Scary

I know i haven't been blogging lately. I'm sorry to the visitors of my blog (if there's any).
I haven't been well lately, emotionally. But it's definitely affecting me physically.

I have been having scary thoughts that's very worrying. I keep seeing myself jumping off a building. I had the worst nightmare ever this Friday morning. I dreamt that I was knocked down by a vehicle just outside my office building. I still remember the dream vividly till now. I remembered seeing my "soul" leaving my body & was eventually looking over the bloody "me". I was startled by the dream at almost 230am on Friday morning, wide awake after I composed myself & told myself that it's only a dream. After that, I wasn't able to get to sleep.

I spoke to my pychologist friend about the dream. He said that I want to die sub-conciously, that's why I kept seeing such images and having that terrible dream. He mentioned that we don't usually remember our dreams that clearly. We might have been able to recall some details, but definitely not all of it. It's quite unusual that I remembered everything. The possible diagnosis he came up with was, either I am very stressed about my life or I'm really tired of living & want to end my life.

I don't know what to think now.

3 - 1 Victory over Kaunas

Zenden, Gerrard & scorer Carra


The Wonder Goal by Carra

There are so many things to cheer about this morning. Liverpool won the first leg tie against Kaunas, after suffering an early scare by the home side. We came back from a goal down & finally put 3 goals past the opposing keeper.

It was a convincing win by the Reds. Goals from Cisse, Carra (surprise surprise!) and a penalty from Gerrard sealed victory for Pool & they are virtually sure of being in the final qualifying round, we deserved to be in the group stages, definitely.


Crouch in the Liverpool jersey

Debutant Crouch was again rather impressive on field. Just look at those limbs, they looked like they would break at the slightest bend. But no, he has performed well during pre-season & is certainly worthy of the Liverpool jersey. Nope, i'm not singing his praises now. There's still much to be seen when the league starts.


Snagged this off Dirty Dan's blog (www.evild.blogspot.com)

Funny.

4 - 3 victory over Olympiacos

Lethal Strike Force - Baros, Morientes, Garcia, Crouch, Cisse

The newly assembled strike force of Liverpool is slowly taking shape & proving its worth.

The 4 - 3 win over Olympiacos last evening featured all of Rafa'a strike force, with Crouch coming close to scoring on 2 occasions & setting up Garcia's goal in the 1st half. Baros was all over the pitch in the 2nd half, setting up Morientes' goal.

The Czech striker was rumoured to be leaving the Anfield club after Crouch signed for Liverpool. However, he seems to be thinking otherwise. I would like to see Baros stay though, as i felt that he still had much to offer.

With the strike force nicely assembled, Rafael Benitez should start worrying about his defence. The defence wasn't very well organised, as we can see evidently from the 5 friendly matches we have played so far.

Peter Crouch

Goodbye Kiss to Saints

I know this entry is a lil' late. But I have been tied up with many things this week.

So, Rafael Benitez has confirmed the services of the ex-Southampton striker. The transfer fee was 7 million, the happiest party in this deal would have to be Crouch himself. He got away from a relegated side & was suddenly part of the European champions' squad, Liverpool.

It took a long while for this to sink in, I still can't seem to visualise Crouch wearing the Liverpool's jersey. It just seems so 'wrong'. Not that I have any doubts over his capability, but we haven't seen him in the European campaigns; which would form a large part of Liverpool's season. In short, un-tested.

I don't know about you, but I'm having serious doubts about this summer signing of Rafa.

6 - 0 Aggregate over TNS

Cisse Scores Again

Liverpool are through to the second round of the Champions League qualifers with an 3 - 0 win once again against TNS at Wrexham.

TNS' defence performed well to deny the Reds an goal feast. Carra captained the side with Gerrard on the bench for the 1st half. Cisse scored the opening goal in the 26th minute. The TNS keeper, Gerard Doherty was magnificent between the posts. If not for his great saves throughout the game, we might have won by a greater scoreline.

Gerrard only came off the bench in the 2nd half to score twice in the dying minutes to add to his hat-trick from the first leg after Djibril Cisse's opener, but even then it could not take away the glory from the Welsh champions who played their hearts out.

Good work from the lads once again, let's march on.

Owen - In or Out??

Goodbye Real & 'Back' to Liverpool?

Is Owen coming back to Anfield?
So, media reports says Owen is desperate to come back to Pool.

OWEN : I WANT TO COME HOME

Rafael Benitez already has plans to buy Peter Crouch & might not have enough cash to spare for Owen. Real has already set Owen's price at £18m, that would be too much for Liverpool; whom has already secured services of Boudewijn Zenden, Jose Reina, Mark Gonzalez, Momo Sissoko and Antonio Barragan. Figo is finally heading to Anfield too, for free.

I figured Owen could be heading to Manchester United after all.

Another 3 - 0 Victory over Bayer Leverkusen

Baros & Cisse

Liverpool nailed another pre-season victory against Bayer Leverkusen with a flattering 3 - 0 scoreline. 2 goals from Djibril Cisse and a second half strike from Milan Baros secured the win.

Rafael Benitez used the friendly match to give his players a run-out. French striker Djibril Cisse scored a first half double - his opening goals of pre-season. His French team-mate Anthony Le Tallec made the 2 passes that set up both goals for Cisse. The only disappointment was that Stephen Warnock was forced to leave the field following a collision with Paul Freier.

Benitez made a number of changes at half time, handing Momo Sissoko his first appearance in a Liverpool shirt as he lined up alongside Steven Gerrard in the Reds' midfield. Liverpool added a third goal after 56 minutes when Milan Baros netted his third goal of the pre-season campaign so far.

Good work by the Reds!

National Kidney Foundation

So, it has come to an end.
Mr T.T. Durai & the board of directors resigned from their posts.

Does that help the patients? Are the angry Singaporeans appeased?
I wonder.

Many Singaporeans are unhappy over the fact the Mr Durai lied, cheated & flaunted his riches. They are unhappy that their donations to the 'so-called' charitable organisation are being used to pay for his salary & luxurious lifestyle. What I don't get, does the CEO of a charitable organisation deserves a market rate salary or should he live like a pauper; earning a pittance salary?

Why can't the charitable organisation be run like a company? It has the various functions of what a company would have. NKF has been operating effectively to help the lower-income patients, helping them pay for the dialysis, it has consistently increased the number of kidney dialysis centres around Singapore, enabling more kidney patients to get the treatment they require; but cannot afford. All these have gone unseen by the angry Singaporeans.

I'm a donor whom contributes monthly, i'll still continue with my monthly contributions. I know for a fact, the whole sum of my donation doesn't seem much & maybe only a portion goes off to really helping the patients. But, at the least; i'm still helping kidney patients.

Very often, we jump to conclusions (no offence to anyone). We tend to see things too simply.

We base our 'facts' on media reports, form our perceptions based on what is perceived by the media. Media manipulation is always existing, the news/reports we read/see/hear are equally heavily edited & sensationalised. Not forgetting, the media scene in Singapore is not as liberalised; we only have 1 broadcaster & a conglomerate on its own. There is no room for a second opinion or the chance to form another perception by a 2nd broadcaster. We are not like U.K, USA or even our closer neighbours in Asia; where broadcasters are able to piece together a story/issue differently from another media broadcaster.

Ultimately, the broadcaster is out to make profit. Whatever news' coverage that would bring about more viewership, enabling ad slots to cost more; that would be it. Whether or not if it's 100% truthful or deceitful, as long as it sells. Bottomline, money talks.

So, just how much of what you read/see/hear over the news is true or how much is falsified? You have to decide that for yourself. Not forgetting, the broadcaster is probably state-owned.

Gerrard Scores Hat-Trick

LIVERPOOL 3 - 0 TNS


Centre of Attraction - Steven Gerrard

Liverpool have made a winning start to the defence of their Champions League crown after a hat-trick from Captain Steven Gerrard gave them a comfortable 3-0 victory over TNS at Anfield tonight.

Rafael Benitez gave Jose Reina his debut in goal, though he had little to do. The not-so-flattering scoreline meant that Rafa might not be able to rest as many 1st team players as he had hoped for the return leg at Wrexham.

The second half saw another debutant Bolo Zenden, since he last played in the friendly against Wrexham last weekend. Some gallant defending from the Welsh minnows kept the scoreline at 2-0. Towards the end of the match, skipper Gerrard displayed his magical touch once again & made the final scoreline 3-0.

Long Live the Reds !!!

Liverpool signs Mali midfielder - Mohammed Sissoko

Mohammed Sissoko from Valencia

Liverpool have agreed to sign Mali midfielder Mohammed Sissoko from Valencia, subject to a medical.

Sissoko was earlier targeted by Merseyside rivals Everton and will cost the Anfield club a signing fee of £5 million. Sissoko is a powerful, attacking midfielder has spent two years in the Spanish league after joining from Auxerre's youth academy.

Manager Rafael Benitez said : "He's a young central midfielder who plays a high-energy game with a high tempo. He's young, he's not bad on the ball and he will improve the balance of our team. He's had two good years with Valencia where he has won trophies. I know him well and he's a very good player."

It has been a eventful past month for the Reds. So far, we have secured the services of Middlesbrough's Boudewijn Zenden, Villarreal goalkeeper Jose Reina, Chile winger Mark Gonzalez and Seville full-back Antonio Barragan. If all goes well, we might have Figo onboard too.

Liverpool 4 - 3 Wrexham

Wrexham vs Liverpool

Liverpool played Wrexham at the Racecourse Ground on Saturday afternoon to warm up for their Champions League qualifer against TNS. They managed to pull off a 4-3 win over Wrexham.


Bolo Zenden's debut for Liverpool

Both Fernando Morientes & Milan Baros scored 2 goals each to seal the victory for Liverpool. Rafael Benitez also fielded new signings Jose Reina and Bolo Zenden. Gerrard also played since the contract saga earlier this week, he appeared in good form during the 45 mins he was on the pitch.

Troubled

Seriously, I'm troubled.

Though I'm happy with how things are progressing between my dearie & myself, we are due to get the keys to our place soon. We are still clueless about the renovations & we have had disagreements over how the works should go. But this isn't the main problem we have, I'm sure we can work it out.

I'm worried about a very close relative of mine (let's call him B). I'm not sure if I mentioned this before, he has cancer. He underwent one major surgery after painful chemo sessions to reduce the cancerous growth. A few months ago, there were cases of recurrance behind his heart. The doc suggested radiotherapy as it was too close to the heart to operate on. Once again, B went through the agonising pain of radiotherapy for a period of almost 3 months.

Luckily for him, the growth was discovered earlier & was successfully eliminated after the sessions. Per the doc visit this week, it was my turn to accompany B. The doc mentioned that the x-ray results seem to indicate another recurrance, but the blood tests are normal. The doc will keep monitoring & possibly do another blood test next month to confirm.

I'm really baffled, why do all the bad things happen to good people? Why can't B enjoy his old age in peace? He's almost 70 & it's really tough going for him to undergo the extensive chemo & radiotherapy sessions.

I'm really really sad & I don't know how much more of such suffering can B withstand. He's really really weak, not eating or sleeping well doesn't help. His healthy frame has been reduced to an almost skeletal frame. It hurts so much to look at him & much worse to hear from the doc that he might have to go through the dreaded treatment once again.

What can I do? I only want him to be healthy now, really.

Carra & Gerrard Sign New Deals

Gerrard & Carra put pen to paper

Steven Gerrard & Jamie Carragher have signed new 4-year deals with the Anfield club to put an end to the speculation of their future, especially Gerrard.

Gerrard's new contract will bound him to Liverpool till 2009. Gerrard mentioned that the signing of the new deal was a massive weight of his mind.

"It's a massive weight off my mind," Gerrard told Liverpoolfc.tv minutes after signing the contract.

"Over the last twelve months there has been a lot of speculation about my future and it hasn't helped my football. It's nice to sign a four year deal with no clauses to make sure this situation doesn't happen again.

"Next season you'll see a Steven Gerrard who has got a clear mind and who is focused on his football. I'll be a better player next season. I think the speculation has affected me, though not too much because I think at the right times I've still pulled out the big performances.

"It'll be different over the next four years because that speculation has gone and won't come back. I'm looking forward to playing with a free mind, relaxed and concentrated solely on football. Liverpool will get the best of Steven Gerrard because I feel ready to move into the prime years of my career. I'm only 25 and I think over the next few years you'll see me playing my best football and I hope to lead this club to more success and more silverware.

"I think the fans have put themselves in my shoes and they understand that it was difficult for me. Before it was too late I turned it around and decided I wanted to stay. I'm committed to the club, I always have been and I'll continue to show that over the next four years of my contract.

"I spoke to the manager and players and apologised to them for all the speculation that has been going on. I don't think it's been helpful for the team or squad. If we have a fully fit squad this year with Steven Gerrard on top form then we can bring more success to the football club."

Jamie Carragher has also signed a new 4-year deal in return of his consistently hard work last season, that saw the club winning the Champions League.

I'm sure that the signing of the duo would have boosted the confidence of the whole squad. We can now seriously concentrate on winning the league in the coming season. We have done the inpossible last season by winning the Champions League, when most people had written us off.

With the few signings Rafael Benitez has made this season, I believe we can now make a serious bid to finish 1st in the League if we can keep injuries to the minimal & our minds focused on the goal.

Gerrard Committed to Liverpool for Life

Stevie G. Makes the Right Move

Finally, the Gerrard saga is over.
It's been the toughest 3 days of my life, hehehe!

The skipper declares that he would be signing the extended contract & ensured that such incidents would never happen again. Gerrard has further mentioned that he's committed to Liverpool for life.

I sure hope this is true though, I'm sure that no one wants to see such things happening every 12 months.

Now He's Staying !?!

http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/drilldown/N149256050706-0857.htm

I don't believe this.
Just when all of us thought that Gerrard is definitely leaving, Parry says he STAYING now!

What's happening?

Skipper Gerrard Leaves Liverpool

Steven Gerrard Leaves Liverpool

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/headlinenews?id=336625&cc=4716
http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/drilldown/N149253050705-1435.htm

"The club has made it crystal clear we want to keep Steven at Anfield. Sadly, he has told us this afternoon that he will not accept our offer of an improved and extended contract because he wants to leave Liverpool. We very much regret the decision he has taken."

I'm so distraught that I don't know what to say now.
Entirely LOST...

Gerrard Crisis - Contract Talks Stalled

Stevie G

http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/mediawatch/drilldown/MW8480050703-1009.htm
I guess we all expected this, didn't we? Talks between the Anfield club & Gerrard aren't exactly going the way it should have been. To top it off, Real Madrid is reportedly willing to fork out £20m plus Argentine central defender Walter Samuel to lure the influential skipper to Spain. Real is also believed to be prepared to offer a staggering pay packet of £150,000 per week.


Boudewijn Zenden

Meanwhile, Dutch international - Boudewijn Zenden joins Liverpool from Boro. That would be an midfield boost for the Anfield club. The arrival for Zenden almost confirms that Diao would be departing the club after a 3-year spell at Anfield.


Mark Gonzalez

Benitez also seem to be securing a year-long loan for Mark Gonzalez. The 21-year old Chilean is posed for a temporary move to Anfied once his work permit is granted. Gonzalez has showed his strength and dribbling ability in the Spanish League and was recommended by Pool's first team coach Paco Herrera, who is a former manager of Albacete.

Let's hope all turns well for Gerrard's contract talks with Liverpool & he stays at Anfield. Fingers crossed.

Live 8

The repeat telecast of the concerts are still showing on TV, I had just submitted my name to be included in the list to be part of making poverty history possible. You should do it too, you only have to submit your name & email address online.

http://www.live8live.com/

The G8 – USA, Canada, Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Russia. They will meet later this year from 6th – 9th July in Gleneagles with Britain’s Prime Minister, Tony Blair; whom is hosting the summit. The world most powerful leaders would gather & could possibly make history for the poor. They have it within their means to double the aid, cancel the debts of Africa. They could make life very different for the millions of people in Africa.

This isn't just about the rock concert, this isn't about the celebrities, this isn't about the media hype. It's about the utter poverty in Africa. The sufferings of the African people, the unimaginable living conditions & the everyday hunger they go through. This is about LIFE, about how we could maybe influence the world leaders to do something about the dire situation.




Pics are from http://borgenproject.org/Pictures.html
Taken by leading photo journalists and donated by Corbis - Bettmann

* 640 million children do not have adequate shelter
* 500 million children have no access to sanitation
* 400 million children do not have access to safe water
* 300 million children lack access to information
* 270 million children have no access to health care services
* 140 million children have never been to school
* 90 million children are severely food-deprived
(info from http://www.unicefusa.org)

People die everyday in Africa due to hunger, let's at least do something to make the effort by Live 8 organisers worthwile.

This Is Cute

(please see video at sidebar)

The hippo always cracks me up, feeling like a kid again.

Major Major Setback

I got news yesterday that some MAJOR MAJOR changes might take place in the company during the course of the next few months. Heads might roll, we lost 2 very very major a/c(s) to our competitors.

Wish me luck, I'll need lots of it.