Earthly Harmonics

Diplomats Rocking it out at Akedemi Fantasia.

2008-04-20T22:22:00.004-08:00

Diplomats set foot at the Akedemi Fantasia Concert!!

Not knowing what to expect, we went with open minds, and lo and behold, it was a freaking great show!! They treated us with respect, looked after us like we were big time charlies (we are, actually!!) and met all of our sound requirements, plus the MPPJ Civic hall acoustics were world class, so it made our 4 drums sound like 100!!

The crowd went berserker when we did our final soundcheck, and went over the top when we played live!!

Even all the celebrities like Sarimah Ibrahim, Ramli MS, Hetty Koes Hendang, Ogy Ahmad Daud, and Adam went gaga over the dhol drums!! haha.... great great great show, i'm still feeling it.... warmth all over!! haha....

Special mention to the host AC Mizal!! He got the Dance spot on!! He got the words "BALLE BALLE, SHAVA SHAVA, Bruahhhhhhhhhhhh" all right!! Brilliant!!

Here's the clip, Enjoy!!:

Good Stuff

2008-04-11T01:00:00.003-08:00

Been a bit stressed up lately, lots of things to do... papers to study for, festivals to prepare for, practices, reharsals....

But I found a good way to release everything that was pent up... COMEDY COURT!! Our very own Allen Pererra and Indi Nadarajah and their hilarious antics!!

Got have a looksy... well worth it!

Across D' Universe

2008-04-09T03:42:00.006-08:00

Woits!

The gang will be putting up a set at the latest acoustic jam event to pop up in KL, called Across d' Universe.

The event is organized by the group called Sikhs with a Mission and the main intention of doing the event is to inspire young kids out there to reach for the stars. It is by no means a religious event, purely inspirational!!

Here's some posters to the event:

So, come one come all, its not restricted to Sikhs only, everyone is invited to come, plus, if you play an instrument, bring it along, there will be a massive jam session at the end of the nite!! woohoo....

Here's a map to the venue:

Lighter Side of Things

2008-04-08T05:35:00.002-08:00

Good ol' Lat... trust him to brighten up your day!! It amazes me that Lat never fails to see the lighter side of things when everyone else will be yelling doomsday!! haha... good on him!!

I came back yesterday after being stuck in a jam for 4 hours and was quite agitated and frustated and irritable, but one glance at this drawing brought a wide smile to my face and i started laughing like a hyhena for a good 20 mins...

So there you go, hope it brightens up your day just like it did mine!!

the illusion of speed...

2008-03-31T04:24:00.002-08:00

this image was taken using an old school, low mpx VGA camera; it was supposed to give an illusion of speed og my hands when i played the dhol drum,

but the whole thing was so blurry, that kate commented that, in the end, it DID give and illusion of speed, that when i played the drum, my whole body jiggled and wiggled about so furiously, so it was speed la... speed of the fats jumping around... hahaha

of ego and its consequenses

2008-03-31T03:28:00.006-08:00

EGO... oh god!! where do i even start? EGO... my god!!

it's way worse then the green eyed monster of jealousy, its way worse then having a short fuse... its way worse!!

it consumes a person from within and slowly eats away at what goodness and warmth that is left in him/her. its gives the ego-maniac a false sense of confidence and to the person, elevates them to a place in THEIR mind that FEELS like the top of the world, but in all honesty, ego only serves to alienate you from others, cause others to loathe you, make people hate you and feel like running a garbage truck over you over and over again....

I know this for a fact, as I was once a person that HAD a massive ego(to add to my already massive frame!!). My ego was so massive that not one other person could stand being in the same room with me, even for 2 mins!! it was so bad that even family members were keeping their distance, for fear of my backlash when they tried to bring me down to earth!!

i thought i was the best around and god's gift to humanity! nothing anyone said had any bearing on my self being, it was like I was god himself!!

it applied to everything that i did, be it in my studies, be it in my music, be it in my relationships.

in an ideal world, it would have been great to say that i saw the light one day, that god saved me... but the truth is, he didn't, i guess he couldn't be bothered about what i was doing, since i was so self consumed!

i have my good buddies satpal and jaggu to thank for that... they showed me a mirror of myself, and i didn't like what i saw, they tied my feet ball and chain to ground me, and the ran the truck over me over and over again... until i can to my senses....

i was crushed, defeated, humbled, ashamed, torn apart in pieces, rotting... for i saw me for who i was... nothing much at all... that all my life i had amounted to nothing!! not even a speck of dust... i thought i was the best musician there ever lived, but i had barely achieved anything of recognition... and so on and so forth... all my short comings were exposed and shown for what they were... just layers of lies and more lies... that i had build around myself... because deep down inside, subconsciously, i knew that i was nothing much... and that i feared of being ridiculed... so i created this persona of myself.... just to keep me happy...

anyways, many moons have passed and i am much changed!! i made right of all my wrongs when i was mr. EGO, and it has served me better....

and here, i give credit to GOD... many people were shocked when i took amrit(for the non-Sikh's, baptism) out of the blue in 2000. i did this not to find god or to look for a purpose in life, but, in all honesty, i need HIM to help me stay grounded... and by being a SIKH, i remain grounded... never has my ego popped up again... and it has done me a lot of good!

i put in a lot of work to improve my self in all aspects, being guided by the invisible hand of the GURU... and i have a lot to show for it now... and i will keep on working for fear of going back to my old self, and disappointing everyone that i love.

i can talk openly about it now, it wasn't easy back then, but i cant talk about it now as i have suppressed the ego and it will never rear its ugly head again....

my memories were triggered by a recent incident between two dear friends, both with ego's the size of a football field and both oblivious to it!! when push came to shove, and they were both exposed... it hurt them, more so one party then the other, some snide comments were made and both clashed... and when i say clash, i mean clash of the titans!!

needless to say, both parties have since drifted apart, and i can only hope that time will heal their wounded self being, and kill off their ego's... for the sake of everyone else around them, and more importantly, for themselves!!

so i you guys are reading this, please do not make the same mistakes that i made, do not take the same path that i took, for it is a path that will crush the weak... and at this moment, i dunno if your fragile self being can take such a massive blow!!

but, guys, no matter what, you are family, and family helps each other, and i will do everything in my power to repair the damage done to you first, and then between the two of you!! THIS IS A PROMISE OF AN ELDER BROTHER.

CONGRAT's...BAO's piping works!!

2008-03-13T07:09:00.004-08:00

Congrats are in order!! My good friend and former schoolmate at Victoria Institute is now a father....we were worried for a while that his piping might be faulty, but he sure as hell proved us wrong!! Mohd Khairil Amir Nordin (Alut/Bao) is now a dad!!

His wife gave birth to a beautful baby girl, Khaireen Afreena Bt. Mohd. Khairil on the 9th of March 2008 jam 2.42 pm (3.5kg).

Well done, I know it was hard work, (not that Bao didn't enjoy it!!), here's to hoping that you make great parents... the adage is really true then... "you reap what you sow"!!

Gigs... and a tad bit on attitude.

2008-03-13T03:32:00.005-08:00

The band went for a gig yesterday, specifically for the Heineken UEFA Champions League Super Draw.

Lotsa rude buggers around, lotsa tardy buggers around, and lotsa perasan buggers around.

But all was not lost, bumped into my good mate, Joey G (yes, from Channel V!!, im his percussionist!), Jaime Yeoh, Jien, Daphne Iking, and these guys were super nice and friendly. Event was hosted by Joey and Marion(also of Channel V fame, but i knew her way back from when she did makeup for me on Latte@8, so i guess she owed her fame to me!! and her face changed when i reminded her!! haha ;P), and it was to celebrate Heinekens partnership with the champions league!!

The band played a short piece for the event launch and left soonest possible. Couldnt stand the people around us... so many posers and fakers around.

Highlight of the day:

Jien posing for a pic with me, but with a message for my brother Jaggu!! He still isn't over THAT bet!! And guess what? I'm Gonna get him to commit to another daring bet!! haha...

FIREWATER - The Golden Hour World Tour

2008-03-08T22:56:00.003-08:00

received an email recently, it was to audition for a band that needed a percussionist for their upcoming tour. before i could even say yes or no, they contacted me and told me that the job had been taken!! their new percussionist is none other that my good friend and master drummer Johnny Kalsi!!

The band is called FIREWATER, they've got their own myspace page, you can hear some of their stuff by clicking here .

here's the confirmed tour schedule for the upcoming weeks:

8.04 FRA RENNES L'Antipode
9.04 FRA PARIS TBC
10.04 FRA LYON (FEYZIN) L'épicerie Moderne
11.04 TUR ISTANBUL Babylon
12.04 SWI GENEVE L'Usine Ptr & Soyouz
13.04 GER off -
14.04 CZ.REP PRAGUE Rock Café
15.04 GER DRESDEN Beatpol
16.04 GER BERLIN Tacheles
17.04 SWI ST-GALLEN Palace
18.04 SWI BERN Reitschule
19.04 AUS STEYR Röda
20.04 AUS WIEN B 72
21.04 GER off -
22.04 GER HAMBURG Logo
23.04 GER LEIPZIG Nato
24.04 GER BIELEFELD Forum
25.04 GER HANNOVER Glocsee
26.04 AUS DORNBIRN TBC
27.04 GER FREIBURG Cafe Atlantic
28.04 FRA off -
29.04 FRA TOULOUSE Garorock
30.04 FRA LIMOGES Woodstock Boogie Bar
1.05 FRA PONT STE.MAXENCE La Manekine
2.05 FRA CHALON S/SAONE La Péniche
3.05 BEL ANTWERPEN 5 voor 12

go ahead and check them out, they're great!!! you'll be guarenteed to have a great time!! will update this page with the latest gig dates soon i as i get em!!

its music from the HEART, with words that mean SOMETHING, and music that we ENDURE!!

viva la liberation...

2008-03-08T20:57:00.003-08:00

i did something today... which will never be known to the masses, but i must say it IS/WAS the single most liberating thing that i've done... and it took away all the stress, anger, and agony that has been building up in me over the past week since the demise of a dear friend.

i have to say a massive THANK YOU to Christy for pushing me to do it (although it took helluva long to get to this point) and for being there while it happened!!

this is what liberation does....

ask me personally and i will tell you what i've done and how good it makes me feel... simply fantabulous!!

missing posts....

2008-03-07T05:01:00.002-08:00

bugger... all my latest posts as well as drafts have gone missing... no thanks to the offer by the blogger people to upgrade my template....

oh well, lesson learnt now... next time publish everything straightaway!!

i've got two movie reports that i promised to be up on the blog... soon hopefully!!

till then... watch this space.

a lil bit of heaven

2008-01-12T23:20:00.000-08:00

here's the clip from our muharam jam, as promised... enjoy.

sorry i couldnt post more, the file was too big and raw data take up too much of bandwidth!!

the first steps...

2008-01-11T02:44:00.000-08:00

Miri, Inderpal and Danny came over yesterday... we were all in chardi kala mood (semangat nak mampus mood!!) as we were taking the first steps towards completing a project of ours...

They guys came over at abt 3pm and left at 11pm!! in between, we had pizza... oh, and we also jammed for a bit... not forgetting Christy... she came at 9.30pm... way too late to make a telling contribution, but she came nonetheless... that's more important!!

wished i had took pics to post, but sadly, none to show...

will eleborate more on another post at a different time and also post a clip of our jam session...only a snippet though...

stay tuned...

The year so far...

2008-01-07T07:25:00.000-08:00

2008 has started on a bright note...

- had a great new years eve at PJ Gurdwara with family and friends
- the band received some very positive comments from newspapers and magazines that covered the Wrold Drum Festival
- all my closest mates are in good health and wealth... thank god for that, now they wont be after me for money...
- the whole bunch of us agreed to revive and complete the dead recording project... our promise to continue my brother Jaggu's lecagy... TRIBUTE TO MARDANA Vol II will be complete soon!!
- the band received more good news from Jun Lin.... We will be kicking it on stage at the Penang World Music Fest, May 2nd to 4th
- my dear sis, Christy, is still in the running to win Cornetto Love Perhaps!

so, for now... everything is all peaches and cream... and i forsee 2008 to be a gallant year... a very gallant year!!

My Celebrity look a likes...

2008-01-07T01:05:00.000-08:00

haha.. try for your self at www.myheritage.com

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

2008-01-02T08:08:00.000-08:00

Hey people!!

Its been a great year 2007, but it's time to move on and leave the baggage of yesteryear behind and embrace a new year, 2008!!

The blog will be updated regularly(it's one of my new year's resolutions), and we'll take it from there!!

haha... great to be back after a hectic december!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Interpretations...

2007-12-10T23:48:00.000-08:00

This is a rather slow/late/delayed follow up to our first trip up to gentings two weeks ago. While up there, we conspired to interpetrate most or almost all of the singages put up in gentings, just incase anyone was from the OTHER side of the world... where they use grass tramplings and animal droppings as signages...

But efore I proceed, here's a pic of me in stiches... after i heard Jessy's kirtan Sound Story...

you had to be there to understand my tickles.... haha.... i almost died laughing that day...

Back to our Feature presentation...

Here's the one that got us started off:

to those of you you are going up for he first time, here's a new addition to the genting group, Hotel Lobi!! 7 star accomodation!!

comes with it's very own gangster car jockey service... with jockies like this, there's no need to worry about your car's safety... whether it comes back is a different story!!

just incase you cant read... the beautiful girl shows the way back to KL.. but if you cant read, whaddya doing reading my blog??!??

Special presentation:

sequel to stairway to heaven... stairway to geek...GICC!!

Now comes the real sign intepretations:

Walk this way...

Hump the Bump!! Cue the song of same title from RHCP!!

Hump the Bump while shooting the Stars!!

Next is a personal fav of mine, the Kangkang terkangkang series:

Kangkang Sikit sikit... nanti angin masuk!!

Semua pun kangkang...pakai seluar takpe... angin tak masuk!!

Ini macam panggil kangkang atasan... high kelas punya woo...!!

Kangkang terbalik berbalik!!

This one is... kangkang terbalik berbalik with a vengence... angin tarak masuk...kasi keluar juga!!

In between all that, Christy and Inderpal still had time to try and redo Kuch Kuch Hota Hai... Sejuk Sejuk Hota Hai!!

They found the flowers!!

Back to signages:

No Pooping while Parking...

Benggali kena tunda...this is wat happens when you are naughty... a cute chinese girl will come and tow you away...

but if you're too out of hand... a big, scary bhai fella will come and tow you away...Benggali menunda!!

No Child Services within 22 minutes of here... so... somebody gunna get hurt reel bad!!

Another Intermission:

Just incase nobody believed she was Chinese... she did the Jet Li "I'll kick your ass while spinning around the pole" move!!

Back to the signs:

Please hold all valuables!!

Just like i said, please hold all valuables!

As we were leaving, we met an old friend... back when Drew Barrymoore was still a kid...

need i say anything?

In true Bhai fashion, we ended the day with our anthem... Kita suda Berjaya

Bruahh... hoi Hoi!!

Bhangra Vibes at DANCE SPACE

2007-12-02T00:49:00.000-08:00

hey people!!

i will be at Dance Space Studio at Ampang... it's Paola's Mediterranian Bollywood party!! Satpal, Ravi , Paul, Jamal and myself will be the only drummers around and we will be turning the place upside down, ending the the party with a pure arabic & bhangra piece!!

will post pics as soon as i can!!

update: here's two pic from the nite... still waiting for the pics from Satpal.

hey yo from gentings, the reproduction...

2007-11-23T01:59:00.000-08:00

hehehe… christy was blogging from gentings , and this is the exact reproduction of her post...

and yes we did a spontaneous one and just drove up here…
equipped with the laptop and a camera, hevoc! mwahahahahahaha

here are some of the pictures just to show u that i’m NOT LYING!

oh and btw, before we got here, we got lost trying to get to inderpal’s house.. went all the way to sg. buloh hospital!!!
here is proof!

crazy cow… check out his eyes wei!
since they already did ‘black sheep’, the zombie sheep movie,
they might as well look into making one bout cows..
probably call it ‘the revenge of the pink zombie cows’!
ewww.. pink.. zombie cows… the HORROR!

christy grinning the moment we touched down.. hehehe…(she just had to take a photo of herself)
love the cold… aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa…. bliss

inderpal and rav looking like they’re on a tour

they have a new hotel..
hotel Lobi!
hehehehe… nonsense

my fav place to chill!
first world’s starbucks

hehehe… the inside of starbucks..
love this place..
nice to come here, sit, chill, think, do some work.. talk..
sigh~
bliss bliss

the obligatory restroom picture (once again....she's consistent i tell ya...)

us getting the coffee

the middle is christy's...
ice blended mocha with EXTRA ice! (any guesses for why she loves all her drinks cold...ice cold?)
weeeeeeeeeeeeee…… so damn nice
bliss bliss bliiiisssssss

me/rav looking like some indie lat with his long hair and laptop and coffe…
looks like he would break out into the whole ‘peace’ thingie
hahahahahaha

ok.. last picture before we go jalan jalan

i’ll/she/christy die a happy ass today
weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee~~~~!!!

bliss~

p.s. there’ll be some damn hevoc pictures coming up soon!

Rally? Really?

2007-11-20T01:34:00.000-08:00

Everyone would have heard about the recent "Bersih" Rally that happened two weeks ago. If you havent, get the hell out from under that coconut shell you're in!!

The "bersih" group plan was to gather 100,000 people from around the country, get them to wear ugly looking yellow t-shirts, and protest outside the high court... yeah... pretty high hopes... in the end, the managed to gather 10,000 people (which is no mean effort), mostly from the east coast, of which only a handfull wore the yellow tee's... but they didnt manage to get into merdeka square area cause the police brilliantly cordorned off the area.

the plan was to have a peaceful protest against the electoral system, get the public aware of the con jobs that happen behind the scenes during elections blah blah blah... noble intentions, no doubt, but the way they went about and did it was hillarious and plain dumb!!

1. traffic in this city came to an absolute standstill on the day of the protest. this was due to the police putting up roadblocks to prevent dodgy characters from entering the city. all forms of public transport were searched and many were ordered to turn back after searching was complete... u know that if it rains a lil bit also, the trafiic jam is terrible (which everybody complains about), some more want to have protest all... with people from PAS all joining... bloody arses... simply make every other person miserable, want to go and makan also cannot... haiyoo...

pity the shop owners... all lost business... add that to the damage that the protesters caused while running way... inconsiderate...

2. after marching all the way to merdeka square n you find that the place is cordorned off, just leave la.... some more wanna wait around and chant GOD's name all... wasnt it supposed to be a political rally and not a religous one? fools... if the nice policeman tells you to dispearce, just run la... some more try to force your way thru their line... they got no choice but to spray water n shoot tear gas up your ass la... then try to use some dodgy video from al jazeera to taruh the police for being violent... the SUHAKAM chairman was in the group to observe police action, he gave a loud and clear staement to all media the next day: THE POLICE AND RIOT UNIT ACTED WITHIN THE LAW TO BREAK UP THE RALLY, NO UNTOWARD TACTICS WERE EMPLOYED... and this coming from the body that always have something to say about the police and the tactics...

3. when kena spray and gas... not enough one round, one to go for second helpings... this time use small kids as sheilds... dah la rope this blur fella's to your dumb cause, use them as sheilds... bloddy cowards... why not step up to the plate? shame... now trying to deny all... the child protection act will get your ass.... just wait...

4. after all of this, still never learn lesson... still want to protest... march all the way to the palace to give your memorandum... very happy when memorandum was passed... went out and made press staement that the king accepted your memo, that the king also feels for your plight, that the king also agrees the electoral system is flawed, that the king also wants this fixed... blah blah... LAT's... when you were giving this statement, the whole country knew the king was back home in Terrenganu for the Endurance Challenge... we all saw it on TV one day before... so how did the king say all of this? the none week later... the palace called for press conferance... and hte king's offical statement was released: HALO, THE KING ALSO DOESNT SUPPORT THE RALLY LA... HE ALSO THINKS YOU GUYS ARE DUMB ASSES... long live HRH The KING!! why never kecoh when the king gave his statement? because that was the truth... and you were down right embarrased!!

let me give you some advice la... if you want to organize another rally... dont... save yourself the embarrasment... and let us leave in peace!!

MALAYSIA BOLEH

A case of Farlo Man Singh Da...

2007-11-16T19:00:00.000-08:00

Some time back, a dear friend of mine told me of an unfortunate situation she was caught in... and this, naturally involved a guy... so I put my self into her shoes and saw the horiffic side of it...

We shall not name names, but for the sake of story-telling, we'll call him Konchenskis (I can picture some fellas laughing already!!).

Now, Konchenskis is a well known fella,!! Just the mention of his real name makes people panic and girls drool in awe...

Anyways, this is how the story goes, the two of em had been going out less than a month... and over that month, he had always suggested that he wanted something more out of the relationship... jeng jeng.. no prizes for guessing what HE wanted (I would like to stress that I told her so!!)!!

One fine nite, while at his place and with his parents upstairs (daring bastard)... he got close to her... and suddenly pulled out his Man Singh/Pee-Pee/Shlort...

no.... it's not a sunny day!!

(you get he picture!!)... got it all excited, and forced her to stroke him to glory, grabbing her hand and forcing it on him!! all this while, even when he suggested it to her, she was telling him NO...a big fat NO!! he still went on with it and told her to relax... (how cliched is that?)

GOd, if she didnt run off that immediately, who knows what would have happened....

He got his jollies off and she was in agony and almost in tears... and she felt like chopping off her hand (she settled for washing it with detergent, handwash, soap AND clorox).

Where have all the gentelmen gone to?

This was certainly an act of total selfishness!! and he had the cheek to tell her to relax...if it had been me, i would have slapped him in the face and kicked him in the balls!!

I have to say I felt Shy and sorry to listen to the story...

shy for all mankind... already girls think we are horny bastards for all off 24 hours, except when we're asleep... and this would just fortify their views... Never im my live have i done this to a girl... even if a girl asked me to whip out my salami, i would tell her to wait for the right moment, i just dont do public showcases for anyone you know... and for those girls who say this isnt a big deal and it happens all the time in these modern times, fuck-off... you gals are sluts and deserve all the crocked cocks that come your way!!!

i felt sorry for her...but more sorry for that guy Konchenskis, he will never be able to have a proper relationship with this kind of behaviour, what with him forcing his ex to have an abortion to protect his name... the cat's out of the bag my man... the masses will find out about your first mistake... and they will definately find out what you did this time!!

needless to say that she is scarred for life and has sworn off guys and never wants to get married!! how sad is that? If every guy behaved like that jerk, and every girl reacted like this... there wont be anymore humans in less than 100 years... imagine that... sigh!

anyways, to all guys who are about to get into a realtionship, or have just got into one (you know who you are!!), please do not do something like this... i know you cant wait to whip it out like a pornstar, but think of your woman... respect her... cherish her... and in the end, when the time is right... you'll get it, just like a porno flick!! haha... trust me on this...

and to girls who have experienced the same thing and reacted the same way... feel free to leave a comment with your email... i'll be glad to come and whack the guy who did it to you!!

Drills and Solders

2007-11-09T20:13:00.000-08:00

For sometime now, Christy and myself have been talking about doing her dhol up, you know, sanding down the inside, getting rid of 'those' ugly threads hanging around the drum, changing the treble skin, sorting out a new belt, installing a ring and a mic for pick-up.

Finally, we got off our bums and set about this task last Tuesday....

This was an adventure of mishaps from the start...

Day 1:
First up, we tried Bentley music store, but the buggers were closed early (or rather, we were late!!), so we dropped by my good friend Jin's store (JS Music, for all your drumming needs) to get the treble skin, after a few minutes flipping thru the wide selection, we settled on an Evans J1 Syntethic Calf Skin. Having full confidance in Christy's measuring skills (she was supposed to measure the circumferance of the dhol, but instead measured the circumferance of the old skin), we got the 12 inch rimmed one. RM39 spent here.

Brand new skin!!

We then proceeded to Chambers Music in Sungei Wang(every other store was closed) to get the mic-clip that was going to hold the mic inside the dhol, there weren't many options available, so we settled for a rather funky looking one, what with it having the best grip and being shck proof. She also wanted a new belt, so I have to buy her one la... she conviniently chose the most expensive belt in the store... but it's all good tho', it'll last her a lifetime!!

New "Planet Waves" Belt!!

Mic Clip

After getting dinner, we took a tour of KL's newest offering, The Pavillion. My, it was a massive and of beautiful infrastructure, but it's definately not for me, everything was too expensive and out of my range. If you walk in to BATA and can't afford anything there, you know the place is outta your league...

Anyways, the day ended on a flat note as we found out that we didnt have the other items needed to do up the dhol... no nuts and bolts, no wires for the pick-up and no XLR ports for the inserts...(my fault, this, i didn't check my stock!!), to add to the dissapointment, we then found out that the skin we bought was one size too small!! What a way to end the day...

Day 2:
Ahhhh, nothing like a fresh new day to jolt the spirits...only that, once again, we went to Pasar Road late in the evening!! After braving thru the jam, and countless manoeuvres around potholes (plenty of potholes in Pudu !!), we finally got there, only to find that all the shops were closed or closing... lucky for us, good ol' Darson Electronics was still brightly lit, and we got our supplies from there, cheap too. 2 meters of XLR cable, 1 male and 1 female XLR port for only RM15.60!! Good deal for quality stuff!!

We grabbed some dinner from Sri Rampai and rushed (we're always rushing!!) to the nearest, random, hardware store to buy some nuts and bolts. Thank God this fella had a good stock of bolts, so i was out of the place in 5 mins. Only RM1 spent here!!

Soon as we got to my place, Christy set about cutting out the old GBC skin from its rim and bending the edges inwards with a long nosd plyer. The edges are rather sharp and she bent 'em inwards to avoid it damaging the new skin when tension is applied.

India mari... out with the old!!

While she was doing this, I was conviniently having my dinner!! (Santa lil Elf?... more like Bhai's Not So Lil Elf!!)

Soon as the rim was bent and my plate empty, we got down to real work. We thought that dividing the job would sav time... lil did we know that it was going to take us more time than ever...

I sat about with my mighty drill and Christy with her smitty solder...

Slowly but surely, I drilled out the first hole at the bottom of the dhol, where the male XLR port was going to be inserted. After getting the right hole size, i changed bits and started making a small depression on the left of the hole for the live wire. Happy with the results, I then drilled out the hole for the holding nut and started screwing it in... a bit of a hassle, but nevertheless, i got it done in record time!! Ha ha...

Hole for the XLR Male port. Notice the woodwork on the left, it might look like it's chipped, but it's for the live wire.

Holding bolt drilled in place.

This is how it looks from the inside...

While this was going on, Christy was trying to solder the XLR wires to the ports, and theirin she came up with one problem after the other. First up, the existing solder iron that i had refused to heat up properly... the sleeve was piping hot, but the tip was ice cold. After shouting and moaning for 20 mins, i finallly stopped laughing at her bad luck and got off my arse to buy a new solder iron.

The Friggin faulty pice of crap!!!

The regular hardware stores across my house were all closed, (which Chinaman in the right frame of mind would still be open at 11pm?) I made a fast mental note to always check my equipment... Anyways, as I was returning home to tell Christy the bad news, I saw a big ass hardware store right in my area!! Who would have guessed? I've been living in the area for 13 years and this is the first time I spotted a hardware store...a well stocked one at that!! I bought a good and expensive soldering iron, with the hope that it would work properly this time... I couldn't take another round of her complaining and yelling!!

Soon as I got back, she got working on the wires as I prepared the mic clip for bolting, After long, long hours and many, many attemps to solder the wires, she finally got both ends done!! Hooray!!

I brought the pick up into the house for testing and attached it to the sound console, it worked, but there was a slight hum and a lot of distortion... After confirmng that the soldering was ok, we discovered that in her many attempts to solder one particular stubborn wire, she heated the contact point so hot, that the rubber casing on the inside had melted and in the process, damaged the point a bit (ok, it was damaged beyond repair actually!!).

Point of note: Never solder one place too long!!

So, I brought an end to our second, mishap filled day... For every step we took foward, at the end we always had to retrace our steps and find that we used the worng route, but got to the destination nevertheless....

Day 3:
Left everything as it was... No motivation to do anything after the double whammies..

Day 4:
Went to town to meet Jin and get the skins changed, he was busy with the contruction guys (soon JS Music will be a massive establishment!!), so he got one of his staff to tend to me, she was blur and couldn't seem to find the transaction history for the exchange (we didnt have a receipt), I kept repeating to her that we bought the skin after hours and that no receipt was issued, and she kep insisting that every transaction had to go thru her and since there was no history of us buying the skin, we wotn be able to change it (I swear this was like a scene from MTv boiling points)!! Thankfully, Jin came in the nick of time (I was about to open a can of whoop ass on the girl) and sorted everything out. New skin - 13 inches!!

Beautiful Baby!!

Went back and Christy was already at my place waiting (we had to go for a gig first), she got ready, we went out, the gig got cancelled and we came back!! (just in tune with the whole week's theme...).

We lazed around the house for a bit, she fell asleep, and I proceeded to make some tea for the clan!!

As she slept like a baby (or in BM - macam mayat!) on my living room chair, I quietly removed the faulty Male XLR port and soldered the wire onto a new port. Once done, I did a test run (waking Christy in the process) and everything worked fine!

This is what you call professional workmanship!!

Beaming with pride, I proceeded to install the wire into the drum...

Ready for installation.

keeping in tune with the turn of events of the past few days, disaster struck!! The live wire on the female XLR port broke loose from the socket and I was deflated (if I was a blow up doll, i'd be flat...).

After removing the safety cap, this is what we found... Black circle: Faulty point, Red Circle: Loose live wire, Blue Circle: Damaged casing that caused the problem in the point!!

Needless to say, everything has been lying in the room untouched, but I intend to finish this project by tomorrow, no matter what obstacles may come.

Let me tell you, if anyone of you had been present during this process, you'd be laughing your ass off every moment....

*to be continued....*

Besiktas Blown Away...

2007-11-09T20:10:00.000-08:00

My, my, what a game it was... and what a spectacle it brought for all those travelling fans...they'll never forget the day that they got a wallopping at the kop!!

Here's the clip:

Diplomats On STAR

2007-11-04T00:35:00.000-08:00

The star released a full page article on my band last friday... was pleasantly suprised that the gave us a whole page!! Anyways, Check out my band on the Star... woohooo...

Kanye Seeks Timbalands Help...

2007-11-02T02:25:00.000-08:00

hey! been up and about recently, no time to update this space, but i've got lotsa free time now, so here's a post...

Its good to see an arrogant ass like Kanye West seek help from a legend like Timbaland, and Just like Shazzy said, it's just so inspiring to bedroom producers like us....

Stronger Revisited from Kanye West on Vimeo.

Amazing French BeatBoxer

2007-09-26T23:23:00.001-08:00

Was running around in cyberspace and came across this clip that really blew my mind away... its in three parts, watch all of em!!

WHY did we buy Torres?

2007-09-26T22:49:00.000-08:00

Watched the Reds game against Reading in the League Cup, and I must say that the future of Liverpool is in good hands.... lotsa good young players coming through the ranks. Yossi Benayoun was class too, a very good buy by Rafa, and its always good to see Finnan back and in full operational mode!!

Anyways, I think that Fernando Torres really showed Rafatollah what the Reds lack when he's not on the pitch. Constant running, lots of skills. intelligent link up play and classy goals!! We love Torres!!

TORRES HAS BROUGHT THE WOW FACTOR BACK TO LIVERPOOL and the last time that happened, we conqured England and Europe for decades!

Here's the vid to the match highlights.

How? can ah?

2007-09-18T04:46:00.000-08:00

Recently i got an email with a pic of street name and i decided to share with everybody....

Clearly photoshop has struck again!!

Do people really have that much time on their hands? Nevertheless, it's a good one....

WAT FOR YOU LIKE THAT?

Emotional Tribute to GOD

2007-09-16T03:27:00.000-08:00

Here's a video that was uploaded by a user on a footy forum. To be honest, I was in tears when i watched it as im a really big fan of Robbie Fowler and the video just stirred my emotions... grown men DO cry.... when it comes to the beautiful game!!

Here's the vid:

If any of you LIVERPOOL fans want the video, email me or leave a comment with ur email add and i'll email it to you!!

Guru Bummers!

2007-09-16T03:24:00.000-08:00

Sad to see and hear that good 'ol Sheldon and Manvir have been rendered jobless after their contract with Toyota to do the Footy Fever Show on RED FM ended and was not renewed. Their professional bummers now.... hahaha....

Buck up boys... keep supporting Liverpool and you'll land a job soon!! After all, You'll Never Walk Alone!!

Latest Developments from Hollywood

2007-09-16T03:13:00.000-08:00

Get this!!

The producers of Desperate Housewives are planning to cast David Beckham in the hit series as a gay neighbour!!

Let me tell u this, my dad thinks he fits the bill perfectly and so do I! haha...

Anyways, I still think that this fella WILL help raise the profile of the beatiful game in the USA and elevate it to the next level! In his short tenure as a LA Galaxy player, he's visited three suburbs and started two fotty programs to furhter develope the game and the skills of the young kids at the area!! And he's personally funding the kids with prospect to go on to Europe and train there.

All the best in the programme, and here's to hoping that he will be on the show!!

Beckham with the kids at a Latino area!! Woohoo...OLE!

ESPN SOCCERNET EURO FANTASY LEAGUE

2007-09-15T02:01:00.000-08:00

To all family, friends and colleagues... are you up to the mark?

The champions league is around the corner, so lets do friendly battle with other fans and me in this little Mini League to prove once and for all who's the Daddy!

the follwing is an excerpt from the soccernet page:

Your friend Rave Singh has already entered the fantastic FREE TO PLAY ESPNsoccernet Fantasy Champions League competition and thinks that he has selected a much better team than you could ever manage!

hat do you reckon? Is he having a laugh? Can you prove yourself a better manager?

We thought so...

Here's what to do - click the link below to get started:

1: Go to http://fantasy.soccernet.com/

2: Click on Register and go through the registration and team selection process - it's totally free to play

3: Once you are on your team line-up page click on Mini League and type the following information in the Join A Mini League boxes:

League Name: Project BlackBriar
Password: abc123

You should now be ready to compete with and hopefully beat Rave Singh! (fat hopes! i intend to keep this uptodate, not like the yahoo league, completely forgot about it till yeaterday!!)

ESPNsoccernet Fantasy Games HQ

http://fantasy.soccernet.com/

BAck to School!!

2007-09-13T04:14:00.002-08:00

Break's over, now it back to the toil and turmoil of the final year!!

Walk of Love

2007-09-13T04:14:00.001-08:00

Soon as we were done at Melaka, we rushed back for another gig in KL (we still managed to stop in between for lunch at Pindi's wedding!! ...food comes first!!).

We're we lauching the Women's Aid Organisation's WAlk of Love, and event for women to speak out for their rights and spread awareness while excersising!! Sounded like a lot of fun until they asked us to join the walkathon....

Anyways, the gig was very street like, just the kind of gig we were made for, and my word, all the boys, and girl really showed some brast showmanship and enjoyed themselves in the process!

special mention to our specially imported clappers that were specially brought into the performance to add that lil' bit of speciality to our specially spectacular setup! That's a mouthfull!! anyways, thank you Resh and G for coming and adding to the fun and joy!! U guys made all the difference!!

The women drooled over us...haha... we had a great gig and we managed to get some snaps with Asha Gill, who emceed the event!! For those of you not in the know, she's never changed from day one and still is the same sweet girl from Seremban!! And she really made the day for the guys when she posed for pics with them!!

again... will post up pics soon as they get resized!!

pics are here:

The Diplomats taking the crowd thru a journey from North America to the Carribbean to the Isle of Skye in Scotland!!

Samba Special Served!

The band with our special guests!

The band with Asha Gill!

Trip down South

2007-09-13T04:14:00.000-08:00

Went for a trip down south to Melaka with the band recently, for the Asia Pacific Rotary Leadership Conference, we were the opening act, and I really have to say the crowd were mind blowingly mad!!

The trip was a fun filled, musical agenda for all of us, from the traditional wayang kulit to classical indian vocals, to bhangra to r n b... to the whole caboodle.... and not forgetting the fact that we had the prime entertainer of the Sikh panth, mr. tashie himself, keeping us in giggles and and gaggles the whole way with his jokes, and mad-cap antics....

It was madness right from the start when we did the escort of the VVIP's, which included a very very snobbish bhai fella (who i would have whacked, but didnt dare cause he's turban had so much of kanji/starch on it that going at it with a jack hammer would amount to nothing!!), and the grand chancellor of rotary movement, this old dude from Portugal!!

Anyways, the crowd went ape when they heard the Dhol, Djembe and Surdo play the intro beat and were screaming their heads off throught out our journey from the main entrance to the VIP area. And the flashing lights thast went off nearly blinded us!!

Next up, we played over our newly recorded single, Diplomat Express much to the enjoyment of the crowd!! I must say there was this stunning Indonesian girl that went gaga everytime I blew the Samba Tri-Tone whislte! She would scream and jump about everytime she heard the whislte and smile at me and waited till i responded!!

To sum it up, we rocked the stage, the girls went wild when Sethi sang the intro from Kailash Kher's Teri Diwani and the whole room was just so receptive to our performance! Great job Diplomats! haha...

promise i'll post some pics soon i get the chance to resize em!!

watch this space....

got the pics resized... here they are:

Sethi trying to be cute... Ravi and Harvey going about their own bznez

Tashie gave up playing the dhol after a few tries - but he's pretty kick ass on it tho'

The famous fountain at the A Famosa resort... looks like a butt crack to me!!

Dholi Christy going at it.... much to the shock and amazement of the non-punjabi folk present!!

Sethi taking a break(he was down with fever) from reharsal, while Harvey and Ravi keep him company...

Tashie peeking from the sun roof at nite!! This was while we drove to Tampin for dinner!!

Dinner at a mamak in Tampin... pretty dodgy place, then again everything open after 1am is pretty much dodgy!! haha....

Sethi sleepin... but dreamin he was Superman... he got the perfect posture and all....

This is what happen when u think ur superman, u get wallopped by the rest of the boys, and cant pose with the perasan chick....

Shidee and Christy strike a pose before going on stage....(sempat lagi tu!!)

Three McMacho's: McHigh, McPoyo and McSteam!!

Tashie looking nice and lanky just before leaving for kl!!

MICHAEL JACKSON MEETS HIS MATCH...

2007-08-18T06:15:00.000-08:00

check out this clip of mj being given a serious run for his money.... the impersonator is just havoc!

wat for you like that?

2007-08-17T06:42:00.000-08:00

assignments have been handed in.... just two more papers left to settle....

anyways, this blog will be up to date from now on.... i've been inspired by frens like ajit and phasi, not forgetting kenny sia.... the all time kaki of bloggin....

ASSignments

2007-08-07T01:48:00.000-08:00

arghhhhhhhhh... loads of assignments to do.....

Switching!

2006-11-01T00:21:00.000-08:00

I've been updating my site at multiply quite often, so pls feel free to drop by and have a look and a listen to the material i've got there!

here's the link http://ravinderjit.multiply.com

HAve fun!

Industrial Training

2006-11-01T00:18:00.000-08:00

Hah!

It's been almost two months since my last posT! That's not good eh? Anyways, I begin my Industrial training today at STATSChipPac, a semiconductor company!

Its all fun for the moment, looking at the frontline of production, but the real engineering starts tomorrow, when we have to actually oversee prodcution for our clients!

More soon...

How un-Malaysian are you?

2006-09-09T07:13:00.000-08:00

Here's something that I found while surfing the net...

Its a test about how un-Malaysian you could turn out to be...

here's my results...

Congratulations Ravinderjit Singh, you are 27% not Malaysian.

That means you're as Malaysian as...

Michelle Yeoh!

How Un-Malaysian Are You? TRy the Test!

Gonzales saves the DAy....

2006-08-18T01:38:00.000-08:00

Mark Gonzales lived up to all the hype surrounding him and practically saved Liverpools arses with his first contribution on the field the other day agains Macabi Haifa....Sad the Haifa cant play the returning leg on hte home ground...freaking Israelis...

Love live Gonzales..

Missing in action

2006-08-07T09:28:00.000-08:00

I've been missing since before the World Cup. But I have reasons...

1. I was in Germany for the World Cup
2. When I got back, I had to prepare for the Rainforest World Music Fesitval 2006
3. I was at Rainforest World Music Fesitval 2006
4. When I got back, it was smack in the middle of midterms...
5. My exams are going on now!!

I will update everything soon, tough!!

Till then, watch this space!!

Sven pulled a rabbit out of the hat!!

2006-05-09T04:31:00.000-08:00

England's famously cautious manager Sven-Goran Eriksson appears to have unearthed a previously unseen dangerous streak - at least as far as football is concerned - now that he has been unburdened with facing any repercussions of his actions.

ENGLAND SQUAD

Goalkeepers:
Robinson (Tottenham)
James (Man City)
Green (Norwich), Defenders:
G Neville (Man United)
R Ferdinand (Man United)
Terry (Chelsea)
A Cole (Arsenal)
Campbell (Arsenal)
Carragher (Liverpool)
Bridge (Chelsea) Midfielders:
Beckham (Real Madrid)
Carrick (Tottenham)
Lampard (Chelsea)
Gerrard (Liverpool)
Hargreaves (Bayern Munich)
Jenas (Tottenham), Downing (Middlesbrough)
J Cole (Chelsea)
Lennon (Tottenham) Strikers:
Rooney (Man United)
Owen (Newcastle)
Crouch (Liverpool)
Walcott (Arsenal)

The Swede will quit his post with England after their elimination, or triumph, at the 2006 World Cup in Germany and chose to make his last, and most important, squad selection the boldest of his six-year tenure. At England's stage-managed press conference on Monday Eriksson laughed and joked as his 23 man preliminary World Cup squad was unveiled, which contained some startling omissions and inclusions that, by Eriksson's own admission, defied logic. With all attention and conjecture focused intensely on his injury-hit striking line-up Eriksson foiled all sweepstakes on the permutations of his possible selection by naming uncapped 17-year-old striker Theo Walcott as one of only four forwards. Who? You know, the former Southampton striker that has not played a single game for his new club Arsenal since his £12million move in the January transfer window. And while Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger's track record of identifying talented youngsters is largely unrivalled, and Walcott's potential is unquestioned, quite why that is enough to win a place on the plane to Germany is mystifying. Walcott's entire league career only amounts to 1,334 minutes and four goals. It would be fair to surmise that no other country taking part in Germany 2006 will be taking a player who has not played a solitary game for his club this season. The inclusion of Walcott, who will become England's youngest-ever player if he takes part in any of the three pre-tournament warm-up matches, is all the more baffling given that Eriksson has only named a striking quartet, rather than the expected quintet, and two of those who have made the final cut are currently injured. Talismanic 20-year-old Wayne Rooney is nursing a broken metatarsal and, at an optimistic estimate, will only return for the quarter-final stages of the World Cup if he enjoys an amazingly rapid recovery. The Manchester United striker took 14 weeks to return from his previous metatarsal injury. Eriksson hopes the oxygen tent Rooney now sleeps in can reduce that time by half. Meanwhile, Michael Owen, Eriksson's most experience and prolific striker, is himself recovering from a metatarsal injury and was not fit enough to take his place in the Newcastle United team that beat Chelsea 1-0 at the weekend. It is a universally accepted truth that Owen is not a player who can quickly return to match sharpness after an injury lay-off and it takes five to six weeks for the 26-year-old to regain any semblance of his previous quality. Owen's old coach at Liverpool, Phil Thompson, has already voiced concerns that his former charge will be off the pace until the knockout stages of the Finals - despite having matches against Belarus, Hungary and Jamaica to aid the ex-Real Madrid forward in his fitness race. In a worst case scenario England could be left with Liverpool's 6'7" striker Peter Crouch and Walcott as their only fit strikers. The pair total only five caps between them and all belong to Crouch. Walcott has only represented England at U17 level and Crouch has only played in one competitive international. Eriksson's explanation for this uncharacteristic behaviour? 'Sometimes things work out without being logic,' the Swede chuckled - although I am beginning to suspect he is in fact an impostor.

Brother Sven and His Bunch Of Knights!!

It is a radical change for Eriksson who has traditionally erred on the side of caution and opted for experience over raw talent. It may have been fathomable, if somewhat unexpected, if the England manager had turned to 31-year-old Robbie Fowler, whose form has just won him a one-year contract with Liverpool, or 40-year-old West Ham United striker Teddy Sheringham whom the role Rooney occupies for England is named after - the Sheringham role. Both would have been a major surprise but neither as much as the inclusion of untested and unproven Walcott. Charlton Athletic striker Darren Bent must be wondering what else he could have done to win a place in the final squad. The 22-year-old is the leading English scorer in the Premiership despite playing for a club in free-fall. And to be ousted by Walcott clearly hurts: 'I am obviously really disappointed,' Bent said in a statement. 'I wasn't taking anything for granted and knew that it was by no means certain that I would be included, but being the leading English goalscorer in the Premiership I was very hopeful of being included.' The disillusioned striker didn't even make the stand-by list. Tottenham's Jermain Defoe and Andy Johnson, who plays for Crystal Palace in the Championship, take those places. Eriksson's new found taste for the unknown also extends to the midfield where many fans will be pleased to see Middlesbrough sensation Stewart Downing (one cap) as cover for the left-wing when he returns from Wednesday's UEFA Cup final and Tottenham's Aaron Lennon (uncapped) as cover for the right. The duo join all the usual suspects in midfield, but at the expense of Shaun Wright-Phillip's, whose ill advised move from Manchester City to Chelsea's bench has proven very costly. At The back their is an abundance of experience and despite the absence of injured Tottenham centre-back Ledley King, Eriksson's selection can boast over 300 caps between them. Overall Eriksson has opted for a very talented an attacking squad and his new found care-free selection policy has the nation focused, even if only briefly, on something other than Rooney's injury. It remains to be seen if the England manager's new found taste for risk taking will transfer itself to the pitch when needed - if his team need to chase a game for instance. Thus far his tenure has been marked with caution, but could this late change in attitude be just what England need at the Finals?

Great Clips

2006-05-05T22:08:00.000-08:00

Check out these great four clips...pay special attention to the last one!!

Parisian Encounter...

2006-05-02T04:28:00.000-08:00

It's exaggerating things just a bit to state that we have the Champions League final everyone wanted. There is after all the small matter of Milan and Villarreal fans' feelings to take into account.

What's not to like? Barca star Ronaldinho.

However, can anyone deny that Barcelona v Arsenal in one of the world's most magnificent capitals represents anything other than a mouth-watering prospect? Fair enough. If we want to be pernickety about it, the game itself takes place in the north-eastern suburb of St. Denis, rather than in central Paris itself. But let's not allow such trivial matters get in the way of our dream final. Often in recent years, the Champions League decider (can we not still call it the European Cup final?) has rather got lost in the commotion of World Cup build-up. Somehow, I don't sense such danger on the horizon in 2006. Stylistically, Barcelona and Arsenal favour playing their football in a manner that attracts the uncommitted. That is of course, if you disregard Arsenal's woefully unadventurous semi-final second leg performance at the Madrigal! Until that game I had never considered Arsenal a defensive side. I still can't quite bring myself to that conclusion, even though parsimony has prevailed over panache in this incredible Champions League run. It's difficult to imagine that Arsène Wenger himself believed his normally free-flowing, risk embracing team could reach the final on the back of a competition record 10 successive clean sheets: a grand total of 919 minutes without shipping a goal, and still counting. All this with a makeshift back four for whom Ivorians Kolo Touré and Emmanuel Eboué have excelled. Still, defending superbly is one thing. Repelling Barcelona is another matter altogether. I'm in the privileged position of getting to see a lot of the blaugrana. I'll concede that they've lost a little bit of their dynamism in recent weeks, and one can justifiably put that down to the thigh injury young Leo Messi picked up on 7 March against Chelsea. But with or without Messi, Barcelona are an absolute joy to watch. Only a philistine could fail to enjoy the verve and charisma of Ronaldinho, Eto'o and Deco. Frank Rijkaard's back four is unfairly maligned. Critics of Oleguer, Gio Van Bronckhorst and goalkeeper Victor Valdes have tried to tell me they're suspect, but surely they're clutching at straws. Have we forgotten that the only goals they've conceded in the knockout stages were an own goal by Thiago Motta at Stamford Bridge, and a dubious stoppage time penalty in the return leg against the Premiership champions? They do tend to play high up the park as a unit, and can be vulnerable to swift balls over the top. This could be grist to Thierry Henry's mill. Certainly the linking up of Cesc Fabregas and his fellow midfield players with the Arsenal captain will have to be much better than it was in Villarreal the other night, if the Gunners are to take advantage.

The Arsenal players celebrate reaching the final of the Champions League in Paris.

I'll have more to say about the match itself in this space as we get closer to the big night. However, it would be remiss of me if I didn't let regular viewers of ESPNSoccernet Press Pass know that we'll be in Paris well ahead of time to bring you lively discussion from our set overlooking the Champs-Elysses. If you enjoyed our shows from Istanbul last year, you're in for more of the same. Our programme on Monday 15 May will be on air at the usual time with a rich Parisien flavour. Tommy Smyth and Janusz Michallik will be with me to help set the table for the week's events. We'll also be with you the following day, Tuesday 16 May, with a special 'eve of the big game' show. Then, on the night of the final, our ESPN coverage begins forty-five minutes before the game and runs until, well, every angle has been covered. As Barcelona and Arsenal fans can testify, tickets are at a premium. An allocation of just over 20,000 per team has been set aside by UEFA, and it's not as if we're talking about two teams with paltry followings. So if getting to Paris is a journey too far, or too difficult, rest assured you'll be able to savour the before, during, and after with us on ESPN. In the meantime, I'm trying to assure Mr. Smyth 'with a y' that escargots are indeed good for you - tasty too.

Money...Penny!!

2006-05-02T04:14:00.000-08:00

No returns, no refunds, no satisfaction guaranteed: the football transfer market can be a harsh place, as even the finest managers have discovered.

And even the biggest cheque cannot ensure a successful signing... as the 10 worst signings of the last 12 months prove.

• 10. Abel Xavier (Middlesbrough, free)
A one-man boon to the peroxide industry, he illuminated the Riverside, albeit with a beard that, if it glowed any more, would be radioactive. Sadly, his performances were less memorable. Indeed Xavier only managed four matches - one a home defeat to Sunderland - before failing a drug test. His protestations of innocence have fallen on deaf ears; perhaps those four games were enough to convince Steve McClaren he was better off with Stuart Parnaby.

• 9. Zvonimir Vukic (Portsmouth, undisclosed)
It could have been almost any of the arrivals under Alain Perrin; indeed, even in his moment of triumph after preserving Portsmouth's Premiership status, Harry Redknapp was open in his contempt for his predecessor's signings. There were 15 players, he said, who were not good enough to play for Portsmouth. Without a doubt, Zvonimir Vukic was one such. Undistinguished as he appeared, the Serbia and Montenegro midfielder was hardly helped by Perrin's baffling 3-3-3-1 formation. He has vanished under Redknapp, eventually leaving for Partizan Belgrade on a free at the end of the January transfer window, and this is one undisclosed signing that Portsmouth won't be rushing to disclose.

• 8. Per Kroldrup (Everton, £5million)
As compliments go, 'looked good in pre-season' ranks up there with 'good in training'; the unspoken implication is that they are less useful in competitive matches. Dane Per Kroldrup did indeed impress in pre-season, but injuries and a swift decision by David Moyes that he was insufficiently aggressive for the Premiership meant he was limited to a solitary league start. And even that was a 4-0 defeat to Aston Villa. After six months, Moyes cut his losses and sold Kroldrup for £3million, preferring to bring back his predecessor, 34-year-old Alan Stubbs, on a free transfer.

• 7. Diomansy Kamara (West Brom, £1.5million)
While Nathan Ellington and, before his departure, Robert Earnshaw were regular sights on the bench at West Brom, Diomansy Kamara was alone among Bryan Robson's five forwards in invariably starting. Whether as a striker or a left winger, his pace posed problems. The difficulty for West Brom was the Senegalese's capacity to fail to score from practically anywhere. Misses against Aston Villa and Birmingham must rank among the costliest of the season, and he still has a solitary Premiership goal for Albion.

• 6. Walter Pandiani (Birmingham, £3million)
Like a poor man's Christophe Dugarry, he excelled on loan and then failed miserably when the deal was made permanent. Birmingham, however, were £2million poorer after a six-month stint that only yielded two goals. The brothers Gold and David Sullivan can surely afford it, but it set the tone for a season where Birmingham's strikers belied big reputations, price tags and salaries by consistently not scoring.

• 5. Wilfred Bouma (Aston Villa, £3.5million)
He arrived as a flagship signing, as part of David O'Leary's long-term plan to upgrade the Aston Villa squad. He ended the season, along with all his team-mates, available for transfer. And in between, little went right for Wilfred Bouma. There was a particularly inauspicious debut - a 4-0 defeat to West Ham - a miserable record (five wins in 20 games) and a demotion to the bench, even when Olof Mellberg, Martin Laursen and Mark Delaney were all injured. If further proof of Guus Hiddink's managerial qualities were required, he contrived to take a team including Bouma to the Champions League semi-finals. O'Leary is unlikely to emulate him.

• 4. Jon Stead (Sunderland, £1.8million)
Much of Mick McCarthy's transfer policy can be faulted. A seeming insistence on signing a striker from the Championship resulted in the arrival of Andy Gray (one goal in 22 games). Jon Stead was a rare recruit from the Premiership and has proved still less prolific. He broke his Sunderland duck in his 30th game; his recent record stands at three goals in 67 matches. Reasons abound for Sunderland's relegation, but buying a two-goal strike partnership ranks high among them.

• 3. Shaun Wright-Phillips (Chelsea, £21million)
At Manchester City, he was perhaps the Premiership's best right winger, prolific in an average team and a beguiling combination of fearsome pace and a ferocious shot. At Chelsea, seemingly weighed down by an enormous price tag and confused by Jose Mourinho's definition of a winger, he has failed to score in 37 games. Indeed, he did not rate a place among the substitutes for the FA Cup semi-final, nor rate a mention when Mourinho berated his out-of-form wingers. Yet when he joined Chelsea, John Terry said Wright-Phillips had as much ability as Wayne Rooney; now, their World Cup places are in jeopardy for very different reasons. Another, rather cheaper, move is surely required.

• 2. Asier del Horno (Chelsea, £8million)
Jose Mourinho feels that rightful credit is denied him because of Chelsea's wealth. Soccernet, however, is keen to remedy that; two of the Premiership's three worst signings, at a combined cost of £32million, are Mourinho's buys. Asier del Horno, the league's most expensive left back, has only served to illustrate how William Gallas excels out of position on his flank. Del Horno's despairing lunge at Lionel Messi was a prime cause of Chelsea's Champions League exit and, substituted in the first half against Portsmouth and at the interval against Liverpool, he has become accustomed to not completing games. It is hard to envisage him seeing out his contract at Stamford Bridge, either.

• 1. Albert Luque (Newcastle, £9.5 million)
The Spanish economy has benefited to the tune of £15million from Newcastle's generosity in recent years. First there was Marcelino, the defender sidelined by the most insignificant of injuries. And now there is Albert Luque, signed as the supply line to Alan Shearer and Michael Owen and instead thoroughly upstaged by the teenager Charles N'Zogbia. Newcastle supporters could have been forgiven for wondering whether they had lost their grasp on sanity when Real Madrid expressed an interest in Luque, despite his fine record with Deportivo la Coruna. Because, often omitted from the matchday 16, he has only managed six Premiership starts and one, rather meaningless, goal against Sunderland. When Graeme Souness blunders in the transfer market - as Jean-Alain Boumsong shows - he does so catastrophically; had they succeeded, the Scot might still have a job. Newcastle's next manager may care to note that, at the moment, excelling in La Liga appears a guarantee of infamy on Tyneside.

Final Curtain...

2006-04-26T18:49:00.000-08:00

Few get to choose the timing of their exit, let alone the manner. Though slightly premature, Alan Shearer's departure - the wounded warrior limping off after gunning down his major rivals - provided still more reasons for his folk hero status on Tyneside.

Dennis Bergkamp may yet have the most unexpected finale; an infrequent visitor to the continent in recent seasons, he could end his career in a Champions League final. The decision may be taken for Duncan Ferguson, who is yet to confirm his retirement. But it would be a sign of desperation if Everton were to renew his contract. The leading striker of their generation from England, Holland and Scotland respectively have little in common. Shearer's career total of 409 goals is awesome; Bergkamp has topped 250 for club and country, and created still more. But despite 12 years in English football, Ferguson is stuck on 98 goals south of the border. Each curtailed his international career. Shearer, perhaps to spare himself the indignity of being dropped, channelled his attentions into Newcastle. Bergkamp spared himself the terror of flights to Japan and South Korea. Ferguson quit in a fit of pique at the SFA that never ended; while there are similarities between the international records of Shearer and Bergkamp (30 goals in 63 games versus 36 in 79), he never scored for Scotland. Shearer is often described as the last of a dying breed - though Dean Ashton and James Beattie, each with a vested interest in extending the lifespan of the classic English number nine, may disagree - but what does that make Ferguson? A hybrid of Nat Lofthouse and Mike Tyson, he induced palpitations from otherwise fearless central defenders and left a trail of destruction, but little legacy for younger strikers. Bergkamp, meanwhile, can trace his heritage in Dutch football back to Johan Cruyff, yet he is a one-off, a classic number 10 but demonstrably unique. Descriptions of Bergkamp vary. He has long been called an artist, but Arsene Wenger prefers to brand him a scientist; look at the cool analysis of the situation, the perfect calculation of the angle and weight of the precise pass to bisect a defence. If he paints a picture, in other words, it is for a purpose, though he has illuminated the game in the process. Shearer, in contrast, is more of a master craftsman; it is testament to his perfectionism that, whatever the angle or distance, he hits the target with a higher percentage of efforts than most of his rivals. He had the mental strength to recover from two cruciate ligament injuries, whereas Bergkamp's penalty-taking days were ended by Peter Schmeichel's semi-final spot kick save in 1999. Perhaps the imagination required to conceive of, and execute, some of the most beautiful goals of the last decade, prohibited further torment from 12 yards. Any selection of Bergkamp's best highlights a rare delicacy and a tendency to eschew the powerful for the deft, the dipping, the curling and the immaculate.

Think of his hat-trick against Leicester in 1997, his winner for Holland against Argentina the following year or the improbable goal against Newcastle in 2002, the product of an inventive turn to deceive Nikos Dabizas. Arguably Shearer's finest, against Everton that same year, was a consequence of ferocious power. Polar opposites in much, their conception of an ideal strike partnership is very different. Shearer was at his happiest alongside a forward with similar aerial ability, whether Mike Newell, Chris Sutton, Teddy Sheringham or Ferguson; even when pace had deserted him, he hoped to profit from their flick-ons. His was a single-minded pursuit of goals whereas Bergkamp's became fewer and further in between as he retreated into midfield. Genuine speed, a commodity that would have made both still better, has been a feature of his accomplices in attack, whether the ungrateful Nicolas Anelka, Ian Wright or Patrick Kluivert, especially in his younger days. In the least conventional of strike partnerships, Thierry Henry owes much to Bergkamp, as he is often quick to acknowledge. The former drops deep, the latter floats out to the left wing; centre-backs, invariably aware of Shearer's presence, have no-one to mark. Loyalty, however, is a common denominator. Both have a testimonial to reward lengthy and dedicated service (Ferguson, despite the Everton tattoos, does not qualify for one; he was complicit in a lucrative move to Tyneside behind manager Walter Smith's back). Shearer, pragmatic in so much else, allowed his heart to follow his head in his choice of his hometown club Newcastle. It has enabled him to build a power base unrivalled by another player in English football; captain, penalty taker and focal point of the team. Bergkamp, in contrast, has shunned the limelight while the public face of Arsenal has gone from Tony Adams to Patrick Vieira to Henry. Whereas managers dropping Shearer have had an unfortunate habit of returning to the job market, Bergkamp has been omitted and withstood the challenges of Kanu and Sylvain Wiltord to re-emerge as a vital member of Arsene Wenger's side. For each of the three strikers, the question can fairly be posed of if they played on for one year too many. Should Bergkamp, increasingly unable to make Wenger's team, bow out in the Champions League final, he will have his answer. Shearer has Jackie Milburn's record to show for his extra season. Ferguson, however, scored his sole goal at the wrong end of the pitch and incurred a seven-match ban. Indeed, though his suspensions amount to almost an entire league campaign, his club and FA fines to around £250,000, the Scot has never lost his swagger when dismissed.

Shearer and Bergkamp, each prone to flashes of temper camouflaged by an image of model professionalism and an ice-cool façade respectively, took less pleasure in leaving the field. But few have provided as many variants of violent conduct, or inflicted as much damage on central and eastern Europeans on a football field as the Scot. It reflects ill on the criminal fraternity that two of their number were stupid enough to burgle Ferguson's house. So Duncan Disorderly - and there are few more evocative nicknames - is unlikely to be forgotten, at least by cowering defenders. Shearer, meanwhile, is invariably acclaimed by the old pros' network as the Premiership's finest player - though Eric Cantona would win many votes and Henry this nomination - Bergkamp's significance, over and above 121 goals in 434 games for Arsenal, should not be forgotten. Shearer's success was built on British teams, rooted in a traditional style of play; Bergkamp was essential in the creation of the most cosmopolitan and progressive side in the Premiership. It is a clash of cultures and, despite their domestic troubles, Wenger's brand of total football could conquer the continent. Even if his Dutch master is not on the pitch, Bergkamp deserves his share of the credit for their transformation. Statistically, Shearer is an astonishing player. Aesthetically and technically, Bergkamp is. But while Ferguson's notoriety guarantees his ongoing fame and Shearer merits his place in both the record books and Geordie hearts, Bergkamp will live longest in the memory.

Reds gives Chelski the Blues!!

2006-04-22T21:21:00.000-08:00

What a match!! What style and grace shown by Liverpool, credit to Chelsea for giving us a hard time in the last 30 mins...

In a match of many plusses for both teams, there was the sore thumb of sour-puss MOAN-rinho and his now expected post match interviews...

Here's some of ill-advised comments:

'Did the best team win today? I don't think so. In the last 30 minutes we deserved extra time.'

Same Re-used comments after the Champs Lge game last season, get fresh you moron!!

'In the first half nobody was better. They had a good start to the second half but then we dominated the game. I cannot wish them luck in the final. Middlesbrough and West Ham will be there and I must respect them.'

NOW you talk of respecting them...what happend to respecting Boro after they thumped you guys at the Bridge? And what about those comments you made about Harewood being short on IQ and not too smart? Nobody was better, have a look at the stats and the recording of the match afterwards, we walked all over you for the first hour...and credit for you ove the last 30 mins...thats what class sides do...fight until the end!!

'In the Premiership they have no chance. Over 40 matches no chance. Maybe they will surprise me and they can do it.'

Everybody has a divine right to make comments, and I respect that. But, pay attention to his second sentence...there's doubt at the back of his mind....

'But in 10 matches against us they have won twice. In the Premiership the distance between the teams is 45 points over two seasons. We beat them in a final, they beat us in two semi-finals. A psychological advantage? I don't think so.'

Yes you did beat us comprehensively in the EPL on all four occasions, and we note that and congratulate you on that. Who they hell counts points over two seasons? They only count that matters is that last season we were a massive 30 points behind, and this season we have halfed that into 15, and even if we dont win the league next season, halving that 15 points will mean progress.

You beat us in a final? The Carling Cup? Big deal!! That is the lowest ranked Cup in Endlands, top flight...altough we give you credit for doing a Cup and League double in your first season.

Here's the fact; We beat you in two very important and crucial semi-finals man, add that to he fact that these we better and bigger cup competitions, The Champs Lge and now the FA Cup...how bout it? These are the two thropies that you yearn to win...and you must be buring inside cause we beat you to the ultimate title in Europe and now have a chance to stake claim to the world's most prestigious Cup competition....look and weep, jerk!!

'In four matches in the Premiership we beat them four times.'

Duly noted, its something we have to improve on. But here's the catch, in the two Champs Lge group games, we were better and at the end, the two draws against us resulted in you being paired with Barcelona, and eventually getting kicked out of the tourney!!

'When the referee gives such important decisions against your team in a semi-final it doesn't smell good and it wasn't a free-kick for Liverpool's first goal,'

Yes, it is important for the referee to make good decisions, but dont take it personally man...the referee and both of his assisants were spot on throughout!!

Jamie Reeves and Steve McMahon both said that it was a dangerous tackle, and it could have injured somebody...so credit to Graham Poll for making the right decision...

'John Terry's goal should have stood and for the second goal we made a defensive mistake. We missed two good chances in the first half and at the end and the same thing happened with Gudjohnsen's miss in last season's Champions League final. If you don't take them in these games it costs you.'

How true, same thing cost us in the match against Benfica, but i dont see Rafa talking cock after that defeat or any defeat for that matter...

'I wish them luck for their qualification match in the Champions League.'

Thanks mate!! And here's to hoping that you guys hammer the lights out of Man Utd!!

A bit of advice my friend, learn how to be gracious in defeat...it will do you and your team good, even Sir Alex can be gracious in defeat....and he's the all time sour-puss...

Cheeky Lil Goals!!

2006-04-20T00:13:00.000-08:00

Check out these lung busting goals!! Last one is too much though!!

STICKMAN!!

2006-04-20T00:10:00.000-08:00

Watch the clip....lotsa fun...the stickman is actually a Korean Guy who doesnt play footy professionally, but makes a living by doing adverts and showing off his skills with a a ball!!

A Bit of Fun in the Sun...

2006-04-20T00:01:00.000-08:00

Here's a clip of Ronaldinho having some fun with the ball during training...brings a smile to your face anytime!!

Respect!!

Relive THAT moment from Istanbul....Real Clips...

2006-04-19T19:15:00.000-08:00

Earlier was that awesome clip done by a truly truly mad footy fan...but this time i've got the real thing from Istanbul....Join in after haltime....and watch the clips as we claw back to 3-3!!

Gerrard Makes it 3-1

Smicer Wonder...3-2

Xabi's Nerves of Steel...3-3!!

I took a train down memory lane!!

2006-04-19T19:13:00.000-08:00

I recently had a look in on a greeat goal by Stevie G....

Masters of Goalkeeping

2006-04-19T18:48:00.000-08:00

Often when we see a skill by an outfielder, we are amazed beyond belief and that piece of skill stays in our mind and we try to re-enact it of the field when we play qith our mates.

More often than not, we tend to forget that lonely figure between the posts, often beradded for small mistakes but not always given due recognition when pulling off a master class save!!

the Next clip us a tribute to the greats between the posts, with the highlights being Rene "The Scorpion" Heguita and Jerzy Dudek's tripel save off Arsenal...

The clip is aptly titled..."Goalkeepers are CRazy"

The Great Entertainer!!

2006-04-19T18:13:00.000-08:00

There's an on-going debate amongnst the footballing pundits of the world on whether Ronaldinho is quite in the class of Pele or Maradona...or have the ability to dictate games like Cryuff or Beckenbauer did...

He's not going to get any worse, and at 26, still has time to develope into a true great, but for now, his a joy to watch, the great entertainer....

Flamboyant Referee...

2006-04-19T18:07:00.000-08:00

Check out this clip...the referee is a tad bit to "ballerina" for me...but he gets the job done and the message across...what message Im not too sure....

Keep a look out for the heartfelt acknowledgement of the fans at the end...

Rafalution In Dire Need of a Striker...

2006-04-19T03:09:00.000-08:00

With his innate modesty and slightly faltering English, Rafael Benitez is not given to self-promotion. He does not seek to create a cult of personality; he eschews cheap gestures to increase his popularity. Yet, in a move few PR gurus could have conceived of, his decision in January to grant Robbie Fowler an Anfield homecoming made a Champions League winner still more liked on Merseyside.

It is starting to look a footballing masterstroke, too. Fowler has scored in three successive games - against Bolton, West Brom and Blackburn - and his return of four goals in seven starts now bears resemblance to his strike rate in a rather lengthier first spell at Liverpool. It has brought expressions of admiration for Fowler's enduring ability to accomplish football's hardest task from both Sam Allardyce and Mark Hughes. He will not be unemployed next season but, with three games of his extended job interview at Anfield remaining, his future remains unresolved. However, if the groundswell of public opinion behind Fowler is yet to sway Benitez; will the visible sharpness that eluded him at Manchester City? The Spaniard's focus may be on the bigger picture as he looks to reshape his forward line. When Benfica ended their defence of the Champions League, Liverpool's four strikers had a combined tally of one goal in 44 games for the club in 2006. It appeared feasible that each could be deemed surplus to requirements. A belated rediscovery of clinical finishing, however, hardly serves as confirmation that all will stay. Indeed, while Benitez has already tied up deals for defenders Gabriel Paletta and Fabio Aurelio and continues his ongoing battle to secure a work permit for Chilean winger Mark Gonzalez, it is a safe assumption that he plans to channel much of his summer budget into striking replacements. Supposed targets range from the fanciful to the predictable, from Raul to Michael Owen via Craig Bellamy, Jermain Defoe, David Villa and Dirk Kuijt. Though only Fowler's contract expires in the summer, someone will, like El-Hadji Diouf and Milan Baros before them, be able to testify that Benitez possesses a ruthless streak. Mention of the Czech brings Djibril Cisse to mind; both seem to have an endless capacity to frustrate Benitez. The Frenchman, lest we forget, was not Benitez's signing. Gerard Houllier's parting gift has been shifted to the right flank where, especially when he has a slow left back in his sights, he can be devastating. Yet confirmation of his unreliability came at Blackburn on Sunday; two presentable opportunities to seal victory were spurned though, as he struck the woodwork on both occasions, the margins could hardly have been finer. But Benitez's non-committal replies about his future after Cisse inspired a turnaround in the Super Cup provided an early indication that his manager will never double up as president of his fan club. Aided by penalties and strikes in the qualifying round of the Champions League, he has spent the season as the highest-placed Liverpool forward in the goalscoring charts - albeit trailing captain Steven Gerrard - yet the attack has been constructed around Peter Crouch; scoring, evidently, is not Benitez's only consideration. Much as Cisse's prolific past suggests French clubs are aware they could profit from a return to his native land, Fernando Morientes surely retains the respect of many in Spanish football. Liverpool represents the sole stain on his otherwise impressive CV and, judging from the competition for his signature when he arrived at Anfield, his availability should spark interest from La Liga.

Whereas Cisse and Baros, each prone to being caught by a well-drilled offside trap and liable to take the wrong decisions in promising situations, lacked the footballing intelligence Benitez seemingly requires, it may defy explanation for the Liverpool manager that a player of Morientes' pedigree and consistent achievement could rank among his most ill-advised signings. Yet he has proved uncharacteristically wasteful in front of goal and, despite his stated intention, has been unable to reinvent himself as a 'number 10', a deeper-lying striker who can link play. Eleven goals in 55 games represents a miserable return and, confined to the bench for a month before facing Blackburn, opportunities are running out. His unselfish assist for Fowler's goal at Ewood Park was a rare reminder of Morientes' quality; indeed the combination of the pair providing the cerebral attributes of the quartet - Crouch's height and Cisse's speed provides much of their value - was unusual in itself; perhaps it was merely indicative that the FA Cup semi-final is Benitez's main priority. And, barring injury, Crouch will start. Though he has struck 12 times since the start of December, Benitez clearly doesn't judge his tallest striker by his goal tally alone. Instead, he is the pivot of Liverpool's attack, a focal point who can provide a foil to more athletic attacking midfielders. That Benitez persevered with Crouch in his lengthy goal drought shows he warmed to the Englishman's ungainly variant of the target man role, offering a selflessness his manager clearly values. That Benitez's Valencia often lacked consistent goalscorers in attack and relied heavily on the midfield for match winners provides an interesting comparison. So, too, does his fondness for 4-4-1-1 or 4-2-3-1. Each, of course, makes establishing a forward partnership harder but, besides guaranteeing the future of Crouch, invariably preferred when he only fields one forward, benefits Luis Garcia. Whether as the supplementary striker or makeshift winger, his versatility provides options. Moreover, while consistent scoring eludes Garcia, his tally of 23 in two seasons exceeds those of all bar Gerrard, and with an aptitude for the big occasion and a fondness for the spectacular, a high proportion have been either memorable or important. To return to Benitez's summer dilemma, it is barely conceivable that Arsenal, Chelsea or Manchester United would covet Crouch, yet, of the four main strikers, he should be most confident of his future. The success of his combination with Fowler against Bolton may bode well for both, yet while public opinion may play less of a role in the Spaniard's decision as the success of his bids for new recruits, his second coming seems likelier to be extended for another year. And while the £14 million forward, Cisse, and the £6 million striker, Morientes, appear to be headed for the Anfield exit, the man signed for nothing - twice - is making the most persuasive case to stay.

Clueless Malaysians Get Thumped by Classy French!!

2006-04-18T00:05:00.000-08:00

Malaysia have been sufferring embarassing defeats at the BDO Hockey World Cup Qualifiers. They lost twice so far....one to the unheralded and lower ranked, but highly industrious and bullet-fast Japanese...and then getting bullied all over the pitch by the mighty Koreans!!

They managed to salvage some pride with a win over the Chinese, with only Kelvinder Singh and keeper Nasihin Nubli playing well!!

So, it comes as no suprise when they were thumped out of this world by the quite suprisingly classy French outfit 4-1.

The French have only ever qualified for the World Cup once, way back in 1990, but they did finish a very respectable 7th. They have always had problems qualifiying because of European giants Germany and Spain (only two places for Europe) and they looks hell-bent like taking advantage adn going all the way in China!!

*Note that the French team are the 4th ranked team in world indoor hockey!!*

Only GOD knows now wheter these lot who are clueless all over the pitch can still make it to Germany via the playoffs?

Read the full match report at BDO HOCKEY WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS

Cahill's on a High!!

2006-04-17T02:07:00.000-08:00

Here's s photo of Gary Cahill's killer goal against Birmingham!! Look how high he is!!
(Photo Courtesy of Sky Sports cameraman's HP Camera)

Hi Tea With the PM!

2006-04-16T22:49:00.000-08:00

Good ol' Malkith singh looks in the pink of health along side our beloved PM. Hats off to Malkith for pulling off the event...and hats off to the PM for the apology on missing last years Open House!!
Looks like loads of fun!! Too bad I missed it!

KUDOS TO CAHILL!!

2006-04-16T19:16:00.000-08:00

Aston Villa's young defender Gary Cahill might have scored what is a cotender for goal of the season, after a goal mouth scaramble...the ball was flighted into the box by James Milner and Cahill was 5 feet of the ground when he attemped to side-volley the ball!!

Have a look at the picture!!

Amazing!!

Happy Birthday RAFA!!

2006-04-16T19:03:00.000-08:00

Liverpool and in particular Robbie Fowler, gave manager Rafa Benitez cause to celebrate on his 46th birthday!! A composed, albeit controversial goal scored by the Toxeth Terror settled a stop-start match in which Liverpool were reasonably comfortable...

Reasonably because the ever dangerous Morten Gamst Pedersen had a left-foot right wing corner nearly curl into the goal if Blackburn's skipper Ryan Nelson hadnt attemp to head it in!!

Overall, it was good win and sets us up nicely for the FA Cup match against Chelsea on a high...7 straight wins (6 in the league and THAT thumping FA Cup victory at St. Andrews!!), 22 goals scored(I might have left out a goal or two...doesnt matter, since we've scored too many!!) and only 3 conceded!!

Plus there was extra cheer for many of us Kopites as Rafa's body languange and comments seemed to suggest that "GOD" will be at Anfield next season!! The key moment during Rafa's post-match interview that suggested so was his closing statement..."It will be good for Robbie, it will be good for me, and it will be good for the fans!!"

Malaysia Gets First win at the Qualifiers!!

2006-04-16T18:37:00.000-08:00

Malaysia finally got the win they were looking for, beating hosts China by two goals to nil. The goals were scored by Tengku Ahmad "Zidane" Tajuddin and Ismail Abu, but the main reason for the victory was the impressive debut of Kelvinder Singh. Kelvin looked sharp and quick throughout the match and was too much to handle for the Chinese defenders. Kudos to coach Wallace Tan for being bold in selection, and with the other results going topsy tury, Malaysia can still harbour hopes of finishing second in the group, providing they play like this and win all their remaining matches!!

DHOL FOUNDATION at Womad Singapore '05

2006-04-12T05:23:00.000-08:00

Here's another vid of the mighty TDF having a go during the workshop at Womad Singapore last year!!

Johnny Kalsi

2006-04-12T05:19:00.000-08:00

There's a very good reason everyone rants and rave's about this guy...its no wonder that he's labelled the best Dhol Drummer alive!!

Have a look for ya' self...

Musically Inclined!!

2006-04-11T05:02:00.000-08:00

Here's a photo of the Dhol Foundation, one of the world's premier stage artists! This was taken at the recently concluded Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games Festival Gala Concert!!

Loads of fantastic music was on showcase(classical, funk, rock, dance, latin, percussion to name a few...) at various different venues in Australia, to be exact in the state of Victoria.

The best part is, all of these venues were actually sporting event venues (stadiums) - Ballarat, Geelong, Bendigo and Moe.

Fantastic innit? Not only do you get to witness world class feats in sports, you also got world class musical entertainment before and after the events!!

DHOL FOUNDATION once again...

2006-04-10T22:49:00.000-08:00

Here's a clip of the crowd going mad and moving to the rhythmic cycles of the Dhol...

Enjoy...

DHOL FOUNDATION

2006-04-10T22:41:00.000-08:00

Needless to say, these blokes from the UK are my all time favourite stage performers, not just for their brand of music, but very much for their stlye, energy, stage presence and hype!!

Here's a video of their recent performance at WOMAD Australia in Adelaide. Pure Class...

Malaysian Dhol Federation@Rainforest World Music Festival

2006-04-10T22:12:00.000-08:00

The Malaysian Dhol Federation(MDF) will join the ranks of world class stage performers when they set foot on the stage of the 2006 Rainforest World Music Festival .

MDF will be the flag bearer for local artists alongside hometown favourites Tuku' Kame as they go about helping people experience the power of rhythmic Dhol drumming!!

For more info, go to the links section of my blog and you can choose to either click on the event link(RWMF) or MDF's site link!!

Relive THAT moment from Istanbul....

2006-04-10T21:51:00.000-08:00

I found this video on YouTube...it's the Pro Evolution Soccer (that's a footy game, if you dont know) version of events that led up to LIVERPOOL being crowned Champions of Europe in 2005!!

Too good....

Vaisakhi Grand Event - Kirtan

2006-04-10T21:45:00.000-08:00

Recently the Sikh Youth Association of Malaysia (Sikh Naujawan Sabha Malaysia) hosted a Gala Vaisakhi Event at the International Youth Centre in Cheras, KL. Like I was saying earlier, it was a sprifitually uplifting event.

Here's the video I was talking about!!

Vaisakhi Grand Event - Pipe and Dhol

2006-04-10T21:38:00.000-08:00

Recently the Sikh Youth Association of Malaysia (Sikh Naujawan Sabha Malaysia) hosted a Gala Vaisakhi Event at the International Youth Centre in Cheras, KL. Neddless to say, it was a sprifitually uplifting event. (I'll try and post a vid of the kirtan jatha's singing the Guru's word)

Sidetracking a bit...some mates of mine from the Sri Dasmesh Band decided to entertain the crowd with their own brand of Pipe and Drums...err..Dhol to be exact!! Enjoy....

Cool Eh?

Stomp - Fellowship Style!!

2006-04-10T21:33:00.000-08:00

Check out the video, we did a lil' musical demonstration ala STOMP for the Fellowship Camp Fire Auditions...needless to say we hammered the participants with our own brand of noise making...I'll just let the video do all the talking....

...just incase you havent figured it out yet, I'm the big dude with the grey tee!!

2006-04-09T18:17:00.000-08:00

Robbie Fowler celebrated his 31st birthday in style,
scoring a wonderful goal and helping Liverpool to a
1-0 victory over the boring Bolton. Looks like he's
well on his way to securing a new contract!!

GOD Returns to Anfield!!

2006-04-09T04:06:00.000-08:00

Im such a happy man!!

Now that GOD has signed for Liverpool, I can sleep well knowing that he'll score tons of goals for us!!

Long live Rafa!! Long Score Fowler!!

*Check out how smug RAfa's looks after signing GOD!!*
*Fowler was so happy to be back that the LFC CEO had to persuade him to read his contract!! the CEO said GOD would have signed even if the deal didnt offer any cash!!*

City Prove a Point!!

2006-04-08T18:32:00.000-08:00

Big up to Birmingham City and Steve Bruce for their battling performance against Wigan early in the morning today...they fought back from a goal down to secure a VERY, VERY valuable point in their battle to avoid relegation from England's top flight.

The man to save the day for them was none other than David Dunn, scoring a goal after some good approach play by the left hand side of Birmingham, Matt Sadler and Emile Heskey. From the moment Dunn stepped on to the field of play, he bossed the proceedings and topped it all up with an important goal for his team.

This goes to prove what I've been saying all season long, Steve Bruce's team have been unlucky with injuries and not that key players are coming back, they're building up steam, and a City with DAvid Dunn is a much. much stronger and better team.

Sunday Morning...

2006-04-08T18:13:00.000-08:00

The first thing that came to mind after I stepped out of the shower was having my regular dose of Teh Tarik, beats a cuppa any day!! Its a beautiful morning, shame I have to stay indoor and study for my upcoming exams, else I would be doing some havoc with nature!!

Brand New DAy!!

2006-04-08T05:36:00.000-08:00

Woits!

I finally made that long trip from kindergarden bloggin to the real deal!!

Here's to hoping that I'm much more religious in bloggin' here than I ever was on Friendster!

G'day!