From The Touchlines

Tottenham Hotspur fans probably don’t even care a rap for it; Manchester United faithfuls don’t seem to be excited over it, but anyhow, midfielder Michael Carrick has finally completed his move from White Hart Lane to Old Trafford, in a deal worth SP18.6 million.

This means 25-year-old Carrick will be joining his new team on training for the first time at the Carrington training ground tomorrow, after he passed his medical and agreed personal terms with United.

In what had seemed to be an unusually quiet transfer period for the Red Devils, they have managed to cut a deal with Spurs to bring Carrick (below) to United, with a price tag only less expensive than Rio Ferdinand, Juan Sebastian Veron, Wayne Rooney and lastly Ruud van Nistelrooy, who has chosen to continue his career at Real Madrid after an end season fallout with manager Sir Alex Ferguson.

The move ensures a hefty cash profit for Spurs, who bought Carrick from West Ham United for a mere SP2.75 million. But what they will do with that extra cash remains to be seen.

Carrick’s arrival is much needed (though not many would admit it), as United have struggled very much from set pieces since the departure of David Beckham. He could well fill in the role others, such as Ryan Giggs and Cristiano Ronaldo, have failed since Beckham left for Real Madrid.

He will wear the no. 16 jersey, and he is seen as some kind of replacement for Roy Keane, who left abruptly in mid-season. He will be able to provide some depth to the team; his passing in midfield, along with his ability as the first line of defence, will give his other teammates in midfield more opportunities moving forward.

And there is more good news too: Villareal’s Marcos Senna (below), Spain’s World Cup midfielder, could very well see action in the English Premier League. Although already 30, his arrival could see some stiff competition for places in the midfield area, where United currently have the likes of Giggs, Ronaldo, Paul Scholes, Park Ji-Sung, Darren Fletcher and new signing Carrick, among others.

There are even reports that Fernando Torres could still be on his way to Old Trafford, despite his public claims that he wants to remain at Atletico Madrid. Reports in Spanish dailies have indicated he privately wants to play for the Devils.

However, should Torres not make it here, and with the highly publicised departure of van Nistelrooy, Ferguson will choose to gamble on youngster Giuseppe Rossi, who featured a handful of times for United last season. Giggs could find himself in the forefront of things as well, with the arrivals of Carrick and Senna.

With the English Premiership just around the corner, United will face Macclesfield in another pre-season friendly tomorrow, as well as a four-team tournament in Amsterdam over the weekend, with their World Cup stars set to return to action. And that includes Portuguese winger Ronaldo too.

Ronaldo, who has been blamed by a large portion of English fans for his role in Wayne Rooney’s sending off in the quarter-finals of the World Cup, had been, in weeks past, eyeing a move away from England, possibly Real Madrid.

The reason? He fears the hostile reception he would get from the fans when the regular season resumes, even though Rooney himself has forgiven him and put the whole incident behind him. But a good holiday back home in Madeira, as well as momma’s advice has, apparently, changed his mind, and he showed up for training.

Transfer news aside, United will play Sevilla on August 12, in conjunction with the opening of an extra quadron in the stadium, which adds up from the current capacity of 67,000 to 76,000.

While Juventus can hardly smile about the outcome of their appeal, Fiorentina and Lazio are definitely thankful to have their heads above the water, when the initial verdict of relegation was overturned after appeals by both sides.

Fiorentina and Lazio have been reinstated in the Serie A and both are docked 19 and 11 points respectively. As for Juventus, well, they should be thankful that they are still playing football at all.

Juve’s points deduction has been significantly reduced from the initial 30 to 17, which means it would probably take them only one season to get back to the top flight. But another appeal by the Old Lady is definitely on the cards.

AC Milan, meanwhile, will be back in the qualifying rounds of the Champions League, quashing any rumours that their stars will be leaving anytime soon, although Real Madrid are looking to sneak Kaka (bottom) out of the San Siro. The Brazilian playmaker has yet to decide on his future at Milan.

Juve’s stars such as Fabio Cannavaro, Emerson and Lilian Thuram, meanwhile, have decided to cut the strings loose and make their escape to the Spanish Primera Liga; Cannavaro and Emerson will feature for Real Madrid under new coach Fabio Capello, while Thuram (bottom) has signed a two year contract with Barcelona reportedly worth five million euros.

The successful appeals made by Fiorentina and Lazio mean that Messina and Treviso, who had high hopes of remaining in the Serie A following the initial verdict, will be relegated to the Serie B.

The recent turn of events has also seen Inter Milan declared champions of the Serie A for the 2005/06 season as a result of Juve being stripped of two seasons’ titles. But the 2004/05 Scudetto is still without an owner.

My tummy is now satisfied, for it was fed with KFC’s latest Cheesy BBQ Meltz by its faithful owner. BURP! (Oops, sorry!)

I had been waiting to try it since it was advertised on the telly and in the papers. It looks the size of Pizza Hut’s Pan Pizza, but only half of it.

During my lunch break today I went to KFC and decided to try this new serving. I had been getting good reviews.

After ordering my set, I went to my seat next to the main entrance and waited patiently for my food to arrive. When it did arrive, I was shocked, as it didn’t look like what I had ordered.

So back I went to the counter and returned the mistaken order and subsequently went back and sat down. Time to play the waiting game again.

As I waited, I noticed one of the waiters held a burger (I presume) in his left hand, and with the other he held a broom and a dustpan! That’s not a sight you see everyday, but if it becomes a regular occurence then something is REALLY wrong.

It’s not like saying this guy was unhygienic, but wouldn’t an average customer feel uneasy looking at him carrying these things? I wouldn’t be surprised if that person lost his/her appetite. What if the dust got on the food?

Well, at least my appetite wasn’t ruined and the dust didn’t contaminate my food, as I eventually got the ‘right’ food later and managed to savour the moment.

But don’t you think this scenario is some food for thought?

I had just finished lunch at Red House when I found myself in an adverse situation I could have done without.

It was hard just trying to reverse out of the parking lot in my big silverish blue Datsun. With no power steering and such, I found myself going nowhere. This was also due to the fact that there were vehicles parked on the other side (double yellow line. Go figure).

In the process of me trying to get out of the parking lot, my mum’s friend and another guy saw me in a very tricky situation, and tried to help me.

In fact, I was making some headway when I accidentally stepped on the accelerator instead of the brake. I had intended to shift the gear when that happened and after that, hmmph, I banged right into a stationary green Proton Wira.

I was so shaken up that, as I moved the car to the side, my left foot shook violently and tears had begun rolling down my cheeks. Being the emotional person that I am, streams of tears turned into a waterfall. I began sobbing uncontrollably, as I saw the damage on the front passenger door.

In spite of all this, I am thankful that my mum’s friend, as well as a mutual acquaintance was there when I really needed company. They consoled me.

Since I didn’t know who the owner of the car was, I had to leave the scene feeling so shaken up. I had not even fully recovered from the previous accident and now this. Double whammy. This is my sixth accident, but only the second major one.

I’m not even going to start on what my mum said to me when I called her. The accident itself was pretty traumatic for me.

My face is very ashen now. Thank goodness one of my colleagues is on leave today. She supposedly sits beside me. And I have run out of tissues. I have a bundle of tissues in front of me I haven’t thrown away yet.

Daniel Powter
Bad Day

Where is the moment we needed the most
You kick up the leaves and the magic is lost
They tell me your blue skies fade to gray
They tell me your passion’s gone away
And I don’t need no carryin’ on

You stand in the line just to hit a new low
You’re faking a smile with the coffee you go
You tell me your life’s been way off line
You’re falling to pieces every time
And I don’t need no carryin’ on

Because you had a bad day
You’re taking one down
You sing a sad song just to turn it around
You say you don’t know
You tell me don’t lie
You work at a smile and you go for a ride
You had a bad day
The camera don’t lie
You’re coming back down and you really don’t mind
You had a bad day
You had a bad day

Will you need a blue sky holiday?
The point is they laugh at what you say
And I don’t need no carryin’ on

You had a bad day
You’re taking one down
You sing a sad song just to turn it around
You say you don’t know
You tell me don’t lie
You work at a smile and you go for a ride
You had a bad day
The camera don’t lie
You’re coming back down and you really don’t mind
You had a bad day

(Oooh.. a holiday..)

Sometimes the system goes on the blink
And the whole thing turns out wrong
You might not make it back and you know
That you could be well oh that strong
And I’m not wrong

(yeah…)

So where is the passion when you need it the most
Oh you and I
You kick up the leaves and the magic is lost

Cause you had a bad day
You’re taking one down
You sing a sad song just to turn it around
You say you don’t know
You tell me don’t lie
You work at a smile and you go for a ride
You had a bad day
You’ve seen what you like
And how does it feel for one more time
You had a bad day
You had a bad day

The rain lashing down on Penang Island was bad enough, but the tongue lashing the Penang drivers got from my mum was, fairly said, bad. But they totally deserved it.

The whole ‘ordeal’ had begun very early in the morning, when we were just waking up to smell the coffee. As I got ready for the day, the wind began blowing and the rain started to pour. Combine these two and you have rain water splattered on the window, and the wind keeps on howling.

This went on the whole time I was getting myself ready to head off to work. As more rain fell and its speed increased, I thought to myself, Thankfully I’m not driving today (my mum had to see the dentist today, so she’d drop me off at work).

What happened on the way to work is nothing to shout about, although my mum had plenty to say about the massive traffic jam due to the rain.

It wasn’t the first time I have seen the really ugly side of Penang drivers. But this time, they had indeed gotten out of hand.

A female driver in a Kancil had just made a u-turn opposite the Mobil petrol station not too far from my place. She was on the right side of the three lane road; my mum and I were in the middle section.

There are many schools in my area, so the jam is understandable. But we were making relatively good progress on that busy road, until this woman came up parallel with my car. And very close too.

I was telling my mum, “Be careful”. She was cool about it, however, and continued on.

But that woman came even closer after that, nearly colliding with my car, and the first words that came out from my mum were, “Idiot”. I echoed her stance.

It was then I noticed a bumper sticker on her car that said, “Help Save Lives”. What an irony, considering she wasn’t really thinking about our safety with the way she was driving!

We were subsequently stucked for a good 30 minutes at the junction turning into Jalan Masjid Negeri, all because those coming from the northern part would not stop turning into Ayer Itam road that was jammed with cars and buses. Selfish, is what I call them.

They were allowed to carry on with this nonsense as the rest of us coming from Ayer Itam were, in my mum’s terms, ‘victimised’ by the horde of selfish drivers. But not for long, as three traffic wardens arrived on the scene soon after and began directing traffic. Only then were we able to move out from Jalan Ayer Itam into Jalan Masjid Negeri. How pissed we were, considering that particular road was almost deserted!

The jam on Jalan Masjid Negeri, which spans from the State Mosque right up to Island Glades, was also jammed, bot definitely not half as bad as the earlier incident. It was pretty smooth right down the underpass, though there was a certain motorcyclist who got a bit reckless and kind of in over his head. I’m not even going to go into the fact he wasn’t supposed to be in the underpass in the first place.

As we approached the coastal way overlooking the Penang Bridge, history was being made; the coastal way was jammed! What else could happen?

Well, nothing did, although the journey would’ve been a bit more pleasant had not those drivers who were headed for the Free Trade Zone jammed out three lanes instead of the usual two.

Arrival time at my workplace: 8.09am. While my mum thought I had another minute to spare before I’d be late, I told her that the punch machine where I work is five minutes faster. Disappointed really, but there was really nothing much we could do, considering the external forces which were at work.

The only way I can explain why I’m so drowsy everytime I come to work is: I’ve been dreaming too much the night before.

OK, I’m naturally not a morning person. I like to stay awake when the whole world has called it a day. I don’t necessarily drag myself out of bed, or hit the snooze button on my cellphone several times before eventually getting up.

I can splash lots of water on my face but when I start eating my breakfast, I’ll doze off. Later when driving, I’ll be dozing off too. Gosh, I’m a hazard to myself – and other people too.

This whole dreaming business is really irking me; not only because I’m losing precious sleep, but because half these dreams don’t make any sense!

Take for instance this dream: I find myself in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, when I haven’t even been there before! One other out of this world dream would be me being best friends with Raymond Lam Fung (?). I’m stumped beyond belief!

An article in Reader’s Digest suggested that your dreams can tell you more than you really know about your life. But to me, the only thing it tells me is stuff I know I will not be able to do, or achieve.

This morning I came to work and because I didn’t have anything much to do, I took my 40 winks (perhaps more). I’ve just completed the design of my company’s bulletin, so I’m pretty much free at the moment.

It was after lunch when I – eventually – fell asleep again, only to be awaken by my colleague, who was asking me something. She jokingly asked, “So where did you dream yourself to this time? China?”

Get the picture?

H – Hold someone, telling them how much you care for them

E – Encourage them when they are feeling down

L – Listen to their problems, but stop short of judging

P – Pray for them, whatever they may be going through

When I was headed for Cosmart yesterday evening after parking the car, I had only one thing in mind; I was already running late, so I decided to quickly get the cake (to celebrate my brother and Penny’s second anniversary as a couple) and get back home and avoid the hectic evening traffic.

As I headed towards the mall from the covered car park, this Malay couple came out; the hubby was pushing the pram, while the wife followed closely behind.

As he struggled to open the door, I saw what he was trying to do (I was just about to open the door myself) and immediately held the door open for them to pass right through before I entered.

I felt very pleased with myself; even more so when both of them said thank you. But it wasn’t so much about that; it was more of the internal satisfaction I felt after helping them.

You see, it isn’t how much you help them or how big the act of kindness is; small acts of kindness can touch other people’s lives. You don’t even need to be a superhero to do it.

Go on, find something you can do to help someone. I’m sure it’s not too hard to find.

How much freedom do you actually get while blogging on the net? Almost total. In fact, with the number of blogger moderators on the net, you are spoiled for choice.

With no one to check up on what you do on the net and whatever else, you can safely say you almost have a free hand in doing what you want.

When the two Singaporeans were jailed over some article in their blog, however, the days when we thought we had total freedom to write or blog whatever we want were numbered.

Although that occured in our neighbouring country, it was a very clear wake up call: write ‘nonsense’ and off you go behind the bars.

So how do we define total or absolute freedom? First things first, there is no such thing as absolute freedom. Freedom comes at a very high price. Just ask those who ply their trade in the media industry.

I would, rather, use the term “conditional freedom”. We are – knowingly and unknowingly – scrutinised by “watchdogs” and “gatekeepers” who are out to ensure we toe the line and not go overboard.

So what about blogging? This term isn’t just confined to people who, sort of, write in a journal about their daily happenings. There are some of us who use it as a means of expressing ourselves and showing off our writing skills – in any area.

Besides that, it is also used by some people to express their opinions – without any malicious intent to hurt other people. Hey, if we can’t go to the papers, blogging is the only other avenue! Even the papers are reverting to this method (e.g. The Star and New Straits Times).

Blogging IS fun; you can read other people’s articles and leave your comment (or not) after reading. There shouldn’t be a clampdown on blogging; in fact, we should know where to draw the line. Perhaps the two men who were charged deserved it. They may have treaded on dangerous and foreign territory.

But blogging, among other things, should just be seen as the author’s expression. It is up to you to want to be bothered by what the person says. You can’t stop people from writing what they want – however bad it may sound – but you can discourage them from doing it. Through subtle means.

While it is crucial for me not to make sweeping statements, I believe everyone is entitled to their opinion. Different people have differing viewpoints on certain issues. You can’t change what people think. They are who they are. The question here is: if it’s such a petty or trivial issue, why bother? Maturity comes with experience, but not in all contexts!

KOMTAR is barely visible from where I was this morning – in front of my house; while passing by the coastal way overlooking the Penang Bridge,even that was not that visible. The sun is a pale shade of orange, and there’s something about the air that’s just not right.

The air is distinctly contaminated with some kind of pollutant, and looking at current developments, the Air Pollutant Index (API) is very likely to increase within the next couple of days. The early morning news on air has stated that the API has increased to ‘moderate’ in several areas in Malaysia, namely Prai.

While we’re unlikely to see the shrouding thick smoke that enveloped the nation almost 10 years ago, discomfort among all citizens is definitely on the cards, especially for those who have to be out of the house and into the workplace.

Open burning in Malaysia seems to be one of the causes, but one can’t rule out the possibility of something going on in neighbouring Sumatera. Well, in the past it has been the case, where our neighbours experienced forest fires (or setting the forests on fire, depending on which side you’re on).

An hour after I left home for work, there’s still that lingering smell of haze. The skyline still looks rather blurry; even the office smelled funny when I stepped in 20 minutes ago, and I found out the cause: the window was opened.

The old Malay adage “Sepandai-pandai tupai melompat, akhirnya jatuh ke tanah juga” aptly describes the situation Italian football would wish in a lifetime they wouldn’t have to go through.

Barely a week after claiming football’s most prized trophy, the World Cup, the Italians, footballers and fans alike, were brought down to earth in a landmark decision that definitely shook the entire nation into anger.

The story goes like this: Italy have been hit with a match fixing scandal on a scale they have never seen before. Referees and club officials alike have been involved – one way or another – in this footballing hulabaloo. The clubs that have been involved? AC Milan, Juventus, Fiorentina and Lazio.

The four clubs will be appealing against the verdict handed out, though it is unlikely the court will overturn the decision. As Italian Football Federation commissioner Guido Rossi insisted on Saturday morning – justice had been done and that the punishments meted out fitted the crimes.

The Italians were even hoping that their victory over France on the world’s biggest stage would have some impact over the verdict. Boy, were they just born yesterday? How wrong could they be!

This latest scandal comes after a high profiled Bundesliga 2005 match-fixing fiasco involving national referee Robert Hoyzer. He allegedly bet on and fixed several matches he was in charged of, including a German Cup tie. He was reportedly involved with Croat gambling syndicates. Now banned for life by the German Football Federation (DFB), he is serving a two year, five-month prison sentence.

While Milan may have escaped with just a 15 point deduction and their premature exit from the UEFA Champions League, the other three will see action in the second division. This would also mean that it will take them roughly two seasons for them to find their way back into the top flight.

This, in turn, would prove to be a tall order in its truest sense – players from Juventus and AC Milan are, possibly, looking at a future away from Italy. Clubs from England and Spain are already looking to cash in on what ESPN Singapore’s senior producer has aptly term, “the best shopping spree in history you will ever find”.

And rightly so, for players such as Kaka, Alessandro Nesta, Gianluigi Buffon, Mauro Camoranesi, Patrick Vieira, David Trezeguet, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Fabio Cannavaro, Gennaro Gattuso, Andrea Pirlo and a host of others (gosh, I can’t even begin to count!) are already tipped to join the likes of Chelsea, Real Madrid, Arsenal and Manchester United.

Juve have been the worst hit as a result of this match fixing scandal. Having been stripped of their Scudetto last season and starting the next season with a 30 point deduction for their involvement in this fiasco, they are also set to lose a good deal of private investments and sponsorships. My friend, playing in the Serie B is equivalent to playing in the Coca-Cola Championships, whichever way you want it. You aren’t going to attract many big names; least of all big name investors.

Juve’s blues aren’t just limited to cash per se; how possibly could the Old Lady find their way back to the pinnacles of European football with the absence of their key players – namely Pavel Nedved, Vieira, Camoranesi and Ibrahimovic – all making their way elsewhere?

(For your information, Ibrahimovic has already secured a move to Inter Milan, who looks almost certain to participate in the Champions League with the exclusion of Juve and Milan, although a successful appeal by both sides could change all that).

Other rumours circulating is the possibility of Man United boss Sir Alex Ferguson making a bid for Vieira and Nedved, while Liverpool are targeting the likes of Camoranesi and Trezeguet. Arsenal, meanwhile, are looking to get the services of the world’s most expensive keeper Buffon, although manager Arsene Wenger has come forth and said that they couldn’t possibly pay for these guys’ wages.

OK, this decision ranks as some form of achievement, but it wouldn’t be too much for me to say that it’s only the tip of the iceberg. Hands up – who’s going to tackle match fixing at the international level? Who’s going to stop the bookies from having any influence in matches? Who’s going to stop people from betting on football matches? Who’s going to make betting illegal?

Go figure.