Bye! August 2005

That's it. This is the end of my 'boring' August. I didn't really do something, and even stayed home for almost a half of month! That sounds crazy I know, but I just have to enjoy this kind of life before going back to school next month. Everything will go back to normal soon, and I'll miss being a totally night owl these time. Let's see what happened this month.

1. Evie's birthday 'secret' present.
2. DVD: A Lot Like Love, 13 Conversations About One thing, The Final Cut.
3. Movie on TV: Love the Hard Way, Secretary, Kill Bill Vol.2, The Recruit, Flirting, Hideaway.
4. Photoshop master!!
5. My 4-year-old cousin moved out.
6. Slept over and missed my simulate IELTS test this month.
7. Premierleague 05/06 started!
8. Liverpool won UEFA Super Cup!
9. Chinese Taipei won the second place of Jones Cup.
10. Roddick out of US Open in the lst round!?
11. Owen's transfer to Newcastle! (Sad...)
12. Book: The Tipping Point

£ Money, money, money...

Liverpoolfc.tv - Rafa: I Wanted To Sign Owen

"We tried until the very end to sign Michael. We even made phone calls early yesterday morning. In the end, it was impossible."

"When we spoke to Madrid, they only ever talked about £16m. We couldn't spend that much money on a player we sold for £8m. We have to think about the club over any player in this situation."

"Real Madrid put a lot of pressure on Michael to go to Newcastle because they wanted the money to sign Sergio Ramos. I hoped Michael would say no and then, maybe, we could do something."

"I thought we could bring Michael to the club because Neil Mellor is out injured for a few more weeks and some clubs are interested in taking him on loan."

US Open First Round

BBC: Henman & Rusedski make early exit - Britons Tim Henman and Greg Rusedski both suffered first-round defeats at the US Open on Monday.

BBC: Roddick suffers stunning defeat - Gilles Muller of Luxembourg caused a huge upset by defeating Andy Roddick in the first round of the US Open at Flushing Meadows on Tuesday.

BBC: Brave Murray through in five sets - Andy Murray struggled through illness and stifling heat before beating Romania's Andrei Pavel in five dramatic sets in the first round of the US Open.

The 18-year-old Scot was carrying British hopes after Tim Henman and Greg Rusedski lost earlier on Tuesday.

Third seed Lleyton Hewitt defeated former French Open champion Albert Costa in the first round today. Except the stunning defeat of Roddick, well, so far the US Open 2005 is quite good. But, I just can't believe it that there is no Live matches on TV here this year!!

Final Decision

Nervous Night

BBC 29 Aug, 2005 Owen talks to Premiership suitors - Michael Owen has held talks with both Liverpool and Newcastle as he nears a return to England from Real Madrid.

I was nervous everytime I refreshed the news page. It's just like the night last month before Gerrard's U-turn. I know tonight or tomorrow Owen will make the decision, and the news will release anytime. Actually, I was even not a Liverpool's fan yet when Owen still in Liverpool. I don't know why I hope to see his comeback. Well, maybe it's just because I don't want it becomes a nightmare of Gerrard. As he said before: "Could you imagine him coming back to Anfield and scoring against us for another club? It would be a nightmare."

*Update!* BBC: 30 Aug, 2005 Real to consider Reds' Owen offer - Real Madrid's directors will meet on Tuesday to consider Liverpool's bid for England striker Michael Owen.

Born Today

Cameron Diaz(33)
Date of birth: 30 Aug, 1972
[full profile]

Not that into her and her films. 'Charlie's Angels' series are crap. But, 'Gangs of New York', staring Cameron Diaz, Leonardo DiCaprio and Daniel Day-Lewis, is probably the best and my favorite of her.

13 Conversations About 1 Thing

"For a while, I just couldn't see anything good...no matter where I looked. Then one day I just couldn't take it anymore. I was in midtown at rush hour...and it was noisy and crowded...and everybody was pushing each other...and I was just trapped. Someone bumped me from behind and I just decided, that's it. I give up. I was standing on the conner. Watching the traffic. Thinking of how easy it would be. I mean, just a few small steps. Or maybe it should've happened before. Maybe that was supposed to be my fate. I picked someone out across the street. Somone to look at, someone... Someone who'd give me a reason to do it, you know? So I picked this man and I stared at his face and I thought about how selfish people were. How miserable and...predictable. And I swear that...man, he must've read my mind because he looked right back at me and smiled. Just like that, he broke the spell."

Don't want to put some reviews here. It's a great film that I would like to recommend: Thirteen Conversations About One Thing. I think you don't have to know too much before watching this. Just get ready to look both back and forward to your life deeply.

Another Europe Trophy

26 Aug, 2005 Liverpool 3-1 CSKA Moscow

BBC - Liverpool striker Djibril Cisse came off the bench to inspire his side to victory over CSKA Moscow in the Uefa Super Cup in Monaco.

Daniel Carvalho of CSKA played well last night and scored on 28th minute, giving CSKA the lead, and brought a lot of pressure to our defense. (Especially on the right back where Josemi was.) The first half was okay. We controlled the ball and created many chances, though Garcia missed most of these. The second half was awful. We seemd to lose confidence and inspiration while CSKA became more aggressive. And I still don't understand why Rafa replaced Finnan rather than Josemi.

Cisse came from the bench on 79th minute and rescued Liverpool. He scored with just some minutes left, giving us the chance to go into the extra time. Well, the goal was kind of lucky I think, and even his second in the extra time. Both were not perfect shots for him actually. And the last one, Garcia's header set up by Cisse's cross, was really easy. I guess CSKA's defenders were too tired.

Look elsewhere...I think Hamann was as important as Cisse to inspire Liverpool. And Reina made a good save in the extra time. We can't say Liverpool played well to get the trophy because we felt frustrated most of the time. It's not perfect, but I'm still very happy about it. That's the way football is. The result is always the most important thing. A good result here for Liverpool to win the Super Cup 2005, but it's still left something we need to think about it. Good to hear "You'll Never Walk Alone" playing again last night in Europe anyway.

Liverpool-Chelsea Clash

05/06 UEFA Champions League group stage draw:
GROUP A Bayern Munich, Juventus, Club Brugge, Rapid Vienna
GROUP B ARSENAL, Ajax, Sparta Prague, Thun
GROUP C Barcelona, Panathinaikos, Werder Bremen, Udinese
GROUP D MAN UTD, Villarreal, Lille, Benfica
GROUP E AC Milan, PSV Eindhoven, Schalke, Fenerbahce
GROUP F Real Madrid, Lyon, Olympiakos, Rosenborg
GROUP G LIVERPOOL, CHELSEA, Anderlecht, Real Betis
GROUP H Inter Milanj, Porto, RANGERS, Artmedia Bratislava

UEFA Club Football Awards for 04/05:
Most valuable player: Gerrard
Best defender: Terry
Best midfielder: Kaka
Best forward: Ronaldinho
Best goalkeeper: Cech

*Gerrard is the FIRST captain of a champions league-wining team to claim the MVP award! ....full report.

Acoustic Of The Week

Got a new banner here. A great place to listen to unplugged music.
Ash's acoustic ones make me wanna cry.

You Don't Look Like Your Picture

Click to watch this funny stuff.

By the way.....
I was going to apply for a new passport for my English test, so I just took a look at my 'old' one. Oh my God!! Who was that in the picture!? Really funny!! You can laugh at me!!

And about the birthplace...CHINA????

I've been staying in Taiwan for a long long long time. But I hope the next time I use my passport, I'll be on my way to spend one year or even longer in England!

Born Today

Rupert Grint(17)
Date of birth: 24 Aug, 1988
[full profile]

I'm not interested in Harry Potter. Is that strange? How could people become so crazy about it? I always don't like films too far away from the reality. Well, strangely, I can't refuse to 'The Lord of the Rings'! But anyway, they're all that kind of film which I will forget quickly. Just not my type.

Move On To Group Stage

23 Aug, 2005 Liverpool 0-1 CSKA Sofia

BBC: Liverpool lost in Europe for the first time in 15 matches but still beat CSKA Sofia 3-2 on aggregate to reach the group stage of the Champions League.

Gerrard was out injured. Carragher, Alonso, Garcia, Reina and Zenden were all rested. Riise was finally included in the starting eleven, and he did almost score for Liverpool! Morientes, Sissoko and Cisse all got some perfect chances while missed. Josemi played as central back, and to be honest, that's was really horrible for our defense! I thought we could lose another ball!

Benitez: "It is difficult to explain how we could have had so many chances and not scored, but I felt the strikers tried very hard and on another night could have had two or three."
"At the end we had the quality and to qualify was really the only thing that mattered."

Free Michael

(This is Anfield on 20 Aug, 2005 before the match against Sunderland.)

The fans want to free Michael Shields or Michael Owen?
Both I guess.

David Moyes today stated: "We have been in contact with Michael and his advisers." "Unfortunately he does not see Everton as a team he would choose at this present time."

Come on, Owen is a legend of Anfiled. There is no reason to play for Everton! Can they provide Europe chance for him? No. Premierleague title? No. FA Cup or Carling Cup or whatever....? No. Sorry, Everton.

!Update! 24 Aug, 2005 BBC: Newcastle have revealed they have agreed a club record fee with Real Madrid for England's Michael Owen.

Owen: "I said that my ideal situation was to start the season in the Real Madrid team and if not I would prefer to return to Liverpool."
"If the transfer cannot be finalised in time I have agreed to go to Newcastle."

Please...Benitez...do something..

Graphics

This is what I've been busy on. I joined a football forum recently, and met some great people there. I made graphics for some of them to attach on their posts as a signature. That's what I found interesting recently and aslo why I didn't spend too much time to update my blog. Photoshop is a great tool, and my brother is a genius on it. I used to rely on him as sometimes it could be a complicated job. But since he's going to join the army this summer, I started to learn how to do it myself. Well, it's not bad indeed. I like my works!

These are some graphics I made for people recently:
Liverpool (this one is my own signature on the forum.)
Aston Villa
West Ham (my favorite one!)
Arsenal 1
Arsenal 2
Chelsea
Beckham (it's for 'avatar'/profile image)
Brazil
Hibernian

*Update 2 Sep, 2005*
Birmingham City
Aston Villa 2
Man City
Newcastle
Leicester City

Oh, by the way, I would like to invite you to sign up for the forum! We need Liverpool fans there. I found out something: most people think that Liverpool fans will only show up when Liverpool win!! Well, we need to prove them wrong! The link is here: Forum of Football.co.uk. Of course, if you want, I could also make a signature for you.

Not An Easy Victory

20 Aug, 2005 Liverpool 1-0 Sunderland

BBC: Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso was his side's matchwinner but the home side made hard work of their victory over Sunderland at Anfield.

We got 3 points, but I think we could be better. Alonso scored with a fantastic free-kick. Cisse missed some good chances. Zenden and Sissoko looked great. Gerrard was substituted with an injury. Riise got on 63th minute, though I hoped he could be in the starting line-up.

Benitez: "If you are winning 1-0 normally the other team think they can do something. You need to score the second goal."

Alonso: "I'm happy with my goal and we're happy with the points, but we're not happy with our performance. There were a lot of things wrong and it turned into a tough game."

Liverpoolfc.tv: Gerrard has been ruled out of Tuesday's Champions League qualifier with CSKA Sofia at Anfield because of a calf injury but hasn't given up hope of returning for the Super Cup Final in Monaco on Friday.

Funny!!!

Click to take a look.

I Don't Want To Talk More

17 Aug, 2005 Denmark 4-1 England (International Friendly)

BBC: Denmark scored three goals in seven second-half minutes as England were humiliated in their final game before their World Cup qualifier in Wales.

Quotes:
Eriksson: "I'm angry about the second-half - it was a disaster how we played football. I told the players that if we play football like that we can forget about the World Cup. We were not helping each other and were all over the place."

Beckham: "The changing room was quiet afterwards. The only positive we can take is that it was a friendly game." "No it can't affect confidence. Whether we lost our shape a little bit and we didn't do the things we were told by the manager before the game, I don't know if that was the reason."

James: "Because I knew I wasn't going to start, for once I didn't do my starting preparations. Maybe I can get away with this one because it is a friendly and has no bearing on qualification. But I am representing England and I should have paid more attention."

Gerrard: "We have got quality, there's no doubt about that, but I think it was just a bad night at the office. You can look for excuses all night, but that second-half performance wasn't acceptable."

Lampard: "We've got great quality, but it doesn't matter what quality you have if you don't do the basic things. We cannot afford to play like that in qualifiers. We have had a real reminder at what is needed at this level."

G.Neville: "But freak results do happen sometimes. The Danish team is all right but it is nothing special. If we played them when it really mattered, we would win. They have some good players and decent pace but if we couldn't beat them in a competitive game we wouldn't deserve to be at the World Cup finals anyway."

Rooney: "To lose any game is bad enough but to lose 4-1 to Denmark, when you consider the talent we have, is awful. I don't want to feel like this again. It is horrible."

Owen: "It is hard when you only play 45 minutes. A lot of the goals I scored last season were in the second half when defenders get tired towards the end of games, that is when I can make my runs in behind them."

Defoe: "Obviously it would have been nice to have played longer."

J.Cole: "But we have to look forward. We'll learn from what happened and come back a better side. My message to the fans is just that sometimes these things happen. It's a good little wake up call for us, if you like."

Born Today

Edward Norton(36)
Date of Birth: 18 Aug, 1969
[full profile]

The most talented actor I've ever seen!! Wow, two of my favorite actors have birthday in consecutive days! He's the only one that I've almost watched all his films, and none of them disappointed me actually! Every time I admired him more as finished one. He can play all kinds of character well, and even the toughest ones such as multiple personality.

He made his debut in 1996's 'Primal Fear', and rewarded Golden Globe and Oscar nominations. 'Rounders', 'American History X', 'Fight Club', '25th Hour' are some of his best afterward. 'Primal Fear', 'American History X', and 'Fight Club' are also top rated films to me. (along with 'American Beauty')

Happy birthday to this genius - as a film acotr, director, producer, composer, cinematographer, and writer!

Born Today

Sean Penn(45)
Date of Birth: 17 Aug, 1960
[full profile]

He's one of my favorite actors. Although he's already 45, well, still really attractive to me! 'I Am Sam' maybe the best film of him so far. But there are other good ones: '21 Grams', 'Mystic River', and also 'The Interpreter'. I'm expecting his next work!

I don't know he is Madonna's ex-husband!!

The Final Cut

Wow, it's been a long time since the last time I watched a DVD! I was lazy, and spent too much time on the Internet. Yeah, blogging is addictive, and 24 hours are always not enough. This afternoon I just felt: okay, time out, I want to do something different apart from the Internet, football forum, blogs, and also the book I'm reading. So, I picked up this film.

I have a habit. I don't preview a flim, and if I'm sure I'll watch this film, I don't even watch the trailer. Before watching 'The Final Cut', I just knew it's about death or something. It seems a good drama, though I'm not that into Robin Williams.

This film has a good idea which I was impressed. An implanted microchip in the brain can record all moments of a person's life. After the person died, the chip can be took out, and there is someone like Robin Williams as a 'cutter' who edit those images into a short video highlighting the person's life. Of course that is for their families or friends to memorize him. The point is...what should be on the video? Delet all his sin and make his life look perfect? There are also people in the film against this technology. They argue that it's the power of God to see others' memories.

Well, I will feel disgusted if I know I have an implanted microchip. I don't want anyone to look through my whole life like watching a film. It's all about privacy. And it's no need for people to memorize me through another person's eyes. They remember what they want to remember.

Though the film has a good idea like this showing the controversial technology, I think they show it in a bad way. They don't really explore it, and the plots are displayed loosely. That's a pity indeed, but I think this film is still worth watching because it will make you think about something.

Still A Lion

Smith turned down an offer to replace the injured Andrew Johnson in Sven Goran Eriksson's England squad to play a friendly against Denmark this Wednesday. He chose to play for United's reserves on Monday in order to improve his fitness.

FA chief executive Brian Barwick: "It is probably not the cleverest thing he has done."

BBC: Eriksson moves to reassure Smith

Eriksson: "I take the blame and it's finished now. The door is not closed for Alan Smith, I promise you."
"I think he had his reasons, maybe he thought he wasn't fit and wanted 90 minutes of football rather than sitting on the bench."
"I didn't check up on how many games he'd played, but I talked to the fitness coach and he was very keen he should play 90 minutes, so it's a little bit my fault."

I think there is nothing wrong with this. It's a brave decision. Of course every player loves to play for their country, but for now, it's better for him to work on his fitness first. Since he didn't play much in Man Utd recently.

Born Today

Madonna(47)
Date of birth: 16 Aug, 1958
[full profile]

Mdonna: "The critics have been writing me off for 20 years. That's nothing new. As far as I know I still have plenty of fans and sell a lot of records. Do I care what the critics say? No."

Today's news:
BBC: Madonna hurt in fall from horse - Singer Madonna has ended up marking her 47th birthday with a trip to hospital after breaking several bones falling off a horse on her country estate.

Stevie: It Would Be A Nightmare

Liverpool Echo: Missing Owen would be a nightmare

Gerrard: "It goes without saying I would love Michael Owen back here and think everyone at the club would love him back."
"Obviously it's up to Real Madrid. He's their player and they'll decide if he can go, but when I see Michael in the England squad this week I won't even have to ask him where he'd like to be in a few weeks."
"I'm waking up every morning, looking in the papers and hoping to read he's on his way here. Could you imagine him coming back to Anfield and scoring against us for another club? It would be a nightmare."
"Whoever signs him guarantees themselves 20 goals and, in my opinion, the best striker in the league."

There are also rumours talking about Owen and Woodgate will join Liverpool on loan this season, and the key factor will be the sale of Baros to Aston Villa. Well, it sounds not bad. Funny.

Ps. The picture is one of my favorite.

Born Today

Boudewijn Zenden(29)
Date of birth: 15 Aug, 1976
[full profile]

Today's news:
BBC: Zenden blames Lamb for Boro exit - Liverpool midfielder Boudewijn Zenden has alleged that Middlesbrough chief executive Keith Lamb was the reason he left the Riverside Stadium this summer.

Whatever, welcome to Anfield!

It's Not His Day

13 Aug, 2005 Middlesbrough 0-0 Liverpool

The first round of Premierleague 05/06 season. Gerrard got many chances but failed to score. I'm not blaming him because at the same time I'm wondering what were our strikers doing? And, I suddenly miss Riise's cross! I don't know why he was left on the bench after all. Though it was a little disappointing, i know they're still very competitive in this season. Just move on to the next match! Come on you REDS!

Benitez said: "In the second half we pushed forward more and wanted to attack them. Steven Gerrard scored seven goals in pre-season, but today just wasn't his day. He had four opportunities to score, two or three of them very clear."

"I am pleased with the performance. One of the things we spoke about was keeping a clean sheet and we managed that. All we needed was a goal but I'm not too disappointed because I know we played well. Now we need to look forward to the next away game and make sure we do the same things again."

A Happy Night

I watched Liverpool's match today in a pub. Well, I used to go to another one, and it was my first time there. Some say it's the biggest sports pub in Taipei. Quite right. Too many people there, so my brother and I just decieded to skip the match between Man Utd and Everton earlier. We came back to the pub after about 2 hours, and finally found somewhtere to sit down. The atmosphere was good. Everywhere is TV screen playing football match. People shouted when there was a goal. (The picture was taken when I was leaving at 2 o'clock in the morning, so believe me, that small place was full of people 2 or 3 hours ago.) Anyway, it looked not like in Taiwan after all. I guess there were half of all foreigners in Taipei in that pub.....okay, that's a little exaggerated. I believe they really feel like home there!

As we were waiting for Liverpool's match, I met this guy. He's from Germany (hometown is Bulgaria though). He and his friends were there for Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen's match. (Well, I forgot to ask him if he's pleased with the result that Bayern Munich 5-2 won.) His name is Christo. A quite friendly guy indeed.

A new place, a new friend, and a new experience. Though Liverpool didn't score today, I think it's still a happy night!

Born Today

Pete Sampras(34)
Date of birth: 12 Aug, 1971
[full profile]

He won the men's singles title at Wimbledon 7 times, the US Open 5 times and also the Australian Open twice. He was the No.1 on the ATP world rankings for a record 6 consecutive years! This man is a legend!! (Actually I've never watched him play, which is a pity I suppose. But now there is a new world No.1 in my generation.)

Inspirational Captain

10 Aug, 2005 CSKA Sofia 1-3 Liverpool

Gerrard set up for Cissé to put Liverpool ahead on 25th minute, and did the same with a free-kick for Morientes's header just after 5 minutes. Before the half time, CSKA scored as Liverpool got some problems with their defense. Finally on 58th minute Morientes seized the opportunity from, again our captain's pass, leading Liverpool to the victory in the first leg of Champions League third round qualifier.

Gerrard set up for all three goals and said: "I wasn't able to score tonight but I'm happy with three assists. It's my job to make goals and to score goals and so I'm pleased."

"Morientes has ability, there's no doubt about that and I am sure this season will be his season. His two goals tonight will give him a lot of confidence. His all round game was much better and I know there's even more to come from him."

Did anyone else noticed that? I was worried about him because I saw it, but I thought it was another place...you know..the last one a man would like to be hurt. Gerrard said: "When we were celebrating he(Morientes) nearly pulled my back out of place, but everything is fine. We feel sharp and ready for Saturday against Middlesbrough."

Hyypia added: "It was a good win but we are not 100 per cent happy that we conceded a goal. That shouldn't happen."
Yes, I think so, it was obviously a mistake.

It's sad that racial abuse happened again. I just want to tell those fans: How old are you? TWELVE?? Cissé said: "I'm a strong enough person to deal with this and I don't let it affect me. I'm just sad we have to talk about these issues rather than the football."

A Letter To Amy

( I'm not writing letter to myself. It's my dog, and her name is Amy too. She didn't steal my name, while I did.)

Dear my baby, Amy:

It's been 4 months since you left us. Chinese people believe that when a person pass away, his spirit will come back home after 7 days. Actually, I was expecting you at that day. I forgot to be afraid, and I guess it's because I missed you too much.

Baby, I just want to tell you everything is fine here. Dad is fine, but he still drinks too much. Sometimes he mentions you, though only when joking, I think he misses you. Mom is fine. She sleeps well now because she doesn't have to carry you to your bathroom in the middle of night. (Well, I also benefit from it, since everytime you and Mom entered my room to the balcony, I was waked up.) Brother is fine. He is going to join the army this summer. I guess I'll be lonely if he does. Nini is fine. Without your company, she is more afraid of being in our big house alone when everybody is out. And now she cries (I don't know if that is crying for a dog) when Mom is not home. I don't know why, but she never like this before as you were here. The little boy, my 4-year-old cousin, just moved in. You met him before, remember? Poor Nini now is his toy, and maybe you should feel happy not being his another toy, though I wouldn't allow if it did happen. As for me, I'm also fine. I'm still here making effort to reach my dream. There are hopes and I think I'm in the right direction to get that.

I hope you're fine anywhere you possibly be. Really I miss you so much here. Did I forget something? .........oh, by the way, the fishes are fine, though I think you're probably not interested in them. Alright, take care, my baby. Love you.

Sister, Amy.

(Okay, now you know where my ID, 'loveuamy', comes from.)

Born Today

Roger Federer(24)
Date of birth: 8 Aug, 1981
[full profile]

Okay, I don't have to introduce him, right? He is probably the best tennis player now on the earth! My favorite tennis player? No, it's Lleyton Hewitt. But, Federer is the only one I'll feel ok as Hewitt loses to. I have to say he is really a genius. Look at his beautiful one-handed backhand! Brilliant!

Owen Is Ready For Challenges

"Regardless of what happens this summer, I would like to return to the Premiership one day. Already I feel that my time abroad has matured me and I believe that when I do return, it will be as a better player."

"For now, I am assuming that I will be starting next season with Real but if not, I want to be ready for any challenge that lies ahead."

"Mentally, I am preparing for another season with Real and if I do find myself on the bench at the start of the season, I will do everything possible to force my way into the starting XI and I know I will be given a fair chance to do this."

See more what Owen said.

If staying one more season in Real Madrid could allow him back to Liverpool and away from Man Utd or Arsenal or something, well, it's worthy, right?

Chilli On The Pitch

Community Shield - Chelsea 2-1 Arsenal

Everyone fears Chelsea's squad this season. Crespo and Wright-Phillips definitely will be a boost in their attack. But, actually I felt relieved after watching today's match. As for Arseanl, don't worry, their defense got worse than last season.

Well, the match was too boring that I just couldn't stop noticing their new shirt...

Born Today

Charlize Theron(30)
Date of birth: 7 Aug, 1975
[full profile]

I swear I didn't know they were the same person before! Extraordinary performances in 'Monster' as a murder. And also the beautiful woman in 'Trapped' and 'The Italian Job'! An actress amazed me a lot.

Born Today

Andy Warhol(1928-1987)
Date of birth: 6 Aug, 1928
[full profile]

Some best works of the American pop artist:
Marilyn Monroe(1967) -

Mick Jagger(1975) -

Flowers(1970) -

I really like the way he uses color. It's bold, but not awkward. Many of his works are classic today. See more Andy Warhol prints.

Guy Or Girl?

Am I a guy or a girl?

Well, I feel I'm more like a guy when being with my female friends. Many times we sit together having a chat and I find myself being bored with the topics. And sometimes this kind of conversation disappoint me:

" Hey, Amy, you look sleepy."
" Yeah, I went to bed at 4 this morning."
" 4!? Why? Watch ball Match, again? "
" Haha, that's right. "
" Oh."
"..........."
"...................."

But, thanks God, they won't ask me out for shopping as they know I'll turn it down. Shopping is a crazy thing, isn't it, especailly when those girls just want a so-called 'window-shopping'. It's a test of my patience anyway. And, bargaining is another stupid thing. I do bargain myself sometimes. But this will only happen like this:

" How much is it? "
" $450. "
" Can I get it cheaper?"
" No, sorry."
" Okay, here you go, $450."

One more thing: why girls like taking boring photos so much? They can carry their cameras everywhere, and take it out even when having dinner at a night market! There is nothing wrong with taking photos, but you have to take meaningfull or memorable ones. One of my friends once showed her photos to us: " Hey, girls, look! It's my photos at the beach!" Other girls seemed excited saying: "Wow, your bikini is cute." I took a look at one or two, and started to feel confused why they could view all of them. On all those photos were she and her friends taken from short distance. Was that at a beach or just a bikini party at home? And what's the point to see her big face from photos taken from different angles?

Another one almost drove me crazy. It happened when six girls traveled to the south of Taiwan. The first night at the hotel:

" Amy, Amy, we want to take some interesting photos!"
" Like what? "
" Sexy one! How about naked and wrapping in a bath-towel?"
" .........What for? "
" Just...for fun!! Come on, we are traveling!"
" No."
" Come on, Amy, it'll be..."
" Noooo!!!"

Well, am I a guy or a girl ?

I'm sorry that I use 'Just An Ordinary Guy' as my blog's name, and those sports-topic posts may confuse some people. But, trust me, I'm just an ordinary girl but with passion about sports, and sometimes can't stand girls' stuff.

Born Today

Billy Bob Thornton(50)
Date of birth: 4 Aug, 1955
[full profile]

Recently I just watched a film in 1999 on TV, 'Pushing Tin', staring John Cusack, Billy Bob Thornton, Cate Blanchett, and Angelina Jolie. A big cast with four brilliant actors. But, to be honest, I think the script sucks. Though four of them all performed well, it's a waste of their talents.

Angelina Jolie and Billy Bob Thornton were couple in the film. In real world, they got married in 2000 suddenly, and ended up divorce in 2003. That reminds me of Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman...

Never Say Never

This is what Zidane said in April this year:

"You know very well that when I have made a decision, the decision has been made. I'll stick to my decision. I can assure you France will qualify."
"I heard on television that it was possible I would come back. It's not right, I think it's a pity because it calls everything into question and contradicts what I said."
"I don't want to think I'm the saviour of the team and I don't want people to think I'm the saviour of the team. Such behaviour would be pure conceit and I never behave like that."

Apparently he stressed his retirement strongly. But, look at what he said today after 4 months:

"France have given me so much that I want to help them."
"For the first time in my life I am changing my mind on something very important."
"I had thought about it carefully before taking my initial decision. I did so again this time. This is very emotional."
"I was on holiday and I realised that I did not have that much time left in football and I wanted to make the most of it."

Wow! Quite shocking, isn't it? By the way, Makelele, who announced his international retirement in September last year, is going back too. All I want to say is... Look at what you've done, Gerrard!! It seems that U-turn has became a trend! Haha, unbelievable!! Well, again, you never say never. It's hard to say whether it's a good decision or not. Like French Football Federation president Jean-Pierre Escalettes just said: "It's a brave decision because he is taking risks with his image."

Stevie Doesn't Like Watching

2 Aug, 2005 Liverpool 2-0 Kaunas

Actually I felt bored in the first half. Riise, Alonso, Carragher, Gerrard...are not in the starting line-up. Crouch and Morientes partnered at the front. I didn't see Crouch that much on the pitch, while Morientes missed a good chance of a header on 14th minute. When Gerrard started to warm up a few minutes before the disappointing first half ended, fans were cheering. Then a smile appeared on Gerrard's face, and so did mine!
Cissé came first after the half-time, but there was no much change I think. Crouch was substituted for a thigh injury not long after second half began. It seems that García haven't got back his feeling. And Hyypiä was still sleeping who almost gave Kaunas a gift with a wrong-direction clearance, but he woke up on 69th minute heading Hamann's corner against the crossbar.
Then there came our captain on 74th minute. He set up Cissé for a chance that goalkeeper saved as his first touch, and scored just 3 minutes later by a shot from the left flank. Oh my, he had 7 goals in 4 matches!! Crazy man! And Cissé added another goal when just 4 minutes left assisted by García's great cross.

Gerrard:"I didn't want the night off. The manager told me I would start on the bench and if needed he would give me some minutes. But I wanted to get on - I don't like watching football."

See more what Gerrard and Benitez said on BBC.

Jones Cup 2005

The 27th R.William Jones Cup International Basketball Tournament 2005 (7/23~7/31)
All results of 'Chinese Taipei National Team':
23 July - TPE 73:61 JPN
24 July - USA 95:74 TPE
25 July - TPE 111:70 IND
26 July - AUS 82:95 TPE
27 July - TPE 68:66 RUS
28 July - QAT 89:84 TPE
29 July - TPE 86:66 KAZ
30 July - PHI 76:82 TPE
31 July - TPE 84:73 KOR

Really Suprised Me >
Tseng Wen-Ting(21) - 202 CM, 90 KG, Center(C)

He's really impressive in this tournament. I almost couldn't recognize him because he improved so much. Last year I was still blaming him. I felt unfair that he was chosen to be in 'Chinese Taipei National Team' instead of more experienced and old one. But he performed really good this year after their summer training in US. There is a long time that 'Chinese Taipei' don't have a good Center, because our players are not tall and strong enough to compete with foreign players. And there is also a long time that we don't rely on a Center in our strategy. But we could see today that Tseng Wen-Ting played an really important role. Being the top 1 in both 'Block' and 'Rebound' throughout the tournament, and scored 13 points per match on average, he is chosen to be included in best five players of Jones Cup 2005.

Fall In Love With You!! >
Lee Hsueh-Lin(21) - 175 CM, 75 KG, Point Guard(PG)

Well, PG is my favorite position. I believe that PG is the most important role in a basketball team. Lee Hsueh-Lin is another one impressed me in Jones Cup 2005. I fall in love with him!! He did all what a PG should do in a match. With good court vision and good passing, he controlled well of team's offense. If you think that he is only good at controlling the ball and three-point shot as a typical PG, you are wrong. He is also good at cutting into painted area and scores by a layup. He never fears about how tall the defense players are, because he got speed. Well, it's a little exaggerated, but I would say he's like Allen Iverson of 76ers.

'Chinese Taipei' finished second place. I'm really proud of them, though as I said before, Jones Cup is not a big deal. But, can you imagine that a team with just 189 CM average height and 83 KG average weight to compete with those tall foreign players? (ex. The champion, US: 200 CM, 88.9 KG) Plus there are three key players couldn't play because of the injury.

And there is one player I want to praise espacially: Chang Chih-Feng. He never listens to the coach. He insisted on training with the team and playing on the court despite he got many injuries. I think he definitely encouraged all players. This is called Taiwanese spirit - we never give up, though we are not tall or good enough.

(It took me a few days to work on this post, because I found out something...it's really hard to talk about basketball in English!! Why it's easier to talk about football in English?? Can't get it.)

Born Today

Edward Furlong(28)
Date of birth: 2 Aug, 1977
[full profile]

Probably can't recognize the person on the left, but I'm sure you've ever seen the person on the right. He played as Edward Norton's brother in 'American History X'. It's a really good film. Edward Norton impressed me a lot, so did Edward Furlong!

My favorit quote from 'American History X' by Danny(Edward Furlong):

Danny Vinyard: So I guess this is where I tell you what I learned - my conclusion, right? Well, my conclusion is: Hate is baggage. Life's too short to be pissed off all the time. It's just not worth it. Derek says it's always good to end a paper with a quote. He says someone else has already said it best. So if you can't top it, steal from them and go out strong. So I picked a guy I thought you'd like. 'We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory will swell when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.'

A Nice Post, Don't Miss It

From: D. Keith Robinson's Web Design Blog

A few things blogging has taught me
Some of these I've learned from blogging myself, some from reading blogs. Some I already knew (or thought I did) and some are completely new:

The world is both bigger and smaller than I'd ever imagined.
There is great power in words.
Blogging can very easily be considered work. Lots of it.
24 hours in a day isn't enough.
Making a mistake and being called on it can be one the best learning experiences you can have.
You really can meet cool people online. And many of them are not so bad in person either!
It's easy to mix up "it's" and "its". Same goes for "your" and "you're". Oh and "too" and "to".
Don't trust spellcheck.
Blogs are great for marketing and PR if done the right way.
I've got friends in low places.
The world is full of passionate people.
Storytelling is one of the best ways to convey a message.
People love gadgets. And porn.
Defensiveness makes you look bad.
People I've never met care about me, and I care about people I've never met.
Links are a new form of currency.
Blogging is a great way to express yourself.
Blogging is a great way to manage knowledge and lessons learned.
Geek is the new pink.
Smaller is better.
Writing is hard!
Most people are more positive than negative.
Some people actually can make a living blogging. Imagine that.
A well-placed f-bomb can go along way.
Mainstream media is full of shit.
Everyone has a bad day.
Crankiness comes in waves and affects many at once.
Popular doesn't always mean good.
The best way to become better at something is to keep doing it.
Comments make great content.
Conversations are a great way to communicate.
You've got to love what you do to do it really well.
People actually do read Web content.
Making an ass out of yourself will get you lots of attention.
Censorship is lame.
Perfect is the enemy of the good.
Clever writing can be frustrating.
Sub-headers are priceless. As are lists.
The future is text-based.
Content management is a process, not a technology.
If you step away from it, the blogosphere will still be there when you get back.
Asking a question is a great way to get a response. (Obvious I know…)
With that, I'll throw it to y'all. What has blogging taught you?

(ps. Read from 'This is Anfield'. Thank you, Dan, for sharing this.)

Born Today

David James(35)
Date of birth: 01 Aug, 1970
[full profile]
Still the No.1 in England?

Nwankwo Kanu(29)
Date of birth: 01 Aug, 1976
[full profile]

Stop Barking

premierleague.com: Mourinho: Snub Is Gerrard's Loss- Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho is sure Steven Gerrard's decision to reject a move to Stamford Bridge will hurt the Liverpool captain more than the Barclays Premiership champions.

Mourinho: "It will be a loss for him, for his career. He can say 'I was European champion at Liverpool' and that is correct, but I can say to him in the next 10 years we will compare trophies at Chelsea and Liverpool. And he'll lose."

BBC: Benitez hits back in Mourinho row - Rafael Benitez says Jose Mourinho's comments regarding Steven Gerrard prove the Chelsea boss is "worried".

Benitez: "I like to hear Mourinho talking about us. Maybe they're worried about us and think we'll be dangerous next season."

See the differences between the two managers?
Tell you something,Mourinho...NEVER SAY NEVER!