Travel Tips

Alright, alright. Stop laughing at me.

I am reeeally serious about the WORLD PEACE part and helping the less fortunate OK. :-))

Letz join in and help make this world a better place with your sharing and caring heart.....

My next wish (or dream, if you like to call it) is to be able to own a football club and hire my favorite players to wear the team colors! Blame it all on Russian billionaire, Roman Abramovich! He got the entire planet excited over mundane issues like - which famous celebrity player he is going to buy for Chelsea FC. But hey, Milan (that's AC Milan, mind you) ain't doing too bad either. We recently bought back Andriy Shevchenko from our arch rival, Chelsea... and we also purchased Ronaldinho (altho I am beginning to have doubts about his capabilities of late cuz of his non-stop partying ways) and loads of other good players. So, watch out world. Milan is back to dominate world football!

Since the likelihood of achieving Dream/Wish #2 is virtually impossible, I bought myself the Championship Manager (yes, THE GAME) to play instead. If one can't achieve one's dream in real life, one can continue to dream that he/she can be the next Sir Alex Ferguson or Marcello Lippi, isn't it?

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** MY FOOTBALL DREAM TEAM 2009 **

So, here they are: My very own DREAM TEAM consisting of the best players on the planet! I know some of you will send me to the guillotine for not choosing players like Lionel Messi or your own personal favorites... but I don't care. ;-) I'm just following my heart and besides, it's my own CHAMPIONSHIP MANAGER's game anyway!

Go buy the game and then choose your own players for your team!

And now - the Best 11 Players In The World:

GOALKEEPER:
Gianluiggi Buffon (the David Schwimmer look-alike). There is STILL nobody as good as he is at this current moment. He is literally omnipresent and omnipotent in between the goal post! Has been voted the Best Goalkeeper in the World consecutively for over 4 years now. An incredible feat. At the time of writing this, Buffon is playing for Juventus in Serie A. With him in between the goal post, Juve is a worthy opponent to Milan to win the Scudetto this season! Watch this space.

DEFENDERS:
John Terry from England. He is the current captain of the perpetually under-performing England National Team and I must admit, I am thrilled Fabio Capello chose Terry to commander the national team instead of Gerrard or whatz-his-name-who-plys-his-trade-at-LA Galaxy! Best decision ever made by a coach. And Terry is still the best defender I have seen on English soil.

Paolo Maldini, Captain of AC Milan, Italy. In his younger days, he was the best left-back of his generation! Today, Maldini marshalls his team from the center of defence. He'll do likewise for my team too! I am choosing him even at his grand experienced age of 40 because I am a LOYAL fan. Get it? I wish he'll never retire...! However, when he does wave goodbye to football, the club will honor him by retiring the No. 3 shirt which he currently dons. The shirt will be reserved for Maldini Jr aka Christian Maldini when he makes it to the senior team in a few years' time. Maldini Jr currently plays for the Milan junior team.

Alessandro Nesta of AC Milan, Italy. Like Maldini, Nesta is one of the best defenders in the world today. Even arch enemies, Real Madrid will agree with this statement!

Fabio Cannavaro aka Captain Fearless of the Italian National Team. He was simply exceptional during World Cup 2006 and should have won the tournament's best player award instead of Zidane! Canna is so inspirational and solid in defence, Real Madrid should be able to fight Barcelona and the rest of Europe for the prestigious Champion's League trophy. In any case, he's definitely the best defender in the world today. Can some rich tycoon bring Canna back to Italy pur-leeeease??

MIDFIELDERS:
Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite aka Kaka - from Brazil and plays his club football with AC Milan. He's definitely one of the most exciting playmakers/ midfielders in the world today. An unassuming, humble and God-fearing man (off the field), the handsome Kaka is happily married to his fashionista Brazilian wife and recently won the Ballon D'or and FIFA's World Player of the Year award.

Andrea Pirlo from AC Milan, Italy. His performance at World Cup 2006 in Germany sealed his reputation as one of the best playmakers in the world today. The cool-headed deadball specialist who hails from a very wealthy family back in Italy also possess the uncanny ability to trick his opponents with his sublime skills; defenders from the opposition team literally tremble in their boots when coming face-to-face with the man himself. Case in point: Watch the semi-final World Cup 2006 match (ITA vs GER) again... and see how Pirlo's quick-thinking and expert skills stunned Germany. Forza Italia! Forza Milan!

Ronaldinho. From Brazil. The twice-voted World Player of the Year currently plays for Milan. When he is at his best, he is really invincible on the field. But of late, Ronnie has not been at his best. If he doesnt cut down on his heavy partying, I might be forced to remove his name from this list. And I am sure Milan will sell him off to Manchester City if he continues to under-perform. ;-) Ah yes, when it comes to something as important as football, complacency is a sin!

Gennaro Gattuso from AC Milan, Italy. He's in my dream team without a doubt cuz of his tireless/unselfish runs on the field, his workhorse and his never-say-die attitude. He was also a revelation during World Cup 2006. Like Pirlo or Kaka, Gattuso is simply indispensable to the team. Off the field, Gattuso is happily married to his Scottish wife whom he met whilst he was playing for Glasgow Rangers (Scotland) way back then.

FORWARDS/ STRIKERS:
Andriy Shevchenko from Ukraine who recently rejoined Milan. The prodigal son returns to Milan! We hope that he also returns to top form after his hellish spell at Chelsea. We - the tifosi - miss the Andriy of old - his pace, his dribbling, his skills... his finishing... for they are legendary. Defenders in the opposition team quake in their soccer boots when they see the handsome Ukrainian head towards them...and the goalpost! ;-) He is an indispensable asset to any team. I am STILL rooting for him because I'm a LOYAL fan, get it?

Alex Pato of Brazil whom Milan recently purchased. Pato has proven to be a lethal striker when he is called to play. The Brazilian team also found him to be a great asset. Again, watch this space. As this kid matures, it wont be long before he bags the Ballon D'or and World Player award. Cheers!

MANAGER/COACH:
This must surely be Marcello Lippi who, against all insurmountable odds (during the height of the Calciopoli scandal) managed to lead the Italy National Team to World Cup victory! The Italian gaffer was able to inspire his team to focus on the game instead of the constant finger-pointings and daily accusations aimed at some of the players and on himself. Personally, I thought the authorities who chose such a perfect timing to interrogate some of the team members i.e. during the world's most important footballing event - have got to be nuts! I suspect they were anti-Italians and can't wait to see Italy lose. But thank heavens, Lippi and company rose against the insurmountable odds to clinch the prestigious trophy. Well done, Lippi and welcome back to the Italy National Team!*

So, there you go. My favorite 11.

Now it's your turn to tell me who your dream team is!

My next wish for 2009 is to be able to speak FLUENT ITALIAN (like an Italian) and to learn another new language. Possibly Russian? :--) We'll see!

I know I am a slooow starter but eversince I have been in Italy, I fell in love with the F1 Grand Prix sport. Wow! It must be the Italian air that I have been breathing in ;-))

MILAN (the city... so not referring to Milan, the Rossoneri soccer team) is just next door to MONZA and this where EVERY F1 tifosi should head to in September of every calendar year.

I support Team Ferrari (er... name one person who doesn't love the Ferrari team??) and the Iceman himself - Kimi Raikkonen. In my humble opinion, MONZA has the best circuit in the world! And Singapore has also one of the most magnificent circuits in the F1 Grand Prix with its impressive Marina Bay street circuit (located just 5 minutes away from my home in Singapore. My home in Singapore is on the East Coast - along the East Coast expressway overlooking the sea).

The F1 drivers will zoom past the major historical landmarks of the city-state as they race towards the finish line during the Singapore night race. Remember to watch it live on TV.

In my humble opinion and possibly the opinion of 500 million F1 fans worldwide, the Singapore circuit is definitely MUCH MUCH better than the Valencia and Monte Carlo circuits. Oh... and by the way, have I mentioned that I am a Singaporean??

For 2008, I am rooting for British It boy, Lewis Hamilton of McLaren... for the simple reason because the coveted F1 trophy is now out of the hands of Kimi Raikkonen (*it's been a bad season for the Finn... Poor Kimi...) and also because I dont like Felipe Massa. I find him arrogant. Sorry Brazil. I know you guys worship him. The only Brazilian F1 driver I adore is dead - Ayrton Senna. These days I stick to admiring Brazilian footballers ;-) But my Italy is still numero uno! As I mentioned earlier, I am extremely loyal to Italy for obvious reasons ;-)

Do you know that these F1 boys (i.e. the drivers) go through a gruelling exercise routine daily that I feel so stressed and tired just by reading what they had to go through. Well, I suppose if I were paid USD51.0 million PER YEAR (like Kimi Raikkonen from Ferrari), my boss can ask me to do 2000 somersaults in half an hour and I most certainly would!

Anyway, I dont think F1's Kimi Raikkonen or Lewis Hamilton would find the following article amusing... but hey, I do! I think it's absolutely hilarious and I must thank this humorous friend of mine who thought this was a good way to stay fit and slim!

No time to exercise? Don't feel guilty....even experts are saying we don't need exercise......read on!!

Q: I've heard that cardiovascular exercise can prolong life. Is this true?

A: Your heart is only good for so many beats, and that's it...don't waste them on exercise. Everything wears out eventually. Speeding up your heart will not make you live longer; that's like saying you can extend the life of your car by driving it faster.Want to live longer? Take a nap.

Q: Should I cut down on meat and eat more fruits and vegetables?

A: You must grasp logistical efficiencies. What does a cow eat? Hay and corn. And what are these? Vegetables. So a steak is nothing more than an efficient mechanism of delivering vegetables to your system. Need grain? Eat chicken. Beef is also a good source of field grass (green leafy vegetable). And a pork chop can give you 100% of your recommended daily allowance of vegetable products.

Q: How can I calculate my body/fat ratio?

A: Well, if you have a body, and you have body fat, your ratio is one to one. If you have two bodies, your ratio is two to one, etc.

Q: What are some of the advantages of participating in a regular exercise program?

A: Can't think of a single one, sorry. My philosophy is: No Pain... Good!

Q: Aren't fried foods bad for you?

A: You're not listening. Foods are fried these days in vegetable oil. In fact, they're permeated in it. How could getting more vegetables be bad for you?

Q: Will sit-ups help prevent me from getting a little soft around the
middle?

A: Definitely not! When you exercise a muscle, it gets bigger. You should only be doing sit-ups if you want a bigger stomach.

Q: Is chocolate bad for me?

A: Are you crazy? HELLO ...... Cocoa beans ... another vegetable!!! It's the best feel good food around!

Q: Is swimming good for your figure?

A: If swimming is good for your figure, explain whales to me....

Q: Is getting in-shape important for my lifestyle?

A: Hey! 'Round' is a shape!

Well, I hope this has cleared up any misconceptions you may have had about food and diets. Now go have a biscuit...flour is a veggie!

:-)))