p a t c h r i s

Arsenal go into the game on a back of a good run of goal-scoring. Starters for Arsenal: Almunia, Vermaelen, Gallas, Clichy, Sagna, Song, Denilson, Diaby, Arshavin, Eboue & van Persie Everyone is talking about the Eduardo dive, and frankly it has left a sour taste in the mouth. Eduardo is on the bench today. 1) 7' Valencia elbows (looks deliberate) Vermaelen during a challenge for an aerial ball. Looks like it hurt (Vermaelen, I mean) 2) Feeling like an early goal from Man Utd. would really crush the Gunners' spirit and I hope it doesn't happen. It's a familiar emotion felt by gooners. 3) Man Utd. seem to be more dominant in the opening 10 minutes. 4) Red Devils are marking the Gunners tightly, so play is not as open as it will be when legs begin to tire. 5) The Man Utd jersey doesn't look so right with the black "V". 6) Giggs has been around forever. 7) Valencia's a dirty player, but at least he's good at being a little discreet. 8) Crucial tac...

UEFA Champions League Qualifier: Arsenal vs. Celtic at The Emirates Stadium, London Arsenal starters: Almunia, Clichy, Gallas, Vermaelen, Sagna, Bendtner, Denilson, Diaby, Song, Eboue, Eduardo. Arsenal go into the game with a 2 goal aggregate lead and are expected to comfortably qualify for the group stages of the Champions League. Random comments: 1) Diaby chewing gum. Can one do that and still concentrate on playing the game? Could you accidentally choke on gum while running? 2) Bendtner made one stray pass so far. I'm watching you, Niklas... 3) 28' Penalty for Arsenal. But come on, Eduardo, there was no contact. Shame, shame (my Twitter friends agree). Eduardo converts penalty, 1-nil. 4) Denilson is an improved player this season 5) Half-time, it's Arsenal 1-0 Celtic 6) 53' Excellent play by the Gunners. A clever flick from Bendtner leads to an eventual goal by a weaving Eboue. Great stuff! Arsenal 2-0 Celtic 7) Celtic jerseys blend in too well with the green pitch 8...

It was 31st August 1957, 52 years ago, that Malaya achieved independence from British colonial rule. In Stadium Negara, Kuala Lumpur, the first Prime Minister, Tuanku Abdul Rahman, led in the famous proclamation, "Merdeka! Merdeka! Merdeka!", which means freedom/independence. Since then, this multi-ethnic country in South East Asia was renamed Malaysia with the addition of Borneo states Sabah & Sarawak in 1963. Today, Malaysia has a population of under 30 million mainly of Malay, Chinese & Indian ethnicity, with the major market centres in the Klang Valley (which includes the capital Kuala Lumpur & Petaling Jaya), Penang (Dell's factory is located here) in the north & Johor in the south. It enjoys good diplomatic relationships with neighbouring countries Thailand, Indonesia and Singapore. For tourists, among the places to visit would be the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur (until recently the tallest building in the world) and Melaka (our historical s...

Good communications received via e-mail regarding H1N1 prevention: Most N95 respirators are designed to filter 95% particulates of 0.3µ, while the size of H1N1 virus is about 0.1µ. Hence, dependence on N95 to protect against H1N1 is like protecting against rain with an umbrella made of mosquito net. Tamiflu does not kill but prevents H1N1 from further proliferation till the virus limits itself in about 1-2 weeks (its natural cycle). H1N1, like other Influenza A viruses, only infects the upper respiratory tract and proliferates (only) there. The only portals of entry are the nostrils and mouth/throat. In a global epidemic of this nature, it's almost impossible not to come into contact with H1N1 in spite of all precautions. Contact with H1N1 is not so much of a problem as proliferation is. While you are still healthy and not showing any symptoms of H1N1 infection, in order to prevent proliferation, aggravation of symptoms and development of secondary infections, some very simple step...

When children have fever, the doctor will prescribe fever medicine to be consumed within 4 to 6 hours. Normally, the fever will subside, but it will return within 3 to 6 hours. For H1N1 infections, the fever will not subside after taking the medication and will consistently stay at a high temperature for hours. If this condition continues for 48 hours, the possibility that it is an H1N1 infection is very high. In the case of consistent high fever for 48 hours, the doctor should immediately give the patient the H1N1 antiviral treatment, i.e. Tamiflu over a period of 7 days.

The Gunners continued on their fine start to their English Premier League season with a brace from Abou Diaby and one goal each from William Gallas and Aaron Ramsey at the Emirates Stadium. With a different starting line up to the previous games, the Arsenal featured Eboue, Diaby, Kieron Gibbs, Eduardo, Almunia, Denilson, van Persie, Vermaelen, Gallas, Fabregas & Arshavin. Johann Djourou, Tomas Rosicky, Samir Nasri are still unavailable due to injury. Fabregas was taken off at the break today (substituted by Aaron Ramsey) after suffering a knock. The game was open and Portsmouth allowed Arsenal to play their regular free flowing style of football. Rather enjoyable if you're a gooner, or even a neutral. Not so much if you're a Portsmouth fan. Next up is the 2nd leg of the Champions League qualifier vs. Celtic at home, followed by a big crunch match against Manchester United, who won 0-5 away at Wigan tonight. We'll see if they really do miss Cristiano Ronaldo.

A bluetooth hands-free kit is considered a necessity for anyone regularly on the road and on the phone at the same time. I've used mono systems for quite some time (Samsung & iTec), and found that sound coming in only at one ear can be a little annoying and disconcerting. In the past I used to think that stereo bluetooth headsets were too costly. That was why I was pleasantly surprised to find a Sony-Ericsson HBH-DS200 A2DP (Stereo) Bluetooth hands-free kit from Sony Ericsson at only RM120/US$35 (at the time) in Sungei Wang Plaza. I've been using it a while and would recommend it for busy and frequent users of A2DP-compatible mobile phones. It delivers a comfortably balanced, crisp audio, plus it keeps your hands free for you to concentrate on driving, typing, sewing, etc. I like that any 3.5mm stereo earphone jack can be used with this device. You can also pair it with your computer to listen to music. The sound quality is pretty good for a device in this price segment.

It hasn't been a week since I got my Sony a330 dSLR and I've mostly been taking close up macro shots. I ask myself what makes a good picture and conclude that it's very much dependent on one's preferences. Of course, blurry images and under/overexposed shots don't make good viewing, but a photographer's skill is in being able to make one just pause and admire the beauty that we can find in God's creation.

Arsenal emerged 0-2 victors in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League game away from home this morning at Celtic. William Gallas' back deflected a free kick from Fabregas into the right side of the Bhoy's goal just before the break, while Caldwell, who showed an otherwise good performance let in an own goal while trying to block a tricky low cross in the second half. The Gunners began with the same starting line up which demolished Everton 1-6 away over the weekend. The first 40 minutes in Glasgow was closely contested, albeit with the visitors having more of the possession. Celtic were quickly closing in on the Arsenal players and allowed little room for them to play. The second half saw the play open up significantly as the Gunners were allowed more space to move and run. However, the only other goal seen this morning was an own-goal by Caldwell. More could be expected of the Gunners, but the result shows two wins out of two so far this season, and one can't complain ...

Exploring macro shots with the Sony a330 dSLR. No regrets getting the model with Live View as it makes it more convenient to take pictures, even from awkward angles. There's lots to learn about shutter speed, aperture priority, ISO settings and the different types of techniques for various environments. The camera has not disappointed so far, although questions will always linger as to why not Nikon or Canon. Fact is, Sony's pretty good as well.

A fluid Arsenal performance allowed them a solid 1-6 victory over Everton away from home with goals from Denilson, debutant Thomas Vermaelen and William Gallas in the first half. Fabregas scored a brace with Eduardo sealing an excellent opening day win after the break while Saha scored a consolation goal for Everton during injury time. The home side seemed to have made the Gunners look extremely comfortable for most of the game, with coach Arsene Wenger having the luxury of making a triple substitution in the second half with Aaron Ramsey, Emmanuel Eboue and Eduardo coming on for Fabregas, Bendtner & van Persie. On Sunday, Liverpool lost away from home at White Hart Lane, with Tottenham Hotspur winning 2-1, much to the glee of the other Big 4 supporters. It's early days and English Premier League fans are in for another exciting season of mesmerising football. For Gooners, hopefully a year of silverware after 4 barren years of disappointment.

I'm back from the Boeing Camera Fest at Sungei Wang with my new Sony a330. This is the package that was offered: a) Sony a330 kit with 18-55mm lens b) 2GB card c) Screen Protector for 2.7" LCD d) Tripod e) UV Filter f) Sony Camera Bag Price: RM1,999. You can convert the package into 12-month installments at a charge of 6% interest. Looks like I'll be busy with this for the next few days :)

I was at Selangor Foto in Pertama Complex, Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman, this morning and I chanced upon an opportunity to visit Selangor Foto. This establishment has been around a long time and it's where I bought our Canon Ixus V3 about 6 years ago. They were just opening the store when I went in, and I saw that they obviously have Canon and Nikon as their main brands. They did not even seem familiar with the Sony a330 I asked them about. Still, the gentlement who attended to me referred to his price list and offer RM2,000 for the Sony a330 with a 2GB card and camera bag. If I wanted one, they could place an order and get the unit to the store within an hour. I'm certain I would be able to get good deals if I were looking for a Nikon or Canon, but this time around I will not find the Sony deal here. Looking forward to this afternoon's venture to Sungei Wang for Bo Eing's Camera Fest 2009!

A camera fest! Looks like it may be time to make that purchase. I've to decide between the Sony A230 and A330 and it's leaning towards the latter. Will be visiting Sungei Wang Plaza with my buddy Jason during lunch time on Friday and I may return with a new dSLR if the deal's decent.

Enquired at a shop in sungei wang plaza today. The sony alpha 330 sells at rm1,999 with a 2gb card and camera bag. That offer does not come close to the shop at low yat plaza that's throwing in a 4gb card, tripod and camera bag for the same price.

i'm figuring out how to put feeds from twitter in this blog. at the same time, i need to know why.