3rd Round Match 4; Germany vs Czech and Netherland vs Latvia

Singapore pools sux. They are just a blood sucking organisation out to cheat my money to pay the lowly paid players in the S-league. The first reason why they sux is that the rates they offer is always to their advantages. Its always lower then those that are quoted on the internet or should i say online bookies. Next, how come most of the match are +1 1/2 and -1 1/2 goals. Cant they be more flexible offer some rates such as level or +1/4 goals as in the case of Denmark vs Sweden. No matter how u gonna play, you will probably use up all yur money they you had won to lose in the next few matches. The system is so dead and no life in it.

Well for today's match, i guess i go for the underdog again in the match between Netherland vs Latvia. Take Latvia and eat the 1 1/2 balls.

Saw a chinese variety show on TV a few days back which was about checking up on people to see why their behavior has changed or to see if they have been cheating on their gfs/bf behind their back. Then at one particular episode, towards the ending, it says these: "我只是静静地站着， 摆脱了几百个日子的时空。从清晨到日暮， 从冷冽的寒冬， 到满花繁生的初春。我轻轻的走来，告诉你我们终于见面了。 说来可笑。 你的容颜未变，而我却显得苍老。是不该以这样的杂乱姿态来见你的，只是，为何在朝朝暮暮之后，心中的不舍却依旧。 遥望着我妄想留下的时光， 是那在我身前，以一大把温柔，锁住我心头的女子。 我们用我们微薄的爱，想要证明永恒。 以为那真的实现了，但那曾经拨弄我心玄的双手， 为何如今却不在颤斗了呢？你给我的一切，我会记得，但是我给你的呢？花谢花飞花满天， 红潇相对有谁怜， 一朝春景红颜老，花落人亡两不知。悲哀的面对说有的结局，似乎都已成多余，但我们已就相信，离别不是结局，而是延续。 于是乎，爱情有了价值，一种绝对纯净， 绝对无悔的价值。" Wow isnt that a chinese classic piece of work?

And for now, lets thanks the indonesian for letting us have some shade due to the fog that they create. The heat was finally unnoticed today when i woke up and must seriously thank my neighbour for burning a large chunk of their forest. I dont really care about the hazard of the fog or unclean air they create. I only look forward to a cool and nice day to avoid the heat the sun has been creating in recent weeks.

3rd Round Match 3; Denmark vs Sweden and Italy vs Bulgaria

From past few matches, my prediction are wrong except for Russia so i wont be saying much due to my unprofeesional knowledge of international football. My stand today is to take Denmark cause i just have this feeling that Denmark and Italy will make it through from Group C. Bet on Denmark to win!!! GOGOGO!!!

3rd Round Match 2; England vs Croatia and France vs Switerland

Today's match is a very tricky. First of all i expect a draw from 1 of the matches today. Trends from the past few matches have shown that there is at least a draw every 2 games with exception from yesterday and the first day. The problem is no one will expect a draw from France match and England match and i believe so too.

For France vs Switerland, everyone will bet on France and probably let 1 1/2 goals because on paper France seems like a much better team then Switerland in any way. This was also proven by the fact that England thrashed Switerland 3-0 in the last match. I must state that England was able to slaughter Switerland because they were one man down and had numerical advantage. Switerland had nothing to play for and seems almost impossible for them to qualify for the Last 8 places. They are like Russia who had only pride to play for and hopefully wont end up last in the group. On the other hand, France had not been performing as well as expected. Henry the ferocious striker in EPL is runing around like a headless chicken without a single goal to his name. All focus wil be on Zidane and his form to help France to secure a victory. France mathematically had already secured a place in the last 8 and only need to get a draw in this match. Hence it is unlikely that they will win by a large margin or end up a draw game.

The match between England vs Croatia is more unpredictable. Croatia were able to use psychological warfare to secure a draw or almost a win against the French. They are definitely not a weak team even though they have no Zidane in their squad. England need only a draw in this game to ensure that they can get at least a second spot in the group. My prediction thus is that this game could also end up in a draw game.

My final prediction is
England vs Croatia 1 - 1
France vs Switerland 1 - 0

3rd Round Match 1; Russia vs Greece and Spain vs Portugal

Euro fever is on and have been sleeping very late at night or should i say early morning almost every day. One enjoyment of watching soccer is of course betting and the results so far of my bets have resulted in a loss of $50++... There are generally 2 groups of people who bet; the first group believes that there is match fixing in all competition and the other who does not think so.

Now the prediction of tonight match will be as following: Spain and Russia to win. As for the reasonw why... the follwing article is extracted from a forum at http://forum.asianbookie.com.

Greece - Russia

The Greeks are unexpectedly leading the group after providing a couple of shock results against big favourites Portugal and Spain. A point against Russia will secure them a place in the next round of the competition and, going on their last two games, it's looking good for them.

The funny thing with Greece is that they never looked like taking points from Portugal or Spain, but they have a strong defence and have a knack for sneaking in goals when their opponents aren't looking. In their last match against Spain they were dominated and never looked like they were going to get anything. Their goal came from a quickly taken free-kick, which seemed rather lucky, but in the end they deserved it.

Russia are already out of Euro 2004 having lost to Spain and Portugal and will merely be playing for pride in this game. I haven't liked the look of Russia from what I've seen in their opening games as they don't seem to have much ability going forward. it's definitely their weakest attribute.

Alexei Smertin will be missing for his side as he's suspended, which will be of some loss to them. The team captain is the driving force in midfield and he will surely be missed. With Greece fired up and full of confidence I don't see Russia spoiling the party for them. They've been a big letdown in their last two match while Greece have be surprisingly eager and passionate.



Conclusion: Take Russin to win


Spain - Portugal

Euro tournament hosts Portugal got their all important victory against Russia with a very comfortable 2-0 win, and they'll maybe feel they should have scored more considering the amount of chances they had. Cristiano-Ronaldo again made a substitute appearance in that match and I'd be surprised if he didn't start against Spain as he's so quick and skillful.

Portugal put their miserable 2-1 loss against Greece behind them with that win, so hopefully they'll be full of confidence against the Spanish. Coach Luis Felipe Scolari has no injury concerns ahead of this match which will give him all the help he needs to secure the victory Portugal need to qualify. My only worries about this team is their attack and defence. Their sole attacker, Pauleta, has not looked good as the lone striker and Portugal's defending hasn't looked great either. Ricardo Carvalho made an impression against Russia, but will it be good enough to keep Spain out?

Spain coach Inaki Saez must have been scratching his head after only managing a 1-1 draw against Greece. Spain were quite clearly the much better side throughout most of the match and all of their attacks looked like they could have ended with goals. The introduction of Joaquin in the game proved an excellent move as the young winger is clearly destined to be world class in years to come. I expect him to keep his place in the team.

Unlike Portugal, Spain only need a single point to qualify from Group A, but I expect them to play for a win. Their finishing has got to be better if they want to beat Portugal as it has lacked somewhat in their first two matches. Athletic Madrid striker Fernando Torres could start ahead of Morientes as he's looked rather an attacking threat in his two substitute appearance and you can see why so many clubs are interested in his services.



Conclusion: Take Spain to win


Good luck to everyone betting and hope everyone wins some money before the damn school opens again!!!

Singapore Idol

This is a funny article on the upcoming Singapore Idol. The following views doesn not represent my stand on the events and is purely for reference basis. The Article can be retrieved at http://www.morakimo.com/.


OUG, KL (Malaysia): By the time you read this, you would've already know the new "American Idol" winner. Else if you are still hibernating inside your coconut husk, the winner is Fanatasia Barrino. Yeah the quirky voice one. And by now the Malaysian Idol have already conducted auditions in Penang, Sarawak and Johore and moving to get talents from KL in the next few weeks before commencing it proper. And by this weekend Singapore Idol will kick-off its auditions, hoping to attract young talents-wannabes to participate in this multi-million dollar talentime show. That makes me wonder, will this Singapore Idol work in Singapore?? After a tedious research I present to you my thesis called "Why Singapore Idol Will Not Work".

AUDITIONS

This is the most important aspect of getting into Singapore Idol. This is where future stars are spotted. This is where Kelly Clarkson, Ruben Studdard, Clay Aiken, Fantasia Barino were spotted and not forgetting William Hung, for the wrong reason obviously. This is problem #1 for Singapore Idol.

In the US, the auditions are held at different cities across the country every season change, and the route to get to these auditions can be a long road for some, especially for someone who lives in Texas, travelling all the way to Hawaii to get that devine golden ticket. And having that ticket in your arms after auditioning and shouting "I'm going to Hollywood!!!" is a very exciting feeling.

In Singapore, the transportation system is well-connected and going for the auditions can be just a 30 minutes train ride. And after getting that ticket, how would the contestants react?? By shouting "I'm going to Caldecott Hill!!??" Well I can easily go there everyday, just a 30 minutes bus-ride away.

Even if the auditions were to be held at various parts of the island republic like in Jurong or Bedok or Woodlands, how many people will turn up?? Will it make any difference if you compare a talent from Jurong and a talent from Bedok?? Unlike comparing Texas and Hawaii or Penang and KL??

POST-AUDITION

This is where successful auditonees managed to get that golden ticket to Hollywood and stay in Hollywood for the next rounds of selections and eliminations, to get that exclusive group of 12 finalists.

Problem #2 for Singapore Idol. Where will successful Singapore Idol auditionees be at this stage?? Will they still be staying in their houses or being housed in the nearby Toa Payoh hotel??? (ooops my mistake its not a hotel, its the HDB Hub) Or will they be placed in a resort hotel in Sentosa or get dumped into army barracks at the unused Camp 1 in Pulau Tekong?? Or will they be staying at Caldecott Hill until the final 12 are selected??

JUDGES

Ok let's assume that the 12 finalists have already been selected, let's talk about judges. In the American Idol, the judges comprised of respected individuals in the music industry, in their own respective field. Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul and the notorious Simon Cowell. In Malaysian Idol, we have Paul Moss, Roslan Aziz and Fauziah Latiff. Credible lineup.

Its just be announced that 4 judges are selected for Singapore Idol. (Waaah so kiasu must have extra 1 judge than Malaysia). They are Dick Lee, Ken Lim, Florence Lian and Douglas Oliveiro. Hmmm...looking at these names, something is not right rite?? Dick and Douglas will provide their wealth in the music business to good use while a Radio boss and record company director, who talent-spotted Phyllis Quek, Jeanette Aw and Michelle Saram, will provide more preety faces?? I'm not sure how a Radio boss can judge a singing contest. Hullo we are not looking for radio deejays here. And we are also not looking for preety actresses who can't sing. Where's Anita Sarawak, Najip Ali, Jacintha?? Of course we wouldn't want to create a commotion on the set with Dick and Ja, due to their maritial history. Also whos gonna be the "Simon Cowell" of Singapore Idol?? Every show must have the bad guy rite? Glenn Ong, whos famous for his "bullet-popping-laser-mouthed-straight-in-your-face" comments would've made the perfect villain. Else Singapore Idol will be just a bore with the usual goody-goody comments.

TALENTS

Well lets not talk about talents 'cos I know theres a lot of talents in Singapore, just that these talents are more productive in foreign land than in their own country. On a second thought, why not we NOT waste anybody's time and money and heartaches and just put Kit Chan, Stephanie Sun, A-do, Ferhad, Hetty Sarlene, Hazrul Nizam, Guz, Roslan Shah and all ex-members of Echo Boys to form the 12 finalists and let them battle to be the first "Singapore Idol"??

FINALE

Ok lets fast forward to the finale, where 2 finalists will battle to win that precious "Singapore Idol" winner with the promise of a lucrative recording contract, fame, fortune, bla bla bla. As in the "American Idol" we get to see how the finalists got back to their hometown and got a rousing reception from their citizens there. Thousands of fans thronged their airports, schools, stadiums to welcome their "American Idol hero/heroine", their support and reception is just overwhelming.

Lets put it into Singapore context, do you expect a Singapore Idol finalist to receive such a turnout when she returns to her HDB estate in Jurong or Bedok?? Will Jurong-ers and Bedok-ers come out of their houses and greets him/her with and ovewhelming reception?? Looking at things, I'm afraid not. Where we are not allowed to have public gatherings of more than 8 person in a group and conduct mass rallies, such "Singapore Idol" reception is like wishing for snow in Singapore.

So wheres the excitement gonna come from??

HOST

Alas the organizer managed to get our funnyman, Mr PCK himself, Gurmit Singh, to provide us with some entertainment throughout the show. But his airtime is gonna be limited though. 'Cos this is a talent contest, not a sitcom or a stand-up comedy. Although his name satisfies the requirement to emulate "Seacrest Out" with "Gurmit Out", his presence may not appeal to some viewers 'cos people are so used to him watching PCK or hosting his "floppies" like "Live On 5", "Tonight With Gurmit" and "Smalltalk". And even that horrendous sitcom "Brothers 4". We need a fresh face to host such a program, a cute boyish face for a change. Else "Singapore Idol" will just be another "Fame Awards" or "Talentime" with SMS voting.

WINNER

Which reminds me what happen to those past winners of "Fame Awards" and "Talentime"?? Sean Ghazi, Darryl Seah and Cherry Chocolate Candy?? I thought they were promised lucrative recording deals after winning the talent show?? What happened to them?? I cannot imagine what a "Singapore Idol" will be a doing 1 year after his/her winning fame?? Maybe he/she will just be another Jurong-er, taking the MRT train to work and staying at the same HDB block as you.

To all those going to audition for "Singapore Idol" this weekend, all the best of luck, fame and fortune!