I have yet to update this for a while already. And to my surprise, I still do have people who come on and ask me why I never updated anymore.
To answer your question loyal readers, blogging is a dying trend. And I know it. Its just not the same as it was before. Twitter is so in fashion these days, its easier just to spit out one liners under 140 characters then getting a point across with 1400 words.
Nevertheless, since some of you out there came up to me and asked me why I am not updating, hence I shall make a comeback.
Watch this space.
Adrian said something on 11:30 AM
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Wednesday, July 21, 2010
I consider that there are 4 grandslams of fun runs in the Melbourne CBD annually. Namely, Run for the kids, Run Melbourne, Melbourne Marathon and the Great Australian Run (In that order). As of last sunday, I have succesfully participated in all of them. Not an achievement to brag about, but its something I can be content with.
This time around, I only went for the 5k event. Because it was a very last minute decision, and instead of trying to finish a long distance run, I wanted to pick up some speed and clock a respectable time. I run a lot more than 5ks during a regular training session anyways. And its in the middle of winter plus its not too long before my next scheduled event. Since it was so darn last minute, I didnt help raise extra funds for my charity.
The goal was to finish under 30 minutes. I've easily achieved that on the treadmill. But on the day itself.. too many variables and elements could hinder my performance: massive crowds, winds, terrain.. Believe me, running behind someone in a chicken suit in the wind can add 1 minute to every kilometer.
Long story short, I did 5ks in 28.01. Finished 659 out of a field of 5000. Quite satisfied with that. Although if I knew where the finish line was sooner, I would have had a longer sprint and shaved another 10 seconds off, putting myself in the top 600. But overall not too shabby.
Adrian said something on 12:00 PM
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Tuesday, July 13, 2010
So I bought new running shoes. My old ones are worn out.
To be fair I've done a lot of miles with them. I will do one more competitive run with this (this coming sunday) and they shall be retired.
So this new pair is New Balance I donno what its name. New Balance name their shoes with random letters and numbers anyway, so it doesn't matter. Colour scheme is very similar to my last pair.
Do not that the colour or aesthetical design has nothing to do with the selection of the shoes. I spent half an hour with a very professional shoe-fitter cum salesman on finding the best fit running shoes and I went through over 12 different pairs. Its important to find a shoe with a very good fit, with sufficient cushioning, yet provide stability and is light enough to do long distance running. Trust me, I know.
Hopefully I will do well in this pair.
Adrian said something on 9:03 PM
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Saturday, July 10, 2010
Why did they bother with all the nominations for the awards in the World Cup?
Its fairly straightforward.
Player of the Tournament: Wesley Sneijder
Young player of the Tournament: Thomas Muller
Goalkeeper of the Tournament: Iker Casillas
Most Entertaining Team: Germany
Fairplay Award: Spain
Straightforward right?
Adrian said something on 6:37 PM
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Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Classic!
Adrian said something on 9:28 PM
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Power Rangers The movie Trailer
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Am I the only one who noticed that all the South American teams are doing absolutely well in the World Cup so far?
With all the European hype about Spain and England, I should point out that all the South American teams are currently topping their respective groups after 2 games. And I would not be surprised if all of them make it through to the next round. I am all for the South American teams to do well this time.
Having said that, there's no secret I would highly prefer Mexico to whoop some Uruguayan ass tonight.
Adrian said something on 10:53 PM
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Thursday, June 17, 2010
Surprise surprise, Australia have been so far the worst team in the World Cup. I did not publically mentioned it before, but I singled out Greece, Japan and Australia to be the 3 worst teams in the on going World Cup, not North Korea, Honduras or New Zealand. So far only Japan proved me wrong.
New Zealand are by far the least technically skillful bunch of players in the tournament but have been tactically impressive. They play a 3-4-3 formation (if my memory serves me correctly, it has been over 12 years since I last come across a team that uses this formation). And to be honest, I thought it was the worst idea in a while, but I was later happily proven wrong.
Something Australia could have learnt from teams like North Korea, New Zealand and Switzerland to some extent, don't try to play a style where you just can't beat your opponents.
Here's how:
Its very simple really. Keep things tight and organised, be very rigid if required, make sure the defensive line and the midfield line are not too far apart, only press on the front, and position yourself to make it as difficult as possible for your opponents to move or shoot.
Sure you might not have too much possession but that could be an advantage. Having too much possession means one thing: running out of ideas. That being said, the longer your superior opponent does not score, the more fustrated they can get. Fustration causes them to make desperate moves and passes which are easily intercepted and then hit them with your counter attack. Sounds familiar?
Adrian said something on 1:25 PM
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Tuesday, June 15, 2010
I've watched every single world cup 2010 game since. Should I be proud or ashamed?
Adrian said something on 11:11 PM
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Tuesday, June 08, 2010
I like to read list containing players to watch for a particular tournament/season/time frame because it brings out hidden gems of talent. So when I clicked on this link and saw the likes of Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, kaka, Tim Cahill (yes its written by an Australian) on the list, it makes me rather pissed and cheated. The point of a list like this is to showcase players most people never heard of before and would probably shine, ending up with lucrative club deals after the month long tournament.
Well Here is my list of 5 players to watch.
Claudio Morel (Paraguay)
A defender that gets the job done. Nothing fancy. With Paraguay playing against teams like New Zealand and Slovakia, expect him to look good. If things go well (and if he wants to), I think he will be playing his club football in Europe soon.
Ibrahim Afellay (Netherlands)
I'm not sure how often this guy will play, simply because there are too many attacking midfielders in the team right now. But if he does, expect him to be just as creative as the likes of Van der Vaart or Wesley Sneijder.
Mesut Ozil (Germany)
One word: Wonderkid
Yoann Gourcuff (France)
To be fair he is not exactly unknown compared to the others in the list. Supposedly the next Zinedine Zidane, and I'm sure he does not have a bald patch or requires anger management classes.
Luis Suárez (Uruguay)
If Uruguay does well, we will see more of this guy. Fast, daring and skilful striker, not too good with headers but I do rate him to be potentially just as good as Sergio Aguero.
Honourable mentions includes Pedro (Spain), Simon Kjaer (Denmark), Jesus Navas (Spain), Nicolas Otamendi (Argentina), Angel Di Maria (Argentina), Marek Hamsik (Slovakia), and for the sake of throwing a goalkeeper in the list, Sergio Romero (Argentina).
Adrian said something on 10:01 PM
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Monday, June 07, 2010
Good luck to everyone who is currently or about to sit for exams. I am so happy to not be in your position right now ;)
Adrian said something on 4:37 PM
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Friday, June 04, 2010
After 6 seasons, Rafa Benitez leaves Liverpool; apparently a mutual agreement but I do have my doubts. By the way, I still thinks he looks like a spanish waiter.
When I reflect back on his time with Liverpool, on paper, his record is not too different from the previous manager Gerard Houllier. Both had European and domestic success, and would probably go in the books for the very few most memorable Liverpool managers. Not bad considering they have been managed by greats in the past with the likes of Bill Shankly, Bob Paisley and Kenny Daglish. Yes I know my history, never doubt my soccer knowledge. Both Benitez and Houllier have never won the Premier League with Liverpool although both had similiar paths in coming close. Each improved position by position, season by season and finally made it to a close second place before imploding the season after and well, leave the club.
When I look at the reigns of Benitez, I may never forget that Champions League win in his very first season. Fifth European Cup title, making them the most successful British club in history, and only behind AC Milan and Real Madrid in total cup wins in Europe. I will never forget how I stayed up all night right before a math mid term exam (which contributes to like a huge portion of my final grade in college) to watch Maldini and co bullied my heroes in the first half and the magical 8 minutes that I could still picture in my head. Oh and the penalties and of course the trophy presentation. Classic.
Of course I can also never forget the famous Benitez rotation policy, the signings of key players from Xabi Alonso, Javier Marcherano, Dirk Kuyt and Fernando Torres to big flops like Dossena, Babel and Voronin. I wouldn't forget the change of playing style where I saw better passes, better movement and better player positioning compared to Houllier's reign.
Overall, I thought the appointment of Rafa Benitez turn Liverpool from a good team to a better team (not great unfortunately).
He has done a lot of rights for Liverpool. I once looked at the squad and said all Liverpool needs then was a striker who can finish off balls and score goals and Liverpool would win the Premier League. Torres was then signed. Had he not have injury problems and played 5 games more while perhaps scoring 3 goals in seperate games, Liverpool would have easily won the Premier League in the 08/09 season. Easily.
Then comes 09/10, the main catalyst for the Departure of Benitez. The season when everything went wrong before it even started. Xabi Alonso was sold, and signings were made in the wrong positions. Glen Johnson is a good addition to the squad, but I do feel that he was a little overpriced and Aquilani? well, I expected Premier League managers to know not to spend millions on an injury prone Italian player (in an attacking position I should add).
In an ideal world (mainly financially), I would expected Xabi to stay (or at least Gareth Barry to be signed) and Carlos Tevez to be signed. And perhaps an untested dutch winger like Georginio Wijnaldum or someone proven like Wesley Sneijder. Of course I blamed the owners more than Benitez for this but I do believe he is partially responsible despite having his hands tied.
The season started badly and it got worse. Torres could not play 10 games straight. Instead of changing things up, I saw Liverpool playing the same tactics and formation that works so well with Xabi Alonso and Fernando Torres in the starting line up. Lucas was made to be a direct replacement, trying to play a Xabi game and failing miserably. Possession is lost far too many times in the middle of the field and when chances are made, there is no prolific figure in front of them all to score the goals. To make matters worse, Liverpool played too many games without heart. There was a clear lack of passion and hunger to win, especially against lesser teams. For these reasons, I do need to fault Mr Benitez.
Promises were made, expectations were too high plus bad refeering decisions and injuries across the squad. Early cup exits and a string of bad runs. Nothing went right. At one point, I have to admit I could not wait for the season to be over.
I do feel that Benitez has started to lose the plot, and is just living day by day, just trying to get through matches until the inevitable happened.
Based on the current squad and the financial situation, Liverpool is going to need some time to rebuild and probably reinvent themselves. It would be interesting to see who will take up this job.
Adrian said something on 6:07 PM
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Saturday, May 29, 2010
Behold... Random wild rabbits
Adrian said something on 11:36 PM
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Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Nike has done it again. From the mission, to the secret tournament, or just the one at the airport with the Brazilian team. They make great football ads.
If you watched the Champions League Final last week, you have probably seen this already.
I liked the Homer Simpson part. Too bad Ronaldinho is not going to be in the up coming world cup.
Adrian said something on 10:15 PM
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Monday, May 24, 2010
Today is Lost day. as in the tv series. Arguably the most epic tv series ever created. Not my favourite among the bunch but certainly in the top five. I am probably going to spend 5 out of 24 hours today watching the series finale and the extras that comes with it. But for now, here are some clips on how the opening credits of lost could have been.
Adrian said something on 10:21 AM
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Thursday, May 20, 2010
Excuse the ads (if you haven't guessed it)
Adrian said something on 8:45 PM
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It was a fairly long time ago when I was in college, living away from home for the very first time, still young and carefree. Not that I do not still carry any of the attributes that I just mentioned but back then, but I did not really understand the need to save money for anything from special occasions to unexpected financial emergencies.
Believe it or not, I had the habit of blowing off fifty percent of my monthly allowance on the first 3 days of the month. Don’t judge me, I bet most people out there spend way too much way before their next payday too. I would end up skimping on meals and started living a very prudent lifestyle for the rest of the 27 or so days.
Then one day I got really sick, and I realised I could not afford the medical bills that comes with it. I didn’t own a credit card then, borrowing cash from a friend was not a solution (because all the people I knew had similar financial situations), and I dearly wished that banks would easily loan me a good hundred bucks for the day.
Poker is such an awesome card game. Let it be Texas Hold'em (My favourite by far), straight, stud, pai gow, draw, err strip?; what ever the rules may be, the aim of the aim is the same: beat your opponent's hand, or make your opponent think that you have just beaten his hand.
The beauty of the game is that you think you know it all; all the tips and tricks of poker playing, reading all the poker faces, knowing all your opponent's strengths, weaknesses and strategy, but there is never ever enough to stop learning about mastering the game.
The simplicity of the game allows different players to apply different strategies, making every game so interesting to watch and play. There are just so many approaches to combine skill and luck to make sure you come out with the best possible outcome, as the saying goes, 'play your cards right' Its like playing survivor, you just never get bored of it.
Poker is an easy game to learn but takes a lifetime to master. There are too many sites and blogs out there like WSOP to cater for those who wishes to learn about the game, yet has content that may satisfied the most seasoned professionals.
Adrian said something on 9:20 PM
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Thursday, May 13, 2010
Life throws us with tough situations. It makes us decide what we really prefer to have and what not.
One of life's biggest uncertainties is how you prefer your toilet roll to be placed.
Outward bound?
or Inward bound?
After a lot of deliberation, I am proud to say, personally, I prefer outward bound. It makes more sense that the toilet paper rolls onto your hands. Which one do you prefer? (not a rhetorical question)
Adrian said something on 8:13 PM
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Tuesday, May 11, 2010
When I was a lot younger, I dreamt of living in a world where weekends are 5 days long, and I only had to work for 2 days. Sometimes you have to be careful of what you wish for cause you just might get it. Cliché, but true.
I would imagine having 5 days off a week would allow me to pursue a number of things. Hobbies, holidays, do things a future version of myself would be satisfied about. Instead, I've been turned into quite a sloth. Not too proud of that.
On the bright side, I picked up a new leisure pursuit. I am trying to do a fair bit of hiking on a weekly basis. Yay to that!
Adrian said something on 8:37 PM
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Tuesday, May 04, 2010
I agree with the millions of people out there. The World Cup 2010 Anthem by Shakira is absolutely horrible.
Don't get me wrong, Shakira is not the problem. Its the song.
It lacks character and spirit a great world cup song needs. Something passionate but not desperate, something catchy and rhythmic, something memorable.
Something you imagine would be a good song for a collaboration for football higlights, and this song is just not it.
My favourite World Cup theme to date is Carnival De Paris from the 1998 World Cup.
What's yours?
Adrian said something on 10:08 PM
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Monday, May 03, 2010
I was sick for the weekend. Kinda sucks because I ended up staying in all weekend.
Well, currently I still can't stop coughing so I guess I still am kinda sick. The worst part is waking up at 4 in the morning barking my lungs out.
Sucks
Adrian said something on 8:04 PM
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Thursday, April 29, 2010
At this moment, I believe I have done whatever I could to get my PR. Paid all the fees (hefty ones I must add), got all the documents that I require, sat for exams, went for the medical check up, filled up forms, scanned more documents and now I shall await for my application to be allocated to a case officer and hopefully it all goes well from there.
Nervous moments.
Adrian said something on 9:40 PM
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Wednesday, April 28, 2010
You know your fairly rich if you can appreciate sparkling water over still.
To be honest I cannot appreciate sparkling water, I think they are overrated and they taste absolutely horrible on their own. And I am fairly confused on why they cost so much.
Can someone enlighten me on why sparkling water is even so popular? My guess is that it has greater health benefits compared to still water.
Adrian said something on 8:05 PM
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Sunday, April 25, 2010
I have been fairly occupied with a couple of things lately, most of which I feel lazy and its not in my obligation to discuss. Very important life phase that I'm going through right now.
On another note, I think I will try and pick up painting and drawing again. I left those behind me years ago, and its about time I bring it back.
And in another unrelated note, it feels good to not be a student anymore.
Adrian said something on 6:45 PM
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Sunday, April 18, 2010
And a Happy twenty three-teen birthday to me! I shall start my day with some pancakes for breakfast and a good jog. Its 3.30am by the way, and I'm up. I believe its from the dosage of caffeine I had a few hours ago
