The Hero and the Princess.

I thought it would be fitting that my first entry for 2008 be of something significant, something extraordinary and being blessed with a baby girl certainly qualifies. To try and put into words the emotional roller coaster that I had been in during the hours leading up to her birth is something I know I cannot do justice to.

The feeling of being a father for the first time is one of those things in life which nobody can prepare you for no matter how often you see it or hear about it. I strongly feel that it’s something you have to experience first hand. Being in that room with my wife and my soon-to-be delivered daughter is something very intimate and personal. It matured me quite a bit. Those waiting moments made me put things into perspective and to reassess my priorities and my life in general. I feel sorry for those dads that missed out on the birth of their child because it’s such an enriching and empowering experience.

I also felt the terrifying grip of fear followed by immense joy and love that reduced me to fairy floss.

The fear is for the well-being of my wife who had to endure the agony of contractions while battling fatigue from not having to sleep for close to 2 days. Feeling so helpless yet trying to keep a brave face and be strong and supportive for her at the same time is one of the hardest things I have ever done in my life.

The joy comes when the little angel looked up at us right after her birth - with the umbilical cord still attached - as she gives us that curious yet loving stare with those beautiful shiny eyes as if she knows that we love her with all our heart and understands that we are now a family. It was a priceless moment. I’ll never forget that as long as I live.

The love, oh man, the love I’m feeling is a kind of love that is so raw, so powerful and overwhelming that you’d die to protect and kill to defend. When I was an armchair critic about fatherhood, I used to shake my head at those dads that pamper their children rotten by buying them whatever they want and shielding them from anything that is difficult. I now know what a grip this kind of love can do to a dad and I hope that I can be strong enough to do what is right rather than what feels good.

After witnessing what my wife has gone through, I have gained tremendous respect for her, my Hero, the Rambo of our new family. And holding my Princess in my arms for the first time knowing that she is an extension of me, us, gave me goose bumps. Instead of being the head of the family, I feel that I am but a humble and willing servant, a guardian of this family and I will serve and protect until every ounce of my being is exhausted.

That I promise.

Tis the season to be jolly.

As the carol goes - "It's beginning to feel like Christmas...".

Most people are on their Christmas/New Year break now. The upcoming week and a half of rest and relaxation always put people in a good mood. Traveling to work today was a breeze. Traffic was smooth and there was not many people waiting at the bus stops along the way.

People that I meet around this time of year are usually chatty, cheery and relaxed. Even strangers. In this festive season, everybody's got something to talk about after the usual 'How are yous?'. If it wasn't for the holiday season, strangers, myself or a 'Hi-Bye' friend would comment about the weather which is usually a sign for, 'Look, I'm racking my brains trying to come up with a topic for conversation and I've got nothing.'. The question - 'What are you doing for the long break?' usually gets the banter going until it ends with a polite farewell and the season's greeting which is very pleasant.

Instead of being harassed to get a job done on an unreasonable deadline from a client or a third party, there were a few incidences this week that could only be explained as one of the many miracles of Christmas.

The usual tightly wound nutters that have my balls at the palm of their hands said with a smile and cheer in their tone of voice, 'Oh, don't worry. We'll deal with it in the new year.'. Now if it was any other month of the year, they would have squeezed.

One of them initially asked us to prepare all the information for a meeting that she wanted to have on the last day before most offices close for the year. She did this with a letter and a couple of stern phone calls. We left 3 messages with her since last week and she finally calls yesterday to say that she was going on holidays and we're postponing the meeting till next year.

If I was a newbie, I would've stressed on her unreasonable demands but knowing the organisation that she works for, I knew that there was no way she would have a meeting on the last day before we break for the holidays. In fact, they would've already been in holiday mode a whole week before the official closing date. What she said to me initially was probably right before the Christmas drug kicked in. The reason for my calls were basically to tell her that she's dreaming but she beat me to the punchline.

The feeling of Christmas for me here in Australia is very much different from Malaysia. In Malaysia, it's church service in the morning, big meals at restaurants or a party and hanging out in malls. In fact, every public holiday we get we somehow end up in malls.

Over here, everything is closed unless 7-Eleven's your dig. So, it has more of a homely and family oriented feeling to it. I'd even say it's more relaxed cos' hanging out at a beach where your eyeballs and mind get to stretch out a little and not caring about anything besides flies getting in your mouth seems pretty good to me.

Merry Christmas and stay safe on the roads.

PS: I've heard flies are a good source of protein so, don't fret too much.








PPS: *Do not open until after Christmas* I lied.

I love this game..er..no homo.

Via espn.com...

HOUSTON -- Coach Phil Jackson said he deserved the reprimand he got from the NBA on Wednesday for making a sexual reference in a comment following the Los Angeles Lakers' loss in San Antonio.

The Spurs made 13 3-pointers in their 107-92 victory on Tuesday night, and Jackson was asked if too much penetration was leading to open outside shooters.

"We call this a 'Brokeback Mountain' game, because there's so much penetration and kickouts," Jackson said. "It was one of those games."

The 2005 film, which won three Oscars, depicts two cowboys who conceal their homosexual affair.

"But in retrospect, it wasn't really funny," Jackson said before the Lakers played Houston on Wednesday night. "When you take it out of context, it wasn't funny. It was a poor attempt at humor and I deserved to be reprimanded by the NBA."

Still, Jackson couldn't resist making another joke as he apologized.

"If I've offended any horses, Texans, cowboys or gays, I apologize," Jackson said.
Jackson thanked beat writers and other journalists who covered Tuesday's game for dismissing the comment as an innocent joke. He said several of them laughed when he said it.

The NBA did not.

NBA spokesman Brian McIntyre said: "The remarks are in poor taste, and the Lakers have assured us such remarks will not occur in the future."

Jackson admitted he should've known better -- that coaches can't get away with the jokes that Jay Leno and David Letterman do for a living on their late-night talk shows.

"It's societal right now," he said. "Some people can do it. Some people can't. That's something that's appropriate for certain categories."

Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) president Neil G. Giuliano issued a statement saying: "Phil Jackson's been coaching long enough that he should be able to talk about the Lakers' performance without resorting to cheap gay jokes."

Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press

Hahaha! Cheap gay jokes? I thought it was GOLD! Who says the zen master has no sense of humour? I thought Phil Jackson's comment was downright appropriate and hilarious. C'mon, thirteen 3s in a game? Were all 5 Lakers hugging Duncan in the post or what?

Okok, he got fined, which is fair enough cos' we don't want the NBA getting in trouble with the Hollywood heavyweights for NBA teams scooping up the writers on strike to write their post-game interviews.


See you in the showers.*Muaks*

Maybe the C league should have fined these guys too?

Some more funny sports quotes:

"My sister's expecting a baby,and I don't know if I'm going to be an uncle or an aunt."
Chuck Nevitt, North Carolina State basketball player, explaining to Coach Jim Valvano why he appeared nervous at practice

"I told him, 'Son, what is it with you? Is it ignorance or apathy?' He said, 'Coach, I don't know and I don't care.' "
Frank Layden, Utah Jazz president, on a former player

"Son, looks to me like you're spending too much time on one subject."
Shelby Metcalf, basketball coach at Texas A&M, recounting what he told a player who received four F's and one D

"He dribbles a lot and the opposition doesn't like it. In fact you can see it all over their faces."
Basketball analyst

"Nobody in football should be called a genius. A genius is a guy like Norman Einstein."
Joe Theismann in 2002. It turns out that Joe Theismann went to high school with a Norman Einstein, who was the class valedictorian.

"Julian Dicks is everywhere. It's like they've got eleven Dicks on the field."
Metro Radio, College Football

"You guys line up alphabetically by height."
Bill Peterson, a Florida State football coach

"I owe a lot to my parents, especially my mother and father."
Greg Norman, Pro Golfer

"One of the reasons Arnie Palmer is playing so well is that, before each final round, his wife takes out his balls and kisses them. Oh my God, what have I just said."
US Open TV Commentator

"The lead car is absolutely, truly unique, except for the one behind it which is exactly identical to the one in front of the similar one in back."
Grand Prix Race Announcer

"This is really a lovely horse and I speak from personal experience since I once mounted her mother."
Ted Walsh - Horse Racing Commentator

"This is Gregoriava from Bulgaria. I saw her snatch this morning during her warm up and it was amazing."
Weightlifting commentator at the Olympic Snatch and Jerk Event

"We're going to turn this team around 360 degrees."
Jason Kidd, upon his drafting to the Dallas Mavericks

The Beast.

Looks like the Hummers have arrived Down Under. I saw the limo parked outside a hotel here in the CBD, presumably to attract attention. Well, it did just that with many stopping to have a perve.

400 pre-sold H3s are being delivered to their owners around the country this week. I like Hummers but I don't get their practicability. The interior of the H1 is top notch but with it taking close to 2 lanes on the road, it's going to be a major pain in the buttocks driving around. People will be hurling abuse and it's guaranteed to get keyed if it was to be parked in a shopping mall.

The H3 is retailing for around AU$60,000 for the luxury model. It ain't that bad but I don't even want to think about the fuel cost and maintenance for these babies.

A helping hand.

There was an article in the papers last week on Chuck (Charles) Feeney, the billionaire philanthropist. Now, when somebody talks about billionaire philanthropists, Bill Gates and Warren Buffett comes to my mind. I’ve never even heard of this dude but his story is truly inspiring.

Okay, at this point, most of us are thinking that with billions, he can afford to be charitable but would you give MOST of it away? I’ve heard of Warren Buffett being thrifty but Feeney takes the cake. He’s one of those rare individuals that have their priorities so right that I can’t help but admire him. Here’s a guy that can have most material things but travels by bus (at least Buffett owns a car), flies coach, doesn't own a house and carries his documents in a plastic bag!

I find his humility and modesty very humbling, especially when we live in a world where between chasing the dollar and spending the dollar on having a good time, very little or no time is left for anything else. Sure, having a good time is everybody’s right but when we’re nearing the end of our lives, will we be happier knowing that we’ve lived a life based on indulgence or a life where we’ve helped make a difference in somebody’s life? One thing’s for sure, the memory of one of those choices lives on long after we’ve become one with the earth.

I have stopped believing that my donations to major charities would help since learning of the six figure salaries of some of the management staff of major charities and reading on how much is spent on administration. I realised how much of the donor’s money is not reaching the people that needs them most. Friends and acquaintances have defended the cause to pay top dollar to have the right people and facilities to organise initiatives but I fail to see the logic behind how more money goes into supporting the charity’s infrastructure than the cause itself. Of course, this is just me. I’m not trying to convert anyone or stir up a debate.

I now give money to my humble little church (when I attend) because they use the money to keep the place running and once in a while, I’ll send a cheque to the publishers of Our Daily Bread because I believe in their cause. When I receive gifts like chocolates from the office during Easter or Christmas, I usually give it to the homeless on my travels to and from the train station. Although these are not life changing gestures and I should really be doing much more by contributing my time towards a worthy cause, I do believe that we need to do something to help the needy. Anything.

More on Chuck Feeney

VIOLATED!!!

So, I went to the gym last Friday evening for a long overdue workout. Friday evenings at the gym is normally a quiet affair because the female gym junkies are back home picking out a push-up bra, waxing and putting on the finishing touches to that 12th layer of foundation to hide those vein popping arms from all those bicep curls in anticipation of a night of hardcore partying. They hope that by the end of all that preparation, they are able to step out looking like a WWE Diva instead of Xena, warrior princess or the She Hulk.

The male gym junkies on the other hand is home trying to make their bodies smell like a perfume counter and picking out an outfit that they recently bought from the kid’s section of a departmental store. Nothing defines a sexy man like bulging muscles ready to rip through those tight constricting clothes. A word of caution - stay clear if you see shirt buttons that are about to pop because some of these so-called shootings that you hear in clubs are actually buttons with such high velocity that it pierces through human flesh. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. One could go blind or get an instant third nostril from one of these merciless projectiles.

Anyway, after an exhausting session, I went on to hit the showers. There I was enjoying the refreshing gush of warm water massaging my face and chest while trying hard to subdue the reflex of breaking into a song to declare to the world how happy and relaxed I was when I really should’ve been thinking about investing in a pair of Speedos. After a minute or two, I turned around to let my back and my royal buns in on the hot water action. This is when I noticed a camera lens looking at my python!!! A fucking mobile phone was being pointed at me from the opening at the bottom of the shower screens. Instinctively, I stuck out my foot at the lens and shouted, ‘Oi!’, but in hindsight, I should have screamed like a schoolgirl to get some help, roundhouse kicked the doors open and jumped the guy while he’s down. Put it down to shock for the slow reaction which incidentally also reduced the python to an earthworm in a nanosecond. I hurriedly grabbed my towel and went looking for the pervert but he was no where to be found. I made a complaint to the staff, went home and crawled into a fetal position on the bed and proceeded to cry myself to sleep the next couple of days. I was, in a sense, ass-fucked by a mobile phone.

The fucking homo probably has footage of me in the shower plastered all over the www by now or worse, jacking off to a clip of me in the shower. I don’t know how long the dude was there but if I ever see that sicko again, he better be prepared to have that phone jammed up his pee hole.

So, watch your ass in the shower…literally!

No way Jose!!!

Chelsea have confirmed that manager Jose Mourinho has left the Stamford Bridge club by 'mutual consent' after three trophy-laden years at the helm.

A club statement claims that the decision was reached after the launch of a new Chelsea documentary - Blue Revolution - at the Vue cinema in Fulham on Wednesday night, where an emotional Mourinho refused to talk to the press.

However, the rumours of his departure began earlier in the day and claimed that billionaire owner Roman Abramovich called crisis talks following Tuesday night's disappointing 1-1 draw with Norwegian minnows Rosenborg in the Champions League, at which the fractious duo had a furious falling out.

Mourinho is believed to have informed senior players of his departure following training on Wednesday and one of those players insists that the manager has not resigned but has been sacked by the Blues.

Mourinho's rocky relationship with Abramovich was public knowledge and despite an apparent thaw in relations last season the duo were again at odds over the role of £30million striker Andrei Shevchenko and the Blues' dour style of football even before Tuesday's result brought events to a head.

The Portuguese manager, who has won the Champions League with Porto and two Premier League titles as Chelsea manager, was the subject of continual scrutiny last season and hinted at an exit last summer when he admitted he 'was a bit fed up with certain things' at the club.

After three-years at the London club the self-styled 'Special One' is expected to attend training for the final time on Thursday, when he will say good bye to his players.

Chelsea lost their title to Manchester United last season and have started this campaign with some lacklustre displays.

Their last two Premier League games ended in a defeat at Aston Villa and a 0-0 draw at home to Blackburn Rovers, leaving them fifth in the table.

Tuesday's draw with Rosenborg Trondheim in the Champions League was watched by just 25,000 fans.

Chelsea's next match is against Premier League champions Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday.

Jose "the madman" Mourinho getting the sack is just unbelievable. I just can't believe how quickly the decision came.

I'm not a fan of Chelsea by any means, especially when Abramovic bought the team and loaded it with a bunch of superstars. A lot of people, including me, thought that they could've won those silverware with a traffic police as a coach but Jose warmed up to me. He provided plenty of laughs with his antics and mind games both to his players and to other coaches. The comments made between Wenger and the hairdryer, Ferguson, were tame compared to the quotes that he gave us. Some were almost zen like and some were downright hilarious. I'd pay just to go to the press conference, let alone the match.

Madman or genius, what he did in Porto definitely proved his credentials as a top class coach. I can't imagine that he would quit when the going gets tough but in this age of instant everything, coaches are paid to get results. The bigger the pay packet, the more trigger happy the owners are. I just can't digest how quickly the board came to that decision. They showed no mercy to a guy that's won them every domestic trophy. I just don't see Jose going down without a fight though so the boardroom conversation must have went something like this:

Abramovic: You're fired.
Mourinho: What? You can't do that!
Abramovic: Here's $20m.
Mourinho: Ciao.

Man U better eat this team in the next fixture.

Boom! Shake, shake, shake the room.

In today's paper:

Russia said today it had tested the world's most powerful vacuum bomb.

"Test results of the new airborne weapon have shown that its efficiency and power is commensurate with a nuclear weapon," Alexander Rukshin, deputy head of Russia's armed force chief of staff, told Russia's ORT First Channel television.

"You will now see it in action, the bomb which has no match in the world is being tested at a military site," the report said. It showed a Tupolev Tu-160 strategic bomber dropping the bomb over a testing ground. A large explosion followed.

A vacuum bomb, or fuel-air explosive, causes widespread devastation.

A typical bomb of that type is dropped or fired, the first explosive charge bursts open the container at a predetermined height and disperses the fuel in a cloud that mixes with oxygen.

A second charge ignites the cloud, which can engulf objects or buildings.

"At the same time, I want to stress that the action of this weapon does not contaminate the environment, in contrast to a nuclear one."

So, the Russians have developed a more environmentally friendly way of killing people.

Whoopsidoo! Somebody hand them a Nobel Green Prize already.

These military people are so thoughtful aren't they? It's like they're saying, 'Hey, look on the bright side. We kill in the thousands but we're not monsters. Those of you that were lucky enough to be alive gets to breed without having to worry about your kids turning into a teenage mutant ninja turtle or something. We've even created the hole in which you can build a lake or something. Enjoy and behave or else.'

Not to be outdone, the US is coming up with one that will be fueled entirely with the fart of it's citizens (Made in USA BIATCH!!!). Still in the testing phase, reports have confirmed that they just need to find a way to efficiently bottle the fart because current processes seem to lack the ability to filter out the occasional follow through that comes from its citizens forcing a fart too hard.

Oh well, shit happens. Hello Cold War...