The Superman bug...

... has not bitten me yet. Arnie has been pestering me all week to go and see the movie this weekend since he found out that I have a couple of free tickets to watch ANY movie we want. I said no. I don't feel like watching a movie this weekend. Of course, I did not tell him the real reason why. There are two soccer matches on Sunday morning that I want to see:

England vs Portugal, 12:30 am

Brazil vs France, 4:30 am

I know I'm nuts, but the World Cup only comes around once every four years. Superman can wait. Don't get me wrong, I am excited about the new Superman movie. Even my own mother has been talking non-stop about it and was actually trying to con me out of my free tickets. No way, Jose. Besides, I'm saving it for something else...



Johnny is back!!! Along with Orlando... yummy!

I am more excited about "Pirates" than anything else. I enjoyed the first installment immensely and I am looking forward to watching this film. I know it'll be an absolute hoot! Johnny is not only a hottie, but he is excellent actor. He can make you hate him with a passion and roll-around-the-floor laughing at the same time.

I'll watch "Pirates" first before "Superman". At least people can't accuse me of not getting my priorities straight. >wink<

The ugly side of the "Joga Bonito"

During the Australia - Italy game early Tuesday morning, the city was packed 30,000 strong, with huge tv screens allowing people to watch and soak in the atmosphere of the World Cup. Melbourne's own "Little Italy", Lygon Street, was overflowing with Italy and Australia supporters alike and it seemed like the whole event will go on without incident.

But also, I wasn't completely surprised when I read in the papers that there were a few people arrested for public drunkeness, throwing flares, and over enthusiastic fans goading each other and creating a ruckus. Story can be read here.

This, unfortunately, is the ugly side of the "Joga Bonito", the "Beautiful Game." Considering that the crowd was huge, the arrest of 14 people was not so bad. I guess it's not as bad as the other football leagues around the globe where people end up getting very violent.

And who can forget that poor Columbian goalkeeper who was killed by his countrymen a few years ago because he wasn't able to save a goal? It's just amazing how some people just don't have a life.

I do agree that soccer, the TRUE FOOTBALL, is a beautiful game that should be appreciated, but I find it idiotic that people get all riled up by something that is meant to be a friendly sort of competition. In the end of the day, it's only a game.


*****

On that note, congratulations to Brazil for winning against Ghana 3 -0. Also, kudos to Ronaldo for making it in the history books as the fellow who has scored the most goals in. He may have packed on a few pounds, but he still has that magic touch.

*****

I will try my very best not to talk about soccer in my next post. Please bear with me. Melbourne is a sport mad city and it's very hard to ignore :)

Cheers!

The dream is over...

Australians all over the world mourn the defeat of the Socceroos against Italy this morning. For a whole 90 minutes, the Aussies made a valiant effort of preventing the Italians from kicking a goal albeit a lot of opportunities that went their way. It all went pear shape when the stupid referree made a false call on Luke Neill and instead of fouling him or giving him a yellow card, he gave the Italians a penalty kick in the last few seconds of the game. Penalty kicks, as any soccer fan would know, are almost impossible to block regardless of which team performs it. Sure enough, Italy scored and won.

Bastard of a referree! He robbed us of an opportunity to go into the penalty shoot out which I don't doubt we have every chance of winning!

I stayed up all night and watched the game from 1:00 am till it finished around 3:00 am. I am now at work, all groggy, and majorly disappointed. But oh well... the Socceroos did a great job nonetheless. Australians have never been in the World Cup for 32 years and got through the group stage. Fantastic skills were displayed by every player in the team (well, maybe except for "butter fingers" Kalac).

I guess us Aussies would have to wait for another 4 years to get a shot at the Cup again.

Until then, I'll be cheering for Brazil... GO RONALDINHO!

Off to Round 2...

All Australia needed was a draw with Croatia to get through the second round of the World Cup and we did it!!!

Croatia's Darijo Srna kicked a goal two minutes in. Australia's Craig Moore kicked the equalizer goal around the 40 minutes mark. Come the 57th minute, goalkeeper Kalac misread Kovac's low drive from just outside the penalty area and gifted the Croats another goal. All hope was lost...

... until the man of the match, Harry Kewell, kicked the most important goal of his life in the 72nd minute, forcing a draw between the competitors.


Moore is joined by Harry Kewell as well as Cahill as dreams of a second round clash begin to blossom (Picture and caption from Herald Sun)


Before long Moore is mobbed by the rest of the Socceroos as the Stuttgart crowd goes wild. It set the tone for the rest of the game, with excitement rising every minute thereafter (Picture and caption from Herald Sun)


The man of the match, Harry Kewell, celebrates after the brilliant equalizer goal (Picture from Herald Sun)


Kewell enjoys the moment of victory with John Aloisi (l) and Tim Cahill (r) (Picture and caption from Herald Sun)

So we're on to the knockout phase of the competition. Our first game is against Italy. It'll be tough, but Australia's "Never Say Die" attitude can make mountains out of mole hills...

AUSSIE, AUSSIE, AUSSIE!!!

OI! OI! OI!

*****

On a different note, who can forget Brazil's spectacular win against Japan? Ronaldo, amidst all the talk that he is not performing well in Brazil's last two matches, proved that he is still the fabulous footballer that he is. He kicked two out of the 4 goals that won them the match.

Who said he lost his magical touch? (Picture from FIFA World Cup official website)


The Brazilians celebrating their win (Picture from FIFA World Cup official website)

But personally, I have a soft spot for Brazil and it is because of one man...

RONALDINHO

Move over, Beckham... here's my new footballer crush!

He may not be as good looking as the English captain, but boy he can f**king play! Tagged as the new Maradona and the man whom the great Pele himself praised as the new face of Brazilian football... he even asked for his jersey!

Check out his amazing website here.

If Brazil ends up winning the Cup (very likely), I'll cheer loud and hard... because of this man. What a hunk!

The Devil Wears Prada

I was just reading the news and saw that the book "The Devil Wears Prada" by Lauren Weisberger will be out as a movie within the year!

For those who haven't read the book, it's about a fresh college graduate who landed a job every girl could only dream about - as an assistant to a fashion magazine editor. In her case, the boss just happens to be the Oxford dictionary example of what "the boss from hell" means. The book shows her being pushed to the limit as her boss asks her the asanine and most ridiculous of tasks.

The boss from hell, Miranda Priestly, is being played by Meryl Streep. Anne Hathaway will be playing the naive Andrea Sachs.

Check out the trailer here.

You're probably saying to yourselves now, "Thank God that bitch isn't my boss." :)

Perks of management.....

I have been in my current role for a couple of weeks now. I have to say that having a high paying job has it share of perks as well as downsides. Firstly, I have a laptop. Yes, a laptop provided by work that I can bring with me wherever I go. Downside is that I have my personal laptop that I don't know what to do with, aside from using it for gaming, DVD recording, and expanding my already huge MP3 collection, which I can do with my work laptop. Sell my personal laptop? I suppose, but I like having my own things rather than just leeching off work equipment.

Secondly, I don't have staff. This is fantastic since I have been working with the same group of people for almost 6 years and I have reached the tether of my patience with one of my ex-staff members. Downside is that I do miss the regular chats that some of my more likable staff and I used to have.

Thirdly, I have a bigger, warmer, and nicer office than the one I had before. I have put up my own decorations, placed an indoor lucky bamboo plant, made sure that all my filing trays and cabinets are neat and in prestine condition. Downside? Well, I can't think of anything.

Last but not least, the workload is so much heavier than before. I have to deal with more people rather than just a small group. Now, I'm getting more calls from interstate managers, account managers, operations managers, and day-to-day operational employees.

At present, I am preparing for an hour-long presentation in the Southern Region Sales Forum for next Tuesday. I may have a week to prepare, but the actual preparation of the presentation, the equipment that I need, and the documentation that has to be prepared will be tedious. I'm not complaining at all... I do like being busy. It makes the day go by much faster.

On a lighter note....

... some stuff from blog things...

You Are Jean Grey

Although your fate is often unknown, you always seem to survive (even after death). Your mind is your greatest weapon, literally! Powers: telepathy and telekinesis, the ability to project thoughts into the mind of others, communication with animals

Which of the X-Men Are You?

So, I'm the nutter who destroys everything in its path? (according to the movie anyway)

I LIKE! :)

You Are Cookie Monster

Misunderstood as a primal monster, you're a true hedonist with a huge sweet tooth. You are usually feeling: Hungry. Cookies are preferred, but you'll eat anything if cookies aren't around. You are famous for: Your slightly crazy eyes and usual way of speaking How you life your life: In the moment. "Me want COOKIE!"

The Sesame Street Personality Quiz

I don't know what to make of this, but, yes, at the moment "ME WANT COOKIE!"

You Belong in the UK

Blimey! A little proper, a little saucy. You're so witty and charming... No one notices your curry breath

What English Speaking Country Do You Belong In?

I might be English in a past life, who knows? But I do love curry :p

New video...

Let's get one thing straight: I don't like James Blunt.

I was irritated by the song "Beautiful", more so when he released "Goodbye my lover", and that horrible video of the same song with Mischa Barton.

But for some reason, I like "Wisemen". It's bitter, it's angry, it's my cup of tea.

So, enjoy the video and the song... whatever...

Wisemen by James Blunt

She said to me, "Go steady on me.
Won't you tell me what the Wise Men said?
When they came down from Heaven,
Smoked nine 'til seven,
All the shit that they could find,
But they couldn't escape from you,
Couldn't be free of you,
And now they know there's no way out,
And they're really sorry now for what they've done,
They were three Wise Men just trying to have some fun."

Look who's alone now,
It's not me. It's not me.
Those three Wise Men,
They've got a semi by the sea.
Got to ask yourself the question,
Where are you now?

Really sorry now,
They weren't to know.
They got caught up in your talent show,
With you pernickety little bastards in your fancy dress,
Who just judge each other and try to impress,
But they couldn't escape from you,
Couldn't be free of you,
And now they know there's no way out,
And they're really sorry now for what they've done,
They were three Wise Men just trying to have some fun.

Look who's alone now,
It's not me. It's not me.
Those three Wise Men,
They've got a semi by the sea.
Got to ask yourself the question,
Where are you now?

First day of my new job...

... and I'm still sitting in my old office, twiddling my thumbs, yet to hear from ANYONE about moving into my new office! I know that management has agreed to move me today, but I have been sitting here, doing bugger all for 4 hours waiting... waiting... and waiting some more.

I have already driven to the city and have submitted my last school report which was due today, already had lunch, and I am still waiting. At least out IT support is doing something, that is setting up my laptop.

I know I only have a few boxes to take with me and that the move won't take that long, but Jesus! I want to settle into my new workspace, perhaps give it a bit of a clean or something.

Argh!!!


*****

On a different note, congratulations to the Australian Socceroos for defeating Japan last night (3 - 1) in the World Cup! Whoopee! We've won a game! Yay!


Saviour: Tim Cahill gets a hug from goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer after his dramatic double helped Australia to a 3-1 win over Japan in the World Cup. Picture: Reuters; Caption: Herald Sun

Thanks to the spectacular goal kicking skills of Tim Cahill, we managed to lead in Australia's first World Cup game since 1974.

Here's the equalizer that lifted the Aussie's spirit:



Since the cup started last Friday night, I haven't had a decent night's sleep. I have watched a lot of the games and am loving every minute of it!

GO SOCCEROOS!

AUSSIE, AUSSIE, AUSSIE! OI! OI! OI!

Exciting stuff

I am starting on my new job on the 13th of June, meaning I only have 2 full days in my old post, looking after the same old staff.

I am sure I'll miss them since I have been in this department for the past 5 years. It's been a long time.

But I am looking forward to working by my lonesome without any staff to look after. It's kind of nice to work at your own pace and just look after your own stuff.

I have already gone and bought some new clothes, signed the contract, and will be getting my first pay check on Friday. This particular position gets paid around every 10th of the month... damn, it'll be a challenge to budget for a whole month! For the past 6 years, I have been getting weekly wages so this will be a real challenge for me.

My boss is throwing a luncheon for me and my (old) staff on Friday. Really nice of him to do so.

Can't wait! So much to do, so much to learn, and a heck of a lot of travelling is on the cards :)

Watched X-men 3...

Spoiler Alert!

... and I can't believe they killed off Professor Xavier! Waaaaahhhhhh!

I don't know, it just seems unlikely for Jean-Luc to be killed off... oops, wrong movie :p

But anyway, I cried when he was killed in the manner he did. Imagine being disintegrated to nothingness... that's harsh!

Other than that, X-men 3 was a spectacular ride from start to finish. Sir Ian Mckellan, once again, has earned my praise for being an amazing actor. Funny how the role of Magneto and Xavier fell to two highly skilled Shakesperean actors... you can clearly see the fruits of their training :)

Hugh Jackman is clearly Wolverine. That bod! Truly a fine specimen of Aussie male! :)

Halle Berry is still a good Storm.

And Jean Grey... well, I feel sorry for her. She ended up killing the man she loves, killing her mentor, as well as putting Logan in such a difficult position. Imagine killing the woman you love for the good of all?

Iceman kicked butt!

Collosus was more of a mutant catapult.

Juggernaut was entertaining with that English twang of his.

I felt sorry for Mystique.

I felt sorry for Rogue and was a bit disappointed with her but fully understand her position.

I kind of felt sorry for Magneto in the end as well.

I am still sad about how Professor X ended up, but I guess the reason for that is I'm a big Patrick Stewart (Jean Luc Picard) fan. I just don't like seeing actors I like being killed off so mercilessly.

But X-men 3 is a definite goer. It's so worth it!

Irritating human behaviour

One thing that shits me sometimes about human behaviour is that some people constantly complain about being in an awful situation in their lives and yet they do not do ANYTHING to get out of it.

Take the case of this woman that I know. She got into a bit of trouble with the husband - let's just say she "kind of" cheated on him ("kind of" because it was neither confirmed nor disproved)- but all evidence seems to point to the former. After that, her husband has been treating her like shit. She still sticks around. Now, the husband told her that he has been having an affair with a woman at work since March, only a month or so after her alledged betrayal.

Will you still stay? Is there really hope for this couple to get back together? I don't think so. I believe that cheating on one's partner is the ultimate betrayal and warrants no forgiveness. This couple obviously thinks the same because albeit all their pretence that everything is forgiven and all hunky-dory, they constantly hurl verbal abuse to each other and act without the least bit sensitivity towards each other's feelings. It's a mad situation and I reckon they should just get out of it. It's really annoying. People like these are the ones that make me want to crawl into a cave and just live like a hermit - some people just can't help being stupid.

80s nostalgia

It's amazing that hanging out with a bunch of 30-something year old people constantly reminds you of the gold old days when having a perm, parachute pants, blue eyeshadow, and tight high waisted pants were considered the epitome of coolness. Fair enough that the fad is coming back, but this was the decade that launched a thousand mullets. I'm talking about the 80s of course!


Madonna in my ever favourite "boy-toy" look

The hairsyles, the make-up, the attitude, and most especially the music! This was the generation when kids had more disposable income than the baby boomers, that they spent it all on wacky, crazy fads. Amazingly, you see kids of today wearing the same thing you wore back when you were young. That is definitely a sign that you're getting old!


Pseudo Echo belongs in a "Funky Town"

In a way, I am stuck in the 80s. I still love the music, I still love the movies, and I am still in love with Robert Smith! :) I guess my generation, the "X-ers" are the last ones to be touched by this magical decade. This was the time when rap music did not sound the same, when most of the things your hear are virtually new, when the electronica sound was the in-thing (thank God for Depeche Mode and Tears for Fears), and when wearing make-up was the in-thing... although I could never get Arnie to admit that he wore eyeliner back then :p


Robert Smith, my lover in another lifetime :)


If I could only turn back time and have the chance to be a bit older living in England. I could be a groupie to some of my favourites... Robert Smith, Roland Orzabal, Morrissey (shame that two are happily married while one acts like a eunuch :p). Anyway, 80s fashion may come and go but at least the music lives on. It's amazing to hear that some of my new favourite artists like The Killers, Franz Ferdinand, and Interpol have The Smiths, Talking Heads, and The Cure as their main inspirations. 80s music continues to influence people and I am proud to say I am stuck in this era. So, bring on Ferris Bueller, Molly Ringwald, and St. Elmo's Fire :)