Season 08/09

Once again, the season has finally come to a close. No matter what we do we will never change what has already gone down on the history books. Barcelona are the kings of Europe. Shakhtar are the last winners of the Uefa Cup. Manchester United are the champions of England and the world. Chelsea are the holders for England's oldest competition. These are the facts and will be what the 2008/2009 season is remembered for. Here are the season recaps for selected teams:

• Manchester United-Began the season slowly but gradually picked it up and got their season on track. They started the season as defending champions of Europe and England. They were looking to equal Liverpool's 18 league titles. To begin the season, they went to Japan and brushed aside teams from all over the world, winning the Fifa Club World Cup. It was a different story, however, for the Red Devils in the Premier League. Liverpool were leading the league table by 8 points. But due to a few slip-ups by Liverpool, Man U went on to win the league after drawing at home to Arsenal. They were knocked out of the FA Cup by Everton in the semi-finals. They won the 'League Cup' early in the season to firmly have their sights on all five titles. In their last game of the season, Manchester United looked to defend their European crown from FC Barcelona in Rome. They failed, though, like many other teams who have tried. Even so, Man U have had a season to remember and they will no doubt look to have a season like this one again.
• Liverpool FC-They have failed to shine in previous seasons but this season will be a bright lamp in a dark room. They started the season as underdogs for the league title because they were out of the title race by February last season. Liverpool, however, were determined to win it this season and beat Chelsea at Stamford Bridge to end Chelsea's long-standing home unbeaten run. In fact, Liverpool were unbeaten in the league until they traveled to London and got beat by Tottenham. They did not face another defeat until a lost to Middlesbrough. They were knocked-out of the Champions league by Chelsea, leaving the Premier League as Liverpool's only source of silverware. They were really in control for most of the season, but blew it toward the end of the season, leaving Man U to the title, finishing 2nd. Although Liverpool did not get any silverware this season, they improved rather dramatically in terms of performances and consistancy and will hope to use this season as a stepping-stone for a successful campaign three months on.
• Chelsea FC-Chelsea overall will want to forget this season despite winning the FA Cup. They not only lost their home unbeaten record, they saw Stamford Bridge turn from a fortress to a hunting ground for teams such as Newcastle United. They were knocked out of the Champions League by eventual champions Barcelona. Chelsea now have got Carlo Ancelotti as manager and will look to improve on their performace next term. Premier League, beware!
• Arsenal-Have one of the youngest teams and lacked consistency. That was the story of Arsenal's campaign last season. For a while, it looked like Arsenal were not going to finish within the top four. Luckily, they picked it up towards the end of the season with the help of new recruit Arshavin and got the Champions League play-off place. Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger will have to come up with something new if his team are to do any better next season. But do not start to write them off just yet. They may pull a few surpises next season and could maybe be title contenders. Only time will tell. We will just have to wait and see.

My Grandmother

I was sobbing and broken-hearted when I first heard it. Yes, what I had heard over the phone from my mother was true! The curse of death had finally become a reality for me.

My grandmother was a very positive and brave woman. She inspired me when I was down, picked me up when I fell; yet she never boasted. She always said that it all due to Jesus that she was the woman she was. She was the perfect exmple of a god-fearing Christian.

Although my grandmother has left us and gone to be with the Lord, she has left a legacy so big that even a blind man can see it. I have the hope that we will one day meet her in heaven. Meanwhile, I will miss her very much. I love you, grandma!! See you in heaven!!!

Dalian

Yesterday, we got up while the sun was still dim and sleepy. After a not up-to-standard meal, we went to an oak flooring factory. It was interesting to see how oak flooring was cut, made, and laquered. We had a late lunch in a fantastically large room with a equally large table. The food, however, was worth the wait. We then took a plane to Shang Hai. Upon arriving in Shang Hai, we had dinner, then retired to our quarters.

The next morning, we had a Mcdonald's breakfast. We were planning to catch a bus to Zhou Zhuang, an ancient chinese village but missed it. In the end, we had to endure a three-hour long taxi ride to Zhou Zhuang. It was an eye-opening experience for me.

After the trip to Zhou Zhuang, we went to a place the locals call the 'copy market'. The things there were all fakes. Although everything there was outrageously cheap, I did not find anything to my taste. The next morning, we flew back to Malaysia.

This trip to China was a very enjoyable one. It gave me buckets full of experience and insight of a bussiness man's life. Futhermore, it took my relationship with my father to a higher level.

China Trip

Today we woke up rather late compared to the last few days. I woke up with a cheeky April's fools mood in the morning. After partaking of a lovely Chinese breakfast,which included the famous fried sweet-buns with condensed milk, we caught a 1 pm airplane flight from ShenZen to Dalian. The flight however was delayed by 30 minutes. According to my father, who was a regular on such flights, it was pretty normal to have a flight delayed in China. The sun had already set by the time we arrived at our destination. It was very cold there in Dalian so we decided to have 'hot pot' (steamboat) for dinner. We then retired to our rooms after a day mainly spent on traveling.

China

Today we are still in Shen Zhen, China. We started early as usual to visit factories. In fact, we visited two factories today. We came back to the hotel quite late. We had some time to shop though, in a place called the East Gate street. The prices there were so reasonable and cheap. Our beds were more than welcome by the end of the day.

My Page Pet