Dear Santa,
In addition to the 6 already qualified countries (South Africa, Australia, Netherlands, South Korea, North Korea, Japan), I would like the following countries to make it to the World Cup in South Africa next year: (in no particular order)
Brazil
Argentina
Paraguay
Chile
Ecuador
Denmark
Greece
Northern Ireland
Germany
Spain
Serbia
Italy
England
Russia
Portugal
France
Republic of Ireland
Nigeria
Cameroon
Egypt
Ivory Coast
Ghana
USA
Mexico
Costa Rica
Bahrain
Sincerely,
Dom
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Saturday, May 16, 2009
European Football Round-up this week. Of champions, relegation dogfights, retirements and much more
This weekend's league matchday in Europe saw Manchester United, Internazionale and Barcelona all emerged as champions of their respective league.
Manchester United, who needed just one point to seal a third consecutive league title welcomed Arsenal at Old Trafford. Facing a team whom they have just beaten twice in the last two weeks, Sir Alex Ferguson and his team must have fancied their chance of another comfortable victory in front of a capacity-filled 75,000 crowd. However, a much-improved Arsenal side took the game to United, but the match was a midfield battle with both sides constantly closing each other down and chances were few and far between. At the end of 90 minutes, United walked away with the single point they needed and were awarded a well-deserved 18th English league title. Also, an emotional Carlos Tevez may have well played his last home game for Manchester United after admitting that 'it would be tough to STAY at Old Trafford'. His future remains unclear as of writing this.
Elsewhere in the League, troubled Newcastle United dropped back into the relegation zone after a defeat at home to Fulham, with Senegalese striker Diomansy Kamara scoring the only goal which saw them retain their 7th spot, with only a point needed to secure a place in next season's Europa League (the old Uefa Cup). Also in Tyneside, Middlesborough are doomed after only managing a home draw against Aston Villa who were already guaranteed a European spot. With only 1 game left to play, they found themselves 3 points off safety. Sunderland have 2 games in hand. They visit Portsmouth on Monday night and welcome Chelsea next weekend in their penultimate game of the season. A win in either of the match will see them retain their Premier League status.
Next week, Newcastle United travel to Aston Villa, where they face the cruel truth that even getting a maximum 3 points will not be enough to guarantee survival while Hull City have got their fate in their own hands. Victory against a Manchester United team will see them staying for another season. A draw may still be enough, providing that Newcastle United fail to win at Villa. Newcastle United must win next weekend to hold on to whatever survival chances they have.
Meanwhile the league matchday in Spain and Italy saw Barcelona and Internazionale both became champions of their leagues respectively without even playing. In Spain, 2nd placed Real Madrid fell 3-2 to Villareal, with Joan Capdevilla scoring the winner in the last minute. In Italy, Inter's cross-city rival Milan also failed to win at Udinese, with la Zebrette triumphing 2-1 at Stadio Friuli.
With at least 2 rounds left to play for in Serie A and La Liga, we could well be seeing the relegation dogfights continue as we go into the final rounds in a few weeks' time.
In Germany, Wolfsburg opened up a 2 point at the summit after thrashing Hannover 96 5-0 in Hannover, with Bayern Munich only managing a 2-2 draw at Hoffenheim. A point against 10th place Werder Bremen next week could see Wolfsburg winning their first Bundesliga title ever since... I could ever remember. (They have yet to win anything since I started following football) Bayern Munich need a victory against 3rd place Stuttgart (who are still in the title race themselves) and hope that Wolfsburg lose at home to Bremen at the same time to have any chance of winning the league.
This weekend in Ligue 1 saw Olympique Lyonnais finally dethroned after 7 consecutive seasons. Bordeaux 3-2 win over Le Mans saw them 10 points clear off third-place Lyon, with only 3 games left to play. Lyon play Marseille today, where a victory for the Velodrome side will see them closing the gap on Bordeaux.
And finally, former World Footballer of the Year Luis Figo has announced his retirement from professional football. The news came in after Internazionale secured their 3rd consecutive Scudetto. The 36 year old finally calling it a day after 20 illustrious years where he has won numerous titles and personal awards as well as playing for some of the world's biggest clubs. Goodbye Luis Figo.
Manchester United, who needed just one point to seal a third consecutive league title welcomed Arsenal at Old Trafford. Facing a team whom they have just beaten twice in the last two weeks, Sir Alex Ferguson and his team must have fancied their chance of another comfortable victory in front of a capacity-filled 75,000 crowd. However, a much-improved Arsenal side took the game to United, but the match was a midfield battle with both sides constantly closing each other down and chances were few and far between. At the end of 90 minutes, United walked away with the single point they needed and were awarded a well-deserved 18th English league title. Also, an emotional Carlos Tevez may have well played his last home game for Manchester United after admitting that 'it would be tough to STAY at Old Trafford'. His future remains unclear as of writing this.
Elsewhere in the League, troubled Newcastle United dropped back into the relegation zone after a defeat at home to Fulham, with Senegalese striker Diomansy Kamara scoring the only goal which saw them retain their 7th spot, with only a point needed to secure a place in next season's Europa League (the old Uefa Cup). Also in Tyneside, Middlesborough are doomed after only managing a home draw against Aston Villa who were already guaranteed a European spot. With only 1 game left to play, they found themselves 3 points off safety. Sunderland have 2 games in hand. They visit Portsmouth on Monday night and welcome Chelsea next weekend in their penultimate game of the season. A win in either of the match will see them retain their Premier League status.
Next week, Newcastle United travel to Aston Villa, where they face the cruel truth that even getting a maximum 3 points will not be enough to guarantee survival while Hull City have got their fate in their own hands. Victory against a Manchester United team will see them staying for another season. A draw may still be enough, providing that Newcastle United fail to win at Villa. Newcastle United must win next weekend to hold on to whatever survival chances they have.
Meanwhile the league matchday in Spain and Italy saw Barcelona and Internazionale both became champions of their leagues respectively without even playing. In Spain, 2nd placed Real Madrid fell 3-2 to Villareal, with Joan Capdevilla scoring the winner in the last minute. In Italy, Inter's cross-city rival Milan also failed to win at Udinese, with la Zebrette triumphing 2-1 at Stadio Friuli.
With at least 2 rounds left to play for in Serie A and La Liga, we could well be seeing the relegation dogfights continue as we go into the final rounds in a few weeks' time.
In Germany, Wolfsburg opened up a 2 point at the summit after thrashing Hannover 96 5-0 in Hannover, with Bayern Munich only managing a 2-2 draw at Hoffenheim. A point against 10th place Werder Bremen next week could see Wolfsburg winning their first Bundesliga title ever since... I could ever remember. (They have yet to win anything since I started following football) Bayern Munich need a victory against 3rd place Stuttgart (who are still in the title race themselves) and hope that Wolfsburg lose at home to Bremen at the same time to have any chance of winning the league.
This weekend in Ligue 1 saw Olympique Lyonnais finally dethroned after 7 consecutive seasons. Bordeaux 3-2 win over Le Mans saw them 10 points clear off third-place Lyon, with only 3 games left to play. Lyon play Marseille today, where a victory for the Velodrome side will see them closing the gap on Bordeaux.
And finally, former World Footballer of the Year Luis Figo has announced his retirement from professional football. The news came in after Internazionale secured their 3rd consecutive Scudetto. The 36 year old finally calling it a day after 20 illustrious years where he has won numerous titles and personal awards as well as playing for some of the world's biggest clubs. Goodbye Luis Figo.
Saturday, May 9, 2009
ウルトラマン!!!!
Greetings dear readers, first off I apologize for the lack of posts for the past month or so. The reason for my blogging inactivity (apart from the background change) is none other than laziness and also the fact that my writing inspiration is at a drought at this moment (in simpler terms, I do not know what to post most of the time).
What I have decided to write today is all in the title of the post. ウルトラマン! It translates into Ultraman in English. Doesn't that sound all too familiar? Yes it does. Although shot way back in the 60s, kids like me who was born in the late 80s literally grew up watching these series when they were aired on Malaysian TV channels in the early to late 90s. (Along with Power Rangers)
The storyline of the series generally depicts giant monsters (or Aliens, usually one per episode, although there can be more than one of these villains on some occasions) threatening civilization (Japanese civilization to be exact, as they only seem to want to attack Japan). The only Earth organization equipped to handle these disasters is the 'Monster Squad', a special police force equipped with high-tech weapons and vehicles, as well as extensive scientific and engineering facilities. The team always consists of one captain and the Ultraman's human counterpart would ALWAYS be part of the team (never as captains though) And for some reason, the team ALWAYS finds itself overmatched by the monsters. This is when the main protagonist would transform secretly into the amazing, super-humanoid-powered giant from space—Ultraman. And at the end of each episode the Ultraman would almost without fail blow the bad guys into pieces by simply crossing his hands and emitting a deadly laser ray like this:
The most outstanding features in this series are, in my opinion, the monsters. As a kid I would get an orgasm in my brain seeing exotic monsters appearing in each episode. And I would be delighted if there were 2 or more monsters (3 being the highest number of monsters appearing in one episode as far as I can remember) because that would give Ultraman a tough time which he would usually end up in despairity. (I loved that, ALOT. Was that the very first signs of my sadistic nature which would come into surface in the future? Perhaps) Usually when the Ultraman is defeated another Ultraman from a previous season would then make a cameo appearance as the current Ultraman's saviour, and together they would beat the cr*p out of the monsters living life as usual. When you were about 4 or 5 I guess those were the defining moments in television which you would regard as epic and memorable. I'd probably post some pictures of monsters I remember seeing when I was younger, but that would take alot of googling, researching and recalling as I don't really remember their names at this moment.
That's all for now then.
What I have decided to write today is all in the title of the post. ウルトラマン! It translates into Ultraman in English. Doesn't that sound all too familiar? Yes it does. Although shot way back in the 60s, kids like me who was born in the late 80s literally grew up watching these series when they were aired on Malaysian TV channels in the early to late 90s. (Along with Power Rangers)
The storyline of the series generally depicts giant monsters (or Aliens, usually one per episode, although there can be more than one of these villains on some occasions) threatening civilization (Japanese civilization to be exact, as they only seem to want to attack Japan). The only Earth organization equipped to handle these disasters is the 'Monster Squad', a special police force equipped with high-tech weapons and vehicles, as well as extensive scientific and engineering facilities. The team always consists of one captain and the Ultraman's human counterpart would ALWAYS be part of the team (never as captains though) And for some reason, the team ALWAYS finds itself overmatched by the monsters. This is when the main protagonist would transform secretly into the amazing, super-humanoid-powered giant from space—Ultraman. And at the end of each episode the Ultraman would almost without fail blow the bad guys into pieces by simply crossing his hands and emitting a deadly laser ray like this:
The most outstanding features in this series are, in my opinion, the monsters. As a kid I would get an orgasm in my brain seeing exotic monsters appearing in each episode. And I would be delighted if there were 2 or more monsters (3 being the highest number of monsters appearing in one episode as far as I can remember) because that would give Ultraman a tough time which he would usually end up in despairity. (I loved that, ALOT. Was that the very first signs of my sadistic nature which would come into surface in the future? Perhaps) Usually when the Ultraman is defeated another Ultraman from a previous season would then make a cameo appearance as the current Ultraman's saviour, and together they would beat the cr*p out of the monsters living life as usual. When you were about 4 or 5 I guess those were the defining moments in television which you would regard as epic and memorable. I'd probably post some pictures of monsters I remember seeing when I was younger, but that would take alot of googling, researching and recalling as I don't really remember their names at this moment.
That's all for now then.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Battle of Britain - a random footie match analysis
One of my earlier intentions to have a blog running was to provide myself with an easily-accessible medium to ramble about football, which is literally my other religion. Unfortunately I've not had many posts about footie. The last one being a preview on the clubs for the Champions League last season, which was truly a long time ago. But after witnessing what was the most shocking of games I decided to give my thoughts and views here. It was a game between Manchester United and Liverpool - two of the most successful clubs in Britain with a long history of rivalry between them.
Pre-Match
The build up prior to kickoff has been tensed as usual. Something which is only too familiar when it comes to games involving the big four of the Barclay's Premier League. Both teams were in great form, having turned out victorious in their midweek Champions League first knockout stage clashes. Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United, who have not tasted defeat since last November when they lost 2-1 to Arsenal at the Emirates overcame Jose Mourinho's Internazionale Milano, who are on top of Serie A by two goals to nil, while Rafael Benitez's Liverpool came up with a vintage display to thump Real Madrid 4-0.
Off the pitch there was drama too in Wayne Rooney's interview where he claimed that growing up as an Everton fan he 'has always hated Liverpool'. And Benitez's press conference in January in which he infamously claimed the league fixtures have been pre-arranged to give Manchester United an added advantage and accused Premier League referees of constantly favouring the English Champions further intensified things. But since that notorious rant his side has gone on a streak of bad results, and they have gone from leading United by 7 in January to trailing by the same number in March. There is therefore no doubt that Benitez would like nothing but a victory against his side's fiercest rivals to prove a point. A victory for Manchester United at Old Trafford today will see them 10 points clear of Liverpool with a game in hand, which would ultimately knock the Reds out of the title race surely.
So at lunch time kickoff here in Manchester, England, Manchester United made a few changes to the side which knocked Inter out in midweek, with Park Ji-Sung coming in for Ryan Giggs on the left. Paul Scholes is replaced by Anderson in the middle of the park and Carlos Tevez preferred to Dimitar Berbatov who picked up a knock during the Inter game to partner Wayne Rooney up front.
---------------------van der Sar------------------
O'Shea-----Ferdinand------------Vidic-------Evra
Ronaldo-----Carrick-----------Anderson-----Giggs
-------------Tevez------------Rooney-------------
Liverpool lined up a with 4-5-1 formation. Fernando Torres is playing alone up front with Steven Gerrard right behind him. Albert Riera returned from suspension to play on the left of midfield.
---------------------Torres--------------------------
---------------------Gerrard-------------------------
Riera--------Lucas---------Mascherano---------Kuyt
Aurelio-------Skrtel---------Hyypia--------Carragher
----------------------Reina---------------------------
Match Report
A Ronaldo free kick 30 yards out deflected off the wall and was heading goalwards. Reina had the ball but the pace on the ball saw him bundling it before smothering it on his 2nd attempt to deny the rushing Carlos Tevez a simple tap in. That aside few chances were created early on, as both teams tussled out in midfield. Then on the 23rd minute Carlos Tevez played a delightful pass from the left to release Park Ji-Sung which caught the Liverpool defense off-guard. Pepe Reina left his line to come for the ball, Park nudged it away from the goalkeeper, and Reina's gloves, instead of getting the ball only managed to send the Korean tumbling. Penalty for Manchester United! Up stepped Cristiano Ronaldo to send it to the keeper's right. Reina went the right way but the shot was too powerful, and it ended up in the back of the net. 1-0 and first blood to United!
But the home side's joy was short-lived. 5 minutes later after the first goal Steven Gerrard sent in a long ball from the left hand channel. It looked like a tame pass and was too far for Fernando Torres to latch upon but Nemanja Vidic made the mistake of letting the ball bounce instead of clearing it with his head. In came Torres. Vidic tried to chest it back to his keeper but was outmuscled by the Spaniard, who went clean through on goal! Edwin van der Sar came out from his line to try and stop the Liverpool striker but Torres cooly finished to equalize the score.
Then the match pretty much went Liverpool's way as they looked the more likely to score. Right before the stroke of half-time Manchester United's defense was caught napping again. This time it was Evra at fault as he mistimed his tackle on Gerrard and conceded a penalty which Gerrard duly converted.
Manchester United came out with greater intentions in the 2nd half, as they dominated the final third of the field. Carlos Tevez thrice came close with half chances to draw the scores level. Then came the turning the point of the game in the 75th minute. Gerrard was played clear on goal, Vidic held him back and tumbled the Liverpool captain to the ground. There was only one thing in the referee's mind. Last man. Red card. And van der Sar was left standing by Fabio Aurelio's resulting free-kick. 3-1 to Liverpool.
Gerrard almost and should have made it 4-1 when Ryan Babel's instinctive backheel found him unmarked but the Englishman ballooned his shot well over the bar. Substitute Andrea Dossena then inevitably scored a fourth for Liverpool on the 90th minute to make it a goal-fest for the Merseysiders.
Post-Match Analysis
As it was in Anfield earlier in the season when Liverpool came out with a 2-1 win they had dominated in the middle of the park. Carrick and Anderson had no room to maneuvre what-so-ever. Carrick in particular gave a woeful display. Made a few mistakes in the first half which almost gifted the opponents goal-scoring opportunities. That said full credit to Liverpool who opted for a 5 man midfield formation. Lucas and Mascherano did a great job of closing down their opposite numbers. And Stephen Gerrard was his usual impeccable self. He was at the centre of all Liverpool's attacks and had a hand in all 3 goals before being substituted. My man of the match. Manchester United thought they've got everything under control after scoring the penalty. I thought that was the case too. To let in 4 goals and lose in such a manner was unthinkable, particularly when you know that all 4 goals came from their own mistakes and were therefore preventabl.
I think this could well be the first time Manchester United have conceded 4 goals in a match in recent years as far as I can remember. I have been trying to remember when were the last times they conceded so many. You've got the 5 nils to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge back when Massimo Taibi used to be goalkeeper which was probably 9 or 10 years back. And then a 4-3 defeat at Newcastle. 4-1 to Middlesbrough at Tyneside etc... Those were all played away from home.
At home you've got Real Madrid visiting a few years ago and won that scincilating Champions League tie 4-3 courtesy of a Ronaldo (the fat one) hattrick. That was probably the one and only time I've seen Manchester United conceded 4 in a game AT Old Trafford. But fair play to them. Real Madrid were at its peak back then and United had no answers to whatever Zidane, Figo and co threw at them. But at least the scoreline was respectable.
But I just could not believe what I saw today. To lose 4-1, at home, to your closest rivals was... quite literally unimaginable! It was not a bad team performance to be fair to the team, because like I said all the 4 goals were preventable because they were all conceded due to individual erros. I thought Nemanja Vidic had possibly one of his worst games for Manchester United. 2 mistakes and how dear they proved to be. The first one was erraticism of the highest level. For a defender of his calibre you'd be wondering time and time again why did he not choose to jump and head the ball clear. You simply don't let the ball bounce off your shoulder when there's a striker coming in at you. And then I think he was caught napping by the Liverpool through pass which led to his sending off. Usually you'd count on him to intercept those passes, but this time he allowed the ball to slip beside him and after making his turn Gerrard was already clean through on goal. He pulled Gerrard down. He was the last man. Inevitable red card. If he have had concentrated more you'd expect him to read and intercept those kind of passes. Simple as that.
The same can be said of Patrice Evra in the build up to Liverpool's 2nd goal. He read the pass a fraction too late and allowed Gerrard to come in for the through ball. That made him mistime his tackle to give away the penalty. Still, it was completely preventable nonetheless.
If there is one problem with United at the moment, it will be the fact that they've got too many players at their disposal to choose from. It's a good thing to have a big squad when you're playing in all 4 competitions in a season. But sometimes you can't make all your players happy, especially not when you've got 3 world class strikers to fill in for 2 starting positions. So far Sir Alex Ferguson has been using the rotation policy. But sadly it backfired today. Allow me to explain why I think so.
Sir Alex left Tevez on the bench for 90 minutes in favour of Rooney - Berbatov. But he knows that Tevez wants to play. And since Berbatov picked up a knock playing against Inter Tevez's selection to start alongside Rooney became fully justified. In other words, we all know that his first choice remains to be Rooney - Berbatov. But to keep Tevez happy he's decided to do field the Argentine against Liverpool. That plus the fact that Berbatov was not fully fit further aided his cause. First of all don't get me wrong about Tevez. He's a model professional and is anything but egocentric. On top of that he's a world class striker who can easily walk into any sides in the world. His contributions last season were immense. You never leave those kind of players on the bench. But unfortunately Tevez has found stiff competitors for the striking berths this season in Berbatov and Rooney, both who are of the same quality as Tevez is, if not better. Sir Alex would never let any of them leave the club. He'd be stupid if he does. But to make sure they all stay happy you got to have to play them regularly.
Back to the game. At 2-1 down it was sensible to make a few changes. And you don't leave your 30 million striker on the bench for 90 minutes when you're losing. In came Berbatov. And joining him were Scholes and Giggs. That was before the sending off. 3 attackers came on at the same time. Sir Alex's intentions were clear - to go all-out on the attack. And at that point I was thinking, bad idea. I was telling my mate these substitutions will affect the equilibrium of the team. After the trio came on Manchester United had 3 strikers and 3 midfield players. And tellingly all 3 midfielders were attacking players. It was a massive gamble indeed to be playing with NO holding midfielders. And Liverpool made them pay. When Lucas made the pass to Gerrard no one was closing him down. Had Carrick and Anderson still be on the pitch one of them would have been tracking Gerrard closely and that would have probably helped Vidic a little (who was still largely to blame for missing the interception the first time). After the red card and even before Fabio Aurelio had dispatched his freekick I properly announced to my mate that surely, surely there's no way back now. They were forced to play with only 3 at the back (with only 1 CB in Ferdinand). And then before the final whistle the fourth goal inevitably came. Manchester United have made it very very easy indeed for Liverpool.
To sum up this dreadful day, it will be an ugly combination of costly individual mistakes, questionable substitutions and selection dilemma. The first time Rooney, Tevez, Berbatov and Ronaldo all started together Manchester United lost 2-1 at Anfield. The next time they played together was against Stoke or Hull, when one of them came on as a substitute when they were 1 or 2 up. Sir Alex was hoping to play fantasy football in search of more goals. And yet the fantastic quartet failed to yield a goal in the remaining half and hour or so on the pitch. And this afternoon was the third time they have been playing together. And it ended up in a massive defeat. If you ask me, it may only be so coincidental that the team have not had much luck when all of them were on the pitch together. Although personally I would love to see all 4 play together but the truth is I haven't got the slightest idea myself on how to accomodate them in a starting 11. Do you play Berbatov up front with Tevez and Rooney and Ronaldo behind them, or Rooney and Tevez with Berbatov in a withdrawn role, maybe Ronaldo and Berbatov up front with Tevez and Rooney flanking in... What about in midfield? Where does Park play? What about the likes of Hargreaves and Anderson and Nani, not to mention Carrick, Fletcher. What about playing away in Europe, do you still insist on playing 5 across the midfield, and against a weak team, let's just field a starting 11 of attacking players so we get to win 10-0... Endless possibilities on how to line up. But for now let's leave that to Sir Alex to ponder upon. He will know what's best for the team.
As for Manchester United's season, it's far from over, despite today's heavy defeat. They're still 4 points clear, with a game in hand. Winning that one will see them go 7 clear again. Hopefully what happened today does not hamper their confidence. It will be disastrous if it does. See Arsenal for good example of crumbling on all competitions after losing 1 match. (2002/2003 v Bolton, 2004/2005 v PSV, 2006/2007 Champions League knockout v Liverpool) Anyway, I'm positive that Manchester United will retain the league title this season. And let's hope for more luck in both knockout competitions. (FA Cup and UEFA Champions League)
Doing the quintuple is not impossible!
Pre-Match
The build up prior to kickoff has been tensed as usual. Something which is only too familiar when it comes to games involving the big four of the Barclay's Premier League. Both teams were in great form, having turned out victorious in their midweek Champions League first knockout stage clashes. Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United, who have not tasted defeat since last November when they lost 2-1 to Arsenal at the Emirates overcame Jose Mourinho's Internazionale Milano, who are on top of Serie A by two goals to nil, while Rafael Benitez's Liverpool came up with a vintage display to thump Real Madrid 4-0.
Off the pitch there was drama too in Wayne Rooney's interview where he claimed that growing up as an Everton fan he 'has always hated Liverpool'. And Benitez's press conference in January in which he infamously claimed the league fixtures have been pre-arranged to give Manchester United an added advantage and accused Premier League referees of constantly favouring the English Champions further intensified things. But since that notorious rant his side has gone on a streak of bad results, and they have gone from leading United by 7 in January to trailing by the same number in March. There is therefore no doubt that Benitez would like nothing but a victory against his side's fiercest rivals to prove a point. A victory for Manchester United at Old Trafford today will see them 10 points clear of Liverpool with a game in hand, which would ultimately knock the Reds out of the title race surely.
So at lunch time kickoff here in Manchester, England, Manchester United made a few changes to the side which knocked Inter out in midweek, with Park Ji-Sung coming in for Ryan Giggs on the left. Paul Scholes is replaced by Anderson in the middle of the park and Carlos Tevez preferred to Dimitar Berbatov who picked up a knock during the Inter game to partner Wayne Rooney up front.
---------------------van der Sar------------------
O'Shea-----Ferdinand------------Vidic-------Evra
Ronaldo-----Carrick-----------Anderson-----Giggs
-------------Tevez------------Rooney-------------
Liverpool lined up a with 4-5-1 formation. Fernando Torres is playing alone up front with Steven Gerrard right behind him. Albert Riera returned from suspension to play on the left of midfield.
---------------------Torres--------------------------
---------------------Gerrard-------------------------
Riera--------Lucas---------Mascherano---------Kuyt
Aurelio-------Skrtel---------Hyypia--------Carragher
----------------------Reina---------------------------
Match Report
A Ronaldo free kick 30 yards out deflected off the wall and was heading goalwards. Reina had the ball but the pace on the ball saw him bundling it before smothering it on his 2nd attempt to deny the rushing Carlos Tevez a simple tap in. That aside few chances were created early on, as both teams tussled out in midfield. Then on the 23rd minute Carlos Tevez played a delightful pass from the left to release Park Ji-Sung which caught the Liverpool defense off-guard. Pepe Reina left his line to come for the ball, Park nudged it away from the goalkeeper, and Reina's gloves, instead of getting the ball only managed to send the Korean tumbling. Penalty for Manchester United! Up stepped Cristiano Ronaldo to send it to the keeper's right. Reina went the right way but the shot was too powerful, and it ended up in the back of the net. 1-0 and first blood to United!
But the home side's joy was short-lived. 5 minutes later after the first goal Steven Gerrard sent in a long ball from the left hand channel. It looked like a tame pass and was too far for Fernando Torres to latch upon but Nemanja Vidic made the mistake of letting the ball bounce instead of clearing it with his head. In came Torres. Vidic tried to chest it back to his keeper but was outmuscled by the Spaniard, who went clean through on goal! Edwin van der Sar came out from his line to try and stop the Liverpool striker but Torres cooly finished to equalize the score.
Then the match pretty much went Liverpool's way as they looked the more likely to score. Right before the stroke of half-time Manchester United's defense was caught napping again. This time it was Evra at fault as he mistimed his tackle on Gerrard and conceded a penalty which Gerrard duly converted.
Manchester United came out with greater intentions in the 2nd half, as they dominated the final third of the field. Carlos Tevez thrice came close with half chances to draw the scores level. Then came the turning the point of the game in the 75th minute. Gerrard was played clear on goal, Vidic held him back and tumbled the Liverpool captain to the ground. There was only one thing in the referee's mind. Last man. Red card. And van der Sar was left standing by Fabio Aurelio's resulting free-kick. 3-1 to Liverpool.
Gerrard almost and should have made it 4-1 when Ryan Babel's instinctive backheel found him unmarked but the Englishman ballooned his shot well over the bar. Substitute Andrea Dossena then inevitably scored a fourth for Liverpool on the 90th minute to make it a goal-fest for the Merseysiders.
Post-Match Analysis
As it was in Anfield earlier in the season when Liverpool came out with a 2-1 win they had dominated in the middle of the park. Carrick and Anderson had no room to maneuvre what-so-ever. Carrick in particular gave a woeful display. Made a few mistakes in the first half which almost gifted the opponents goal-scoring opportunities. That said full credit to Liverpool who opted for a 5 man midfield formation. Lucas and Mascherano did a great job of closing down their opposite numbers. And Stephen Gerrard was his usual impeccable self. He was at the centre of all Liverpool's attacks and had a hand in all 3 goals before being substituted. My man of the match. Manchester United thought they've got everything under control after scoring the penalty. I thought that was the case too. To let in 4 goals and lose in such a manner was unthinkable, particularly when you know that all 4 goals came from their own mistakes and were therefore preventabl.
I think this could well be the first time Manchester United have conceded 4 goals in a match in recent years as far as I can remember. I have been trying to remember when were the last times they conceded so many. You've got the 5 nils to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge back when Massimo Taibi used to be goalkeeper which was probably 9 or 10 years back. And then a 4-3 defeat at Newcastle. 4-1 to Middlesbrough at Tyneside etc... Those were all played away from home.
At home you've got Real Madrid visiting a few years ago and won that scincilating Champions League tie 4-3 courtesy of a Ronaldo (the fat one) hattrick. That was probably the one and only time I've seen Manchester United conceded 4 in a game AT Old Trafford. But fair play to them. Real Madrid were at its peak back then and United had no answers to whatever Zidane, Figo and co threw at them. But at least the scoreline was respectable.
But I just could not believe what I saw today. To lose 4-1, at home, to your closest rivals was... quite literally unimaginable! It was not a bad team performance to be fair to the team, because like I said all the 4 goals were preventable because they were all conceded due to individual erros. I thought Nemanja Vidic had possibly one of his worst games for Manchester United. 2 mistakes and how dear they proved to be. The first one was erraticism of the highest level. For a defender of his calibre you'd be wondering time and time again why did he not choose to jump and head the ball clear. You simply don't let the ball bounce off your shoulder when there's a striker coming in at you. And then I think he was caught napping by the Liverpool through pass which led to his sending off. Usually you'd count on him to intercept those passes, but this time he allowed the ball to slip beside him and after making his turn Gerrard was already clean through on goal. He pulled Gerrard down. He was the last man. Inevitable red card. If he have had concentrated more you'd expect him to read and intercept those kind of passes. Simple as that.
The same can be said of Patrice Evra in the build up to Liverpool's 2nd goal. He read the pass a fraction too late and allowed Gerrard to come in for the through ball. That made him mistime his tackle to give away the penalty. Still, it was completely preventable nonetheless.
If there is one problem with United at the moment, it will be the fact that they've got too many players at their disposal to choose from. It's a good thing to have a big squad when you're playing in all 4 competitions in a season. But sometimes you can't make all your players happy, especially not when you've got 3 world class strikers to fill in for 2 starting positions. So far Sir Alex Ferguson has been using the rotation policy. But sadly it backfired today. Allow me to explain why I think so.
Sir Alex left Tevez on the bench for 90 minutes in favour of Rooney - Berbatov. But he knows that Tevez wants to play. And since Berbatov picked up a knock playing against Inter Tevez's selection to start alongside Rooney became fully justified. In other words, we all know that his first choice remains to be Rooney - Berbatov. But to keep Tevez happy he's decided to do field the Argentine against Liverpool. That plus the fact that Berbatov was not fully fit further aided his cause. First of all don't get me wrong about Tevez. He's a model professional and is anything but egocentric. On top of that he's a world class striker who can easily walk into any sides in the world. His contributions last season were immense. You never leave those kind of players on the bench. But unfortunately Tevez has found stiff competitors for the striking berths this season in Berbatov and Rooney, both who are of the same quality as Tevez is, if not better. Sir Alex would never let any of them leave the club. He'd be stupid if he does. But to make sure they all stay happy you got to have to play them regularly.
Back to the game. At 2-1 down it was sensible to make a few changes. And you don't leave your 30 million striker on the bench for 90 minutes when you're losing. In came Berbatov. And joining him were Scholes and Giggs. That was before the sending off. 3 attackers came on at the same time. Sir Alex's intentions were clear - to go all-out on the attack. And at that point I was thinking, bad idea. I was telling my mate these substitutions will affect the equilibrium of the team. After the trio came on Manchester United had 3 strikers and 3 midfield players. And tellingly all 3 midfielders were attacking players. It was a massive gamble indeed to be playing with NO holding midfielders. And Liverpool made them pay. When Lucas made the pass to Gerrard no one was closing him down. Had Carrick and Anderson still be on the pitch one of them would have been tracking Gerrard closely and that would have probably helped Vidic a little (who was still largely to blame for missing the interception the first time). After the red card and even before Fabio Aurelio had dispatched his freekick I properly announced to my mate that surely, surely there's no way back now. They were forced to play with only 3 at the back (with only 1 CB in Ferdinand). And then before the final whistle the fourth goal inevitably came. Manchester United have made it very very easy indeed for Liverpool.
To sum up this dreadful day, it will be an ugly combination of costly individual mistakes, questionable substitutions and selection dilemma. The first time Rooney, Tevez, Berbatov and Ronaldo all started together Manchester United lost 2-1 at Anfield. The next time they played together was against Stoke or Hull, when one of them came on as a substitute when they were 1 or 2 up. Sir Alex was hoping to play fantasy football in search of more goals. And yet the fantastic quartet failed to yield a goal in the remaining half and hour or so on the pitch. And this afternoon was the third time they have been playing together. And it ended up in a massive defeat. If you ask me, it may only be so coincidental that the team have not had much luck when all of them were on the pitch together. Although personally I would love to see all 4 play together but the truth is I haven't got the slightest idea myself on how to accomodate them in a starting 11. Do you play Berbatov up front with Tevez and Rooney and Ronaldo behind them, or Rooney and Tevez with Berbatov in a withdrawn role, maybe Ronaldo and Berbatov up front with Tevez and Rooney flanking in... What about in midfield? Where does Park play? What about the likes of Hargreaves and Anderson and Nani, not to mention Carrick, Fletcher. What about playing away in Europe, do you still insist on playing 5 across the midfield, and against a weak team, let's just field a starting 11 of attacking players so we get to win 10-0... Endless possibilities on how to line up. But for now let's leave that to Sir Alex to ponder upon. He will know what's best for the team.
As for Manchester United's season, it's far from over, despite today's heavy defeat. They're still 4 points clear, with a game in hand. Winning that one will see them go 7 clear again. Hopefully what happened today does not hamper their confidence. It will be disastrous if it does. See Arsenal for good example of crumbling on all competitions after losing 1 match. (2002/2003 v Bolton, 2004/2005 v PSV, 2006/2007 Champions League knockout v Liverpool) Anyway, I'm positive that Manchester United will retain the league title this season. And let's hope for more luck in both knockout competitions. (FA Cup and UEFA Champions League)
Doing the quintuple is not impossible!
Thursday, February 26, 2009
The first ever 'tagged'.
1) The person who tagged you is:
Val.
2) Your relationship with him/her is:
Not too sure to be honest.
3) Your first impression of him/her is:
What a shy kid hey!
4) The most memorable moments with her:
5) The most memorable thing he/she has said to you is:
6) If he/she becomes yr lover, you will:
Never let her go.
7) If he/she became yr lover, what should he/she improve at:
The way she thinks. Can't blame her though. She's 5 years behind. Was back then and always will be.
8) If he/she becomes yr enemy, what would you do:
Don't think that will happen but I'll probably just ignore her.
9) If he/she becomes yr enemy, the reason will be:
I've never made any enemies my whole life, not least with her! And I hold no grudges against anyone so I don't know the answer to this really.
10) The most desired thing you want to do for him/her now is:
11) Your overall impression on him/her:
Shy. Childish. Lanky!
12) The characteristic you love most about yourself:
My adventurous streak.
13) The characteristic you hate most about yourself:
The fact that I didn't always stand up to defend my POVs as much as I've wanted, even though they may prove to be substantially correct at times.
14) The most ideal person you want to be is:
Dom Ow
15) For people that care and like you, say something to them:
One love to all! High FIVE! It's NICE!
16) Pass this quiz to 10 ppl who you want to know how they feel about you.
I'm not full of myself but I really can't be bothered of what other people think of me these days.
To the person who 'tagged' me, cheers! It's my first time doing these kinds of questionnaires, and they're actually quite fun! The real reason for doing this though is to let you know more of me, since you filled in my name for number 16 on your blog.
I'm being really honest with the answers, and the truth can sometimes be a hard thing to swallow. I just hope you've become more matured and will not easily get offended by the answers I gave. Also, although I've been trying my best for the last half hour to remember the things to be filled in for 4 and 5... well, they just proved to be things that wouldn't spring to mind. I might have already forgotten about them subconsciously, or they were never meant to be part of my long term memory anyway. And 10. Well 10 is possibly just something I've never thought of in years, literally! But there's one last thing though which I'd like to take this opportunity to tell you. It's something I used to think about alot a long time ago. One of those crazy things that would naturally play about in your mind when you get blinded thinking about one person. I used to think about getting a wish. I'd use it. I'd wish for you to be born 5 years earlier, or me 5 years later.
Then you think it'd work. The next thing you wake up realising that there is so much more to do in life than to just think of one person all the time. And then you move on.
Val.
2) Your relationship with him/her is:
Not too sure to be honest.
3) Your first impression of him/her is:
What a shy kid hey!
4) The most memorable moments with her:
5) The most memorable thing he/she has said to you is:
6) If he/she becomes yr lover, you will:
Never let her go.
7) If he/she became yr lover, what should he/she improve at:
The way she thinks. Can't blame her though. She's 5 years behind. Was back then and always will be.
8) If he/she becomes yr enemy, what would you do:
Don't think that will happen but I'll probably just ignore her.
9) If he/she becomes yr enemy, the reason will be:
I've never made any enemies my whole life, not least with her! And I hold no grudges against anyone so I don't know the answer to this really.
10) The most desired thing you want to do for him/her now is:
11) Your overall impression on him/her:
Shy. Childish. Lanky!
12) The characteristic you love most about yourself:
My adventurous streak.
13) The characteristic you hate most about yourself:
The fact that I didn't always stand up to defend my POVs as much as I've wanted, even though they may prove to be substantially correct at times.
14) The most ideal person you want to be is:
Dom Ow
15) For people that care and like you, say something to them:
One love to all! High FIVE! It's NICE!
16) Pass this quiz to 10 ppl who you want to know how they feel about you.
I'm not full of myself but I really can't be bothered of what other people think of me these days.
To the person who 'tagged' me, cheers! It's my first time doing these kinds of questionnaires, and they're actually quite fun! The real reason for doing this though is to let you know more of me, since you filled in my name for number 16 on your blog.
I'm being really honest with the answers, and the truth can sometimes be a hard thing to swallow. I just hope you've become more matured and will not easily get offended by the answers I gave. Also, although I've been trying my best for the last half hour to remember the things to be filled in for 4 and 5... well, they just proved to be things that wouldn't spring to mind. I might have already forgotten about them subconsciously, or they were never meant to be part of my long term memory anyway. And 10. Well 10 is possibly just something I've never thought of in years, literally! But there's one last thing though which I'd like to take this opportunity to tell you. It's something I used to think about alot a long time ago. One of those crazy things that would naturally play about in your mind when you get blinded thinking about one person. I used to think about getting a wish. I'd use it. I'd wish for you to be born 5 years earlier, or me 5 years later.
Then you think it'd work. The next thing you wake up realising that there is so much more to do in life than to just think of one person all the time. And then you move on.
Friday, February 6, 2009
A to Z - the side of Dom you don't know
A follow-up from the '25 things about me' note on facebook, it's now the A to Z of Dom. Just thought of doing something random to kill time. Here goes, in alphabetical order of course:
A - Africa - Believe it or not, I really think that Africa is mystically fascinating. Would love to live in an African country one day if I could.
B - Booze (Beer) - Mmm... Beer... *drools*
C - Catchphrases - Constantly changing. As of now it is 'you like?', which is often used in place of the more proper, 'do you like [insert noun or gerunds here]?'. Deliberately sticking to it despite knowing that the phrase is grammatically incorrect.
D - Dexterity - Although born right-handed, I actually hold my pair of chopsticks with my left. Also left-footed.
E - Eighteen (the number) - 18. Nuff said.
F - Football - My other religion. Seriously. I follow it fanatically. Go AFC Wimbledon! Wombles 'til I die! But am shit at playing it.
G - Girls - Love 'em but probably not my number one priority at the moment.
H - Height - 182cm. Or approximately 5"11, according to my passport.
I - Idiosyncrasy - Or eccentricity, something which I do believe flows naturally in me. Thank you Borat. He nice man! I like!
J - Job(s) - Got 2 up the CV as of now, both as teachers. although my current 2nd stint working along the education line will probably be my final ever. My dream is to work for a roller coaster company and will look to start working in Oz once I graduate.
K - Kids - Oh what joy they bring!
L - Languages - Reckons myself to have the ability to pick up accents quickly. Grew up with the Malaysian one, picked up the American one off TV programmes, used to have the English one whilst travelling with my mate Tom from UK, and the Aussie from Nate and his friends from my time in WA. Would also love to learn a foreign language.
M - Mondays - Absolutely loathe them! Well I guess nobody likes Mondays after all.
N - Nature - I think I'm pretty conscious-minded about the environment. I actually avoid using styrofoam boxes, plastic bags and straws if I could.
O - Orientals - Oriental girls. I like! It's nice!
P - Pidgin - Broken English from Nigeria which I find really funny and interesting at the same time. Managed to pick up a few lines in Uni. Credit to Stanley, Dabibi and Abdul. (note: Pidgin English is not a foreign language!)
Q - Quote, favourite - Ralph Waldo Emerson on success.
R - Roots - Contrary to popular belief, I'm from a very Chinese speaking family, and I'm proud to embrace my heritage, culture and mother tongue. And I reckon whoever who is given the chance to learn his/her mother tongue but couldn't be bothered and doesn't see the need to needs a fix in the head.
S - Scrawniness - My body is pandemic to scrawniness ever since I can ever remember. A few bouts in the gym did help a little but still..
T - Theatrics - Am pretty good at it I must say. In both good and bad ways.
U - Uni Life - Reckons it as the best part of my life, so far.
V - Vocals - Did you think I was tone-deaf? Well, no, I can actually sing.
W - Wiggum, Ralph - My favourite character from my all time favourite animation series The Simpsons.
X - X-factor - Hmmmm.... I shall let the ladies decide.
Y - Yarns - Being able to communicate effectively is probably my strongest intellectual gifts.
Z - Zest - Great enthusiasm and energy. I'm full of both!
A - Africa - Believe it or not, I really think that Africa is mystically fascinating. Would love to live in an African country one day if I could.
B - Booze (Beer) - Mmm... Beer... *drools*
C - Catchphrases - Constantly changing. As of now it is 'you like?', which is often used in place of the more proper, 'do you like [insert noun or gerunds here]?'. Deliberately sticking to it despite knowing that the phrase is grammatically incorrect.
D - Dexterity - Although born right-handed, I actually hold my pair of chopsticks with my left. Also left-footed.
E - Eighteen (the number) - 18. Nuff said.
F - Football - My other religion. Seriously. I follow it fanatically. Go AFC Wimbledon! Wombles 'til I die! But am shit at playing it.
G - Girls - Love 'em but probably not my number one priority at the moment.
H - Height - 182cm. Or approximately 5"11, according to my passport.
I - Idiosyncrasy - Or eccentricity, something which I do believe flows naturally in me. Thank you Borat. He nice man! I like!
J - Job(s) - Got 2 up the CV as of now, both as teachers. although my current 2nd stint working along the education line will probably be my final ever. My dream is to work for a roller coaster company and will look to start working in Oz once I graduate.
K - Kids - Oh what joy they bring!
L - Languages - Reckons myself to have the ability to pick up accents quickly. Grew up with the Malaysian one, picked up the American one off TV programmes, used to have the English one whilst travelling with my mate Tom from UK, and the Aussie from Nate and his friends from my time in WA. Would also love to learn a foreign language.
M - Mondays - Absolutely loathe them! Well I guess nobody likes Mondays after all.
N - Nature - I think I'm pretty conscious-minded about the environment. I actually avoid using styrofoam boxes, plastic bags and straws if I could.
O - Orientals - Oriental girls. I like! It's nice!
P - Pidgin - Broken English from Nigeria which I find really funny and interesting at the same time. Managed to pick up a few lines in Uni. Credit to Stanley, Dabibi and Abdul. (note: Pidgin English is not a foreign language!)
Q - Quote, favourite - Ralph Waldo Emerson on success.
R - Roots - Contrary to popular belief, I'm from a very Chinese speaking family, and I'm proud to embrace my heritage, culture and mother tongue. And I reckon whoever who is given the chance to learn his/her mother tongue but couldn't be bothered and doesn't see the need to needs a fix in the head.
S - Scrawniness - My body is pandemic to scrawniness ever since I can ever remember. A few bouts in the gym did help a little but still..
T - Theatrics - Am pretty good at it I must say. In both good and bad ways.
U - Uni Life - Reckons it as the best part of my life, so far.
V - Vocals - Did you think I was tone-deaf? Well, no, I can actually sing.
W - Wiggum, Ralph - My favourite character from my all time favourite animation series The Simpsons.
X - X-factor - Hmmmm.... I shall let the ladies decide.
Y - Yarns - Being able to communicate effectively is probably my strongest intellectual gifts.
Z - Zest - Great enthusiasm and energy. I'm full of both!
Sunday, January 18, 2009
那些学生教我的事。。。
你们好！为了确保每个人明白我所要表达的讯息，我决定用华语写出想对你们说出的话。呵呵，其实我很高兴星期六那天能回去学校看你们！也真的想不到你们有些才长大两岁就学会用email和msn了。不过也好，不然你们也不会有机会到这里看我所要跟你们说的话了。
首先要说什么呢？不知不觉两年了。我长大两岁了，也有人说我比以前丑了！(给我知道是谁我就。。。！！）现在我已经不是以前的老师了。我还记得我走之前跟你们说过以后看到我时不要叫我老师，你们竟然忘记了！咳。。。我那天（17/1/2009）回去是特别为了探望你们的，哪里知道副校长叫我顺便代代课，结果没有机会跟你们好好谈谈。那天我刚好认识那位进你们班戴眼镜的陈老师所以才跟他借一点时间进你们的班。不然也没机会了。
说真的我不是不要去看你们，只是我实在每办法来。我现在是个大学生，在很远很远的地方读书（你们有些人大概知道哪里吧，不知道去问宋楚真！哈哈！），所以一年只可以回来一两次。我的大学年中就是7 月时及年尾12月到2月时才有假期。现在刚好在放假所以不是来看你们啦！我是特别为了看你们才去学校的，你们还说我什么，不守诺言（break promise）啦，太可恶了！:(
很高兴能看到很多熟悉的面孔，你们很多人都没什么变。怎么好像全部人都没有长高呢？还是矮矮的。谢谢有些同学送给我的。。。卡片？（还是纸张？）我一共收到了三封。谢谢你们！能再次看到你们也勾起了不少的回忆。你们看到下面用英文写的一篇文章吗？题目是 'The Substitute'。它是我那天回家后所写的，你们会看的就不妨去读一读，它是在说我两年前教书时的点点滴滴。你们不明白也不要紧，因为我写的英文是很深很深的。不过看得懂的同学就跟看不懂的解释吧！
其实我也忘了很多以前的事情了，我只知道你们有些很坏蛋。（现在还是）我想问你们当中有多少位是以前读2M的呢？我猜想应该有25位以上吧，对不对？ 现在我想考一考我自己的记忆力，我会写出你们每位同学以前和现在我所注意到的不同的地方，你们看下有多准。。。（我是跟着不懂是谁送给我的一张卡，前面有很多人的名字的那张，卡上的名字加上没有在卡上但我所记得的人我都回写）
名字是跟着那张卡上的秩序写的：
林思安 - 以前你不是很讨厌我吗？第一个跟我用msn聊天的同学，我以后读书时可能不能常常上网了。你的头发也留长了。真的要去澳洲吗？澳洲那里？是ｍｅｌｂｏｕｒｎｅ的话就可能会看到我了．
宋楚真 - 你很多话讲hor?? 嘴巴跟以前一样的？？谢谢你的卡片。还有生日快乐，那天忘了说。。
邓信怡 - 还是考第一名吧？你还记得我跟你说过什么吗？要时常谦虚噢。
郭雁梅 - 你以前跟王合怡坐在一起的是不是？千万不要打电话给我啊！叫全部人都不可以打电话给我，打给我的话我就以后不要睬你们了。
周咏旖 - chelsea!! 有没有刷牙齿？？其实我在全部人里面最想念的人是以前坐你旁边的David.我忘记他的华文名字了，有没有人可以告诉我呢？我觉得他是全班最可爱的学生！
魏颖盈 - 我记得有两个姓魏的，另一个叫魏孝萱是不是？她在4M班吗？
谢以恩 - 等一下！你才是以前跟王合怡坐的！你以前一直喜欢跟着我你记得吗？哈哈！
易万谦 - 个十百千万十万百万亿？？？
彭安妮 - 很乖的同学。。。记得你的脸不过我已经忘记你以前做过什么东西了，好像是图书管理员。。。
许棋霖 - 冰淇淋！！我要吃掉你！！哈哈！！头发还是那么少的？？
蔡思慧，蔡芷慧 - 我分不清出谁是谁了！那天好像看到蔡芷慧没看到蔡思慧。。等等，我记得有一个是很会讲故事的，是不是蔡思慧？？那么蔡芷慧是做什么的？哈哈！（ｏｋａｙ我想起来了，蔡思慧有大眼睛，蔡芷慧有小眼睛！哈哈！）
吕姵仪 - 最怕听鬼故事的人！哈哈！牙齿长出来了没有？头发好像也变了。。。
蔡（吉力）賲 - 现在打你的名字时我想起以前在学校有次用电脑打你名字时找打了很久因为。。对不起，电脑里没有你的 'jie' 哈哈！班长！！
严宗兴 - 头发多了，不过体重和性格没有变吧，哈哈！还是那么顽皮！
陈汉龙 - 第一个看到我都没有叫我？！还是那么害羞的。。
翁振豪 - 我记得你很喜欢眨眼睛的！哈哈！也还是瘦瘦的。。
陈小萦 - 你有戴眼镜的吗？？头发没变到。。
陈华翔 - 以前每次不塞衣服。。。
林健桦 - 我只记得你顽皮然后以前有一次哭，不过忘了是为什么？
吴素怡 - 好像有长高了一点，不过头发一样。哈哈。 对了你二年级时旁边那位很顽皮的男生是谁？我忘了他的名字，什么轩的？他有在4M吗？
王合怡 - 讲话声音很可爱。哈哈
汤晴曦 - 记得你说三年级时你会跌班，结果现在回到M班了！真的有努力读书吧？很好！我记得你好像很会唱歌的是不是？
杨孙权 - 最最最最坏蛋，嘴巴讲讲讲讲个不停的人。。。
区咏诗 - 我记得你因为你跟我同姓，哈哈
李馨凌 - 忘记你的'ling'是怎么写了。。。我记得你好像是第一个哭得人哦。。。你有一个妹妹是不是？哈哈。。
子健 - 每次都静静的。。。不过我忘了你姓什么。。。是不是陈子健？？
子轩 - 我好像没有看到他的？？跌班了是不是？？
怡宁 - 我也忘了你姓什么。。哈哈我记得你也是很乖很乖的学生！
深 － 有位同学我忘了叫什么深的，俊深还是健深，瘦瘦戴眼镜的。。。
总共写了30位同学。。。可能有些真的忘了没写下来。。。对不起哦！可能是你们太安静太乖了令我一时想不起来。哈哈！
有漏掉谁可以提醒我一下吗？
好了还有要说的是这是唯一一次写给你们看的，这里是我的部落格（ｂｌｏｇ），如果你们以后有来这里看我也应该没再写关于学校的事情了，因为它已经是我的过去了。现在的我不是老师了。我以后有空一定会回来再看你们的，今年可能没回来了吧，因为我虽然在放假不过我在别的地方有做工所以没空来了。
还有要说的是我以后教师节和儿童节都不可能来了，因为都碰上了我上课的时间。你们还有两年就要毕业了，现在看起来还很早，不过时间很快就过的，就像我一走就两年没看到你们了。下次不知道还有机会看到你们吗？你们六年级毕业时（２０１２年）我可能抽空飞回来看你们最后一次吧？
首先要说什么呢？不知不觉两年了。我长大两岁了，也有人说我比以前丑了！(给我知道是谁我就。。。！！）现在我已经不是以前的老师了。我还记得我走之前跟你们说过以后看到我时不要叫我老师，你们竟然忘记了！咳。。。我那天（17/1/2009）回去是特别为了探望你们的，哪里知道副校长叫我顺便代代课，结果没有机会跟你们好好谈谈。那天我刚好认识那位进你们班戴眼镜的陈老师所以才跟他借一点时间进你们的班。不然也没机会了。
说真的我不是不要去看你们，只是我实在每办法来。我现在是个大学生，在很远很远的地方读书（你们有些人大概知道哪里吧，不知道去问宋楚真！哈哈！），所以一年只可以回来一两次。我的大学年中就是7 月时及年尾12月到2月时才有假期。现在刚好在放假所以不是来看你们啦！我是特别为了看你们才去学校的，你们还说我什么，不守诺言（break promise）啦，太可恶了！:(
很高兴能看到很多熟悉的面孔，你们很多人都没什么变。怎么好像全部人都没有长高呢？还是矮矮的。谢谢有些同学送给我的。。。卡片？（还是纸张？）我一共收到了三封。谢谢你们！能再次看到你们也勾起了不少的回忆。你们看到下面用英文写的一篇文章吗？题目是 'The Substitute'。它是我那天回家后所写的，你们会看的就不妨去读一读，它是在说我两年前教书时的点点滴滴。你们不明白也不要紧，因为我写的英文是很深很深的。不过看得懂的同学就跟看不懂的解释吧！
其实我也忘了很多以前的事情了，我只知道你们有些很坏蛋。（现在还是）我想问你们当中有多少位是以前读2M的呢？我猜想应该有25位以上吧，对不对？ 现在我想考一考我自己的记忆力，我会写出你们每位同学以前和现在我所注意到的不同的地方，你们看下有多准。。。（我是跟着不懂是谁送给我的一张卡，前面有很多人的名字的那张，卡上的名字加上没有在卡上但我所记得的人我都回写）
名字是跟着那张卡上的秩序写的：
林思安 - 以前你不是很讨厌我吗？第一个跟我用msn聊天的同学，我以后读书时可能不能常常上网了。你的头发也留长了。真的要去澳洲吗？澳洲那里？是ｍｅｌｂｏｕｒｎｅ的话就可能会看到我了．
宋楚真 - 你很多话讲hor?? 嘴巴跟以前一样的？？谢谢你的卡片。还有生日快乐，那天忘了说。。
邓信怡 - 还是考第一名吧？你还记得我跟你说过什么吗？要时常谦虚噢。
郭雁梅 - 你以前跟王合怡坐在一起的是不是？千万不要打电话给我啊！叫全部人都不可以打电话给我，打给我的话我就以后不要睬你们了。
周咏旖 - chelsea!! 有没有刷牙齿？？其实我在全部人里面最想念的人是以前坐你旁边的David.我忘记他的华文名字了，有没有人可以告诉我呢？我觉得他是全班最可爱的学生！
魏颖盈 - 我记得有两个姓魏的，另一个叫魏孝萱是不是？她在4M班吗？
谢以恩 - 等一下！你才是以前跟王合怡坐的！你以前一直喜欢跟着我你记得吗？哈哈！
易万谦 - 个十百千万十万百万亿？？？
彭安妮 - 很乖的同学。。。记得你的脸不过我已经忘记你以前做过什么东西了，好像是图书管理员。。。
许棋霖 - 冰淇淋！！我要吃掉你！！哈哈！！头发还是那么少的？？
蔡思慧，蔡芷慧 - 我分不清出谁是谁了！那天好像看到蔡芷慧没看到蔡思慧。。等等，我记得有一个是很会讲故事的，是不是蔡思慧？？那么蔡芷慧是做什么的？哈哈！（ｏｋａｙ我想起来了，蔡思慧有大眼睛，蔡芷慧有小眼睛！哈哈！）
吕姵仪 - 最怕听鬼故事的人！哈哈！牙齿长出来了没有？头发好像也变了。。。
蔡（吉力）賲 - 现在打你的名字时我想起以前在学校有次用电脑打你名字时找打了很久因为。。对不起，电脑里没有你的 'jie' 哈哈！班长！！
严宗兴 - 头发多了，不过体重和性格没有变吧，哈哈！还是那么顽皮！
陈汉龙 - 第一个看到我都没有叫我？！还是那么害羞的。。
翁振豪 - 我记得你很喜欢眨眼睛的！哈哈！也还是瘦瘦的。。
陈小萦 - 你有戴眼镜的吗？？头发没变到。。
陈华翔 - 以前每次不塞衣服。。。
林健桦 - 我只记得你顽皮然后以前有一次哭，不过忘了是为什么？
吴素怡 - 好像有长高了一点，不过头发一样。哈哈。 对了你二年级时旁边那位很顽皮的男生是谁？我忘了他的名字，什么轩的？他有在4M吗？
王合怡 - 讲话声音很可爱。哈哈
汤晴曦 - 记得你说三年级时你会跌班，结果现在回到M班了！真的有努力读书吧？很好！我记得你好像很会唱歌的是不是？
杨孙权 - 最最最最坏蛋，嘴巴讲讲讲讲个不停的人。。。
区咏诗 - 我记得你因为你跟我同姓，哈哈
李馨凌 - 忘记你的'ling'是怎么写了。。。我记得你好像是第一个哭得人哦。。。你有一个妹妹是不是？哈哈。。
子健 - 每次都静静的。。。不过我忘了你姓什么。。。是不是陈子健？？
子轩 - 我好像没有看到他的？？跌班了是不是？？
怡宁 - 我也忘了你姓什么。。哈哈我记得你也是很乖很乖的学生！
深 － 有位同学我忘了叫什么深的，俊深还是健深，瘦瘦戴眼镜的。。。
总共写了30位同学。。。可能有些真的忘了没写下来。。。对不起哦！可能是你们太安静太乖了令我一时想不起来。哈哈！
有漏掉谁可以提醒我一下吗？
好了还有要说的是这是唯一一次写给你们看的，这里是我的部落格（ｂｌｏｇ），如果你们以后有来这里看我也应该没再写关于学校的事情了，因为它已经是我的过去了。现在的我不是老师了。我以后有空一定会回来再看你们的，今年可能没回来了吧，因为我虽然在放假不过我在别的地方有做工所以没空来了。
还有要说的是我以后教师节和儿童节都不可能来了，因为都碰上了我上课的时间。你们还有两年就要毕业了，现在看起来还很早，不过时间很快就过的，就像我一走就两年没看到你们了。下次不知道还有机会看到你们吗？你们六年级毕业时（２０１２年）我可能抽空飞回来看你们最后一次吧？
谢谢你们！很感动。。
想念我的鬼故事罢了是不是？！哈哈！
对不起楚真，我以后只是可能偶尔回来以下看看你们，不可能再教书了。。。
哇。。不要求我啦。。
做什么一直讲我失约的？我到底以前答应什么？我自己也忘了。。。
你们六年级时我尽量抽空来看你们毕业，好吗？
不过说了，以后教师节不可能可以来了。。。对不起!
希望你们可以一直在同一班吧
还有。。。
匆忙的匆写错了！哈哈！
这封是谁给我的啊？？
记得我给你们每个人写的那张纸条吗？
．．．当你在人生的旅途上遇到困难时，不要害怕，要相信自己，因为你是．．．
相信自己吧！
想念我的鬼故事罢了是不是？！哈哈！对不起楚真，我以后只是可能偶尔回来以下看看你们，不可能再教书了。。。
哇。。不要求我啦。。
做什么一直讲我失约的？我到底以前答应什么？我自己也忘了。。。你们六年级时我尽量抽空来看你们毕业，好吗？
不过说了，以后教师节不可能可以来了。。。对不起!
希望你们可以一直在同一班吧还有。。。
匆忙的匆写错了！哈哈！
这封是谁给我的啊？？p/s: 这篇我要跟你们说的话叫作‘那些学生教我的事’，因为是你们这班小孩子教会了我人生很多不同的东西。我想讲了你们也可能不明白吧。你们都还是小孩子，要好 好享受童年！努力读书很重要，但也要努力去玩耍！要有个快乐的童年。我觉得我教你们时给过你们的，不只是知识，还有快乐！
记得我给你们每个人写的那张纸条吗？
．．．当你在人生的旅途上遇到困难时，不要害怕，要相信自己，因为你是．．．
相信自己吧！
再见了小朋友们！ =)
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