[[*Endless Road_______Endless Journey]]*

Friday, June 23, 2006

[[A Nedved Tribute]]

I'm still reeling from extreme shock as I just saw the Czech Republic crash out of the World Cup.

They have been my tip for top place in this very tough group also comprising of Italy, Ghana and USA. Their first match where they whacked USA 3-0 seemed to back my view.

But from then now, well, everything just spiralled out of control for them. Koller got injured, they astonishingly lost to Ghana 2-0 and was somewhat unlucky not to get anything out of the Italy game just now.

Following their exit, it must be certain that the world has seen the last of Pavel Nedved in his national colours. He came out of international retirement to lead his country in their first appearance as the Czech Republic (used to compete as Czechoslovakia) and it's really a shame that this being his first, and most probably last and only, World Cup, that his country has to be eliminated at the group stages.

For sure, Nedved is a player I hold the highest regard for. A wonderful team player blessed with skills many would die for, he is a star player unlike the mould of someone, say, Zidane. He's much faster, definitely more hardworking, and comes across as someone really humble despite of what he is capable of.

And in my view, he is certainly very unlucky. Booked almost at the end of the semi-final of the Champions League against Real Madrid a few years back, he missed the final and Juventus, lacking his inspiration, went down to AC Milan in a penalty shootout. You could literally see his tears flowing the moment the referee flashed him the yellow card.

Fast-forward to Euro 2004. He led his country to the semi-finals (again) against Greece, showcasing mesmerizing attacking football and scoring lots of goals. All these only to fall to an extra-time goal against a very negative Greek football team whom in my view, kind of spoilt the name of the game.

And that proved to be his best shot at international glory. I really feel so sad for the man. Everytime I see him play, he gave his all, running himself ragged even if it's for a lost cause. And not to mention the numerous times when he lost best players awards to the likes of Ronaldo, Zidane, Ronaldinho etc.

Not that I don't think these people don't deserve those awards. Sure, players like Zidane and Ronaldinho wow the crowds with flashy skills even the Cirque de Soleil would be proud of. But they barely even help their teams to defend, leaving the supposedly "dirty" job to others in their teams.

Not Nedved, who always looked like every game he played was his first and last. His work rate is simply amazing, coupled with the natural skills he was blessed with. If there ever was a model professional, definitely the first name to come out should be Pavel Nedved.

I salute the great man for what he has brought to football. It was certainly a joy to watch him play. A real pity I'll never get to see him wear a Manchester United jersey, but at least he played for Juventus, another club I support. It will be a sad day when he finally retires from football altogether.

But till then, football fans can still watch him play the beautiful game for a couple of years more. And hopefully, more footballers can follow in his footsteps and show to the world how beautiful a game football can be.

[[Walking Alone On This Endless Road]]*|12:00 am|

Saturday, June 17, 2006

[[Lost Again...]]

Damn. Another 20 bucks down the drain after tonight's round of matches. Just when I needed to win only one wager out of the four I placed to gain a profit.

At least I've been treated to some very exhilirating football. Anyone who still doubt that Argentina can't win the World Cup should just get his brain checked. Where on earth have you been when they whacked 6 goals past Serbia & Montenegro?

And to put the icing on the cake, they did it with some style too.

Ivory Coast has just been eliminated too. Not so sure if they deserve to because they haven't played that poorly. Pretty good for debutants, actually. But I still can't stand the sight of Didier Drogba.

Anyway, to drift away from football a little...so smitten with Lin Yi Chen lately. Not the prettiest of the lot, but still, she's so damn cute and loveable!

Mexico vs Angola coming up. Not really an exciting match, but hey, the referee's from our very own Singapore! At least a reason to watch the match ya?

[[Walking Alone On This Endless Road]]*|2:52 am|

Wednesday, June 14, 2006

[[World Cup!! And Money Woes...]]

Realised I haven't had an entry for quite some time, so here goes...

It's the World Cup! What else in this world can be more important? Well...perhaps the European Champions League and English Premier League...

Most of the matches so far have been pretty entertaining, and certainly, this looks like one of those tournaments which is going to last very long in the memories of many. There have been exciting and pulsating matches, goals so good they can always send you into an orgasm (erm...close maybe...) and some surprising results, though the biggest upset I can think of so far are Poland losing 2-0 to Ecuador and Trinidad & Tobago holding Sweden to a goalless draw.

That's what football is meant to be. Upsets and fairytales. Of cause, for countries like Trinidad & Tobago qualifying for the Finals is a fairytale by itself already. As they prove it, neither the size of your country or your small population should be used as an excuse.

Thankfully for the World Cup, most of my time will be likely spent at home watching football and nothing much else. Just realised that I wouldn't have much to spend for this month and possibly for July too. Sigh...being an NSF can really test your financial planning and management skills.

Oh yeah, gotta wish myself a happy 21st birthday too! And it's almost a week since I turned 21. Quite frankly, I still have not got over this fact. It's unbelievable that I'm this old already! Not to forget many thanks to all those who remembered. Yours sincerely is really very grateful enough that you remembered. I'm not one who would mind presents (I mean, who would?), but you remembering this date is more than enough to make my day.

Half an hour more before Spain will kick off their World Cup campaign against Ukraine. Looks really exciting, and hopefully Spain will not disappoint. I'm placing a lot of my faith in them, despite getting a lot of stick from my friends about their tendency to underperform whenever it counts. Go, Espana!!

[[Walking Alone On This Endless Road]]*|8:21 pm|

Friday, June 02, 2006

[[Motorcycle Diary]]

A day full of events has just passed me by thick and fast.

It all started on a not-so-good note. I was travelling on the expressway to DTC and saw a very unfortunate accident. The traffic was slightly held up, and as I passed by, I saw a bike in the middle of the road. Around 10 to 20 metres away a man lay motionless on the road, with the helmet a further 20 to 30 metres away.

It wasn't a bloody scene, but still it felt a little sick in the stomach. A glance and you could predict the really unfortunate man didn't survive the accident. I don't know how the whole accident really happen, but it felt really bad and sad to see such a thing happen to a fellow rider.

Last I heard from someone who saw the accident after me, the body was already covered with a black bag when he passed by. My prayers for the man. May you rest in peace. And my condolences to his family too. It's never easy when you lose someone close to you through a traffic accident.

And a note too, to my friends who ride. Please ride safely, defensively and withhold the tendency to speed. I enjoy and love riding, and I very much suppose you guys too. Let's work towards to having many, many riding years ahead of us, yeah?

Today happens to be the last day of my military Class 2B course. Except for the anticipation of receiving the riding permit the day is really pretty dull. The whole morning till lunchtime was spent washing the bikes. It can be an enjoyable washing your own bike, but it certainly is a chore when it comes to washing others' bikes. And not to mention getting wet with all the spraying of water around. Mind you, the water isn't the type that flows out from your household tap. It's recycled.

Afternoon was spent finishing up all the administrative stuff. The permits were finally issued, but not before some words of advice from the instructors. To most, receiving the permit comes as excitement after one whole month of hard work. For me, it's more of a relief after spending two months there and going through a re-course.

Somehow, a little of me will definitely miss the place. Training can be tiring, but the instructors do try their best to make it interesting. And I had learnt a lot more riding skills over the past month, especially off-road riding.

Weekend is finally near. So looking forward to it. Take care everyone.

[[Walking Alone On This Endless Road]]*|7:57 pm|