My 2010 World Cup Diary - Q/F : Argentina vs Germany Preview

For the Singapore folks, this is the most eagerly awaited quarter-final of this year World Cup. Reason is very simple. The Argentinians is the most attractive side of the tournament with their attacking play and Germany with its so-called youthful side is earning rave reviews after their emphatic (for me - controversial) victory over the very popular England team. Many expect this match to be match of the tournament. Just like the layman on the street, I'm expecting goals in this game and have place a 5 goals bet with the center of hope.

For the benefit of good football, Messi & company which play attractive football must triumph over the German machines that play efficient yet cold football.

Another reason why I wanted Argentina to win is because of Diego Maradona. This man has already won the World Cup as a player and was the best footballer that the world has ever seen during this era of mine. He is a classic example of life is full of ups and downs. Though enjoying huge success and fame as a footballer, Maradona has his fair share of problems related to drug abuse, heart attack, relationship issues,a poor World cup qualifying campaign etc that tarnished his reputation. He's certainly no angel and a big motormouth but one thing is certain, he is a survivor. After all the highs and lows he has gone through, he is one that stood strongly by his ideas such as bringing 6 strikers to the world cup. His team is proving to be the best in this world cup though they've not really been tested against a big team. Others may say the reason why Argentina is doing well is because of the many good star players of this current generation. In the football world, it is never easy to manage a star-studded team. Maradona has done very well to get the stars to gel & produce attractive attacking football and most importantly, winning games.



He has won the World Cup as a player, can he do it as a coach?

Come on Argentina !

My 2010 World Cup Diary - Day 22 Q/F : Uruguay vs Ghana

2nd Quarter-final Game : Uruguay vs Ghana

After witnessing a great first q-final game between Brazil & Holland, fatigue kick in and I was only able to keep myself awake until the singing of the national anthem between Uruguay and Ghana. I dozed off and didn't wake up till the morning. Read that it was a very exciting game that goes into penalty shootout. Prior to the end of extra-time, Ghana was awarded a penalty when Uruguay star striker Luis Suarez block off two match-winning shots from the goal-line, one of which using his hands. Very quick reflex save but that got him the red-card and a penalty was awarded. The normally reliable Asamoah Gyan who has already scored two penalties in the group matches misses the most important spotkick of his life. Hence, the game went into the dreadful penalty shootout which Uruguay won 4-2. One still need to give credit to Gyan as he was brave enough to step up as Ghana 1st penalty taker despite missing one just minutes before. He scored but two of his team mates failed and African hopes of a 1st time African World Cup semi-finalist evaporated.



For Luis Suarez, he was the hero despite being sent off. Without his save on the goal-line, Uruguay would have been on the plane home. Some may complain that it is very unsporting to resort to handball to deny Ghana of an historic win but given of what is at stake and at such late stage of the game, its a do or die reaction. Nevertheless, it was a great quarter-final tie with late drama. Its really a pity that Ghana and the African continent had to lose in such heart-breaking circumstances.

For me, I'm glad Uruguay is through to the semi-final because they're more sophisticated side for the Dutch to handle. I think the Dutch prefer to face Ghana instead of Uruguay. Many have already assumed the Dutch would be in this year final but I hope Uruguay cause an upset. They'll prove to be worthy opponent for the boring Dutch.

My 2010 World Cup Diary - Day 21

So far, my coverage of the FIFA 2010 World Cup was done regularly in my facebook account until Day 17 when my dear VIP decided to play a trick on me by changing my password & I can't access my facebook account. Actually, it was a good move as indeed, I'm probably spending too much time on facebook. So I spend few days away from facebook but still did follow the world cup. Had expected goalless draw between Japan & Paraguay and it really turn out to be a goalless game which Paraguay won on penalties. The payout for zero goal is 8. The Japanese surprised me in this tournament and more than held their own against the defensive Paraguayans. In the other game, I had expected a draw game and bought HT/FT bets with good odds for either side but it didn't work out, my 2nd loss in this year WC. David Villa 4th goal of the tournament ensure Spain a quarter-final berth. The Portugese leftback impress me though and had a very good game.

That was old news for the past few days. Today is the start of the quarter-final stage where the Netherlands will play mighty Brazil. Was @ the centre of hope yesterday and saw the odds for those win/draw/lose bet weren't good. Decided to play the higher odds bet such as HT/FT. My gut feeling tell me the Dutch-Brazilian encounter should be settle by 90mins and somebody should be leading at half-time. Wanted to buy Holland (HT) and Brazil (FT) but I think I mark the wrong tab and it turned out that I bought Brazil (HT) and Holland (FT). This mean I had to hope Brazil will lead at half-time while the Dutch need to secure a win by 90mins in order to win it for me. This is the ticket that I bought:




Being really kiasu, I decided to also buy Holland (HT) and Brazil (FT) just to make sure that my original intended bet was also placed with the centre of hope. In this way, I'm well-covered whether Holland or Brazil win. But it is really a long shot for me and the Dutch too as they attempt to defy history to beat the Brazilians. One of my former buddy who's a big Dutch fan even advice me via sms that Brazil has no weakness in the team. I replied his sms that football is not about theory, the Dutch can win. Just trying to justify my bet.

Once again, Chong Pang CC was the venue where I caught the game together with Yongquan. At 9pm, there was already a long queue, awaiting to get the entry stamp on our hands. I was bringing my grandpa to see a doctor @ Chong Pang and hence, was early for the stamp. Yongquan came later and the queue was long & we performed some magic before gaining entry into the live telecast venue. During queuing, I notice quite a few fellows wearing Brazilian jerseys. When inside the hall, there's was a Dutch jersey guy with Bergkamp words on his jersey. I shouted, Come On Brazil ! I need them to score an early goal to lead at half-time. Brazil did it through a very simple goal by Robinho, courtesy of some very bad defending by Holland. Yongquan was blaming the Blackburn Dutch defender Andre Ooijer who was a last minute replacement for a dutch defender called Mathijsen. Actually, I never notice this lad Mathijsen during my observation of the Dutch team. I think they're the most boring team in the world cup. For me, Robinho goal was a mistake in positioning by John Hetinga, not Ooijer. Nevertheless, it was 1-0 at half-time and I'm on track with my ht/ft bet with highest payout odds of 34 times. The Dutch didn't really threaten in the first half. Somehow, I feel Dutch will equalise in the 2nd half but not too sure if they can win it because Brazil looks very slick in their passing and counterattack.

The 2nd half was very exciting as Dutch equalized early with an own goal by Brazilian player Felipe Melo. Wesley Sneijder, imho, the best dutch player added a 2nd goal midway through the 2nd half. I jumped in jubilation together with the Chong Pang crowd, who are now supporting the dutch. Melo later got red-carded by the very polite Japanese referee who has a reasonably good game though I feel he is too polite. Also impressive 2nd half performance by dutchman Gregory van der Wiel. Melo did a stupid step on Robben. Brazil was down to 10 men. After that, it was all Dutch and they could have scored a 3rd goal in injury time but silly Hunterlaar and Robben wasted the golden chance as they were 2 on 1 with Julio Cesar, the Brazilian goalkeeper. That was the last piece of action and the final whistle blew seconds later. It make me $160 richer today with my bet yielding a return of $170 for a meagre $5. It was a blessing in disguise as I had marked wrongly on the scoresheet.

Hope the extra money can be put to good use in my final attempt to rescue the stray cat from AVA death sentence. I happen to run into a stray cat being trapped by Panasonic factory today during my customer meeting. Wanted to get it out but it was collected by AVA before I could do so. Tried with multiple phonecalls with their personnel but no success. Will try again on Monday.

Need to listen to Waka Waka..thinking of catching the next game Ghana vs Uruguay. My gut feeling is Uruguay will make it through but I heard the great Nelson Mandela will be there to support Ghana. His impact may be significant for the Africans.

b

181 snapshots of the 2009 Formula One Race weekend

Formula One action return to Singapore on 25 Sep 09 ~ 27 Sep 09. Here's a collection of pictures taken at few locations capturing life in the Lion City during this uniquely Singapore F1 weekend.

1) At Orchard Road

Orchard ION -The latest megamall on the Singapore Tourist Shopping belt, Orchard Road.



Beside the iconic underpass shelter, comes the red triangular booth used for the F1 race marketing campaign. No big crowd spotted but probably its still early afternoon.




The Orchard MRT (metro) station is located within Orchard ION.



The F1 fever is on. Racing car art exhibition @ Orchard ION.




Get into the F1 mood with your picture taken with the metallic race car.




It wasn't that busy in this part of the mall where you have time to pick your spot and angle for the best photoshoot with the artpiece.




Smaller replicas of the various race cars on display.



This car codenamed "Target" with a high heeled lady crafted on its front body.



This one with many lipstick marks on the body deservedly given the "PlayBoy" title.




"Democracy" or "Democracy kills" ? Not too sure which it means. This rugged looking vehicle looks to have survived a long gruelling battle with holes tattooed on its body. Maybe it symbolizes the battle for democracy.





Victory comes at a cost. Look at the tilted right wheel.



The two chinese words is pronounced as "Rong Yao" which means Honour. The cost of Victory in the pursuit of Honour...is it?




Looking at Victory from another angle. Notice the Heaven and Hell wordings on the wheel. Heaven = Victory & Honour and Hell = Tilted wheels & crumpled front body ?




XOXOXO. Looks in much better health than Victory. Did he came in last?




Democracy or Democracy kills - the bigger version.




Self confidence sucks? He doesn't like "haolian".



GO GO POWER RANGER!




This exhibition is called Pitor Sirat's Race Cars.




The full story.




Colourful snail-like looking creature with its championship crown.
Slow and steady win the race. Don't forget to take apples daily.




A security officer at the entrance of Orchard ION.



Weirdly dressed people about to enter the mall. He looks happy on the F1 weekend.



He's here to meet his kaki.



His kaki has many fans waiting to snap his picture including me. They brighten up the atmosphere though I'm not sure their real purpose for this dressing.




Dimly lited neon lightings on the ceilings gives it a disco feel on the escalator ride.




Food Opera. It is actually a foodcourt. Direct competitor to the Food Republic food chain in Wisma Atria. Both are high end foodcourt with higher food prices.



More crowd at Food Opera than the Racecar exhibition showed the real attraction for Singaporeans. Food.



The foodcourt looks more like a restaurant with its classy lightings and nice ambience. Sit wherever you want.




Here's another dining section of Food Opera.



Transparent chairs.



The wooden horse in Food Opera.




This is a real roasted pig though the shop name is called Modern Peking Duck.



The biggest Caramel roll in Singapore. Prices are steep based what is seen on the menu board.




Outside Food Opera are a host of food outlets selling Jap, Korean, Chinese, Indian, Thai, Italian, Western food,etc.




For chocolates & candies lovers, the Cocoa Tree is worth a visit due to its wide variety of products.




Singapore National Day celebration is over but this outdoor stall remains with its 2009 National Day deco.




As the F1 race arrives in the Lion City, the Mid-Autumn Festival drew close in a week time.




Red lanterns, foodstalls selling mooncakes and other items meant for the Mid-Autumn a.k.a Mooncake Festival. No public holiday for Singapore though.



The Pamelo are a common fruit used in celebrating the Mid Autumn festival. Called "U Zhi" in chinese, its represents the continous harmonious interaction of human relationships. Learn this from my mama but not too sure if I intepreted it correctly.




A board of Chinese chess? Its mini-mooncakes actually. Doesn't look too delicious when associated with that.

4 mooncakes in a beautiful gift box.




Michael Jackson set to return to Singapore next month but on a movie.




If you want to go topless, hop on the topless Hippo Bus along Orchard Road.




Amidst all the weekend leisure activities, our foreign workers worked at one corner to keep the city going.

2) At Singapore Changi Airport

The smile from the Changi Airport security officer is even sweeter than the air stewardess. Hopefully not just for F1 weekend. Full credit to him.




The decoration is for the Hari Raya Festival. The Malay new year celebration is still on-going.




Creative recycle bins at the airport. Why not consider putting these creative bins in other parts of Singapore? It can definitely draw much attention to the recycling campaign.




While F1 crowd arrives in the Lion City, many are departing too to other places.




This little girl is going for a holiday, happily pulling her luggage.


Goodbye Singapore. See you again soon. Bon Voyage!

3) Marsiling Market


On the F1 Sunday morning, the locals have their daily breakfast routine at a coffeeshop in Marsiling.

The usual crowd at the local market. Wonder if F1 was a topic here?

F1 or not, it never been on a higher priority than food.




A local salesman promoting his hardware to the crowd.



Shopping time at Marsiling Market.



The heartlands of Singapore.



Green Bananas for sale.




Fruits, Vegetables and Chillis on sale.



Electronic lantern toys for the kids as part of the Mid-Autumn festival.

4) Sembawang Home Town




The centre of Hope and its usual queue.



Evening leisure football action at Sembawang big field.



On Hari Raya visit on F1 evening with their family matching attire. Complements the surroundings very well too.




Before taking train for the F1 race, met this three chubby friends. There's a fourth one out of the camera range. Looks like quartlets.

5) Start of 2009 Formula One Experience @ Marina Bay, Singapore



My complimentary Bay Grandstand pass for this year Formula One GP final.




Marina Square. Not crowded as I would have expect, which is good.




Ferrari on display. Is she called Alice?




The Ferrari chasing crowd.





You can become an F1 driver with gaming simulations.



The F1 merchandise store @ Marina Square Shopping Centre.




Gate 7 entrance for the 2nd year running.




Expensive ear mufflers for sales. Her customers are mainly foreigners. Think cost around $60 but comes with built-in radio. The Army store at Transit Road sell big ear mufflers at $5 each and I got my earplugs there at $2.50.



All ready for the F1 action.




A young Ferrari fan


The merchandise store at the Bay Grandstand area.




F1 action needs good company. Food & drinks that is.




Brawn supporter with his flag and his Renault friend.



The street circuit staff dressed in full gears for F1 action.




Entering the Bay Grandstand arena. The Singapore CBD skyline displayed on the big screen monitor.



The fence and barricade of the Singapore F1 circuit.




The angmo crowd with the Singapore flyer in the background.




The local crowd with the Singapore flags & our Singapore flyer.




Huge number of female supporters in the Bay Grandstand crowd. Women love fast cars as much as men do.




The warm-up lap of the 2009 SGP Formula One GrandPrix Final before the start.



The crowd cheers as the race commence



The F1 final is ON. The cars are too fast for my camera. No choice but to use video mode.



Two horse race with the leader, Lewis Hamilton of McClaren team being tracked closely by the RED BULL car. The Toyota car and Alonso of Renault are the next pack behind but never pose a threat for the front two.




Many avid photographers at the Marina Bay on Sunday night.





They can't stop clicking for the first part of the race. 30mins later, they got bored. Same goes for me.




Switch my attention to the people in the crowd rather than the fast cars.



Live action from the big monitor screen keeps you posted of all happenings in the race circuit. Radio commentary is provided via big speakers at the venue as well.



The Pit Stop action continues on the live screen.



Mother and sons share common F1 interests.



He's got radio commentary right into his ears.




A jubilant fan as Lewis Hamilton leads the pack and race past the Bay Grandstand in a flash.



He got her excited as well. She joins the action. They're not acquainted but in McClaren/Lewis, they shared a common bond.



The crowds cheers out loud again as Lewis Hamilton McClaren car move past in his celebratory lap of honour after finishing 1st in the 2009 Singtel F1 GP final race.





I can't remember who is this fellow on the screen but likely to be Lewis Hamilton. All the limelight on him now.




The Ferrari team had a poor performance but their flags fly high.




Their fan spirits is skyhigh too. Guess its fashion or brand name to be associated with Ferrari.



A dress-up supporter texts the result live from the F1 arena.



All the giveaway Singapore mini flags end up on his head.

The lights at the Bay Grandstand circuit with the Singapore city skyline at the background. Refreshing look.



Vacant seats appearing after the race.




She's ready to leave - Home or Party?

Everyone leave in an orderly manner - The Singapore way?






They gone onto the race tracks. How to get there?





For me, this is just the beginning of the real fun of attending an F1 race. Onto the circuit.




Not only for me but big crowd coming into the circuit. Its the road that we use daily but now becomes big attraction for these fans.



They are everywhere, all over the race circuit.



The command centre & pit-stop building of the 2008 & 2009 Singtel F1 GrandPrix.



The Marina Bay Circuit




A furry camera at work.



Signboard with diamonds looking LEDs. What is "SC" mean? Short circuit?




This is what we come to watch. The fast cars.




The night is off for all these super turbo engines.




Right now, they can't move without help from these folks.

They're off to Japan next.



Nicely parked in rows.

Tip-toeing for a look at the stars (cars & driver).




Looking down at the F1 crowd from the upper floor of the command centre building.




Picture picture picture...why so many photo desperados at this section?





Its Fernando Alonso giving an interview. The bloody I-phone that block Fernando's head from my camera. It covered in perfection the most vital part of the picture that I was shooting for.





Another try and got snippet of Alonso red's cap. Give up!






The Ferrari team pit-stop area



The drive-in to various teams at the Pit-stop





The Champion for this race. Lewis Hamilton of the McLaren team.



The champion tyres.


Renault team pit-stop area




Red Bull team pit-stop area




The fuel containers for the fast race. Wonder how many was used for the 2hours ++ race.






An on-going interview but strangely, nobody except me bother with photo-taking this time.




The crowd still lingers on the track an hour plus after the race.



Brazilians fans in green.



A UK fan in Singapore.



Botak Jones waving his flag.



The Ferrari fans are enjoying the race circuit walk more than the result.




World unites in Singapore.



Think this is a Polish flag for a F1 polish driver called Kubica. Why is Sprite on the banner? Sprite is a soda drink. Are they sponsor or is it Kubica fav drink?




The starting point of the race. Start at 18 for good luck.




The starting line drew many sprinting enthusiasts.



The Singapore F1 track




These orange protection cushion layers for the cars become objects of great interests on this night.



A classic example of what I just mention. This is my fav photo for this year event.



Beside racing, walking and running, some preferred jumping on the track.



Very serious photography work in progress.



Demostration on sleeping with the F1 track




A F1 staff helps out with photo-taking.


The TV crewman stop his van and take pictures of the crowd with his own camera.




She wanted Titanic on the F1 track.



She's just enjoying the post F1 mood.



Another shot at the long pit-stop area.




Security personnel at work.




Uniquely Singapore : Police security in line for phototaking on F1 track.




Post F1 : The empty stands but another race is about to begin





Here's come the bicycles.




The Ferrari logo on the big shipment case.




Mr Forklift racing to clear the logistic items.



Here's are the stats but with many parameters unknown to the layman.




Another forklift vehicle at work. Most are handled by angmos.




The lorry makes his appearance on the track and fans can't wait to snap pictures with it.




Another section of the race track. Or is it the divider for entrance to pit-stop?



A not so fast car approaches



A wow wow car on a normal day but on F1 day, this seems a "mun mun" car.




Very garang amgmo sitting on top of a racing lorry.



The Singapore Fire Brigade sent in their representative for the post F1 race. Cheong ah...



Not sure if this is the safety car that has seen action earlier in the race.




The Singapore Traffic Police motorbikes make its appearance.




The Ambulance make his way on the track while two fans pose for pictures.



The Special Command Ops team is out onto the track with 4 vehicles.




Crane Vehicles on the track..




Brawn staff with a weapon.



He started the firing on the ground.



Splash...Plash. Si mi lai a?


The silence falls on the track after a noisy nightout at Marina Bay.



The three tall buildings of the upcoming Marina Sands Integrated Resorts looks set to join next year F1 race when it opens.



Going home via the race circuit route.

Finally a snapshot at the F1 signboard.

The students ushers after a long day awaiting debrief.

Home bound fans



A very warm rowdy exit from this year F1 race. Courtesy of the student ushers.



A congestion free City Hall MRT station make it a pleasant trip home for the fans.