but as I was attempting to save our work (we work in pairs), our PC died on us. Pathetic right?

[] Tutorial Job - every M,T,W from 5-7 pm. I'm not complaining.

And the things I wrote above are only the things I'm supposed to do for the coming week, more stressful things to ponder for the weeks after.

omg.com

Don't have to watch the full clip, just watch til he finishes Lady Gaga - Bad Romance. I wish someone would slap him.

Ok while i am surfing loads and loads of X-Factor 2010's audition, i will post some of the really funny or worth watching ones here :D ENJOY!!

PLEASE WATCH THIS, OMG HAHAHAHAH I GOT BAD HICCUPS THANKS TO HER, A MUST WATCH I PROMISE YOU WILL HAVE AN INSTANT GOOD DAY.

Okay after all the fun and joys, lets end it with ... :)

She's the bomb, love love her, she sang so fearlessly, and you never thought it would end up like that!

There's afew more actually, but i think this are the really worth watching ones :) and god damn, Cheryl is super pretty. Best part of the X-Factor is the judges aren't as fucking lame as American Idol.

Night all, 3days to my baby hugss!

Holiday #1 Malapascua Island

Malapascua Island, Philippines

In 6days time, i will be there!! It will be our first holiday, my crazy baby and i will be leaving a day after she lands in KL. The exact dates will be 14th > 21st September 2010, you wouldn't wanna know how much travelling we will be doing just to get here. I really hope the island is worth going!

So how did i found out about this island? We used to shop for dive gears in Scuba Dynamics (Desa Hartamas) Therefore we also left our email with them, and if there's any dive package, they will inform us through mail. So one fine day, i opened and they wrote something about this island, there is a very unique shark called Thresher Shark, the longest tail shark in the world. So i googled and damn.........i was stunned by how beautiful it looked. So we research further and found out the best season to go is during September, there will be tons of them in a special dive spot. But we gotta be there only at 6am daily, thats when they usually eat (not human, lol)

How beautiful is that, oh em gee. I can't wait to take my own shots of it!! Another famous fish they have there are the Manta Rays! Since i started diving, i fell in love with sting rays, and to meet a Manta would be also another dream come true..

Gosh, i love underwater. Hahaha, so besides the diving, i've seen pictures and videos, the island don't look too bad itself. White sandy shore with clear water, hopefully the weather is hot and sunny. This is actually my advanced birthday gift from my baby, she booked the accommodations, so i'm not entirely sure where we're staying, lol. But a big thank you babygirl :) !! MUAHHHH!!

I can't wait !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D:D:D

ARGENTINA 4 - 1 SPAIN: Messi, Higuain and Agüero bury Spain (Highlights)

Well it had to come to an end at some point. And in what style! Carlos Marchena had gone 57 matches unbeaten in Spanish colours, a record that began way back in June 2003. But a dazzling first half performance from Argentina put pay to the Sevillanos hopes of making it 58, as the Argentinian Liga select helped the home side into an early 2-0 lead in what was billed as 'The World Cup final that never was'. Lionel Messi opened the scoring with a sumptuous chip, Higuain notching the second with a typically well-taken strike after rounding the stranded Pepe Reina. Things got worse for the Liverpool keeper when he slipped at just the wrong moment whilst receiving a backpass, allowing little battler Carlos Tevez to steal in and scramble the ball home. 3-0 and the game was done and dusted. Spain improved in the second half and got a late consolation through Fernando Llorente, but Sergio Agüero regained Argentinas three-goal cushion with a well placed header in the final seconds of the match.

Del Bosque certainly didn't name a first choice select, with Casillas, Puyol, Sergio Ramos, Capdevila, Torres and Xavi all on the bench, whilst Argentina came out with all their stars on show, but even so Vicente will have been worried with a lacklustre opening 45 minutes. In truth, nothing went right for La Roja, David Villa striking the woodwork twice in his search for that elusive 44th international goal and Santi Cazorla suffering the same misfortune later on. Pepe Reinas slip pretty much summed up their luck. Best for these things to happen in friendlies rather than World Cups and qualifiers.

syawal 1431h

Perutusan Penyimpan Mohon Besar Raja-Raja:

have a fun-filled Eid with your loved ones; eat, drink & drive safely
may God bless we all

randomness #3

part 3 of the randomness series

onboard ferry, crossing European Istanbul to Asian Istanbul, Feb 09

NOFX live at Reading 2010

damn! they killed it

Footage courtesy of BBC. Checkout Hefe's moonwalk at 0:46 mark!
Setlist:
1. Linoleum
2. Eat The Meek
3. We Call It Am***ca
4. Franco Un-american
5. Stickin' In My Eye

BARCELONA B: The future looks bright

Photo: Courtesy of www.fcbarcelona.com (Alex Caparros - FCB)

With no top flight domestic football on over the weekend as a result of the international qualifiers/friendlies, and Cadiz playing away from home, I decided to tune into Barcelona B v Xerez to get my weekly fix of Spanish football. And if there's anything I learned, it's that Barcelonas future is in safe hands...provided they hang onto this fantastic bunch of youngsters. It was like watching the first team, no word of a lie. Smooth, effortless, inch-precision passing that cut Xerez to pieces with stunning regularity. Jonathan Dos Santos, incredibly the only foreigner in the whole squad, led proceedings from the middle with a man-of-the-match display full of attacking verve and defensive responsibility. Why Barca persisted, and will continue to persist, with the purchase of Cesc Fabregas when they have this little jewel coming up through the ranks is beyond me. A gradual transition from Xavi to Dos Santos would save the Catalan club millions.

Half-time read Barcelona B: 70% of possession. Look familiar? La Masia just doesn't stop churning out posession-hungry footballers. And they're all so small and tricky. The spritely Nolito upfront was a constant thorn in Xerezs side whilst the solid defensive partnership at the back formed by Fontás and Sergi Gomez was largely unpenetrable bar a thunderbolt from the blue by Mario Bermejo. Oier Olazabal in goal also looks a safe pair of hands, as well as a safe bet to take over from Victor Valdes once Spains third choice decides to hang up his gloves. And to think that the player making most noise from the Cantera, Thiago Alcantara (son of ex Brazil international Mazinho), wasn't even on the pitch last night.

Just how much importance Barca place on youth was evident in pretty much the whole board, new president Sandro Rosell included, being present at the match. Only shame is that Luis Enriques Barca B will be unable to make an ascent into La Primera should they finish in the top three, which on yesterdays evidence is more than likely. But wouldn't it be fascinating to see how they'd fare? Mid-table?

tenth, and counting...

*update: its Muhammad Arif Fiqri!

Magnificent news this morning!..the sis-in-law safely delivered a baby boy.Yeayyy!!! 
His name: ________*Bin Mohd.Khairul (errr...apparently the newly arrival was yet to be named)

So that makes it my...10th Anak Sedare?
(5 nephews + 5 nieces)
...Double Yeayyy!!!

7 out of 10 with uncle, August 2010

September, Sernando and Stam.

Oh how I love thee, September.

I remember when I posted:


and then September came.

September 1. I dreamed of SerNando. HAHA. I was shocked! It's a wonder dreaming about Sergio, but Sergio - myself - and Nando together? Epic!


It all started with Nando. He arrived at my place looking for a phone charger. I told him I have one but it's malfunctioning. Then my dream switched to the space outside my house. I was comforting Nando because he recently broke up with his GF, when some drunk football player was approaching. The drunkard was shouting names, and when he shouted Nando's name, I tried to stop Nando from approaching him (and in the process wrapping my arm around him, hahaha), then I heard the drunkard shout Sergio's name, and I was like "OMG, what is Sergio doing here? Why is he here when I am with Nando?!" I instantly looked at Sergio and our eyes met. Then he confronted the drunk man.

I told Nando to not interfere and I left him to stop Sergio. Sergio then was in front of the drunkard, and I tried to tell him to stop 'coz it's useless fighting that type of person, after some hesitation, he followed my advice, but when he was about to turn around, the crazy man attempted to punch him. Know what I did? I intervened between Sergio and the man, and I was punched at the left side of my face, man it hurts so much! What I did next was I run home and locked myself in my room. What I didn't know was that my brother saw what happened, and he told my parents all about it. My mom and dad asked me what happened. And I told them all about it and added, "Ma, Pa' it's alright, at least I got to help the love of my life, I got to be a hero in front of him". HAHAHA.

Noticed what's wrong with myself in my dream? I didn't even wait to see what Sergio's reaction would be after I was punched, I did not even allow myself to be thanked at. And I completely forgot Nando! hahaha. When I woke up, I touched my left cheek instinctively. LOL.

---

September 2

I learned that my crush in one of my classes is a football fan, and not only that, he supports Real Madrid. Okay, I kinda inferred all these conclusions based from my observation.

Two days before, I discovered his full name, his student number. Two days after I discovered his course and that he's a RM fan.

I may sound like a stalker but then he was late for our class. He passed by my side and at first I saw his bag, there was a Real word I read, and then I saw that it's from Adidas, and when I saw the bag fully, it is indeed Real Madrid.

I would have ignored it if his bag was La Furia Roja or some other country who played for FIFA, but then Real freakin' Madrid? Of all the bags he could buy, why that? It may be feasible if it was a merchandise from a team of the Premier League, but a team from La Liga? Wouldn't it signify that he watches football, maybe a big fan of it, he watches La Liga, and he supports Real Madrid and he knows Ronaldo, Kaka, Casillas, and even Sergio.

You might think I'm going gaga over a bag and it's no big deal, but for me it is. How many students from my university and even country, watches football? Moreover, how many of these pips who watches football, watches La Liga and support RM? See see seeeeeeeeeee? My crushing on him intensified ten-folds! LOLz. Plus his surname is LEE. If you know me, you'll have an idea how special the surname LEE is to me.

Last thing, if ever we become close (which will never happen), what will we talk about? Football! Isn't it weird? I'm sure I won't be able to stop talking about Sergio if ever that time comes.


So there you have it September, Sernando and Stam (his first name). SSS. Way to go! I hope I'm in for more surprises this September ;)

Home tutoring

(this will be an entry for my CRes 110 journal xD)

Yesterday, I was irked by the idea of having to tutor someone from Cavite when I was supposed to be working in Quezon City + the fact that I was supposed to help someone study in his/her college exam (gaahh, I forgot all those maths and sciences) and that it's Saturday (I haven't indicated that I'm available on Saturdays)

But, I am happy I did.

My mom accompanied me to the place (since she's scared that I'll get lost), and when we went there, we can't find the house. Can you imagine my temper back then? I woke up at 5:30, reviewed the previous night for the review materials (when I was supposed to be reviewing for my exams) and when I arrived at the place, the house was nonexistent, there were a lot of barking dogs and the temperature's irritating.

Fastforward. We found the house. My mom left, and I was alone with the mother of my tutee. At first I thought she was scary and the matapobre type, but then after some time, she turned out to be kalog and talkative, she even called me car, lol.

About my tutee, his name's Simon and he's such a good kid. He listens well, he's an enthusiastic learner, he calls me ma'am and he never gets bored studying. I told him that he's so unlike other students (who are too lazy to study), and his reply was "why would they don't want to learn?". Isn't he sweet? LOL.

We ate lunch together, and it was when Mon's mom talked a lot. She talked about a lot of things, and she's also a sweet lady, idk why, but she's easy to get along with, she's a Visayan, and she speaks in Visayan most of the times (she teased me that I should learn Bisaya). You know what? There's something about Visayan people that are endearing.

Before I left, his mom gave me two tupperwares of (derma) soap. HAHA. See?

Thinking back to my experience today, I am glad that I got to know Simon and his mom, and also that I was able to help Simon study (you should see his expression everytime he answered a problem which at first he thought is hard). I think times like these are one of the most rewarding experiences of being a tutor :)

A short Great Barrier Reef video

LIECHTENSTEIN 0 - 4 SPAIN: Torres double helps Spain see off minnows

Fernando Torres enjoyed a goalscoring return to form as Spain routed Liechtenstein in their Euro 2012 qualifying opener in Vaduz. Two goals of the highest order sandwiched David Villas 43rd international goal (just one behind Raul now) with David Silva jumping off the bench to slot in Spains fourth. The world champions set themselves on route to retaining their Euro 2008 triumph with a typically classy exhibition, running rings around a determined but limited Liechtenstein. Indeed if it hadn't been for a stubborn display from home keeper Peter Jehle, several spurned opportunities and the intervention of the crossbar late on, Spain and David Villa could have been celebrating yet more goals. Liechtenstein coach, Hans Zaugg, remarked after the match that Spain are the footballing version of perfection. Yes they are Hans.