Match Review : Liverpool 1 Everton 1

The first match to kick-off yesterday was Liverpool taking on their old rivals Everton. The match was played at Anfield with 44,511 fans in the stadium.

The first half ended 0-0 but there was a few incidents where a penalty should have been awarded. Liverpool's Alberto Moreno was tugging and holding on to Everton's Romelu Lukaku at the edge of the penalty box. The linesman and referee waived it off. Another incident was Raheem Sterling's shot being blocked by Everton's Gareth Barry but he blocked it off by using his hand over his head. It was a clear penalty claim but the referee shook his head. The Liverpool players were fuming since the penalty was not awarded.

Image source: www.theguardian.com

The goal that Liverpool wanted so badly came at the 65th minute from a set piece. Steven Gerrard took the free kick and hit the ball to the right post. Everton's Tim Howard could only parry the ball but it fell into his own net. A curling shot avoiding the row of Everton defenders before creeping inside the left hand post of Tim Howard. A great strike from the Liverpool captain and a goal deserved. As expected, the Anfield stadium erupted with joy celebrating the goal against their bitter rivals.

Image source: www.independent.co.uk

Everton was hanging on as Liverpool piled up the pressure after the goal. They had their magical moment at the 91st minute with a late stunner from Phil Jagielka. The ball was headed out of the penalty box by the Liverpool defender and Jagielka came running towards the loose ball. He unleashed the strike that rocketed into the roof of the Liverpool goal! It was travelling with speed and swirling to the left of Liverpool's goalkeeper Simon Mignolet. It was too good for Mignolet as his dive missed the ball by inches and he could only watch the ball fly inside his net. That strike from Jagielka was worthy of equalizing any match. 

It was all square for the teams and they had to share the points. I believe the Liverpool players will be questioning the referee's decision on the penalty claims as they would have felt they were robbed off 2 points today. Everton had their chances too but only managed to make 1 of them count. A typical derby match with some talking points from the entertaining game.

Match Review : Arsenal 1 Tottenham 1

Although some might say that it was a point earned last night, I strongly believe that it was 2 points dropped. Maybe it might have been 3 also but in the end, the scoreline was Arsenal 1 Tottenham 1.

Despite having a huge possession of the ball, Arsenal failed to convert their chances and many a times felt as though they might have lost their creativity to score. 

Image source: www.dailymail.co.uk

Tottenham took the lead on the 56th minute through Nacer Chadli. Mathieu Flamini lost his concentration on the ball and was robbed by Christian Eriksen just 40 yards outside the penalty box. Flamini and Eriksen were tugging away when Erik Lamela carried the ball forward. Lamela spotted Nacer Chadli unmarked on the right and delivered a through ball into the penalty box. The pass left both the Arsenal defenders Kieran Gibbs and Laurent Koscielny stranded and they could only watch the ball roll into the net. Credit to Nacer Chadli who controlled the ball before slotting it into the left post to the dismay of Wojciech Szczesny. I would say this was a moment of poor defending and lost of concentration off the ball which cost the goal.

There was more urgency by the Arsenal team after the goal came. They started to push forward in greater numbers and became more aggressive. The goal for them came at the 74th minute through Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

Image source: www.dailymail.co.uk

Alexis Sánchez picked up the loose ball on the left flank of the penalty box. He was immediately marked by 2 Tottenham defenders and as a result of this, Sánchez squared the ball to Santi Cazorla who was just outside the box. Cazorla tried his luck by shooting from just outside the box and the ball was deflected by Younes Kaboul. The loose ball bounced in front of  Danny Welbeck but he mistimed his kick thus allowing the ball to bounce towards Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. His on the volley shot directed the ball towards the roof of the net and the Arsenal stadium erupted with joy!

I feel that even though the depth of Arsenal's squad should have claimed all the 3 points, the results from last night was definitely disappointing. I think Arsenal will have to gain their focus back again to get the job done. The next match is the Champions League game where Arsenal will host Galatasaray. Good luck Gunners!

EPL Match Fixtures For 27-Sept

There is a lot of matches this weekend and it will be kick-started with a derby match between Liverpool and Everton. Later on Saturday, there will be another derby match where Arsenal will play host to Tottenham. So we will definitely be seeing a lot of North London derby this weekend. Here is the fixtures.

And the following are my views on the major games this weekend.

Liverpool will play host to Everton in a match that they will need to win to boost their confidence. The only consolation going into this match is this game is being played at home. The last 2 EPL matches for Liverpool were losses as they were beaten by West Ham [3-1] and Aston Villa [1-0]. Liverpool holds a slight edge over Everton and this might be in their favour too. Doubts for Liverpool for this game would be Philippe Coutinho, Jordan Henderson and Daniel Sturridge while long term absentees are Joe Allen, Emre Can, Glen Johnson and John Flanagan. Liverpool is lacking in their creativity and I believe Philippe Coutinho and Daniel Sturridge are badly missed. For Everton, both Seamus Coleman and Steven Pienaar will undergo late fitness tests to check if they are match fit.

My prediction for this match is Liverpool squeezing a win against their rivals. Liverpool 2 Everton 1. It's going to be a hard fought match and somehow Liverpool might win this one.

The Blues will be playing at home to their very own Stamford Bridge. The visitors were beaten by Arsenal 3-0 last week and they look to pick up themselves against the Premier league leaders. Chelsea has enjoyed a near perfect start to the EPL as they slipped away 2 points against Manchester City last week. Chelsea has a near full squad with Ramires injured. If Diego Costa recovers from the hamstring injury which he was rumoured to have during mid week, Chelsea would be an unstoppable force at home. Aston Villa has 6 players down with illness but they are suppose to be fit for this weekend's game. 

My prediction for this match is Chelsea winning comfortably at home if Diego Costa starts. I'm going for Chelsea 2 Aston Villa 0.

Hull City has been struggling to find a WIN recently and their opponents for this weekend might make that task even more difficult. Steve Bruce will have almost the full team for selection with injury to Robert Snodgrass, David Meyler and Gastón Ramírez. Manchester City on the hand might be boosted by the return of David Silva and Sergio Agüero who will need to undergo late fitness tests to ensure they are in good physical shape. Samir Nasri, Stevan Jovetic and Fernando are injured and definitely will sit out of this match.

Manchester City managed to win comfortably last year for this fixture with a scoreline of 4-0 and I believe Hull City would not be troubling them this time around. I predict a comfortable win for Manchester City with a scoreline of Hull City 0 Manchester City 3.

And finally the match that I would be looking forward to. The Gunners will play at the Emirates Stadium and host the Spurs. Arsenal played well last weekend against Aston Villa in their away game. Danny Welbeck and Mesut Özil both scored and proved to their critics that they still have what it takes to play at the highest level. Arsenal have won 4 in a row against Tottenham Hotspur and I believe playing at home will give them a bigger advantage. Spurs played and defended poorly the last game against West Brom and they were worthy losers. 

Arsenal do have a long list of injured players like Mathieu Flamini, Yaya Sanogo, Nacho Monreal, Mathieu Debuchy, Olivier Giroud, Serge Gnabry and Theo Walcott. However with their squad strength, they should be able to win this North London derby. Although Tottenham's squad only has one long term injury to Kyle Walker, the way the squad players played and their reaction on the pitch isn't very positive. I predict this game to be won by Arsenal and the scoreline would be Arsenal 3 Tottenham 1. Looking forward to this match which will be played around midnight later. Good luck to your team and may the best team win this weekend!

How To Win From The Casino - Roulette

Recently I found out that a large number of people that I know do visit the casino. I guess it is not surprising for someone to want more money with the increase in the prices of our daily needs. A mere RM200 can help you out for a week or two and if you are lucky, RM600 would allow you to enjoy a great meal out with your family! But the problem is how do you win when you are in the casino?

Image source: www.duden.de

If ever I head up to the casinos at Genting Highlands, I would definitely try my luck at the roulette game. I believe most of you would have seen this if you have ever stepped into the casino. It is pretty easy to play. Just pick a number from 0 till 36 and place your bets. If the white ball falls into the numbered pocket like the one you have chosen, you will be paid on a 35:1 ratio. Every Ringgit bet will produce a payout of 35 times the initial investment!

Image source: www.roulettetraining.com

My style to make money is pretty simple. I will either buy any of the 2 quarters or just focus on colours. There is 3 quarters on the board and every Ringgit bet on the quarter will have a payout ratio of 2:1. Normally I would be covering the 2nd and 3rd quarters which mean anything from 0 till 12 would make me lose money. Double up each time you lose and hopefully the next round will be kind to you!

Image source: eofdreams.com

The next option that I would choose is to bet on either black or red. Pretty simple right! Just stick to one colour and go with it till you made big bucks! Let's start the ball rolling and all the best for your bets! 

For your information, there is no sure WIN technique as all games will favour the banker!

Maxis Fibre Experience

Imagine what will happen if the broadband is down! I believe a lot of people will be complaining and some won't be able to live through their daily life normally. 

Since the late 90s where we were introduced to the internet, we have grown more and more fond of it and it has definitely became a part of our lives! There is a lot of options for us these days and even more for us living in Klang Valley. 

I subcribed to the Unifi VIP 5 and it was much better than the previous streamyx line. With 5Mbps, surfing was much smoother and you can imagine how it would help if you were to watch youtube videos,  download and share some files over the internet. All these could be performed with ease and not forgetting speedy too.

However as time goes by, the 5Mbps line becomes pretty much standard for every household to own one. The used to be fast internet line became the acceptable speed and you would be craving for more speed. I decided to try the maxis fibre line which is 10Mbps for the same amount that I would pay the other time.

The installers got the line ready for me last Friday and so far all seems well. Certain websites seem to be loading up pretty slow and that might be contributed by the fault in the AAG submarine cable which is causing the massive internet slowdown.

The download speed for the Windows 8.1 update wasn't as good as I would have expected. I think it might be affected by those AAG submarine cables somehow or another. I guess I shall be patient for now and check out the speeds that I would be getting once those submarine cables have been fixed.

I checked my speed and it's pretty acceptable for now. I shall be testing out the internet line further and hopefully in the near future, we get faster lines and cheaper prices! I know it might be tough but it all starts with a thought! Happy surfing!

Match Review - Chelsea vs Schalke

Chelsea hosted Schalke 04 at Stamford Bridge to kick off the Champions League campaign on September 18, 2014. There was 4 changes to the starting line up compared to weekend's game. Didier Drogba the Chelsea favourite was back to the starting line up and was given the responsibility of banging in the goals for the Blues.

The goal for the home side came on the 10th minute. Cesc Fàbregas the summer signing scored the opener but there was doubts about it as his tackle earlier on Max Meyer seems like a clear foul. Unfortunately, the referee, Ivan Bebek waved played on for the tackle and Eden Hazard picked up the loose ball; dashed into the penalty box before laying off a key pass to Fàbregas who was unmarked on the left side. Fàbregas's shot was blocked by the keeper but it was too good thus allowing the hosts to take the lead.

Image source: www.telegraph.co.uk

The Schalke 04 players were furious and they surrounded the Croatian referee to try to voice out their dissatisfaction and dispute on the goal scored. The goal still stood and Klaas Jan Huntelaar was given a yellow card for his on-going protest.

At the stroke of the 62nd minute, Schalke 04 scored against Chelsea. It all started with Klaas Jan Huntelaar dispossessing Cesc Fàbregas and Julian Draxler picked up the loose ball. Draxler ran from his half of the field for more than 25 yards and avoided Branislav Ivanovic's tackle before calmly passing to Huntelaar who was unmarked on the left side. Huntelaar move forward and into the penalty box. He struck a low shot to the left post and it avoided the sliding challenge from Gary Cahill before scoring. 

Image source: www.dailystar.co.uk

A controversial night for sure for both Chelsea and Schalke 04 but it is even more for Cesc Fàbregas and Klaas Jan Huntelaar. The game ended 1-1 and both teams shared the points. It was a pretty even game for both sides and neither team could complain based on their performance. Chelsea will be looking forward to their exciting away game against Manchester City this weekend.

Match Review - Man Utd vs QPR

Red Devils hosted QPR late on Saturday night and they were rewarded with their first win of the season. The fans were absolutely delighted with the win and ever more the fantastic four goals scored at home!

The fans were delighted with the introduction of the new signings of Marcos Rojo, Daley Blind and Ander Herrera. A combined £59 million was splashed on these 3 signings to strengthen the midfield and defense which proved useful.

On the 23rd minute, Ander Herrera wins a free kick in the attacking half as he was fouled by Clint Hill. Ángel Di María lineup for the free kick and hit it with his stronger left foot. The swirling free kick avoided everyone and bounced onto the ground into the net. Robert Green tried to stopped the ball but the outstretched keeper failed to keep that goal out. Ángel Di María ran to celebrate with the fans in delight. 

Image source: www.independent.ie

Di María was an inspiration for the team as his darting runs down the left flanks caused a lot of problems for the defenders. A misunderstanding by Marcos Rojo and David De Gea nearly gifted QPR the equaliser but Jonny Evans was there to save the day! He managed to clear the ball which was heading towards an open goal! Matthew Phillips would surely be kicking himself for not scoring on such an easy opportunity! 

Image source: www.dailystar.co.uk

The second goal came for Man Utd on the 36th minute mark. It was Di María's dashing run down the left flank again which opened up some space in the QPR's defense. He found Wayne Rooney and Rooney's right footed shot which was blocked by the defenders. Rooney then laid the ball to Ander Herrera who was unmarked outside the penalty box. Herrera drilled the ball low and hard towards the left corner and scored! Again the Theatre of Dreams erupted with delight!

Image source: www.dailystar.co.uk

Just before half time, the Red Devils struck again and this time the influential captain Wayne Rooney put the home side further ahead. Man Utd's approach to the game was direct and Ander Herrera's pass to Rooney inside the box led to the goal. Credit to Rooney's accuracy as his shot squeezed into the left post to make the scoreline Man Utd 3 QPR 0. I would say at this point of time, the body language of the players from QPR could clearly tell that they were looking forward to the break and some pep talk by the manager.

Image source: www.independent.ie

Man Utd kept the attacking spirit in the second half. They were rewarded with another goal on the 58th minute. Ángel Di María was once again the architect in creating the goal. His key pass into the penalty box found Juan Mata unmarked. Mata calmly slotted the ball into the net with a classy shot. The fans were absolutely delighted with the scoreline thus far.

Image source: o.canada.com

Radamel Falcao was introduced on the 67th minute and Juan Mata was rested. The fans were on their feet cheering for Falcao and excited at what talents were at Man Utd. There were attempts but scoreline remained the same. Even though Man Utd won the game easily at home and with the positiveness of the new signings, the Red Devils still showed that they are still vulnerable in their defensive area. Rafael returned from injury and I would say he had a great game on the right flanks. I believe Man Utd will need a few more key players to return from injury to strengthen their defense. Leicester will be hosting the Red Devils next. Let's see if Louis van Gaal is able to keep the winning streak!

Image source: strettynews.com

Match Review - Chelsea vs Swansea

Chelsea plays host to Swansea yesterday and it was a delightful result for the Blues. The Blues did not consider themselves title contenders last season and this season they are making a point for all the other clubs in the English Premier League. 4 games and a perfect 100% records is definitely a fantastic start!

Good news for the Chelsea fans as Diego Costa and Eden Hazard were both passed fit and they started against Swansea. A goal for Swansea came on the 11 minute but it was due to the sloppy defending by Chelsea. Neil Taylor on the left played a low pass to the middle of the penalty box. Gary Cahill's sliding tackle missed it and John Terry's mistimed the clearance which fell into Chelsea's own net. This is definitely a mixed up defending by the Blues defenders.

Things got much better for Chelsea after that and the goal they wanted so badly came just before the half time whistle. Cesc Fàbregas took the corner kick and Diego Costa scores with the header! Who else right? Pin point passing by Cesc and credit for Diego who managed to muscle free from his defender to nod the ball into the net. And that was how the first half ended.

The second took place and Chelsea was definitely pushing further forward to try to snatch the winning goal at this moment. Neat one touch passing by Eden Hazard and Cesc Fàbregas which led to Cesc being unmarked in the penalty box. A crucial pass to Diego Costa and he buries the ball into the net. Chelsea players celebrate once again and they take the lead at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea were now playing with more confidence. On the 67th minute mark, Eden Hazard once again found some space and provided a key pass to Ramires. Ramires tried a shot from outside the penalty box. I would feel it was a weak shot and the ever alert Diego Costa pounced on it like a through ball to score from close range. Diego Costa's first hattrick for the club and I would say many more to come as long as he wears the blue!

With the score line of 3-1, the Swansea players were not as motivated as the first 11 minutes where they enjoyed the lead. That made things easily for the Blues as they went further ahead on the 81 minute. The wizard Eden Hazard made his run into the penalty box from midway and after some twisting and turning, he found Oscar unmarked. Oscar then provided an assist to Loïc Rémy who scored with a great strike. Loïc Rémy came in for Diego Costa who was substituted on the 72 minute for a standing ovation. 

Swansea managed to grab a goal on the 86 minute. Nathan Dyer's through pass from the midway line found Jonjo Shelvey unmarked. The napping defenders of Chelsea could only try to reach Jonjo but his shot flew into Chelsea's net.

The game ended Chelsea 4 and Swansea 2. I'm glad my prediction for this match in EPL-match-fixtures-for-13-Sept was accurate. Jose Mourinho should be smiling away as his team managed to react in a positive manner after going down just after 11 minutes at home. Chelsea's next match would be against Schalke 04 at home for the Champions League on 18-Sept at 2:45AM. Good luck to the Blues!

Trip to the Wet Market at SS2

Just wondering how many of us really go to the wet market these days? First of all, you have to wake up early and head to the market and there is a lot of people cramped up along the tiny walk way. Next, I believe with the easy to access to many hypermarkets around, the youngsters might opt to head there for their shopping needs.

As you can see, the walking path is pretty narrow and you might bump into someone if you are not paying attention. I found out that if you start snapping pictures here, the people will be staring at you quite a lot. Luckily for me I got the pictures I wanted and I wasn't beaten up! 

There is a lot of stalls and you can easily purchase whatever that you need for your household. And you have more stalls ...

The funny thing is some stalls have more customers than the others. They both sell the same things but one stall has like a dozen of customers lining up while the other stall is calling out to the people that passes by to have a look and maybe buy their stuff.

Walking around the wet market brought back fond memories of the time when I was young and my grandmother brought me to the market. Good memories will always be kept near our hearts and it can be recalled for us to appreciate what we have now and what we had. Well if you haven't been to a wet market yourself, you might be missing out some fun over there. Head to your nearest wet market to experience something new!

EPL Match Fixtures For 13-Sept

Last week it was the International friendlies and Euro qualifiers. After a long wait, the EPL teams will be playing once again this weekend. The following is the fixtures for this weekend's games.

And the following are my views on the major games this weekend.

The weekend will kick-off with Arsenal taking on the defending champions, Manchester City. Last year's fixture at the Emirates Stadium ended with the scoreline of 1-1. Due to the 1 week break for the international duty, it will be quite tough to predict who will be victorious in this match. As an Arsenal fan, I believe my team will be able to snatch the victory or at least earn a point at home. 

At 10PM, Chelsea will be hosting Swansea at Stamford Bridge. Swansea has been enjoying the Premiership with 3 wins out of 3 games. Perfect points for them so far and I believe Chelsea who managed to gain all points from 3 games will be keen to test Swansea's ability. Eden Hazard and Diego Costa will go through some checks to ensure that they are fully fit. Might be a difficult one for Chelsea but if Diego Costa is fit, I'm sure he'll bang in the goals that Chelsea needs.

The Red Devils might not be enjoying their start to this season but I would feel it is about time the players come together and enjoy their first WIN of the season. Last year's fixture ended up with Man Utd winning 3-1 at home. There is a long list of injuries for the Red Devils but the likes of Phil Jones, Chris Smalling, Luke Shaw and Marouane Fellaini could feature. New signings Marcos Rojo, Daley Blind and Radamel Falcao might make their debut too. It is definitely going to be interesting on how Louis Van Gaal will shuffle and mix around to make the best of his current squad. I am going to be bold and predict that Man Utd will win 4-0 at home with Angel Di Maria the key player for the Devils.

Have a good weekend and remember to catch all the action from EPL.

Samsung Galaxy Note 4

Since the official release of iPhone 6, there would be lots of talk regarding that phone. I guess I am an Android fan and user so I would not be writing much about the iPhone 6 yet. Instead I will be channeling my attention to the Samsung Galaxy Note 4. I used to dream about upgrading my phone to the Galaxy Note 3 and now it's like Galaxy Note 4.

 

Here is the official video for the Samsung Galaxy Note 4.

At this moment, I believe this is the phone that you would definitely like to own if you are an Android user. Samsung spends a lot in their R&D and they listen to the customer's feedback on the phone and what people would like to have in them.

Some key improvements to the phone worth mentioning is the capability to quickly charge your phone that is flat to 50% battery life in just 30 minutes! That's right you read it all correctly. You will be able to do so in a fast manner like how the Oppo 7 phone charges. Actually the Oppo 7 phone is able to charge to 75% battery life in just 30 minutes! As a smartphone user, you will definitely know it's a pain to wait for your phone to be fully charged. I personally believe these rapid charging feature is great for all and more phones should adopt this.

The Galaxy Note phone has the magical S Pen and with the launch of the new Note 4, the S Pen features have been enhanced. The S Pen is even more powerful now and it allows you to drag drop, copy, highlight and instant editing with the in-built applications.

The phone is already that amazing with the features above but there is more! My advise would be heading to the Samsung stores and get your hands-on with the phone. There is no way to explain until you really experience it yourself! 

Check out the MI Portable WiFi

This is a guide on how to use the Xiaomi Portable WiFi. The Xiaomi product is available in the following colours. The shape of it is just like a mini pendrive.

The portable WiFi requires the device software called miwifi_setup_2.2.662.exe which can be downloaded from http://miwifi.com or shared from http://goo.gl/rxTsZB I would recommend that you download it off the Dropbox link as it would be much faster compared to the http://miwifi.com website.

If you wish to download the software from the official website, please note that the website is in Chinese. Click on the text circled in RED.

That would bring you to the download site for the device software. The installation is performed for the Windows based computers and you should click on the link in RED.

Alternatively, you can browse to http://mi1.cc/down302?c=100_1_miwifi_PC to obtain the device software. You can also download the device software from the Dropbox link below.

http://goo.gl/rxTsZB

You will receive the prompt to save the exe file to a specific location on your computer. Save it in a location where you will be able to access it easily.

By default, the saved file will be in the Downloads folder. Browse to the saved location to ensure that the file has been saved successfully. To run the setup, double click on the miwifi_setup file. Change the location if you are familiar else click on the box in blue to proceed with the installation. Please note that you should not plug in your mi Portable WiFi yet and you shall be advised later during the installation.

Click on the box in white and you will be asked to configure the wireless network.

When you see this, you should be plugging the portable WiFi into any of the USB ports on the computer. The required drivers for the device will be installed automatically.

Based on the colour of the dongle, the screen below will represent that colour. By default, the SSID and password for the wireless network has been configured. You can always make modification to it by clicking on the edit button on the right. Enjoy your new WiFi network!