Man Utd Dethroned

FC Barcelona of Spain had been crowned champions of Europe after dethroning Manchester United FC of England in the final of the UEFA Champions League at Rome's Olympic Stadium earlier today.

Goals by Samuel Eto'o and Lionel Messi in either half of the match sealed the game for the Catalans. Man Utd's midfield was almost non-existent and this was the major reason in their defeat. At the front, it was Cristiano Ronaldo all the way while Wayne Rooney and Ryan Giggs were mere passengers. On the whole, Man Utd were simply outclassed and outplayed.

Eto'o's goal early in the first half looked so easy as he rounded Nemanja Vidic with ease and toe-poked the ball past Edwin van der Sar, while Messi had acres of space to time his jump and head the ball past the hapless Van der Sar.

Hopefully will see a revamped Man Utd in the new season with 'new' blood. But then again, 3 cups won out of a possible 5 is by all accounts not a failure, but the big one got away. Now to prepare for the new season and challenge for honours, come rain or shine! CIAO!

Angels Vs Devils

The Champions of European football will be decided today in Rome at the Olympic Stadium when FC Barcelona (Spain) face Manchester United FC (England). It had been dubbed the "Dream Final" and UEFA had given Barca home team status. 

Man Utd are the first team to reach successive Champions League finals since Valencia (Spain) in 2000 and 2001, and will be aiming to be the first to win consecutive trophies since AC Milan (Italy) in 1989 and 1990. Man Utd's Park Ji-sung of South Korea will be the first Asian to play in a Champions League final after missing out last year, and Bulgarian Dimitar Berbatov will be aiming for his first Champions League medal. Berba was still with Tottenham Hotspurs when Man Utd won it last year.

So, with so many 'first' to be achieved, the Red Devils will definitely go all out and give the Spanish "Angels" a torrid and hellish time in Rome, come rain or shine! CIAO!

GLORY GLORY MAN UTD!

"Deleted" Doesn't Mean It's Gone

By Christopher Null : The Working Guy   

It's always fun to write about research that you can actually try out for yourself.

Try this: Take a photo and upload it to Facebook, then after a day or so, note what the URL to the picture is (the actual photo, not the page on which the photo resides), and then delete it. Come back a month later and see if the link works. Chances are: It will.

Facebook isn't alone here. Researchers at Cambridge University (so you know this is legit, people!) have found that nearly half of the social networking sites don't immediately delete pictures when a user requests they be removed. In general, photo-centric websites like Flickr were found to be better at quickly removing deleted photos upon request.

Why do "deleted" photos stick around so long? The problem relates to the way data is stored on large websites: While your personal computer only keeps one copy of a file, large-scale services like Facebook rely on what are called content delivery networks to manage data and distribution. It's a complex system wherein data is copied to multiple intermediate devices, usually to speed up access to files when millions of people are trying to access the service simultaneously. (Yahoo! Tech is served by dozens of servers, for example.) But because changes aren't reflected across the CDN immediately, ghost copies of files tend to linger for days or weeks.

In the case of Facebook, the company says data may hang around until the URL in question is reused, which is usually "after a short period of time." Though obviously that time can vary considerably.

Of course, once a photo escapes from the walled garden of a social network like Facebook, the chances of deleting it permanently fall even further. Google's caching system is remarkably efficient at archiving copies of web content, long after it's removed from the web. Anyone who's ever used Google Image Search can likely tell you a story about clicking on a thumbnail image, only to find that the image has been deleted from the website in question -- yet the thumbnail remains on Google for months. And then there are services like the Wayback Machine, which copy entire websites for posterity, archiving data and pictures forever.

The lesson: Those drunken party photos you don't want people to see? Simply don't upload them to the web, ever, because trying to delete them after you sober up is a tough proposition.

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By Admin:

So always be very, very careful of what you upload. Once it's done, it don't belong to you anymore, and you can't control where it's going to end up. Be smart, really smart, come rain or shine! CIAO!

Just For Fun

By Oh Teik Theam (MOE, StarTwo)

1. The Cowboy

A cowboy buys a horse from a friend, who tells him to say "Phew" to make the horse go and "Bah" to make it stop. The cowboy jumps onto the saddle and says, "It's getting dark - time to set off." And then he shouts, "Phew!" The horse starts to gallop quickly. "Whoa! Whoa!" the cowboy yells, but the horse refuses to stop.

They are almost at the brink of a deep canyon, and it seems the cowboy will meet with an unpleasant death. Luckily, at the very last moment, he remembers the right word to use. He yells, "Bah!." The equine animal stops, just inches from the edge.

Looking down at the rocks hundreds of feet below, the cowboy is relieved that he has come through the danger. He wipes the sweat from his forehead and says, "Phew!"

2. The Blind Date

When the 80-year-old widow returns home from a blind date with an 85-year-old man, her daughter asks her, "Mum, did you take to him?" "No," the mother replies. "What happened, Mum? Please fill me in."

"I had to slap his face a few times."

"He got fresh?"

The mother falls about with laughter and says, "No, I thought he was dead!"

3. The Actors

An actor walks into a sleazy restaurant for a quick meal. As he is tucking into his dinner, he notices another actor clearing dirty crockery from the next table.

"I'm not surprised," the first actor says. "Jobs are hard to come by for you - you can't even play a corpse in a medical drama!"

The second actor, put off by the first actor's rudeness, retorts, "At least I don't eat here!"

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By Admin:

Hope you enjoyed reading the above. As they say, "Laughter's the best medicine." Have a good day/night, come rain or shine! CIAO!

Quadruple In Sight

Manchester United FC is CHAMPIONS of England again for the third time in a row! The Red Devils retained their English Barclay's Premier League title after holding Arsenal 0-0 at Old Trafford today.

Now the focus turns to the UEFA Champions League final in Rome next Wednesday, May 27, against FC Barcelona of Spain. Man Utd will be defending the title won last year, and if they succeed, they would finish the season with a quadruplets of trophies. Already won are the World Club Cup, Carling Cup and the BPL today.

Back to the match at Old Trafford today, the weather was one of rain and sunshine especially in the second half. In the end, the Red Devils prevailed and are champions again, come rain or shine! CIAO!

GLORY GLORY MAN UTD!

The Circus Is In Town

The clowns congregate here and there and everywhere, doing what they do best, entertaining the masses with their silly antics for the whole world to see. The Ringmasters cracked their whips and the specially-trained mongrels (to detect anything black) are let loose to do their stunts, pouncing on anyone in black within distance, and their haul were quite hefty. Next, the musclemen took centre-stage and showed off how much load they can drag and carry. They must have also been trained to detect black for they dragged and carried off a guy in black! Ama...zing! The standing ovation given was thunderous and the cheers deafening up to a point when even the emcee's microphone and loud-speakers were rendered useless. Yup! The Circus is in town, and it is here to stay! From the reception it received, there is no definite time set for it to wrap up soon just yet. If things were to get too hot under the big-top, well, there are 'water-machines' placed outside prepared to cool things down. Now get this. The best of it all is that the biggest Circus now performing in Malaysia is, come rain or shine .......... FREE FOR ALL! CIAO!

Wesak Day

Tomorrow Saturday, 9 May, 2009 Buddhists all around the world would celebrate the Birth, Enlightenment and Passing into Nibbana of a truly Great Teacher, The Buddha. The day is known as Wesak.

May all Buddhists celebrate this auspicious day happily and peacefully with loving-kindness. Below is the Loving-Kindness Sutra (Metta Sutta) :

He who is skilled in what is good,

And who wishes to attain the state of calm, should act thus;

He should be able, upright,

Obedient, gentle and humble.

Contented, easily supportable with few duties,

Of right livelihood, controlled in senses,

Discreet, not impudent,

Not greedily attached to families.

He should not commit any slight wrong-doing,

Less that other wise men might find fault in him.

May all beings be happy and safe,

May their hearts be wholesome.

Whatever living beings there are,

Feeble or strong, 

Long, stout or medium,

Short, small or large.

Those which are seen or unseen,

Those dwelling far or near,

Those who are born and those who are to be born,

May all beings without exception be happy-hearted.

Let not one deceive another,

Nor despise any person whatsoever in any place,

In anger or ill-will,

Let him not wish any harm to another.

Just as a mother would protect her only child,

Even at the risk of her own life,

So let him cultivate 

A boundless heart towards all beings.

Let his thoughts of boundless love,

Pervade the whole world above, 

Below and across without any obstruction,

Without any hatred, without any enmity.

Whether he stands, walks, sits or lies down,

As long as he is awake,

He should develop this mindfulness.

This, they say is the highest conduct here.

Not falling into errors, 

Being virtuous and endowed with insight,

He discards attachments to sensuous desires.

Truly, he does not come again to be conceived in a womb.

By the firm determination of this truth,

May I ever be well.

Even by the simple act of reading this Sutra here, you are accruing merits and virtues. In our lifetime, we must try to accumulate as much merits and virtues as possible in order to share them with all sentient beings. Try to commit yourself to doing simple meritorious deeds. Have a wonderful Wesak Day and enjoy the weekend, come rain or shine! CIAO!

SADHU! SADHU! SADHU!

Crisis In Silver State

It makes my heart cry when I read and see the going-ons in Perak, home to my birth. The politicians have taken the power struggle to a new "low" never seen before in Malaysia. I don't have to describe here the details for it has already spread through all the news media for the whole world to see. It is a crying shame and a disgrace to Malaysia what is happening there. The Federal and State Constitutions remain pieces of paper fit for the rubbish bin. That's exactly what the law-makers are churning out - RUBBISH! It seems there's no law and order where they are concerned, as they could do whatever that they wish. 

The means simply don't justify the ends. The monarchy should uphold morality as heads of state. But look at what has happened! Next general elections? No one's sure, everyone has doubts. As tomorrow is Wesak Day, let me quote the Buddha - "...in this world, needn't be of this world." Deep implications indeed, these wise words. To all Buddhists around the world, have a happy and peaceful Wesak Day, come rain or shine! CIAO!

Dateline : Rome, May 27

Woo...hoo...hoo! Man Utd qualified for the UEFA Champions League Final by demolishing Arsenal in their own den 3-1 for an aggregate  4-1 win. Man Utd is the only team since Valencia in 2000 and 2001 to qualify for back-to-back finals and could be the first team to win back-to-back since AC Milan did it in 1989 and 1990. The Red Devils had already bagged the Club World Cup and Carling Cup, and still on course for the domestic Premier League which they are leading. So the quadruple is very much still on!

In the match against Arsenal at the Emirates, the Red Devils ruthlessly tore their    

opposition to shreds. Leading 1-0 from the 1st leg semi-final, they scored their first goal in the 8th minute through Park Ji-sung. Two minutes later, the lead was increased when Cristiano Ronaldo scored through a free-kick from 41 yards out, after being fouled by Robbie van Persie. By now, the match was over for Arsenal.   In the second half, Man Utd further strengthen their grip on the match by adding another goal through a lovely counter-attack. From an Arsenal corner kick, Ronaldo picked up the ball and back-heeled to Park who carried the ball up field before passing to Rooney on the left. All this while Ronaldo was continuing with his 70 metre run up field and when Rooney centred, all Ronaldo needed to do was guide the ball pass Almunia. 3-0. 

Arsenal earned a consolation goal after being awarded a penalty when Darren Fletcher brought down Cesc Fabregas in the box. Fletcher was shown a straight red card and will sit out the final. Van Persie put the ball pass Edwin van der Sar.

Now onwards to Rome on May 27. Man Utd's final opponent will be FC Barcelona. With the form Man Utd are in right now, Barca might just be left trailing the Red Devils, come rain or shine! CIAO!

If Tomorrow Never Comes

Usual Monday mornings' bustle when I received a text message on my mobile phone. My heart sank, I stared into emptiness, pondering, after reading the message. An associate had committed suicide by jumping into the sea from the Penang Bridge just before dawn. He was 42, married with 2 kids and runs his own business helped by his wife. A day went by, then two. Received another text message in the afternoon saying body had been found floating off the sea of Batu Maung. 

Now this turn of event really set me thinking. People we know, those that we love, are we doing enough bonding? What if..........?

If you're angry with someone, and no one's there to change the situation.....you have to change it! Maybe that person still wants to be your friend. And if you don't do it today, tomorrow could be too late!

If you're in love with someone, but that person doesn't know.....you have to tell him/her! Maybe that person is also in love with you. And if you don't say it today, tomorrow could be too late!

If you still love a person that you think has forgotten you.....you have to tell him/her! Maybe that person hasn't forgotten you at all. And if you don't ask him/her today, tomorrow could be too late!

If you need a hug of a friend.....ask him/her for it! Maybe they need it more than you do. And if you don't ask for it today, tomorrow could be too late!

If you really have friends who you appreciate.....tell them! Maybe they appreciate you as well. And if you don't, and they leave or go far away today, tomorrow could be too late!

If you love your parents and never had the chance to show them.....do it! Maybe you still have them there to show them how you feel. And if you don't, and they leave today, tomorrow could be too late!

So do and say whatever is needed, to all that you know, care and love, today, come rain or shine! What if, for you.....

tomorrow never comes? CIAO!

Glory Glory Man Utd

Waiting patiently in front of the idiot box for the match between Middlesbrough and Man Utd at the Riverside to start; 5 minutes to kick-off; then...wtf...no reception, it's pouring cats and dogs! Shit! Bloody Astro! Fortunately, 10 minutes later the rain let up, reception back to normal, and the match is just about to start. Phew! Didn't lose a second.

As everyone knows by now, Man Utd brushed aside a surprisingly

weak-resisting Middlesbrough side 2-0. Evergreen Ryan Giggs,     and Park Ji-sung scores on either half to secure the win. Man Utd is now 6 points clear of nearest rival Liverpool. With 4 matches to go, Man Utd needs only 7 points from their remaining matches to retain the title for the third time in a row and becomes the champions of England once again. No one in their right mind would bet against Man Utd retaining the title. The Red Devils WILL NOT

falter at this stage of the competition. VIVA MAN UTD!

Now to look forward to this Tuesday when Man Utd visits the Emirates for the UEFA

Champions League return leg semi-final against Arsenal. Man Utd failed

to bury Arsenal in the first leg at Old Trafford last Wednesday even though dominating the match and relentlessly bombarding the Arsenal goal. The domination was such that Arsenal failed even to earn a corner kick for the duration of the match, but Man Utd only managed a goal scored by an unlikely hero in Irishman John O'Shea, a utility player playing at right-back, in the 17th minute. So this Tuesday, Man Utd have to finish the job where they left off and pummel Arsenal into submission and book their flight tickets to Rome for the final showdown against either Barcelona/Chelsea. Then when they do, it's GLORY GLORY MAN UTD!

For all these to happen, the Red Devils need only to get down and get the job done, come rain or shine! CIAO!