Everton 1 - 4 Arsenal

That score does not in anyway reflect the sort of game played. It was scruffy, physical, and lots of starts and stops accompanying the many cards handed out. Bendtner's sending off shows that careless tackles (e.g. the one that landed his first yellow), really do bite you in the arse. It's such a shame, especially after the Dane's winning goal against Spurs last week showed everyone his potential. Give him time, and the kid (he's a year younger than me so I have the right to call him "kid") will surely kick ass.

But having said that, IT SURE DOES FEEL FUCKING GOOD TO BE AT THE TOP OF THE TABLE AGAIN.

(PS: Thank you West Ham for beating M.U.)

Question.

Who would win in a game of hide and seek: Jason Bourne VS Dog The Bounty Hunter?

What? Too soon?

Arsenal 1 - 0 Chelsea (Fuck Ashley Cole).

Ashley, you are a poor excuse not just for a footballer but also for a half-decent human being. You unnecessarily pushed another man in the throat, and to be honest, you looked pathetic rolling on the ground faking an injury after being able to walk to that particular spot just fine. Whats the matter tranny? Afraid that the ref saw what you did? I hope action is taken against you. I hope you get a suspension. I hope your fake dick falls off. I hope your dog then mistakes it as a tasty treat and devour it on your bed as you lay there next to your tranny wife. Or better yet, I hope your tranny wife mistakes the fallen fake dick and cooks it for breakfast. Or maybe you can go suck on it. Yeah, go suck yourself .

Fuck you, tranny.

PS: WE WON BITCH!

Royally Fucked.

You know those stupid and most often cheesy sci-fi movies where the scientist screws up because he or she forgot to carry over the 1? Well I never thought I'd be saying this buy I have just been royally fucked, no, make that royally gagged, raped, and sold as a slave by the same idiotic mistake. I believe right now I'm on the way to be auctioned off at the corner of Idiotsville and Little Brains Street.

If you see a dude tied up to the streetlight dressed in raggedy clothes, thats me.

Funny Stuff.

Golf is such a slow-paced "sport" (yeah thats right, I'm not quite ready to refer to golf as a sport just yet) that the commentators had enough time to debate if the horned animals in the distance were bulls or some other creature.

I pissed myself laughing when I heard that.

LAME!

I'm am so fucking sick of all the top ten goal segments of football shows. Why? Because all they ever show is goals shot from outside the box, traveling at near warp-drive speeds. Sure, when it's your team that scores a goal like that in the last minute of a derby game it can make you scream at the top of your lungs, loud enough to wake up a whole apartment building. Once in a while it's OK to show these scorchers, but to have 8 out of the 10 goals of the week to all be like that? It bores me to tears! Where's the goals that requires intricate passing, or a superb through-ball that gives the keeper no chance in a 1-on-1 situation with the striker? WHERE THE FUCK IS THE BEAUTY? IT IS CALLED THE B-E-A-U-TIFUL GAME! NOT THE WHO CAN PISS THE LONGEST GAME!

LAME!

Him again?

Holy-mother-of-fuck, Ferguson needs to shut his pie hole. He hasn't been on my nerves as much in the past few years, but thats only cause Mourinho was in the EPL to keep him company. Now that "The Special One" is gone that bitch is looking for other people to pick on. He's slowly morphing into that cliched, stereotyped, image of a cranky old grandpa who doesn't like it when kids run on their lawn.

Mind you, I'm not just saying this 'cause I'm an Arsenal fan. If Wenger was yapping off too much I'd tape that mouth of his shut, faster than my cat can shed fur all over my girlfriend's new jeans.

But seriously, shut the fuck up Fergie.

Reflections: Kendo

There are two things that I realize about Kendo and why it is become such an important part of my life in such a short time.

Firstly, is the fact that I approach it, or at least the preparation for training in a very ritualistic way. I try to shower, to clear not just my body but to also refresh my mind, especially if the day had been long and grueling. Then I take my time carefully laying out my equipment, from my shinai's to my heel protector inside my bogu bag (which at the moment is actually my friend's suitcase). After that, I carefully check that I have enough water - and yes, this includes the two cans of V, my energy drink of choice - inside a separate bag to which I have easy access to. Only once I have everything I need that I set off for the dojo.

On the walk to, I try to relax my mind. Thankfully the scenery is pleasant enough, save for the occasional angry bird swooping at my head. Music helps but is not always necessary.

Then once I get there, I take a moment to catch myself before actually changing, another process that I also approach with great detail. The gi must be put on slowly, and must be on in a manner that makes me comfortable to wear it, and the same goes for my hakama. The tare and do comes on last before I leave the changing rooms and they too must feel comfortable before I can step out.

Next, is of course the laying out of the kote, men and tenugui. And during this time I try to relax and just tell myself to have fun and learn. Lets face it, my life is a mess and having something that is routine, ritualistic and stable is a welcoming escape from reality.

This brings me to my second point, and it might sound like a load of crap but it works for me. Like I said, my life is a mess - mentally at least. In Kendo even though my body goes through all sorts of pain, be it my right heel, the blisters on my left foot, bruised forearms and even the occasional vomiting, my mind and spirit is at peace. Kendo provides me balance.

I just hope writing about it doesn't jinx the whole thing.

Fuck daylight savings.

Seriously, taking an hour from my sleep. Just enough to get me sleepy and cranky during the day, ruined my plan to work my essay the whole day!

FUUUUUUUUUUUCK!

Listen to Meiko.

She. Is. Awesome.

Leopard.

Will be released when I have no money. But that's all right, I feel bad for always going into the campus computer shop without ever actually buy anything so I'll just wait till they get the Family Pack.

Hmm.

CRAYON SHINCHAN VOL. 1

Written and illustrated by Yoshito Usui
CMX. The star of the hit late-night Adult Swim series comes to CMX. He’s rude, he’s crude, and adults tremble whenever he’s around. His inappropriate comments and obsession with body parts and bodily functions make life stressful for his struggling parents.
No one is safe from Shinchan’s verbal outbursts…and now, neither are you! Fans around the world have been following Shinchan’s offensive adventures for years, and now he’s enjoying wider exposure here in the USA. CRAYON SHINCHAN will appeal to fans of The Simpsons, South Park and Family Guy. CMX brings you the original manga in all its uncensored glory.
Advance-solicited; on sale February 27 • 5” x 7.375” • 128 pg, B&W, $7.99 US
MATURE READERS


About fucking time.

Recently Discovered:

A new copy of Detective Comics #27. In pretty good condition.



I would kill for that comic.

If only...

...there was a university degree on Scrubs.


I would enroll as a student, and by the end of the semester I'd be fucking teaching it.

Minor Reflections.

AUG 2007 was awesome. I'm still hugely disappointed that I did not get to compete or even meet Batman, and even though it's a lesson learned, this particular brand of pill was exceptionally bitter to swallow whole.

Now it's back to Uni, the shitty assignments, lectures that always seem to be too early in the morning and tutorials that I hardly have the guts to speak out in.

P.S. Listen to Feist.



She too, is awesome.

ARSENAL IS TOP OF THE TABLE!

ARSENAL! ARSENAL! ARSENAL!
ARSENAL! ARSENAL! ARSENAL!
ARSENAL! ARSENAL! ARSENAL!

ARSENAL!

The Consumerist's Dillema.

I'm going to sound like a real consumerist, but fuck it.

There I was, bored as shit and even more depressed than after Arsenal had just lost the Champion's League Final to Barca, that I decided to make a list of how much storage space per $$$ I would be getting with Apple's new line of iPods.

iPod Shuffle 1GB = 10MB / $1
iPod Nano 4GB = 20MB / $1
iPod Nano 8GB = 29MB / $1
iPod Classic 80GB = 230MB / $1
iPod Classic 160GB = 335MB / $1
iPod Touch 8GB = 20MB / $1
iPod Touch 16GB = 30MB / $1

So from that list alone it's obvious that storage space wise the 160GB Classic gives you the biggest bang for your buck. And for someone like me who is constantly running out of space because of the multitudes of TV shows that has been acquired, and will most likely go unwatched before it is deleted to make room for other shows that will also be unwatched before that too is deleted for.. well you get the idea, space is the number one thing.

And, as mouthwatering as the iPod touch may seem to be, right now it's just shaping up to be an iPhone lite. Maybe, just maybe if it had a bit more storage space (40GB? Pretty please?) aaaaaand a text editor, along with a fold out keyboard, I may save up (get a job first, dickhead!) and buy the Touch. But right now I'm leaning towards the 160GB Classic.

And if it comes out at a reasonable Australian price, maybe the iPhone too.

Stupid, Stupid, Stupid boy.

I've learned my lesson. Never again will I miss Kendo. First I do crappier on a final exam after skipping Kendo practice the day before, while on the occasion that I did go I actually got good marks. And now I've just had a pretty shit day (that thankfully got better in the evening) after missing yet another Kendo practice. Not to mention the shit mark on the assignment I was working on in that one week where I missed both practices. In light of all of this I am going to make a vow to myself.

I, Muhammad Iqbal, will always go to Kendo practice, no matter how much I feel like a turd, whether it be physically or mentally. And I, Muhammad Iqbal, will do my best to finish my affairs, be it academic, , social or personal, before practice, so that I can enjoy said activity and give it my 1000%. May I, Muhammad Iqbal, ever skip Kendo practice from now on, except if I've just had my dick cut off or something closely resembling that, will have to 100 hayasuburi with full bogu, or do 50 push ups with full bogu.

Done.

The Irony Does Not Escape Me.

Two days after the death of my beloved iPod (unknown to most, named iGor) Apple inc. unveils the latest line of iPods. These include the iPod Touch, iPod Classic, the new iPod Nano and the new iPod Shuffle. Of course, being so broke that I have headaches about it means that I'll afford to buy these babies in 2020, and asking money from my parents is completely out of the question. They're already retired and living off a fucking pension!

Rest in peace iGor, I have many fond memories of your companionship for the last three (or so) years.

A Familiar feeling.

I don't know why I haven't been able to dig myself out of this shit-hole like I usually do. Maybe its the fact that once again I find myself with money problems at the start of the month, or that once again I am screwing around with my assignments and that class feels like a gigantic time waster, and that I am just sick of it.

I have got to get my shit together, I've been telling myself that for three years now, but I just keep making the same mistakes over and over again. I'd feel sorry for myself if it wasn't for the fact that this cycle is so predictable that even a 6th grader would be able to handle it better than me.

Depressing isn't it?

Lucky, lucky man.

Yesterday was a clear example of why I'm lucky to have my girlfriend kicking my ass everyday. There I was, about to not come to Kendo practice and she was there poking me the whole way making sure that I went. Had I not gone I probably would still be feeling like crap this morning, but instead I'm feeling better about myself. Sure, I got into a nasty freak accident and now my head hurts a bit from falling down on the floor, but mentally I'm in a better place.

Thank you.

History doesn't repeat, but it sure does rhyme.

I was telling myself that this was it, this was the semester where I'll keep all my affairs in order, and not need to get help from my counselor or crash and breakdown like I always do. Once again I set the bar way too high and I couldn't achieve it and now that has happened I feel like a failure again. Good thing I've got an appointment with my counselor tomorrow.

Damn.

Douchebag!

Thats what I felt like when I nearly collapsed at training yesterday. At least know I know to really drink more water. Just gotta remember to bring sandals though, cause with more water going in theres definitely more piss going out, and I ain't going into the toilet without something covering up my foot.

Penis' cant aim for shit.

Losing it.

*NERD ALERT* Those of you who are allergic to nerd particles, turn away... now! What am I saying, anyone who reads this blog with even the slightest allergies towards nerd particles would be dead by now.

Holy-mother-of-fuck I am going to wear out the refresh button on my browser if the HD version of the new Metal Gear Solid 4 trailer, released at the Games Convention in Leipzig, Germany, doesn't come out. I know that there is no actual way to wear out the refresh button on your web browser, after all it isn't actually there, so its more like I'm going to wear out the left mouse button, but I think even Firefox is soon going to be sick of me staring at the same page, refreshing it every other minute, and then groaning like I've just been punched in the stomach.

For now, I shall drool on these...

Raging Raven

Crying Wolf

Laughing Octopus

Screaming Mantis

Looks like Foxhound is back.

A Tribute.

Today is the birthday of my beloved, smelly girlfriend. She's the woman who came bursting into my life and basically keeps me in line by conducting man-checks when ever I screw up.

Thus concludes my short (not quite like the lady in question) and sweet (definitely like the lady in question) tribute.

Happy birthday!

Conversation between body parts.

What goes on in the weekly meeting where various body parts report their health back to the brain.

Chest: *cough*wheeze*cough* It hurts... to.. breathe..

Right Arm: That numbing is back. Plus I think the elbow needs that support bandage again.

Nose: We don't seem to be getting much air in... something must be blocking the nostrils. Any chance we can get a search team in there to see whats wrong?

Ear: Look, its already been confirmed that theres a nasty infection in the right ear, when are we going to get the antibiotics to fix it up?

Right Leg: The heel is acting up again, and this time it's spread all the way up to the thighs, we really ought to be in a wheel chair you know.

Brain: .............

Wallet: Um, yeah, Hi. I know this is the Body Parts meeting, but um, funds are really low. I mean really low. By that I mean, the $40 you have in your wallet is all that you have left.

Body Parts: *collective groan*.

Brain: *Runs away into the storage jar and goes into hibernation*.

Why do I even bother.

You know what really sucks? When you try to reach out to an old friend, cause you just need someone to talk to, only to be completely ignored.

Fuck it.

Sick.

I hate you, you fucking-good-for-nothing-lame-ass-douchebag flu! I fucking hate you!

I FUCKING HATE YOU!!!

You've made all food taste like shit!

You've made my apartment a fucking mess!

And you've already made me miss one practice session.

I swear if you make me miss any more, I will personally hunt you ass down, and shove my phone so far up it that when I call my own number (which I will do numerous times), it will make you want to tinkle every time I the vibration features goes off.

You got that?

Punk ass bitch.

Who Watches The Watchmen?

Nuff said.

Bloody hell.

Holy-mother-of-fuck there is a huge crack on my shinai and I don't know if it can be salvaged. BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!! I have no money to buy a new one right now!!!

Edit: It can be salvaged. Woo-fucking-hoo.

Someone buy me one of these.

I have just stumbled upon one of the coolest things I've seen in my whole life.




Thats right, a MacBook that has been modified into a tablet laptop; the ModBook.

This thing is going straight on my Wish List.

A bit of everything.

So Wednesday was second time I got to put men on in practice I, and I must say I'm enjoying it more and more. I went up against three people during jigeiko, Dave, Yano Sensei and Feng. I got my ass whooped and handed to me all three times but it was still a fun experience. But whats most important is that I can still learn from all of them, by reflecting on what happened and what I can do to improve. The thing that really stood out for me was to not be afraid of attacking, and when I do I must go all in. Not to mention that I must remember to follow through after an attack.

This week was also the first week of uni, and boy was it a snore. I really have to hit the ground running though, as hopefully this will be my last semester as an undergrad. I say hopefully because there is still the chance that I'm going to fuck things up immensely, and have to do another semester. But fingers crossed I'll be able to keep up my credit average and do my masters next year.

Fingers crossed people.

Final Crisis.

Nuff said.

I got to put my men on!

The title says it all really. And boy was it everything I expected it to be and so much more. The thing is pretty heavy, but thats not such a bad thing because it helps you keep your posture. The only drawback so far is the fact that it overheats my head real quick, and my fogs up my glasses. But truth be told, foggy glasses is still better than going in blind.

Now I just have to raise my 50-per-suburi at home to 100-per-suburi at home. :)

Bokken!

It turns out my parents aren't complete tight-asses as I had so far perceived them to be. Just this Friday I got myself a surprise in the mail, in the form of a bokken. For those of you playing at home, a bokken is a wooden sword, which is shaped and weighs much like the real thing. And because it's substantially shorter than my shinai, it means that I can do suburi indoors instead of out in the rainy cold. I know, the latter would have 'built character' but all its doing right now is making me sick.

So to mum and dad, I say, thank you. And keep em coming.

Kendo Logo.

I know, they're all my babies and so I should love them equally, but Out of all the designs I came up with, this has got to be my favorite. Credit has got to go to Feng though, a senior and also the club's vice president. He's the one that suggested the Bamboos and Dragonfly. I just hope that it gets used!

More Kendo.

Wow, I've never been that tired after Kendo. I even got a nosebleed right at the end too. Mother-of-fuck, I'm still tired after a good night's sleep! I don't know if this means if I really pushed myself to the limit, or if I'm just in really bad physical shape. Or both.

At least now I have an excuse to be a lazy bum for the day.

Holidays and Kendo.

If this holiday gets even more uneventful I will seriously jump off my small porch, which gives me barely enough room to practice Kendo. It's alright for suburi, though the rough floors doesn't exactly help. But the practice at the dojo itself has been more and more enjoyable in the last couple of weeks. And whats also cool is the fact that theres a logo competition for the club. I've been able to come up with some designs (which I might post at a later date), and with this much free time I might just work on a few more.

I haven't got much else to do but play Ridge Racer anyway.

Rant.

I cant help but think that the departure of Thierry Henry as a totally selfish act. Let me spell it out for you.

Arsenal are amidst what many are calling as a crisis, all starting with the failed takeover by Stan Kroenke and subsequent departure of David Dean. This has ruffled many feathers, including the likes Henry and Wenger.

The talk of the town, at least in Goonersville, is the uncertainty of Arsenal's future. Wenger might not sign his contract and he could well be the second departure of what I personally call the Dean Effect. If, or maybe when he goes, other will sure follow. The starlets that would have been Arsenals future may try to find other kicking grounds.

Henry could have stayed. Sure, this would have put his future at stake, but it would have been for the good of the club. Instead by leaving, his message to me is that 'I'm bigger than the club'. No one is bigger than the club.

Had he stayed, in the times of "crisis", he would have been a true legend. He could have led the others to glory, and lifted the team into new heights. But no, he chose to pursue his own personal glory.

Damn.

All of you in America should consider yourself lucky, the iPhone is due to come out later on today. Australia wont get it till early next year, so yeah, fuck.

An exception to the rule.

I have this unhealthy love/hate relationship with essays. It's unhealthy because in the course of my studies, I have done an average of 6 per semester, so yeah, it's an unhealthy relationship. What I hate even more is when they have big word limits, say 3000, 4000, or even 5000 words.

However, I do kinda like it when I have to write about the Asian Financial Crisis. Not because the subject matter is interesting, frankly it's so confusing all I want to do when I'm working on such a piece is blow my brains out.

I like it because in the body of the essay, it would be very tedious to write 'Asian Financial Crisis' over and over again, even with the beloved copy-paste. So I tend to skip it down to just 'Crisis', or 'the Crisis', and being a massive DC Comics fan, I can't help having a smile on my face and get that tingling feeling in my stomach when I type it down. If you don't know what the significance of the word 'Crisis' is for the DC Universe, I suggest you Google it, Wiki it or even go to your local comic book store and buy the Trade Paper Backs.

Yes, I am that much of a (self confessed) nerd.

Things I Should Raise With My Counselor.

I have just realised how badly I handle compliments. I mean, when someone says something good about me, I do not know how to act. Should I jump for joy? Should I play it cool? Or is there something else I should do? Am I that much of an emotional train wreck?

Attempt At Honesty.

Lets just cut the crap, I'm depressed. I've been seeing a counselor almost every week for the last three years, though I do feel it's been something thats bothered me since early childhood.

The therapy and medication has helped, but sometimes I just get so low and so overwhelmed, and I'd be lying if I said that I didn't have moments where I wish I can take the easy way out. You can interpret that last sentence anyway you want.

Everyday is a battle for me, to keep going and not to give up. Everyday is a battle where I have to struggle just to grab some kind of foothold before the shit hits the fan.

I am by no means ungrateful for the good things that I do have in my life, because with out them I would have thrown in the towel long ago. Its just that I don't know what it'll take for things to get better.

Eat my shorts, PCs.

"CBR: Let's wrap this up with some fun stuff. Out of curiosity, are you a Mac or PC guy?

Tim Kring (creator of Heroes): Mac. Always."

But speaking of Heroes, the finale disappointed me. Not enough "omph", as I like to call it.

I Believe in Harvey Dent Too.

Nothing can be the feeling of going to Kendo after finishing a 3000-word essay worth 60% of my final mark.

That is until I saw the teaser picture for what the Joker is going to look like in The Dark Knight.

This just made my day even better.

2008 just cant get here quick enough.

I Believe in Harvey Dent.