Those Were The Days.

Well just a few days back, my CG just got reshuffled. I didn't know it until the very last minute. Of course I was shocked and sad, but I knew it is for the betterment of everyone.

However, I was just thinking back on this move I made 6 months ago. Certainly it was worth it. Before I came to W396, I do not know whether was it a correct move for me. There were doubts running through my mind, but I just tell myself to give it a try to see if things work out.

Without knowing it, these people that I knew for the past 6 months had helped me to find back the passion I once lost. Not only did I found what I've lost, I've always enjoyed the moments that we had together. Laughing at each others' jokes, sharing with one other what happened in our day, chilling after dinner, shopping trips, movie outings and so much more happy moments that it's impossible for me to list them down. Man, those were the days. Although I feel it's kinda short for me. However, it's time for move on and look forward to what's ahead of us. I'm sure there will be even more glorious moments spent.

Here I wanna say thank you to Carol, Patrick, Stuart, Nicholas, Wai Keat, Chow Jie, Abigail, Rachel, Althea, Gek Shan, Grace, Diane, Hae Jin and Stacy. You guys just changed my life and helped me to find back that the passion. Thank you W396! =)

Fairytale Ending

Anything can happen in football. I'm sure those of you out there who are football fans, you would surely have witnessed countless of David VS Goliath or Underdogs VS Favourites scenarios. Yesterday Asian Cup 2007 Final wasn't any exception. For those who watched the match yesterday, it was a match between war-torn country and underdogs, Iraq VS oil-riched country and tournament favourites, Saudi Arabia. This was the Iraqis' first Asian Cup final. It was a match they wanted to win so much for their people who are suffering back home.

You might wonder what on earth is a war-torn country like Iraq is doing in this match? Yes you might wonder, but what touch my heart was that, the trials and tribulations that this Iraq football team had to go through. Various coaches quit amidst of death threats, football officials of Iraq being kidnapped and killed, social tensions that has been going on in the country, suicide bombings, playing in a neutral ground like Jordan for their home games, sponsorship problems, even accomodation problems which they had only 7 rooms because the Iranian team refused to check out from their hotel, custom problems which some of their players couldn't get a work permit and had to arrive for the tournament 2 days before their opening match, and they also came to this tournament without proper training equipment. Their present coach for just 2 months, Jorvan Viera who is a Brazilian, had to unite players who are from different races to play together as a team.

However, for the Iraqis who are playing their first final match of this prestigious Asian Cup, wanted to win it so much for their people who are suffering at home in the midst chaos. From the first minute of the match, they played like there's no tommorow. They chased for the ball persistently as if their lives were depended on it and attacked the Arab defence continuously, wave after wave. Finally, the breakthrough that the Iraqis wanted so much came. In the 72nd minute, up stepped Nasrat Akram who floated a beautiful and precise corner kick from the right, and lurking right at the far-post unmarked was, Younes Mahmoud, who rose majestically and head the ball powerfully into the back of the net. He went ecstatic, as he ran off the pitch and celebrated passionately together with the rest of his teamates and the fans. For those who watched the match, you might just say it was the goalkeeper's mistake who was caught in no man's land, or the defenders' mistake, as they didn't mark him. Yes it's true, but Iraqis took their chance when it mattered most. Even the Indonesians who were attending the match were being happy for them, you can see them celebrating in the stands as if their country had won the cup themselves. Some of them were seen holding the Iraqi national flag and waving it madly while some painted their face with the national colours of Iraq.

Truly this was an forgettable night for the Iraqi footballers and their people. When the trophy was being presented to Younes Mahmoud who is the captain, and the player of the tournament. You can see his joy and the feeling of being relieved for his people back home.

Yesterday was a night that football had won in the midst of confusion, chaos and fear for the Iraqis. I knew that football can unite people but I never saw it with my own eyes until yesterday. How the Iraqi footballers from different races unite as one team, playing together cohesively and being disciplined in their tatics. Here I salute to the footballers, coaches, officials, fans and their countrymen of Iraq who have stucked with their country so passionately despite the trials and tribulations that they had went through.

I'm sure many who witnessed the match yesterday saw how football touched the hearts of many. Truly like what Brazilian legend and the greatest player of all time, Pele described football as: "The Beautiful Game". Indeed it was beautiful with a fairytale ending yesterday. =)

Cheeky Signs

I saw this article somewhere, and decided to post it. Haha. =)

- Guitar, for sale. Cheap. No strings attached.

- Smoking helps you to lose weight... one lung at a time.

- Success is relative. The more the successes, the more the relatives.

- My grandfather is 80 and still doesn't need glasses. He drinks straight out of the bottle.

- You know your kids have grown up when your daughter begins to put on lipstick, or your son starts to wipe it off.

- If your wife wants to learn to drive, don't stand in her way.

- Those of you who are drinking to forget, please pay in advance.

- Getting caught is the mother of invention.

- The surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is the fact that it has never tried to contact us.

Things we love to hate

Disclaimer: Before reading this post, I would like to say that this is not pun-intended. No one is being made fun of, its just that I found this amazingly funny and decided to post it.

Don't you hate:

- People who point at their wrist while asking for the time.
Well, I guessed you would reply back: "I know where my watch is, buddy. Where is yours?"

- People who are willing to get up to search the entire room for the TV remote, but they just refuse to walk to the TV and change the channel manually.

- When you lost or misplaced your things, people always says: "It's always in the last place you look."
Of course it is. Why would you keep looking after you've found it?

- People who ask: "Can I ask you a question here?"
Well, you didn' really give me a choice there, did you?"

- When something is "new and improved", which is it?
If it's new, then there's never been anything like it before. If it's an improvement, then it must not be the first one!

- When a cop pulls you over and then asks if you know how fast you were going?
Wouldn't you just love to reply: "You should know, you pulled me over?"

Creative Rhythms

I guessed I've not update my blog for 2 weeks? But it feels like eons man. Haha. In case you're wondering why my title is called "Creative Rhythms", its because I've finished creating a first draft of my website about drummers which is called "Creative Rhythms". *Rock on sign* Ok I paid the price for creating my website by not sleeping since 11/7/07, 7am till now just to finish my website. Thank God I've got no eyebags, lol. Anyway, I derived with a very powerful equation to keep me awake and energised yesterday morning: Red Bull + Chicken Essence = Ultimate Energy Drink. Wahahahaha. Yeah don't drink them together man, e.g. wait for 1 hour after you drank the Red Bull, then the Chicken Essence. *Confirm, Chop, + Guarantee* You will be awake! Haha. Ok I'm super tired now, I wanna SLEEP.

Transformers and KL gig

Wahaha I shall just sum up 2 great events that happened. Firstly, is Transformers the movie. Well, I watched it with my beloved CG last fri at Bugis Junction Shaw. This movie is so AWESOME that I will pay again to watch the 2nd time. The graphics and effects are just superb. The fighting scenes, comedy and plot are fanastic. It will keep you at the edge of your seat. Those who have not watched it, you better start NOW! Ok I shall not continue and spoil the show. After the movie everyone was feeling high man, all of them are talking about the highlights of the movie over and over again, ahaha. Then we went to fellowship at this place in Liang Seah Street called Can-Can cafe or bar, I'm not really sure though. Lol had a great time laughing and talking there. I went back around 2plus in the morning. =)

Secondly, is the gig that I performed in KL. Haha it was tiring but fun. Well I reach SF studio at 1.30am sunday morning and leave SG at around 2plus in the morning by bus, reached KL's Bukit Jialil Indoor Stadium around 8plus. Sound check and rehearsal at 10plus to 12. Walk to the "nearest" Carrefour for 1/2 hr, and ate at Shakey's Pizza(M'sia version of Pizza Hut). Kevin, Drew, Melvin and I ordered a 4 person set meal which includes 2 regular pizzas, 4 soups and 4 drinks. Lol we were so thirsty that we ordered another pitcher of Pepsi. Haha after that that we walked around the shopping centre but there's nth much. Yea then we headed down to the indoor stadium by a cab, reached there around 5.30pm. I saw a really big crowd queuing from all the various entrances and protesting to get in. Lol. Then I took a power nap for about 1/2 hr. After that we changed and rehearse everything on our practice pads and Boon gave us talk. Yea the highlight now, we went to our various entrance to standby for around 1/2 hr. Then we went up to the stage. I was feeling really high after seeing the whole stadium being fully filled with about 10000 ppl. Haha I got even high when I started playing and I found myself headbanging with what I'm playing. The crowd got high too, when they saw the sequence being played on UDMs, thats because I think they saw drums with colored lighting and water for the 1st time. Haha. After the performance, the crowd gave us a standing ovation. Woohoo! Lol when I was on backstage shifting the UDMs, a young female audience asked me whether is the UDMs made up of fire. So my reply was jus light and water, and I went off quickly, was really busy shifting the UDMs. Haha yup then we packed all the equipment onto the bus and went to a nearby MacDonalds. I got a Surf Up Fish Fillet meal and a banana pie, the drink was kinda cool because it was a blue color Sprite with crushed pineapple and everyone in SF was asking me what kinda drink was that. The fries taste so much better than the MacDonalds in SG because its not that salty. Haha. Then we headed for SG, fellowshipped in the bus. I knocked out at around 11pm all the way to the custom which is 2plus on moday morning. Then we headed to Kallang and the UDMs and various stuff to the warehouse. After that, we went back to SF studio and unload the remaining toms and drums. Everybody was dismissed from there. I took a cab with Valerie and Cheryl and I reached home around 3am monday morning. Yeah that's it and the gig totally was AWESOME and MIND-BLOWING! Woohoo! I just love it!