Euro 2008 ( Final! )

" Expect Emotions " - Euro 2008's tag line

Yeaaah! Spain is in the final. I told you earlier that they do have the 'spark', and now all they need is to win the last match of the tournament, clinch the title and walk away with heads high up! They have came a long way and it's high time for them to step out from the 'shadow'. The big obstacle obstructing their way would be Germany- and they are not easy to beat.

Germany won Turkey in what-it's-said a thrilling match to watch. Turkey took the lead before the Germans scored an equalizer later. In the second half, it was Germany who stepped up and scored their second goal, booking them in the final. Turkey took the Germans' booking off by scoring their equalizer. Turkey is no doubt the king of the 'never-say-die' attitude! Close to 90 minutes, i thought it would remain level at 2-2 and that i'd to push my sleep time later, but the late struck by Philip Lahm, an incredible goal and the man-of-the-match, rebook the Germans spot at the final. To me, without a doubt, he played extremely well as he played both sides of the field and ended with a remarkable goal. Unfortunately, there was a slight technical problem and i didn't manage to watch both teams' second goal. Lucky, it was fixed during the final moment of the match. Cheers to the Germans!

Spain crushed Russia again with 3 goals more to them. It was 4-1 during the Group stage and in the Semi final, it was 3-0. The Russians were good, but the Spanish had the edge and even tried more shots- enjoy watching them play! The pics are from Daylife.com. Spain, enough said!

Just to watch the match and support their team!

The Spanish crowd cheered as they scored the third goal.

A Russian supporter in tears at the end of a 3-0 score match.

The Spanish players celebrates their place in the final! Go Spain!

And so it is...

Germany versus Spain

Another reason why Euro's great is that it opens to the world new songs too. And as for that, this is the Euro 2008 Official Swiss Song.



Eager and anxious, the time is near. wc08 is ready for the final, no matter who wins!

Euro 2008 ( Semi finals )

" I don't want to use big words but it is almost a miracle " - Guus Hiddink on Russia's win

2.45 am (Malaysian time), four nights in a row! And 4 'big' names were knocked-out from the championship- Portugal, Croatia, Netherlands, Italy , of which three of them were leaders of their respective groups. As i had said earlier, the journey to the finals will always be unpredictable and full of surprises. Without a doubt, it has been.

In the first quarter finals, Germany beat Portugal, top Group A with 6 points, 3-2. It was an interesting match to watch; the Germans have the edge though. In the second quarter finals, Croatia, top Group B with perfect 9 points, were defeated by famously known for their comeback, Turkey. The Turkish were so close to being knocked-out when at the last minute, they scored an equalizer- before the extra time ended, leading into penalty shootout. Croatia lost on penalties, 3-1 , thus, Turkey cruises into the semi finals! The Russians ended the Netherlands, top Group C with perfect 9 too, 'killing' spree. The Russians were constantly attacking their way to score. The Russians led, but later the Dutch scored an equalizer, forcing extra time into play. The remarkable Russians scored two goals before the match finished, sending the Dutch back home. And for the final quarter finals, Spain, top Group D with perfect 9, struggled to score a goal against the Italians even after extra time, leading them into penalty shootout too. Fortunately (since i'm supporting Spain), the Spanish won the penalty with 4 to 2 for the world champion, Italy. I was cheering from inside, hoping for Spain to win and break the pattern- leader of the Groups to be knocked-out.

Semi finals 1 : Germany versus Turkey. I suppose the Germans are also wary of the style the Turkish have been playing. Incredible comebacks for the Turkish.

Semi finals 2 : Russia against Spain. They met in the Group stage with Spain crushing them 4-1. Will history repeat itself? Or the Russians to change them?

So who will take the title now- chances to spot the right one is 1/4? wc08, will stumble upon this question when asked to predict, but finger-crossed, the Spain to reach the finals!

Euro 2008 ( Quarter Finals )

" The ball is round "

The preliminary round is over, and the battle for the title still remains at stake. The championship continues on with the quarter finals, the knock-out rounds. And due to the late nights, i'm having dark rings around my eyes already. That's something i sacrificed just for the Euro!

Quarter Finals 1 : Portugal versus Germany - Germany claimed to be the underdog but who knows. They play great football, undeniably.

Portuguese fans cheer before the match against Switzerland in Jakob-Park Stadium, Basel. Pic by Getty Images.
German fans cheer in front of Vienna's landmark, the Stephansdom, in the match between Austria and Germany. Pic by Oliver M.

Quarter Finals 2 : Croatia versus Turkey - Turkey stunned everyone with its incredible comeback. Perfect 9 to battle out!

Croatian players celebrate with fans their 1-0 win against Poland. Pic by Thanassis S.

Turkey fans react after beating Czech Rep to qualify in the Quarter Finals. Pic by P. David J.

Quarter Finals 3 : Netherlands against Russia - Will the Oranje continue their 'killing' spree following an amazing start? Or will the Russians repeat their great play, against Sweden, that pushed them to the quarter finals?

Dutch fans cheer as the national team of the Netherlands arrives at a training session in Lausanne, Switzerland. Pic by Dusan Vranic.

Russia fans jubilate during the match against Sweden, of they beat 2-0. Pic by Sergey P.

Quarter Finals 4 : Spain against Italy - Can the Spanish take on the unpredictable world champion? Hopefully...

Spain fans wait before the match starts against Greece in the Saizburg. Pic by Reuters.

Italian fans celebrate as they watch the match against France on a giant screen downtown in Milan, Italy. Pic by Alberto P.

The photographs are from here. If you want to see more, check it out.

2.45 am Malaysian time, that's when i usually get up, drag myself out from bed to sit in front of the telly and cheer in silence. Fly me to Austria and/or Switzerland! The final is approaching, and again, i still don't have any prediction. Like the Nature rule, survival of the fittest!

Set the alarm, wc08, will try his utmost best to wake up to watch the first Quarter Final match! May be a cup of coffee will keep him awake.

Euro 2008 ( As to 16th June )

" The best seat is in your house " - Astro

One of the biggest Sport event this year has kicked off. Euro 2008- that's what i'm talking about. Hosting this happening event are Austria and Switzerland. The event will last a month, stretching across the month of June. This means that i'll be having numerous late nights, will be turning nocturnal, facing inadequate sleep and the desperate need to overcome my tiredness early the next morning just to enjoy, cheer and watch as the countries clash among themselves, vying to be crowned the next champion. The defending champion is Greece, who beat Portugal in the final, in the previous Euro held in Portugal. A brief information on how is the journey so far and my favourites on the whole, are what i would like to spotlight on this post.



Group A - An interesting opening...
Portugal - Deco is really good! Plus, the world well-known C. Ronaldo has and always will be a threat. He's great, but i don't seem to like him very much though. Beat Turkey in their first round by 2 goals and battled Czech Republic to a 3-1 win for the Portuguese. With that, Portugal became the first country to check-in into the Quarter finals with a steady 6 points lead. Despite losing to co-host Switzerland in the third, meaningless round by 2 goals, Portugal still remains top in this group.
Turkey - Having being defeated by Portugal in the opening match by 2 goals, Turkey was forced to win against Switzerland in the second round. With the win, Turkey tied with Czech Republic, both having 3 points. In what is said to be the most dramatic match so far, Turkey bounced from a narrow lost to the Czechs in the third round, dashed Czech Rep's 2-goal lead and sliced their hope with a third goal from captain Nihat, who earlier scored the equalizer. I truly admire Turkey's spirit and determination to stay on in the competition. An absolute fighter!
Czech Rep - Good goal keeper, Petr Cech, in hand. Besides that, strong leading attackers- Libor Sionko would be one of my favourites in Czech Rep. Tied with Turkey at 3 points before exiting this Euro. They should be stunned at the strength of the Turkey's comeback that snatched their three points away with 20 minutes left in the game. Unfortunately, they were forced to pack for back.
Switzerland - Lost in the opening match against Portugal and Turkey in the second round made them the first country to face the exit gate. I hoped that they will progress into the next round though, but it seemed otherwise. Alex Frei, my favourite Swiss player, injured and was shown the early exit in the opening match. Vital losses, the Switzerland managed to end Euro with heads high up beating current-champion-in-the-group with 2 goals to nil.

Group B - Wasn't able to watch any matches from this Group so far.
Croatia - Could be considered the dark horse in Euro 2008. They beat Austria in the first round with a comfortable goal and won Germany 2-1. Comfortably checked themselves into the Quarter finals. To watch them soon!
Germany - Lukas Podolski, with 3 goals in the list and Micheal Ballack to shine. Almost a complete team, but was disappointing to have lost against Croatia. However, the Germans should be comfortable in the third round and will progress to the Quarter finals.
Austria - Co-host but lost to Croatia in the first round. Like deja vu, they lost 1-0. Drew and only one point in hand.
Poland - Almost the same fate as Austria. Accompanying Austria at one point.

Group C - Also known as the 'Group of Death'!
Netherlands - Sprung to surprise. Admit that they have been committing all the 'killings' so far. Won the Italians, the current world champion, with a destructive 3 goals and continued their winning streak against the French with a remarkable 4 goals to one! Without a doubt, all eyes are on the Dutch as they progress to the Quarter finals with dignity.
Romania - Adrian Mutu is my favourite in this team. He's a real playmaker and places the opponents' defense in a constant state of peril. However, his penalty was saved by the Italian goal keeper, leaving the Romans to leave with one point in that match. And the other one point was courtesy of the French in their first round.
France - With many placing their bets on the French, they have been rather disappointing and disheartening. They must play like they used to, that was when i started to have faith in them. With experienced players like Thierry Henry, Makelele and Nicholas Anelka together with young, fresh new comers like Karim Benzema, they should have won, but to date, they managed a single draw with the Romans and a big blow by the Dutch.
Italy - With either Italy, France or Romania to be the next team to progress, the current world champion's fate is left hanging in thin air. Without Cannavaro, Italy's defense lacked. Albeit with the absence of Cannavaro, Italy still has Buffon which superbly saved a penalty and kept the Italians' hope alive.

Group D - With the defending champion!
Spain - David Villa is the best! He scored a perfect hat-trick against Russia in the first round, and another against Sweden in the nick of time to enable them to propel into the Quarter finals. Apart from Villa, Fernando Torres is a key player in Spain's attack. He's fast and lethal. Great defender, Puyol and his other teammates seemed likely to be complete. Plus, they play beautiful football and i enjoy seeing them play! Checked in nicely into Quarter finals.
Sweden - With seasoned player like Ljunberg, Sweden might be the next to check in into the Quarter finals. However, they have to beat same-point Russia, also vying to qualify, in the third round.
Russia - Good in attack, but when they are countered, they seemed at a loss. They still have chance though, if they are to battle it against the Swedish, it's a lot of work!
Greece - Not near the previous Euro, unfortunately, when they emerged as the champion. Having lost both games, they landed at 0 points and was axed out from the running and the title.

The official ball in the Euro 2008.

Top two teams in each group will advance to the Quarter finals- the knock out stage. If scores are level after 90 minutes in the knock out stage, matches go into extra time before being decided on penalties. Until now, i cannot predict who will win, or who will reach the finals. The battle is still too overwhelming and the journey will always remain unpredictable. Having said that though, i personally favour Spain this Euro- they seemed to have the spark! Bear in mind, we cannot write off countries like Croatia, Germany, Portugal and Netherlands. They are bound to stun. To know more, visit Euro 2008 official website. Below is the Euro's official song- Can You Hear Me, Enrique Iglesias!



With this Euro atmosphere flying high, wc08 finds it difficult or rather a challenge not to watch any match. And this Euro has reignite his interest of football which has diminished over the years in silence.

Eating Spree (Part 2/2)

" An empty belly is the best cook " - Estonian Proverb

I awaken myself up from hibernation and it was the start to another 'makan-makan' adventure. We prepared ourselves early Sunday morning and glued our bottoms to the car seat for about 3 hours. And yes, we then had to glue it again before reaching Sg Petani!


For breakfast, we stopped at Ipoh. For lunch, we ate at Butterworth, Penang.Later, we boarded the ferry to get to the island. The main purpose of going to the island was to stroll and dine in Gurney Drive.

Since we were there before the stalls were open, we headed to the Gurney Plaza just to window shop and pass time. We parked our car not too far from the plaza and the food place.

Love this picture. Taken by me outside the plaza, along the road. It was low tide, and you could still see the horizon and the mainland. Time to eat when the time came.

As we strolled along the place, we could find food ranging from 'char kuay teow' to 'fish ball noodle', 'prawn mee' to 'asam laksa'. A man making 'Ma Zhi' for us while all our eyes were on him. No doubt, Malaysia, on a whole, is a food paradise!

Deep fried chicken skin! Just imagine the amount of fats inside the layers of crispy, crunchy skin. And, this was ours. I wanted to try this before but then it was closed. Fortunately (May be not), i was just lucky. And there goes our dinner.

We didn't stay a night in Penang. After dinner, we diverted to Sg Petani and spent our 3 nights there. As for Sg Petani, i didn't take any pictures of the food- it becomes too common then, cliche. On the whole, Sg Petani's nice- especially the food. If you've been there, you'll know what i mean! And the food is much much cheaper than KL's. For a plate of delicious 'wan tan mee', we only need pay RM 2.70. In KL, unfortunately, we have to dig deeper into our pockets and pay for a price of RM 3.50 (on average). Obviously, it's a lower standard of living area. Bloated, the only word that best describe the feeling of my stomach, it was a wonderful time.

Checked out on Wednesday and we diverged to Ipoh town for dinner. Tasty 'Ipoh hor fun'. By the time we were in Ipoh, we received many smses informing the increase in petrol prices. Along the highway, we couldn't get the radio channels on and there was no tv to catch the news. So, we were quite slow on the latest news. And after dinner, the news was confirmed and we started to look for a petrol station to fill up the tank - most people would do that. An increase by almost 41%, RM 2.70 per litre for petrol and RM 2.58 per litre for diesel- resort to other means of transportation soon. And by August, it will follow the market and price could be as high as RM 4! Wow! Expecting other things to go up too...

Found a Petronas station that wasn't as full as others- Esso, Mobil, Shell, Caltex to name a few. They were all packed with cars and lorries. We had to queue too.

Filling diesel before price rises.

Due to jams in nearby station, we reached home a little later than usual. That marked the end of my Eating Spree and really, i'll have to hit the gym or do any sort of exercises!

Yummy, wc08, licks his tongue and feels thankful for the food he ate.

Eating Spree (Part 1/2)

" When eating a fruit, think of the person who planted the tree " - Vietnamese Proverb

Just a week after the Melaka trip, I was off to yet another 'makan-makan' outing. As you can see, this is the first part of the whole 'spree'. Saturday, 31st May, was a night booked for a buffet dinner at Sheraton Subang's Terrazzo Brassie. On the surface, it was a nice place with nice food and a nice get-to-gather. Deeper in would be just the feeling of joy and an expression i can't word out! This joyous outing, with my uncles and aunties, left us with a full tummy that took us more than 4 hours to digest.

We went in quite a big group, which allowed us to occupy the whole section of an area. What's on my plate? Crunchy shrimp with mayo, succulent chicken satay, scrumptious beef rendang and...

Amidst the dinner, we brought in the birthday cake and sang my uncle the song. Sorry, no picture on this.

After dining on the appetizers and the main course meals, it was high time to head for the dessert corner. And it was my favourite. The cakes and 'kuih' looked inviting and i fulfilled my goal of the night - to feast on the cakes. Just look at my plate!

To ice my mouth was the ice cream. Scoop them yourself and add in lots and lots of chocolate syrup, pounded peanuts and white chocolates to taste.

Before leaving the cafe, i stood by the cake section and took this picture. FYI, the food was aplenty when we wanted to leave. According to one of the chefs there, they will throw the excess food away if not consumed. They are not allowed to pack them home either. What a waste.

It's alright to, once in a while, spoil and pamper yourself to eat. Forget dieting during the holidays. Hit the gym when it ends. But do eat with consideration. Never take in excess and throw them into the bin later. Always remember, we are currently facing shortage of food and the number of people in hunger across the globe are on the rise (why am i suddenly feeling emotional?).

Back to the night, the decor and ambiance of the place is warm and welcoming. Priced at RM 88++ for an adult, RM 44++ for a 4-12 year old child and free for children below 4, we had privileges and need not pay that high.

Look to the sky, from where we sat.

wc08 was full with food throughout the night which he then hibernated 'til the next morning. And the next morning was yet another adventure, headed North, and with that comes Part 2!