Tottenham Hotspur 2 - 1 Liverpool

Liverpool FC enjoyed not the best of start of the season when they succembed to a 1-2 defeat to Tottenham Hostspur away from home today. The home side took the lead from a thenderous volley by defender Benoît Assou-Ekotto in the first half before Steven Gerrad equalized in the second half with a well-taken penalty after Glen Johnson was tripped by the Spurs keeper in the penalty box.
However, Spurs reclaimed the lead when Sébastien Bassong headed in the winner during a routine corner kick. Carragher & Skrtl injured themselves when the 2 collided in mid air. Carragher played on with a vice-captain bandage on his head while Skrtl was eventually substituted in the second half. Except for Mascherano and Gerrard, the Reds midfield was below par today with their passing and ball possession particularly woeful. Xabi Alonso's absence is clearly felt in this game.

Nevertheless with 37 more games to go, it's a little premature to write off Liverpool's title hopes just yet. It is interesting to see though, how Rafa Benitez and his boys will respond to this defeat.

Get free iPhone Apps with Free App Alert

iPhone users; you probably know there are free apps and there are paid apps on the iTunes store. Sometimes, those paid apps can become free though usually for a short period of time (like a day maybe) when the publisher feels somewhat generous or they'd like to promote their product by viral marketing.

So how do we know and keep tab on when any of the thousands of apps out there suddenly become free? Unfortunately no, there's no app for that but we can always refer to the Free App Alert website which diligently search and update previously paid apps that suddenly became free, daily.
No more scrolling through hundreds of different apps just to find that limited time only, free iPhone app. Now you can bookmark this Free App Alert website, subscribe to e-mail, RSS, Twitter and even Facebook. Unfortunately this doesn't work with Nokia phones, especially N97 or E72 :)

Review: True Blood

True Blood is a TV series about human and vampires living together. The vampires and werewolves and shape-shifters and God knows how many other monsters are for real and suddenly, they've decided to come out in the open (maybe after the success of Twilight). Furthermore, the Japanese have invented True Blood, a synthetic blood drink so that these vampires don't have to feed on real human bloods anymore to get their nourishment.
Of course, not all vampires are cool with this going mainstream thing (not drinking human blood). Some still enjoys sucking human blood but not in the open of course. The funny thing is when vampires suck on human blood, the victim don't necessarily become a vampire too. There's a certain ritual to perform to turn them into vampires. Although they're still new in society, these vampires are already fighting for equal right as citizens. They have their own political parties and are lobbying for a law to legalize human-vampire marriage.

Unlike in Twilight, vampires in True Blood cannot come out in broad daylight or else they will get fried to death. Cross and holy water and onion won't harm them but silver can and you can kill them by stabbing them with a sharp wood (stake). Plus in this story, vampire blood are like drugs. People get high (like in drug addict high) when taking vampire blood (commonly referred as "V") and drug pushers look for this new kind of drug (whether consensual or by force) to make money.
True Blood revolves around the story of Sookie Stackhouse, a waitress in a small Lousiana town called Bon Temps (good times in French). Sookie has this special gift where she can read people's mind. One day Sookie met a hundred year old but still good-looking vampire named Bill and got attracted to him because she can't read his mind. Eventually the hooked up and they became and item which caused the ire of everybody in town. They go out together, had sex and even let the vampire suck on her blood.
True Blood is in it's second season now in the U.S but I can assure you it won't be available here for the Malaysian audience, ever. Violence, horror, sex, crude language, you name it, it's all there in True Blood. Still this TV series got amongst the highest rating right now in the U.S so if you're curious and really like to watch, you know what to do (hint: Mininova).

High Tea at Aseana Coffee House

Today we had lunch/high tea at a hotel in downtown KL. It was organized by somebody from my wife's office. The event was scheduled around noon but we left early since we're going by public transport.
First we had dinner at Al-Azwath in Equine Park nearby. I'm saving my appetite for lunch but the kids still have to eat.
We parked our car near the Bukit Jalil LRT station and took a train to KL. There was going to be a huge rally in the city today and we anticipated traffic jams caused by senseless police road blocks.
We arrived about an hour early to the hotel. The Titiwangsa station was only 1.1 KM away from the place so we just walked there.
By noon, most of Linda's colleague started to arrive. For starters, I had some fish fingers, sausage, chicken drummet and a slice of that lasagna.
Then I had a bowl of porridge.
I was itching to try this sushi meal so I took a little bit of each different types and some wasabi sauce for dipping. Let's just say that I lost my appetite after the first 3 bites. Yucks!
For dessert, I had my favourite mint-flavoured ice cream with chocolate sprinkles and nuts. And that's about it. Honestly, buffet-style lunch/dinner is truly a waste on me. There's only so much that I can eat in one sitting.
Adam had a good time eating a little bit of everything though. He had like 3 bowl of ice creams this afternoon. Mia didn't eat much except for some fruits. She fell asleep on my shoulder for nearly an hour.
Overall, I think the food at Aseana in Dynasty Hotel is quite okaylah. Not the best but not too bad either. One thing though, the service from the staff was exceptional. Linda obviously had a good time with her friends. Me, you know I don't talk much with strangers. Should we do this some other time? Maybe, at another hotel perhaps. I would give this place 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Kuala Lumpur August 1 2009

The capital city turned into a battle zone, similar to scenes a decade ago, when police fired tear gas and sprayed chemical-laced water at anti-ISA protesters and chased them into seeking refuge at shopping complexes.
Pakatan leaders such as PAS chief Datuk Abdul Hadi Awang sought shelter from baton-wielding riot police as panicked shopkeepers hurriedly shuttered their outlets.
Thousands of protesters scattered along city streets as police fired multiple volleys of tear gas and blasts from water cannon to quell a rally protesting the controversial Internal Security Act (ISA).
Up to 1.30pm, policed had arrested 157 people, Bernama reported.

Hadi Awang had earlier argued with police as his supporters clashed with them at the Sogo complex.
DAP Socialist Youth chief Anthony Loke was earlier arrested there by police, who say 157 have been held up to 1.30pm.
Thousands more are blocked between the National Mosque and Dataran Merdeka where they were to converge with others to protest on the 49th anniversary of the security law that allows detention without trial.
Several major roads leading to the city centre were closed earlier today to prevent groups supporting as well as opposing the Internal Security Act (ISA) from holding illegal assemblies.
Bernama quoted a Kuala Lumpur traffic police spokesman as saying the roads, which were closed from 8am, included the Seremban-Sungai Besi highway, Jalan Kelapa Gading, Jalan Mahameru, Dataran Merdeka, Jalan Travers, Jalan Syed Putra and other roads around Istana Negara.
The closure of Jalan Syed Putra caused a massive traffic jam stretching from Old Klang Road to the slip road leading to Brickfields. The police spokesman, however, said that there was congestion but it was not critical, probably because it was a rest day for many workers.
By 1.30pm, some 200 protesters had gathered at Masjid Negara and police had detained around 60 people who were in possession of anti-ISA material while a leader of the pro-ISA faction was barred from showing his memorandum to the media and asked to leave the Central Market area.
Overnight, police mounted roadblocks and helicopter overflights as they locked down the city while residents braced for conflicting rallies over the controversial Internal Security Act (ISA) that organisers say will culminate with memorandums being handed to the King on the 49th anniversary of the security law.
The one-million-strong Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS) is ordering all its members to take part in a planned rally today to protest against the use of ISA, despite police warnings that the gathering would be illegal.
Another rally is being called by two-faced politician Ibrahim 'Katak' Ali to support the law that allows detention without trial, which ironically kept him twice in detention. Police said all rallies are illegal, vowing to ensure they will keep the protesters off the streets.
“We are making it compulsory and commanding all our members to take part in the rally,” PAS vice-president Salahuddin Ayub told reporters yesterday
Despite the order for all PAS members to show up, only 50,000 are expected at the rally which will also be attended by opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, along with PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang and Democratic Action Party leader Lim Kit Siang.

The Abolish ISA Movement, the organiser of the rally, is hoping for a massive turnout to call for the end of a law that allows for indefinite detention without trial while Salahuddin said PAS spiritual leader Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat and Abdul Hadi have decreed that the rally was not forbidden in Islam.

“It is not forbidden in Islam as the objective is to abolish the ISA. It is a noble intention,” said Salahuddin.

Protesters will gather at the Sogo shopping mall in the heart of the old city centre here before marching to the palace to hand over a memorandum to Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin, urging him to repeal the Act.

While Salahuddin vowed that it would be a peaceful gathering, the authorities remained concerned about possible tensions arising between the anti-ISA demonstrators and a second group which will also march today in support of the ISA.

Pewaris, an umbrella body of Malay and Muslim non-governmental organisations, will stage its own gathering in Kuala Lumpur to fight for the retention of the security law. It is also planning to march towards the palace.

The Home Ministry has warned that it would not hesitate to take stern action against the participants of the illegal rallies.

“If they violate the law, stern action will be taken against them, no matter if they are pro-ISA or contra-ISA,” Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein warned.

“I will not compromise on this until the security and interests of the country are assured.”

Yesterday, police started setting up roadblocks at key entry points into the city as part of efforts to prevent supporters from entering and causing massive traffic jams around Kuala Lumpur and neighbouring areas.

“All those planning to attend the illegal gatherings must be prepared to face stern action from us, regardless if they are for or against the use of the ISA. We will not compromise as far as security is concerned,” said Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan. KL police chief Datuk Muhammad Sabtu Osman has also warned that police will stop and detain buses suspected of ferrying protesters.

Critics have said that the ISA is being used by the government against political opponents. The government has argued that it is a crucial tool in fighting terrorism and ensuring national security. Human rights groups estimate at least 17 people remain in detention under ISA, mainly for alleged links to Islamic militants and forgery.


Text from Malaysian Insider.
Images from my train ride from Titiwangsa to Bukit Jalil station just now.