The Amazing Race 7

So, the show did start with a bang. With the 11 teams heading for Lima, Peru. Early alliance formed between Debbie/Bianca & Susan/Patrick. They ended up being the first 2 teams this week.

The celebrity team, Survivor sweethearts; Rob/Amber ran an amazing race, as Phil put it. They were the last to leave for the airport for the flight to Lima. Ironically, Rob had problem popping the car's truck. It was hilarious. Luckily for them, they managed to get a fellow American in Lima to guide them along the way & stayed among the top 3. They were easy hate targets of the other 10 teams; citing the reason that they had already won a million on Survivor; they would be disgusted to see them win another on TAR. Then beat them in their game & stop BITCHING about it!

Some teams got to a lousy start, like Uchenna/Joyce & Megan/Heidi. They made mistakes earlier in the game & were lucky to stay in the Race. But, I'm sure they would bounce back & show the rest the better side of them.

The old couple, Meredith/Gretchen surprised me with a sixth place finish amongst the 11 teams. Not that the old are weak, but they are generally slower & fare worse in terms of physical tasks. Kudos to the couple!

Of course there would be teams in romantic relationships. There's Ron/Kelly, the former beauty queen & POW of the US-led Iraq war. Amazing courage of Ron to survive through the hardships during his capture. Then, there's Ray/Deana. They are said to be dating on & off, what's that supposed to mean? It's either ON or OFF, i don't about you, but i hate indecisive people.

Ok, no eye candy this season; like Derek/Drew from the earlier season. But I thought Brian looked pretty cool. Ok ok, it's only the first impression; maybe i'll grow to hate him later in the Race. Also, there's Lynn/Alex; the gay couple. There are cute & funny. I thought they would suffer a penalty for not taking the ricksaw to the beach, apparently not.

Alas, it was Chuck/Ryan eliminated first from the Race. They lost out on a foot-race against Ron/Kelly. Sad to see them go, they looked real tough & would definitely give the other teams a run for their $$.

Okay, my rundown of the 11 teams. May Wednesday come sooner, can't wait.

Another 4 Voted off American Idol 4

Another 4 Idol hopefuls sent home

Aloha, David, Celena & Joseph were the 4 idol hopefuls voted off by America last week. Down to the final 16 hopefuls, America will vote off another 4 next week & you have your Final 12.

I thought Aloha, David, Celena & Joseph all did way better than Travis & Janay. I still don't get why Janay & Travis are still in the competition. Aloha may have picked the wrong song, but she oozes style & has lotsa potential, she's possibly another Jennifer Hudson (from AI3). Celena & David were kinda boring & i agree with the judges, they haven't be able to spring any surprises & make an impression. As for Joe, i guess his earlier performance pulled him down. He did okay this week, but his competitiors are too strong; except Travis.

If i can bring someone back to the Final 12, it would be Aloha. But, it's not gonna happen. No Wildcard Show this season.

Carling Cup Final : Liverpool 2 - 3 Chelsea

Devastating Defeat for Pool & fans (Gerrard, Carragher & Hamman dejected)

Alas, the dream of winning some kind of silverware ended in disappointment this morning (Singapore time). Liverpool was held to a 1 - 1 draw by Chelsea during normal time & had to battle during extra time, despite their fatigue.

Pool could have won the Cup in normal time, save for a freaked own goal by skipper; Stevie Gerrard. He headed Chelsea's freekick into his own net & left Dudek rooted to the ground, shocked. What's worse, the own goal lifted Chelsea's spirit & they continued to put pressure on Pool's defence. Hence, both sides had to play out the 30-mins extra time.

Following the quick goal by Riise (less than a min into the game!!), Pool played well during the first half & looked like they were winning this. However, Chelsea fought hard & constantly pressured the Pool's defense. Jose Mourinho's team are not one that gives up fighting easily, they were playing 4 strikers upfront to grab the equaliser. But, it was Gerrard whom gave them the lifeline in the 80th min; heading the ball into his own net.

Jose Mourinho got into trouble with the police authority & the fourth official & was sent off. Before the sent-off, he lost his temper & berated Finnan & Carragher from the sidelines for no reason whatsoever. After the own goal by Gerrard, he even gestured the Pool's fans to be quiet by putting his finger to his lips repeatedly.

The match was extremely explosive & fast-paced that really put both teams' fitness to the test. Both Pool & Chelsea showed signs of slowing down during extra time. It was Chelsea who scored first, with Drogba on the score sheet. Kezman followed suit & Chelsea were 3 - 1 up with only 7 mins remaining of the 2nd period of extra time. Though Nunez scored his first ever goal for Pool after that, it was a case of too little, too late. Chelsea walked away with a famous victory & Jose Mourinho is on his way for the chase of silverware, with the Carling Cup being the first.

It was extremely painful for me to watch, being a Pool fan. I seriously thought Pool would win the Carling Cup with the magnificent early strike from Riise & confidence they displayed during the 1st half. However, things were not meant to be & Pool lost the only 1 real chance of winning any kind of silverware this season. I saw Stevie Gerrard sitting on the pitch after the match & it must have been terrible for him. He would love to bring glory to Anfield by lifting the Carling Cup at Cardiff, but he turned out to be the hero-turned-villian with the own goal.

It's pointless to feel dejected with the loss now. Hopefully, they can pick themselves up quick enough to face off Newcastle in their next Premiership match & probably stage an upset against Bayer Leverkusen in Germany & advance further in the Champions League.

The body may be tired, but the spirit must prevail & move on.

1st FOUR outta running for AI

Melinda, Jared, Sarah & Judd outta running for AI

Alright, we have our first results show of AI4. Melinda Lira, Jared Yates, Sarah Mather & Judd Harris are outta running for the title of AI.

Who would have thought? I thought Janay sounded worse than Melinda & Sarah. Janay was a bunch of nerves & I wasn't able to make out what she was singing. For Sarah, i guess it's the choice of song....she chose an up-tempo song but didn't have the voice or attitude to carry it off. As for Melinda, i'm really clueless. Maybe America doesn't like her face? Who knows...

I shadn't comment on the guys as I missed their performances. But i heard Bo & Anwar rawks!! Keep watching, i figured more surprises are in store for us.

Liverpool 3-1 Bayer Leverkusen

Fine Win for the Reds against Leverkusen

Look at the scoreline, take a darn good look!
Did anyone expect this result for Liverpool without Gerrard, Morientes, Mellor & Sinama Pongolle? I'm so so delighted now, 'cause I didn't expect this at all.

When they go to Germany for the second leg in 2 weeks time, they might possibly have Gerrard in the line-up, if he stays injury-free. Maybe they could stage an upset & whip Leverkusen's a** & secure Liverpool a spot for the last eight in Champions League.

It would definitely be heaven if Leverkusen didn't grab a last minute away goal at Anfield. I'm optimistic about Liverpool's chances of reaching the last eight now.

Hail the REDS !!!

The Apprentice

Mr Donald Trump

Mr Donald Trump spun off to great success on TV with his endorsement of The Apprentice. They all said it & I agree with them. "All wanna be like him, but NONE wanna look like him". Hah, how sad is that. Maybe Mr Trump should start another reality series like Extreme Makeover, with him as the first surgery candidate to go under the knife.

I know i'm a hopeless reality tv junkie, I watch almost everything & anything. But, who can blame me? Reallity tv has such a intense attraction that draws you to the google box for each episode of every damned series.

I know that The Apprentice 1 is history ages ago, but Channel 5 is showing The Apprentice 2; which is also history as the series is finished in the US & Mr Trump has already has selected his 2nd apprentice from the reality series (Mr Kelly won, outdoing Jen M). You can check out www.nbc.com for more.

Well, of course I'm watching the 2nd season now. But there are always some very livid/colourful characters & media portrayal of the contestants. I shall mention a number from both instalments.

I definitely remember Bill Rancic as one of the most good-looking guys on season 1. What's more, he's already a entrepreneur before joining the show; he had his own cigar business. He has the million-dollar smile & charisma that always evolved around him.

His competitor, Kwane Jackson gave him good competition in fighting for the opportunity to be the apprentice. He was just as outstanding but less vocal. But I thought he blew his chances when Omarosa made things difficult for him during the final task; including "losing Mandy Moore", the star of the show at the Taj Mahal Casino.

Omarosa was a pain in the a** with her bossy attitude & she pissed everyone off on her team. She claimed a concussion when a tiny piece of cement hit her darn head. I figured that the cement suffered a worse fate, compared to her head. Hah !

Oh, and who can forget Heidi? She's the gal that drops the F-bomb ever so effortlessly, kinda like me....haha! She battled with her emotions when she learnt halfway during the show that her Mum has taken ill & had to undergo surgery to make things right. Kudos to the lady!

Ok, now comes the climax. Can you still remember the "romance" between Nick & Amy? They were so oblivious to the others & had them all guessing if they were for real. But, alas, Amy revealed at the end of the show that they are merely friends.

Ok, now comes season 2. There are more weird characters this time round.

Let me begin with Bradford. If you are an avid follower of the show, you know what i'm talking about. He forfeited his "exemption" & got fired in the most dramatic manner by Donald Trump.

Then, there's Raj; the man with the bow tie & walking stick. He always makes me laugh. Remember the Ciao Bella ice cream task? He looked like one whom really sells ice cream for a living at Times Square; with his bow tie & bermudas.

Not forgetting Stacie J, whom by far was fired in the most unbelievable fashion. She was accused of being "mad" & having a spilt personality & Donald Trump actually believed that! He ordered the other ladies from the suite back to the boardroom, to confirm that all of them agrees that Stacie J is a nutcase. I find it absurd that she was fired this way, being Donald Trump; i thought he would have been more methodical on this, then just relying on hearsay.

Ok, keep watching & I figured I'll have something on American Idol 4 soon as the Top 24 are finally selected.

If you have any comments, can reach me at looprevil4ever@gmail.com

Happy Chinese New Year

Happy Rooster Year....!!

So, the CNY holidays are kinda over & everyone is back at work; maybe except for some hawkers & shop owners.

Did you enjoy your ba-kwa & love letters? What about the ang-baos & the mahjong session? Chinese New Year (CNY) is such a joyous occasion & it's pig-out time with all the new year goodies & excessive food consumed during the reunion dinner.

I dislike CNY, maybe except for the fact that i can still accept ang baos; despite the fact that i'm already married/registered. According to the elders, you can still accept ang baos; as long as you haven't gone through the customary marriage rites. Hah, that's my favourite of the whole CNY.

You know the questions your relatives ask when you go visiting, there are a couple of "confirmed" questions; depending on the status of your love life.

If you are single & not attached (after 21 years of age & started working)
Relative : How come still no boyfriend/girlfriend? Not young already, don't be too picky, wait nobody want you then you know.
(what the heck, i mean surely i can't just pick any Tom, Dick or Harry as my boyfriend.)

If you are attached & not married yet
Relative : Got boyfriend/girlfriend liao, still don't faster get married? Not young already, gotta plan already; cannot give birth too late.
(bullshit, does it mean that as soon as i have a boyfriend; i should get married & start giving birth like a sow?)

If you are attached & registered your marriage with ROM
Relative : Got registered already good, can start to plan for your customary. Never go through the customary rites, not considered married...apply for flat already?
(not again, so i must go through the customary rites to confirm that i'm married? Isn't the marriage cert from ROM good enough?)

If you are married & gone through the customary marriage rites
Relative : Now married already, when are you planning to have kids? Quickly give birth lah, Government also encourage people to give birth, got reward mah.
(so, now what? I should give birth for the sake of government incentives?)

Sometimes, relatives are such pain in the a**. That's why i hated visiting during the CNY, you never know how to answer the questions. The worst thing, you get asked the same question at every relative's house you go to. So, to rid my agony; i decided to stop visiting this year at the expense of the ang bao $$.

So far, i have only been to my husband's place for visiting & i reckon there would be it for this year.

Freddy & Kendra - Winners of TAR 6

Freddy/Kendra Finishes FIRST......& win the million !!

So there you have it....the winners of The Amazing Race 6, Freddy & Kendra !!

The finale turned out to be so competitive & i really didn't expect Aaron/Hayden to be stumped by a bad cab driver & even gave up on the Roadblock & took a 4-hour penalty. I guess they were hoping that Adam/Rebbecca can't finish the Roadblock too & it would be down to who gets to the pit stop first as both teams would suffer the 4-hour penalty.

But alas, it was not meant to be. Rebbecca managed to find the lock that matters most & finished the Roadblock in fine form, lucky for her & Adam. Sheer bad luck for Hayden & Aaron.

So, with Hayden/Aaron eliminated; the 3 teams remaining began their last leg from China to Honolulu, Hawaii & finally to Chicago. It was actually betweeen Freddy/Kendra & Kris/Jon, as Adam/Rebbecca had to much time to make up for due to the last leg at Xi'An, China. It was really tight between the 2 teams, Jon & Freddy even did their Roadblock of skydiving together! It was that tight.

However, the earlier mistake of Kris/Jon came back to haunt them & i bet they must be kicking themselves for that. They booked a flight reaching Chicago 30 mins later with American Airlines, compared to Freddy/Kendra's earlier flight with United. The deficit literally killed their chances.

In the end, it was Freddy & Kendra whom reached the finishing line first. But first having to manuveur their own way to the finishing line as their cab driver was clueless of the final destination.

Nonetheless, i thought it was a fair finish with Freddy/Kendra winning it.

I guess we don't have to wait too long for The Amazing Race 7. Just went on www.cbs.com & realised that TAR 7 is premiering on 01st March 2005. Guess what, it features Rob/Amber from Survivor All-Stars.....kinda unfair. Amber has already won a million, why give her the chance to win another? But i guess, it's done by the producers to increase viewership. However, i didn't think they need Rob/Amber as the catalyst for increased viewership. They will get enough of that with the solid foundation & trills/adventures they put out every season.

Amazing Race ROCKS !!!

Suspected Dengue Fever

Sick & Feverish

I was very sick the last weekend, i spent like 4 days feeling like a ghost.

I had a high fever, with my temperature once reaching 39.8 degrees celsius. I thought i was about to die on Saturday when my muscle joints started to ache, watery stools & vomitting. I was sure that these are the signs for dengue fever. However, i couldn't muster enough strength to get my butt off the bed to go see the doc & i ended up sleeping through the whole Sat...

Sunday came & i was feeling slightly better, but i was still having a fever & the times i ran to the toilet for shitting got more frequent. I dragged myself outta the house & went to see the doc. I told the doc about the aching, fever & the runs & asked her if it could be dengue? She replied that it's too early to tell & asked me to monitor the temp. for another 2 days or so, if the fever persists; go back & do a blood test to ascertain if it's dengue.

I went back home & slept some more, still having a fever when i woke up for lunch; took more pills. Luckily for me, the fever began to clear by Sunday evening & i guess i needn't go back for a blood test.

But the 4 days of fever really freaked me out, i really thought i was going to die of dengue fever....that damn mosquito!

4-way Race next week....

Down to the last 4 teams

Woah, i seriously thought Adam/Rebbecca would be eliminated this week in Shanghai, China. Alas, it's the last of 3 pre-determined non-elimination legs.

It was a nail-biting finish this week, with Kris/Jon & Adam/Rebbecca vying for the last place. I was so elated when Kris/Jon reached Peace Hotel South in 3rd place, after nearly being run over twice by the horrendous traffic in downtown Shanghai.

Despite Hayden's whining & endless complaints, both Aaron & herself managed to finish first. Freddy/Kendra yielded Adam/Rebbecca for payback, though i thought it wouldn't have made any difference to the placings if they had yielded Kris/Jon. However, having to start the next crucial leg in a city where language is a big barrier would be a daunting task for Adam/Rebbecca.

I still hope Kris/Jon wins, can't wait for the season finale this coming Wed.....

LOTR

OMG...http://www.lordoftherings.net

I know LOTR is kinda like history now. But, I just finished watching the 3 DVDs during the last weekend. I know i have watched it once when it was screened at the cinemas, but watching it the second time was still awesome. You don't get that "adrenaline rushing" experience with that many movies now.

I adore Aragon (played by Viggo Mortensen) and Legolas (played by Orlando Bloom), they played their characters so vividly that totally memerised me. There were tons of other good performances by the supporting actors/actresses as well. Not forgetting Elijah Wood (Frodo), Ian McKellen (Gandalf), Sean Astin (Sam), Liv Tyler (Arwen) & many others.

Oh yes, who can forget Gollum.....

Peter Jackson is such an incredible director that I can't even begin to mention his greatness. I wished there were more of such great shows from the amazing Peter Jackson, but i guess exceptionally great movies are worth the wait & we would have to wait much much longer for another show like LOTR to come along.

Hail the cast/crew of LOTR......!!!

Lori & Bolo Eliminated

Married Wrestlers Eliminated

It was such a pity, married wrestlers Lori & Bolo got eliminated from the Race due to a silly error; which caused them valuable time.

You can't help but feel sorry for them, they were leading the Race throughout this leg; till they forgot to read the additional information that requires them to bring the admission tickets to the Lion's Rock. Having not read the additional info, Lori trekked to the vantage point w/o the tickets. She had to make her way to the foot of Lion's Rock to retrieve the tickets from Bolo, then make her way up again. The additional trip cost Lori/Bolo a closer shot in the Final 3 for the million dollar prize.

Now, the 4 couples left in the Race are all very competitive.

I see Kendra being the weakest link amongst the ladies & might cause both herself & Freddy to be eliminated from the Race.

Though both Kris/Jon & Aaron/Hayden are strong teams, i still prefer Kris/Jon to win this. Hopefully Hayden's whining & bossiness would cause her team's demise.

Although Rebecca is one tough cookie, i think & hope Adam would slow Rebecca down; and allow Kris & Jon to win this Race! Hahaha.....that would be the ideal finish.

Hmmm...

I don't know about you, but I visit xiaxue.blogspot.com rather frequently.
If you don't know her, where have you been?

She's the celebrity blogger of Singapore, featured on CNA/radio because of her blog. She was interviewed by the gorgeous/talented Diana Ser!

She's young & rather outspoken, she doesn't care about fellow bloggers whom are obviously revolted by her blog & remarks. Well, i admired her courage & her bold thoughts. But felt that she is sometimes very individualistic & tend to be oblivious to the feelings of other fellow bloggers.

But i must admit that her blog has a "mystery attraction" that makes you want to go back & re-visit, to check out her new blog entries. I'm not sure why, probably because of the pics she posts up there or it's the interesting bunch of friends she keep.
Ok, i know i'm kinda hopeless (i know who are her friends & even visited their blogs; Wanyi - http://potatomusmaximus.blogspot.com is a pretty girl & Eileen Tan - http://isis3939.blogspot.com is one hot-looking gal).

Hah, i'm so hopeless. Go check them out, it's kinda refreshing to read about what the younger are writing about & their train of thoughts. Warning, you can get addicted & go on to read all the bloody archives....hah!

p/s : Xiaxue is interesting, but i'm not a die-hard fan. She does put me off sometimes....

Jonathan & Victoria Eliminated from TAR

Hmm...

Finally, married entrepreneurs Jonathan/Victoria are eliminated from the Race.

I don't like the "Jonathan" protrayed by the producers of the show. However, if you had the time to go to www.cbs.com to take a look at the Insider videos. it seems like Jonathan is actually a rather nice person.

He loves kids, he's not abusive as the show made him out to be. It's all media portrayal, all shows must have a "bad" guy. Jonathan happened to be that guy on this season of The Amazing Race. Through the videos of their parting words, you realised that they really loved each other & Jonathan too takes responsibility towards their elimination.

Alas, 2 more weeks to the finale.

May Kris & Jon win this!

Theme Park - we didn't play...too bz gambling

Food covered by Raymond's hairy hand....

Me waiting for food

Princess Agnes & Sleeping Beauty Tabbi

Prince David, Yandao as usual

Hotel Theme Park

View fm our hotel room's window

Saved from Elimination

Non-Elimination saves Hayden & Aaron

Ok, the second of 3 non-elimination legs saved Hayden & Aaron from a premature elimination from TAR 6.

Both Aaron & Hayden are very competitive & often squabble over the smallest matters. You can see that Aaron is trying to tolerate Hayden for the sake of the Race & for their survival in the Race. The alliance they have with Freddy/Kendra irks me sometimes, when they are obviously not trusting each other.

Anyway, they are going to pull through the next leg without any cash; I'm sure of that. If Don & MJ can manage that while in Senegal, no reason Aaron/Hayden can't pull it off.

Nearing the finishing line very soon, any minor mistake by any of these teams would result in an elimination. I still hope Kris & Jon prevails.....they ROCK !

Unlucky Gus & Hera Eliminated

Father & Daughter Eliminated

*Sigh*
It happens, doesn't it?

Just when you thought there's no way Lori/Bolo are going to catch up after lagging behind the other 6 teams with a massive deficit; they fought hard & got back to first place.

Lori/Bolo were very very lucky that the museum only opened its door at 10am the next day. If not, i'm damn sure that they would be the last team to check into the Pit Stop & be eliminated this week.

It was just plain bad luck that Hera got hit by the gate & had to reach the Route Marker last. From then on, it was game over for Gus & Hera. Well, i was pretty alarmed by Freddy's reaction to the bump on his head by the gate outside the museum. Did he have to make such a big fuss? I thought Hera received a worse hit than him. But, then again; i guess he was damn pissed that he lost the lead.

Why does it not surprise me anymore? Jonathan breathing down Vic's neck & even made such a MCP remark - "That's why women don't rule the world". What the heck!? Rebecca was a trooper with that spicy soup....she was literally gulping it down without even tasting it.

Nonetheless, I still hope Kris & Jon win this. They are the only couple i see that is truly enjoying the race & shows respect for each other.