Finally taking some time off to blog after a hectic weekend. I ain't sure how other ppl spend their Good Friday, maybe going to church or hanging out with their friends. But, for non-Buddhists you might not know that last friday was Guanyin-ma's birthday. Since i was about to enlist, and after hearing tales of hao3 peng2 you3 in the army schools, i decided that i should seek Guanyin-ma's blessings. So, on a not-so-fine Friday morning, i set off towards the Guanyin temple located at Sima road near Bugis. That's where the "excitement" begins.

To all my readers and visitors who have chanced upon this blog, let me warn you that you have to be prepared when a big day such as Guanyin-ma's birthday clashes with a public holiday. The temple is flooded with ppl, so much so that I took 10 minutes just to reach the gate from the pavement. Ppl were pushing one another, aunties trying to sneak in by the exit point and was caught by security guards etc. Yes, you heard right, security guards. They actually hired security to quell the chaotic situation, but it didn't seem to help a bit. I was sweating buckets before i even had my joss sticks lit. Nevertheless, my mom was helping my cut a path across the crowd, and we managed to slowly inch towards the altar and the vases to offer the flowers and get amulets of blessing. The effects of the amulet was immediate. You know, ppl usually see chio-bus at Orchard Road and Siloso Beach, but i tell you, i saw girls that could have easily made it to FHM magazine. Not that they are sexy, but they are so chio until you melt. I am not that kind of guy who ons their radar all the time and keep a look out of pretty gals, but seriously i dun even need to on my radar that day lor; my radar is probably flooded with red dots with even me making a conscious effort to search. Talk about blessings eh?

Went with my mom and sis to Bugis Junction to eat lunch afterwards. My sis recommended the Crystal Jade Macau Restaurent, so we obliged since we dun really have an opinion. Being the usual me, I would get lost in Orchard, so asking me where the good eateries are located is not much of a use. Anyway, we ate the Pumpkin Apple Baked rice and Pumpkin Soup, which were delicious. This from someone who doesn't really like pumpkins all that much is a great great compliment, and i have a great lunch despite the hefty bill that proved hard to swallow after all the gobbling. The fish there aint that great though they were fresh, and the cuttlefish was a tad too oily and proably taste like Calbee Prawn crackers. 60+ dollars for 4 dishes, a bit owning but for restaurent dining no one can really argue that it is over the top.

So after the lunch my sis, my mom and I went to granny's. The visit was okay, and probably the last before i enlist. Found out that my granny fell during a trip out and it was so bad that it left a visible scar on her face. Then my sis commented that females in our family always fall down and end up in a pretty bad shape. I didn't know whether to laugh or to pity them, probably a mix of both. Sad humor i guessed? My grandpa was as usual, smoking occasionally using his smokepipe, which irritated me and almost provoked a violent response from me as i was 100% non-smoke tolerant, it just makes my windpipe feels dry and i felt suffocated. But as he was my grandpa, i guessed he deserves respect from me, so i just kept my mouth shut and went to the window to get some fresh air. We stayed and chatted for 2,3 hours before we left in a taxi. My sis was telling me that my aunt called my granny and scolded her. The truth is my uncle intended for his children to visit my granny, but my aunt had made plans to eat dinner at the children's granny place, so she waited there for my uncle but he didn't turn up for one reason or another. Then, like all po2 si2 relations, tensions rise and war broke out. My aunt accused my grandma for forcing(or persuading) my uncle to bring the kids over to her place, when in actual fact my grandma was not involved in this shit at all. After hearing this i was pensive and after a while told my sis that i would never get a partner/wife like this because this is in fact a small matter and could be settled amicably. Given the fact that my uncle works for almost 7 days a week bringing home the bread, he shouldn't have to be bothered by trivial things like this. In fact, they could have planned for visits to either granny's at alternate weekends. In this kind of situation, i would have wanted my wife to settle this peacefully instead of calling my mother and bitch when she is not in the wrong and it was all miscommunication. Besides, my aunt's mother used to dislike her grandchildren from visiting as she finds it troublesome, but now when she's doing the opposite she wants others to comply to her wishes regardless of pre-planned schedule.
I mean, WTF, my aunt is really damn kb, this kind of small matter also wanna blow up and say until no one respects her and her mom. Bitch.

Anyway, the whole saga wasn't my damn business, so i just let it go. Back to FM schedule. Got kb by my elder sis again for being too obsessive, but heck. Anyway, i think Man U is really rigid and needs serious rebuilding. My 4-2-3-1 couldn't work on them, predominantly because the players esp the defenders couldn't pass properly, so there was no smooth flow in attack and build up of momentum. But i must commend them on that they really have a pretty solid defence. I always thought of Rooney as a Totti in his early twenties, but apparently he could not fit into my tactical system as an AMC. So much for being Totti eh? So after many unsuccessful attempts at trying to mould Man U to fit my ideology, i called my friend and i asked his opinion. He told me that in his opinion Rooney is the brute force type that charges at defenders and plays the role of a link-up man between the midfield and the striker, and less of a playmaker since his passing weren't all that great. I thought about it for a while and found some sense in what he said. Rooney's worth is the dynamism he brings into Man Utd's play. He is like a livewire that injects energy and swings the momentum in his favour when he see the chance. But while it is easier theoratically to pick out his strengths, it is difficult in practise to bring out the best in him. Personally, i believe that Rooney's main weakness is his lack of aerial prowess, and defenders can easily isolate him if they can cut out the passes and pick out aerial balls. While this may seem to be difficult, Rooney's goal tally this season has reflected on his relatively quiet season, and his occasional frustrations are betrayed in his body language when he could not get the breakthrough. Hence Ronaldo is needed to unlock the defences with his dribbles and play the ball to Rooney's feet.

While, in reality Ronaldo seems to be fitting in well as a right midfielder or left midfielder, ingame it is very different. I dun know if his ineptness at MR position is removed in the latest patch, but in version 7.0.0 his form takes a dip when players play 4-4-2. This doesnt mean that he is lousy in 4-4-2, it just means that you can't bring out the best in him in 4-4-2. Hence, a formation while uses AMRs and AMLs is needed, hence 4-2-3-1. But, this in turn brings down Rooney's form, as he is definitely not cut out to be a lone striker, despite his scoring form currently. Playing Rooney as a lone striker would be a waste to his excellent teamwork stat, hence a contradiction arises. It becomes evident after a while that it is almost impossible to accommodate the two wonderkids in a system which brings out the best in both of them. I am still trying to fugure out how to do so, and i will update as soon as possible once i have figured everything out. 4-3-3 seems a good bet, but much is left to be seen. Until then, byebye.

johannkrizalid blogged @ 11:47 AM