5 Talking Points from the weekend

So... what happened during the weekend?

1. Manchester City powerhouses dominate

Aguero (6)was in fine form, as Chelsea's were simply outclassed, to the point that Mourinho supposedly brought Terry off for 'tactical reasons'. Aguero could have scored more, but the goals came from his colleagues instead. Silva netted two assists for 9 points, bringing the question of whether it's worth doubling up for future fantasy line ups. If you already have them, congratulations!

The rest of the powerhouses failed to gain any points of note. Sanchez oozed class but his assist for Crystal Palace's own goal was not given for the Stadium Astro game. Rooney (2), Hazard (0) and Costa (2) were all off their game, although you could argue their respective teams weren't helping either.

Week 2 - Part 2: Diving in!

Hello again. In this final post for the week we look at Defenders and Keepers, and my own team for the week!

Defenders

As mentioned in my first post for the season, CSes are only worth 2 points. One YC and you're back to zero again. So you need to look for attack minded players to help improve your score.

Darmian of Man U should be right up there. Very comfortable against Spurs and looked like he had been playing competitively in England for a while.

Cedric Soares is someone else who you can depend on for attacking points. A nice assist last week in a team that is bound to attack, especially at home.  He got a yellow card though so the jury is still out.

MyEG Stadium Astro Fantasy Football: Overall Picture and Week 2 - Part 1

Overall Picture

Welcome back, let's get on with it shall we? We're still looking at the game overall first, then the second part goes into specific picks for the week.

The all-season powerhouses 

These are what I call those expensive attacking players who are generally expected do well regardless of match-up. Let’s look at them:

Costa (15m): Costa’s a beast, but be prepared to get regular -2pts to go along with his weekly score, which in this fantasy game feels more damaging.

Aguero (15m): Aguero’s a City have kicked off the season on a canter, and with Aguero back, you’d fancy him to score regularly, although the more cautious of you would wait until Week 3, like Costa. He’s my favourite for premium striker, and a lot less card prone then the other two.

Rooney (14.5m): Restored to his rightful position as , can he find that magic back? I’m gonna say…. No. LVG will continue to tinker and while he will be successful, Rooney will not be as prolific as he was previously. He’s also prone to the occasional card.

Playing the MyEG Stadium Astro BPL Fantasy Football Game?

This blog will now be dedicated to the MyEG Stadium Astro BPL Fantasy Football Game 2015/2016.

Hi and welcome! Obviously we’ve missed the first gameweek, but let's face it, it wasn't exactly a blockbuster weekend for fantasy points, so you won't be at much of a disadvantage by starting one week late.

There are quite a lot of fantasy football  resources out there, but none dedicated to our local game. I'm sure there are plenty of players always looking for additional pointers/advice/info. Especially when there’s prizes involved :) So I thought I would do a series with a focus on the Stadium Astro game for anyone interested. Feel free to discuss or disagree in the comments.

SCORING STRATEGY

For this week, let’s take a look at the scoring strategy in general  (Next article will be on specific player picks). First, here's a reproduction of the point-scoring.

Death - The Walking Dead random post

Note: If you're a fan and haven't watched the latest episode of The Walking Dead, then stop reading and do so! If you're not a fan, then this post won't make sense to you anyway...

(I haven't written a post in this blog for almost FOUR months, can you imagine what provoked me back? Read on...)

The Grove - Episode 14 Season 4

You know, prior to this episode, I was actually thinking of doing up a summary of everything that's happened since the fall of the Prison. More significantly, I wanted to hazard a guess as to which of the five parties (Glenn and Co, Darryl and Beth, Maggie and Co, Rick and Co, Carol and Co) would have members who would not make it to the rendezvous at this Terminus place, which, would in all likelihood be the last episode of the season. Let's face it, there were just way too many feel-good episode endings since the mid-season break, it was inevitable that the writers were gonna disrupt it at some point.

My guess was... either Glenn or Maggie would bite the dust. It would provide shock value as they were an established couple, they had been around for ages, and generally well-liked by audiences. In the end I chose Maggie simply because her current gang had all come from the prison and still had a connection, while Glenn's gang, without him, might just abandon the whole Terminus thing and pursue their own agenda.

But noooooo..... as has so often happened before, I underestimated the writers AGAIN. They took two characters, kids even, who had only just been introduced at the start of the season, and killed them off.

Image Credit: John Shearer/AP Images

By the way, what IS it with the writers and their need to doom little girls? Sophia, to a lesser extent the Governor's daughter Penny, Megan  and now two girls in a go, all meet gruesome deaths. Meanwhile, Carl tries his best to die so many times but doesn't.

Also, most of the significant character deaths are all primarily thanks to the actions of other humans, rather than just from zombie attacks. Shane, Lori, Andrea, Merle, Hershel, the Governor. But of course, who expected a kid to kill another, on global tv to boot. The Walking Dead, level up!

On hindsight, it's hard seeing them get rid of Maggie at this point. She's way too important as a strong female character to the group as a whole. Michonne is still a loner, while Carol, well.....................

Hmm... I wonder what Rick is gonna say to Carol when they meet up and he finds about how Lizzie died, after the Karen issue. If Carol is rejoining the group, Tyreese will have to help explain it. And Tyreese isn't exactly on Team Carol right now after finding out that she killed Karen is he? Should be interesting...

Two more episodes to the Season Finale!

Child logic : My personal experience

Dealing with Child Logic

Never underestimate Child Logic, it might get you into more trouble than you bargained for. If your child asks you a question, even when he’s not yet 4 years old, it’s best to answer as correctly as you can. If you are going to make stuff up (which inevitably will always happen), exercise extreme caution and think about its possible repercussions. They remember what you say pretty well, so be clear and try not to leave gaps or loopholes. They are even able to take what you said, rationalise and apply it to another scenario, so be very, very careful.

My current time with Zharif has been a very learning experience with regards to Child Logic. Here are a few...

Child Logic example #1:

Zharif likes to spit as a form of defiance (not the quick focused type, but the slow one which bubbles in his lips and comes out as a spray.)  I always scold him when he does it, and I am trying my best to rid him of this habit. On the way to his kindy once, he did his typical spitting sound when I told him to sit properly.  I told him: “Enough!  Daddy doesn’t want you spitting. Kalau Daddy nampak (If daddy sees) you do it again, you’re going to get it from me!” He did look chastened, especially after seeing my glare, and looked away. But while looking away, suddenly a question squeaked out, “Kalau Daddy tak nampak, boleh?” (If Daddy doesn’t see, can?)

I couldn’t help laughing, and he certainly defused any temper that was boiling!

Child Logic example #2:

On another trip, this time to his reading class, Zharif had his reluctant, not-so-keen-to-go face on. I told him that if he attends it, I would take him out as a reward, and maybe even pick up a toy. What I failed to mention was the timing, I was planning to treat him not that day, as I had to go to work after, but the weekend.

When my mother-in-law picked him up later instead of me, his child logic meant that he got really upset, asking her where I was, I was supposed to take him out, etc. He ended up crying apparently, and admittedly, the fault was mine, I should have been more specific.

Child Logic example #3:

I once brought him into the room when I couldn’t tolerate his whining anymore. I was in the room with him and I told him that if he had to stop whining and crying, before he can leave the room. He was so scared of me apparently that he ended up peeing in his pants (a first!) I thawed immediately, feeling really bad, and took him into the bathroom to clean up and consoled him after.

The next day, on the way to the kindy, I ask him if he . Then I asked him if he remembered peeing in his pants yesterday.  He said,very cheekily: “Ingat! Semalam, daddy marah, tapi bila Zharif pee dalam pants, lepas tu, daddy tak marah dah, ha ha ha!” (Remember! Yesterday, daddy was angry, but when I peed in my pants, daddy wasn’t angry anymore ha ha ha!)

Not the solution I want him to take every time I get angry with him! But how do I make sure he doesn’t do it on purpose the next time?

So, to new parents, you have been warned. Child logic can be dangerous if not handled well!

Enfa Brain Expo: A trip in pictures

Zharif and I had another father-son outing on Sunday, this time to the Enfa Brain Expo at the KLCC convention centre.

We started off parking underneath Tower 2. Walked through KLCC and the tunnel connecting the Convention Centre and engaged in some gratuitous photo taking:

He does like his cars...

Shot for dad...

Just because it was a swimming pool...

We finally made it to the expo, eventually!

He clearly wasn't happy with his 'brain' hat, ended up taking it off.

They kicked off with highlights of some geniuses in history, Beethoven and Newton among them.


Listened to Beethoven, I think he liked it, considering he didn't want to stop listening!

Had some fun with the Newton apple experiment! Explaining gravity was a challenge though...


The next area was filled with facts and info about the human brain, and Zharif had a look at what a real brain looked like, with some actual preserved brains.

Unfortunately, the girl attending the area wasn't prepared for Zharif's comment:

"Zombie eat brain yang ni?"

She was actually stunned, so I ushered him quickly along (and forgot to take a picture of the preserved brains as a result)!

They showed a short screening of how important the development of the human brain was, ending with a mention of how ENFA products help of course. I think the terminology was a bit too advanced for most kids though.  Btw, Zharif hasn't actually been to a cinema yet, how old do you take your kid the first time?

Walking through the neurons, Zharif really liked this area. I liked it too!

Incidentally, Zharif also had his map obsession going on big time. They gave us a map of the expo area upon registration and it was his most valued possession.

Daddy, kena pergi THIS way!

It became important for him to visit every item highlighted in the map, even a visit to the toilet!

The puzzles area was fun, Zharif tried out almost everything he could.

 Admittedly, some were tough for him, and some were clearly for much older kids.


There was a small maze which was alright but could've been a lot more fun if it was bigger. They also had a cardboard cut out area, probably the least imaginative bit of the expo, but we took pics anyway:

They had to include a ball pit area for kids to just be kids:

Waiting patiently la konon...

The kids were supposed to be collecting the letters D-H-A but I think that plan fell out the window eventually...

Spot the Zharif!

Of course, the last area was the "Buy Mead Johnson products area", which naturally damaged my wallet. Zharif of course chugged down a couple of milk samples.

All in all, the expo was alright, Zharif had a lot of fun. Admittedly it wasn't as big as I would've liked it to be, but I suppose for a kid's attention span it was just right. It wasn't too packed, so we were able to try almost everything. Hopefully we'll have more expos like this, but with more variety and more collaborators to make it even more interesting. Still, thanks to Mead Johnson for organising this!

Ender's Game has arrived...

Back in May, I wrote this post to Ender’s Game, together with the trailer for the movie adaptation:

http://unknownworlds.blogspot.com/2013/05/enders-game-is-coming.html

I hope some of you would have found time to actually read the book, as this week the movie will finally be showing in cinemas. By now most fans of science fiction will be anticipating the big screen adaptation of this Hugo and Nebula award-winning novel eagerly. I admit to being somewhat sceptical myself, but I still have high hopes they can pull it off.

if I were ever to compile a Top Ten list of my favourite science fiction books, Ender’s Game would probably end up in the Top 3, if not number 1. However, there are certain key aspects of this 1985 book that are very controversial in this day and age. The level of violence (particularly involving children), the training methods employed and the psychological manipulations are all part of what makes this book a success so it will be interesting to see how they deal with each aspect.

This book provides yet another viewpoint to the question of “Do the Ends Justify the Means?” The intricate and complicated themes underlying the book have made it reading material for many psychological and literature courses in major universities and other education institutions throughout the world (okay, maybe not Malaysia).

I failed to win tickets to watch the preview screenings, so I’m gonna have to join the rest of the movie-watching crowd and get tickets for the opening weekend, if not the opening day.

Here's to what will hopefully be a great movie! See you there!


p.s: This post is dedicated to Andrew, Peter and Valentine...

Update: 29/10/2013. Turns out it's only released in Malaysia on the 8th November, but I've managed to secure preview tickets on the 6th thanks to Red FM! Yay!

Kissing 3 people before going to work!

On the 19th of September 2013, my awesome wife gave birth to another baby boy at the Wakaka complex in Universiy Hospital. Welcome, [name to be confirmed] to the world !

Minutes after arrival

It wasn't exactly smooth sailing this time, there were quite a few false alarms, even one of those incidents where we checked in to the hospital, were there for most of the day, only to be told that the baby's far from ready to enter the world proper. To top it off, mainly due to complications creating a concern on the baby's heart rate, the planned natural birth ended up becoming a c-section. But everything turned out fine in the end, for both Raudha and our baby. Alhamdulillah!

Props to family, friends and colleagues who gave us support during that tricky period. I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Now I'm trying to relearn all the stuff I did back when Zharif arrived, even stuff like rocking the baby in the right way. The art of wrapping up the baby so that he'll feel comfortable continues to elude me. But heck, I'm trying!

Yes I am :p

One of our major concerns has been preparing big brother for the new arrival, and fortunately, Zharif has been handling the arrival of his baby brother pretty well.

Kissed his brother more times in 11 days than kissing his dad in 3 and a half years. The nerve!

There ARE a few items he's been reluctant to share, but otherwise he's been cool. He does seem to be a bit overprotective of his bro sometimes though, such as not allowing quite a few visitors to hold the baby, to the point of having a tantrum! He does calm down eventually, usually after a meal or milk, but there you go.

I've also taken Zharif out a couple of times during the weekend just to alleviate his restlessness and to give his mum some rest from handling two. My mother-in-law is also doing the same. He's generally been a darling, but his enthusiasm can get a wee bit exhausting for Raudha sometimes.  I even took him to select a sheep for his brother's aqiqah.

Plus a little bit of father-son bonding time with Zharif is always good :)

Having said that, my latest trip didn't exactly delight mummy though :p

Anyway, so there's my excuse for not posting for so long. Hope to get back to more regular posting soon. The disrupted sleeping hours will certainly help once I've gotten used to it.

I AM getting used to kissing 3 people before going to work now :)

Weekend Bites: All about football!

Transfer window deadline day!

Final day today. My predictions for each team:

Arsenal: Will sign one big signing, plus a few Wenger-style ones. And Cabaye. International break right after the deadline proves lethal. Wenger considers David Bentley.
Aston Villa: Manages to clear out their midfield, except for Stephen Ireland, whom no one wants because they're worried about his grandmother.
Cardiff:  Still buoyed by their City win, randomly steals Peter Odemwingie from under Swansea's noses.
Chelsea: Tries to sign Anelka but fails. Certain midfielders consult Paulo Ferreira on how to look good on the bench.
Crystal Palace: Surprises with the addition of a quality midfielder that no one sees it coming.

Everton: Ends up buying another ex-Wigan player. Fellaini leaves!

Fulham:  Randomly purchases Atsudo Uchida. Wenger raises an eyebrow.

Hull City: Steve Bruce gets frustrated now that he's lost the Ferguson connection for his transfer, yet somehow still manages to get Macheda on loan.

Liverpool: Overpays for some defensive cover, Skrtel stays and fights them all off. Suarez stays and has a good meal. Off the pitch. 
Manchester City: With Demichelis from Atletico Madrid in, nothing else for them to do, unless they loan Lescott off. Btw, nice profit, Atletico :P
Manchester United: Two big signings, including one really good central midfielder. Tries flogging off Ashley Young but fails.
Norwich: Does nothing in public, but attempts to secretly clone Sebastian Bassong.
Newcastle: Mike Ashley giggles and runs off with the Cabaye money, Pardew scratches his..umm.. chin.
Southampton: Fights of late advances for Luke Shaw and Adam Lallana.
Stoke: Hughes successfully brings in a creative midfielder, stunning the Stoke faithful into silence. 
Sunderland: Secures Borini on loan, but Ki Seung Yeung turns out to be the best loan signing for Sunderland, if not the entire league.

Swansea: Ashley Williams gets sold off, unknown guy comes in, turns out to be a phenomenal defender. 

Tottenham: Apa lagi Spurs mahu? Manages to con another club into purchasing Adebayor.

West Brom: Major panic sets in and buys players no one knows about, proceeds to improve without them. But with Anelka.

West Ham: Gathers in the team lounge after training, laughs at other teams panicking in the transfer window.

Liverpool lucky?

We certainly were, I don't deny it, after an onslaught by Manchester United in the second half we somehow did not concede, even after losing Glen Johnson to injury. (not that he's that great a defender anyway)

Good to see Martin Skrtel return and put up an excellent performance, wasn't RVP a frustrated chappie? 

Really hoping he stays, but we'll see what happens today, especially after two of Liverpool's likely defensive signings were on the bench during the match. Still good to see the Skrtel - Agger partnership again.

I think the only reason Manchester United might be embarassed by the game at all was the fact that they lost to a team that had Jordan Henderson in the starting lineup.

Excuse me while I go print out the current Premier League standings and enjoy it while I can.

The NLD

I was right on Friday in that it turned out to be a low-scoring match, but I still got the results wrong. Credit to Arsenal,  I admit to overestimating Spurs quite a bit, and in hindsight, out of the six Spurs players in midfield and forward, four were new to the Premiership. Something to be said for a little experience eh?

And seeing Chadli in action showed me just how big a loss Bale is. Of course, Bale took a while, but when he came in, Spurs didn't have the level of expectations they do now. But for now, even Aaron Lennon looks better than Chadli.

But that Spurs keeper? Goodness, I'm sure Wenger wishes he had secured that Frenchman, regardless of the goal, Lloris is absolute quality!

Arsenal still need to do something for their transfer window though. Can you imagine Arsenal now if Walcott or Cazorla gets injured? Yes, it's not pretty, is it.