BACK ON TRACK

A convincing 3-0 win over WBA last night gave Liverpool's title hope back on track. It was a good result after the midweek draw against Atletico Madrid.

Robbie Keane finally breaks the duck and scored his first and second league goals. Hardworking fullback, Arbeloa also scored a stunner in the dying minutes. The team in general also performed well.

And the best thing is that FERNANDO TORRES is back. Let's get the goal scoring machine running!!!

UNBEATEN NO MORE.

Spurs, the rejuvenated team under Harry Redknapp's management has done it. Liverpool are finally beaten for the first time this season.

What I saw during the game was actually a lost caused by failure to take advantage of goal scoring opportunities. Kuyt, Gerrard and Alonso had their chances but fail to get the better of it. It should have been a 3 or 4 goal lead. The Skipper himself had 3 shots hitting the goal post.

Robbie Keane again failed to live up the expectations. Surely he is no way near to be a replacement for the inured Torres. It looks certain by now that Rafa would be bringing in another striker to ensure goals won't run dry in the absence of the prolific goal scoring Torres.

IMPRESSIVE WIN AT THE BRIDGE

After yesterday's win at the Bridge, surely no one can write 0ff The Reds title credential this season. That was not the best performance from The Reds. However, just quoting what Scolari said a week earlier, " It is not how we play matters, but the final score...a win." I would agree with him on this one..Hahaha!!!

Stamford Bridge was a fortress for Chelsea. They were unbeaten in 86 games at home..That was a long long time man..Xabi Alonso was the assassin this time. He hit a shot that was then deflected from Calvalho's body thus sending Cech to the wrong way.

Hope that Liverpool could maintain their good results and go closer towards claiming the long lost premiership title.

The pictures below summarized yesterday's joy...

ANOTHER DRAMATIC COMEBACK WIN.

Yesterday Anfield witnessed another dramatic win for Liverpool. This was the fifth time this season Liverpool came from behind to win a game. And of course they maintained their unbeaten run in Premiership.

It was a game that saw Agger and Pennant found themselves in the starting lineup. Dirk Kuyt took over top striker's role from the injured Torres.

A defensive error caused by poor communication from both Reina and Agger was punished by Amr Zaki who was always very lethal inside the box. The match opener came on the 29th minute. Liverpool however fought back 9 minutes after from a Kuyt's goal. It was created by Agger. He took the ball from his own half, exchanging passes with Dossena, cool dribbling and a short low cross for Kuyt inside the 6 yard box.

Just before halftime, Zaki scored his second and it was a very good one also. A scissors-kick from a Valencia cross.

Reira opened his scoring account for Liverpool on the 80th minute. Good run from Nabil El Zhar on the left flank. He then pass the ball to Gerrard who dummied it for the opened Reira. Cool finish from the left winger. At that point of time surely, the fans are confident and could already felt that this could be a repeat to the Man City's game.

Yes..Yes..Yes..It did happen. Another late goal that sealed the game for the home team. Kuyt scored on the 85th minute from a Pennant cross. Flying Dutchman Kuyt is the hero of the night.

At some point in second half, Benitez pulled out both full backs (Dosenna and Arbeloa). He then occupied Reira and Benayoun as wing backs. Liverpool played the game with only 2 central defenders and was on gung-ho mode.

I am happy with Agger. He did a mistake but quickly made amendments to it. Reira as always was very very good. Kuyt has sharpen his predatory skills. Overall I would say it was a well done job, but it should have been a better and much cleaner game. They should have killed the game earlier and something has to be done defensively.

100 YEARS OF EXCELLENCE, KOLEJ SULTAN ABDUL HAMID.

The Sultan Abdul Hamid College (SAHC, now Kolej Sultan Abdul Hamid) is a premier school in Alor Star. Formerly known as the Government English School, it is one of the oldest English schools to be established in the country. It boasts of an illustrious alumni roster that includes Prime Ministers Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al Haj, former Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Abdul Halim Ali, former Education Minister Tan Sri Mohamad Khir Johari, former Permanent Representative to the United Nations Tan Sri Razali Ismail and the present Sultan of Kedah, His Highness Sultan Abdul Halim Muadzam Shah ibni al marhum Sultan Badlishah A former student and teacher, Daim Zainuddin, later went on to become the Finance Minister of Malaysia. Five former Chief Justices – Tun Syed Sheh Hassan Barakbah, Tun Mohamed Azmi Mohamed, Tun Abdul Hamid Omar, Tun Mohamed Dzaiddin Abdullah and Tun Ahmad Fairuz Sheikh Abdul Halim – also attended the college. Currently headed by principal Morazuki Hashim, SAHC has also educated five Kedah Mentris Besar and three governors.

The Sultan Abdul Hamid College is also known as SAHC (English), KSAH (Malay) or just simply and fondly "College" to the students and teachers of the school. Its yearly magazine or schoolbook is named "Darulaman" (the abode of peace), referring to the Arabic title for the state of Kedah.

Primarily a boy's school, it's students comprise of boys of Form 1s to Form 5s and mixed sexes of Lower and Upper 6s. The student population had increased tremendously from the date of the school's early inception: from less than 50 in 1908 to more than 1,200 in 2007. The school recently celebrated its 100 years of existence(1908 - 2008).

With the motto “Scholar, Sportsman, Gentleman”, SAHC remained an English school until 1978. Up until the 1970s, the school reigned as a premier school in the nation, especially since there was a limited choice of schools and there were no fully residential schools. However, from the 1980s, the school began to lose some of its prestigious lustre, with the rise in fully residential schools and the birth of Mara Junior Science Colleges. Tunku Intan Tunku Kasim says these days, many parents focus purely on academic excellence, which is something residential schools are well-known for. “In terms of that, SAHC may not be looked upon as a premier school anymore,” says the assistant secretary of Sultan Abdul Hamid Old Collegians’ Association Kuala Lumpur and Selangor. In an effort to preserve the school’s standing, the state Education Department labelled it a “state premier school” in 1999. Since then, student intake has been controlled by the department, which requires that only students with a minimum of 4As and 1B in the UPSR can enrol in Form One.

During my schooling days (back in years 1990 - 1994) our school was the best sports school in Kedah. Football, rugby, hockey, tennis and even athlethics were our games. Some of them then became national players/athlets. One of them, my ex-classmate, proud of the state, is the current Captain of Kedah football team, Victor Andrag. Others seniors and juniors that have done the state and country proud includes Radhi Mat Din, Azmi Mahmud, Akmal Rizal, Romzi Bakar.

The school song made me feel proud being a Collegians:

Strong loyalty we give our king

Firm friendship we would like to bring

We march along with strength and will

To help our country win

We aim for truth and courage

For virtues and for values

We're girls and boys of College

Good Collegians are we

K.S.A.H Alma mater

K.S.A.H young Collegians all

The problems of the world we face

Seem very small like earth in space

The rainbow of the sky we chase

A great and worthy race

We pupils here are happy

We're cheerful with no worries

For aren't we young Collegians

We are and proud to be

K.S.A.H Alma mater

K.S.A.H young Collegians all

Above is a picture of Tun Dr Mahathir(sitting, right) and his Kolej schoolmates, taken in year 1940.

This was posted by my super senior himself, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad in his blog on Aug 5, 2008:

1. I came back from a holiday in Croatia to attend the centenary celebration of my alma mater, Kolej Sultan Abdul Hamid or Sultan Abdul Hamid College recently.

2. It was a sentimental occasion. Seeing the old school, quite unchanged since I was admitted into Primary I way back in 1932 brought back many sweet/sad memories.

3. The centenary was more meaningful to me because the school was founded by my father who was also its first headmaster. He used to tell me of his experiences when he was headmaster there.
4. It was not in the present building of course. It was housed in a wooden Malay house in the middle of the town of Alor Star. Called the GES or Government English School, he had Malaysia's first Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman as one of his students.

5. My father died in 1962. I thought he would like me to attend the centenary. I felt very nostalgic of the good old days when he used to teach me and my brother mathematics.

6. Before I was born he was sent to Pahang to teach at a school in Raub. Then he was sent to Johore to teach at an English school there.

7. Those were very distant places and he had to travel by boat with my mother and my eldest sister. My mother's second child, also a girl was born in Pahang. Mahadi my mother's eldest son was born in Johor Bahru.

8. Father got tired of shifting house and traveling to strange places. He came back to Alor Star and applied for an auditor's job with the Kedah Government.

9. Although his name is Mohamad bin Iskandar, people generally call him "Master" or Mohamad Iskandar. To honour him the primary school attached to Sultan Abdul Hamid College was named "Sekolah Iskandar" inadvertently honouring my grandfather instead. I have never complained.

10. At the main ceremony on the morning of Saturday 26th July the College named three ex-collegiate as the Collegiate of the Centenary. HRH the Sultan was the first, second came Tunku Abdul Rahman and I felt greatly honoured to be named as the third Collegiate of the Centenary. It would be another century before anyone will get this award.

11. To be able to study at the GES was a great privilege in those days. This was the first and only Government English School in Kedah. There were only 30 boys from the whole of Kedah admitted each year. I was one of the lucky ones.

12. Going to school was thrilling to me and I couldn't wait for school holidays to end.

13. I did fairly well and my Senior Cambridge Examinations result was good enough for me to be admitted into the medical faculty of the King Edward VII College of Medicine. I was given financial aid which was not a scholarship. The British Colonial Government apparently practised affirmative action because all my Chinese and Indian classmates had far better results than me. The examination results of the other six Malay students were even worse than mine. There were 70 plus students in all.

14. I owed my teachers in school a great deal. Only one of them, Mr. Zain, is alive today. He was a great teacher and spoke grammatically correct English all the time.

15. Schooling was such a great experience and I recall with fondness many rewarding events that I went through.

16. I hope and pray that all Malaysians remember their school days and the part that school plays in their lives. Getting an education right up to University level is easy now. But we must nevertheless feel grateful for there are more than one billion illiterate people in the world. For them the future promises very little.

HMMM..WHAT DID I MISS OUT?

Dah lama pulak rasanya tak menghantar sebarang Post ke Blog saya ni. Selepas pulang dari Kedah pada 4hb Oktober memang masa terluang agak terhad. Jadi saya nak 'flash back' semua yang saya tertinggal.

Pertamanya, keindahan Hari Raya tahun ni. Rasanya Raya tahun ada impak spiritual tersendiri kepada saya. Kepulangan beraya bersama Ibunda tercinta amat saya hargai. Let, Teh, Kakak, Abg Nuar dan Qayyum pun dah lama tak saya temui.

Raya tahun ni jugak lebih menarik sebab cahaya mata bongsu saya, Aaeesya dah petah berkata-kata. Comelnya dia...

Hari Raya adalah masa paling sesuai untuk saya berjumpa dengan semua saudara mara. Apa taknya kebanyakan mereka tinggal di Kedah. Kalaupun ada yang tinggal di KL, jarang sangat dapat peluang bersua.

Syukur Alhamdulliah perjalanan kami sekeluarga pergi dan balik beraya selamat dan tidak terperangkap dalam sebarang kesesakan di lebuhraya.

Setelah pulang dari Kedah, pada 5hb Oktober saya dan keluarga beraya di rumah mentua di Port Klang.

Pada hari yang sama juga menyaksikan semangat juang tinggi menjulang nama Liverpool sebagai salah sebuah pasukan yang patut digeruni mana-mana pasukan Eropah musim ini.

Walaupun bermain hambar pada separuh masa pertama dan ketinggalan 2-0, semangat juang yang jitu telah berjaya memberikan keceriaan kepada peminat-peminat Liverpool. Bermula dengan 2 jaringan Fernando Torres dan disudahkan dengan gol Dirk Kuyt di penghujung permainan. Kemenangan paling dramatik bagi Liverpool tahun ini!! Tiada siapa dapat mengetepikan cabaran Liverpool walaupun ketinggalan. Satu ayat sebagai saksi.."Istanbul".

RUMAH TERBUKA

Ahad lepas, 12hb Oktober bersamaan dengan 12 Syawal saya telah menjemput beberapa rakan SME Bank datang ke rumah untuk beramah mesra di majlis rumah terbuka kecil-kecilan di kediaman saya. Peluang berjumpa ini digunakan untuk bertanya khabar malah merapatkan silaturrahim.

Mulanya Abg Mi ditemani anak dan isteri, Lan dan BJ sampai. Rasanya dah lebih setahun mereka tak datang ke rumah saya. Lan dan BJ makan dengan berselera sekali. Lega rasanya tengok makanan yang dihidangkan mendapat sambutan.

Tak lama kemudian Askar pulak datang. Tatkala kami sedang bersembang dan Haris pulak tiba. Ruang tamu rumah saya yang taklah sebesar mana mulai sesak dengan 11 tetamu. Meriah dan seronok rasanya melihat kawan-kawan lama sudi datang dan menjenguk saya. Anak-anak saya pulak leka bermain dengan anak Abg Mi, Siti Fauziah.

Menjelang pukul 3.00 kawan-kawan mula mengorak langkah untuk ke majlis rumah terbuka seterusnya.

Belum sempat mengemas, sepupu saya Megat bersama-sama isterinya dan anak(Muammar) sampai. Semakin comel Muammar ni, dah la tu mesra pulak dengan semua orang, terutama sekali dengan anak saya, Zikry. Alhamdulillah nampaknya Megat dan isteri amat terhibur dengan kehadiran Muammar ke dalam hidup mereka. Harapnya Muammar dan Zikry satu hari nanti dapat menjadi seakrab kita, ok...

Lewat petang Yus dan Ezwa pulak datang. Dah nampak semakin serasi dan sedondon bakal mempelai ni. Dah lama rasanya tak bersembang dengan Yus. Peluang itu juga saya ambil untuk bertanyakan persiapan kedua bakal pengantin ini. Insyallah saya doakan majlis mereka bulan depan berjalan lancar.

Akhir sekali, Art serta famili datang. Ni kira 'last kopek' la. Masa tu pun dah masuk Maghrib. Hmmm..Dapatlah kami bersembang, especially sikit-sikit pasal politik dan isu semasa.

Cuma Mezi saja yang tak datang..

Walaupun dibuat dengan ringkas dan taklah seberapa sangat tapi saya amat-amat berpuas hati dan berbesar hati menerima kunjungan kawan-kawan karib. Semoga ikatan persahabatan kita terus berkekalan melampaui batasan masa.

Sayang pulak rasanya tak ambil gambar masa tu.....

GOALS NO 100 & 1

Another sensational european game for the boys in red on Wednesday. Beating PSV Eindhoven at Anfield to earn 3 more points to take charge of their group D.

A historical day for Stevie G as he gets his goal tally for yet another landmark of 100 goals. What an achievement for a midfielder. The Kops are praying that he could only go for more and more goals.

It was also a memorable day for another Anfield hero of the day, Robbie Keane. Finally a 10 games wait for his first goal ended. The striker received a standing ovation after being substituted on 75 minutes against the Dutch champions following a classy strike.

The hardworking Kuyt earned that goal he scored against PSV. He is not complaining for playing on the flank and not at his original position. All he cares is just playing for Liverpool and ensuring that he plays his best.

Tomorrows visit to the blue side of Manchester wouldn't be easy. Nevertheless, expect just one thing....Another win for Rafa's army!!!!

Surely this makes me more confident of the potential lies ahead for the team this season. Hopefully the trophy cabinet would fit in 1 or 2 more thophies from season 2008/09.

BRING ON EINDHOVEN

On Wednesday night Liverpool will face PSV Eindhoven. This is the second Champions League game for both team. What can we expect from the game?

Liverpool after a very convincing derby win over Everton will be more than confident for another Anfield win. Torres looks sharp, Gerrard looks hot, Skrtel looks commanding and Reina looks very very safe.

I expect Babel will be on the starting line up, playing on the left flank. His speed and stamina will have the defenders busy. Aurelio might start as he is now fully fit. He gave more option on the left side compared to Dossena.

Another chance for Keane to get his first goal perhaps. He has proven that he is very committed and motivated. Maybe all the efforts will be paid soon.

What about Agger? Maybe a chance to appear as a substitute? Looking at the current effective partnership between Carragher and Skrtel the chances are quite slim for him coming in.

Another win means Liverpool extends their lead in the Group. What is my prediction? Hmmm.. I would go for a 2-0 win. The scorers are Torres and Babel.

SELAMAT HARI RAYA AIDIL FITRI

Selamat Hari Raya Aidil Fitri. Semoga semua dapat bergembira di samping orang tersayang. Bestnya dapat balik kampung dan berjumpa dengan family. Bukan selalu pun dapat jumpa..Yahooo!!!

Untuk semua kengkawan ku susun 10 jari memohon ampun maaf atas semua kesalahan samada yang disedari mahupun tidak. Kira 0-0 la.

Untuk semua yang driving, pandu berhati-hati. Jangan pandu laju sangat, patuhilah had laju yang ditetapkan. Bukan sahaja selamat daripada kena saman, malah save petrol.

Buat kengkawan di KL ni, see you guys after the holidays. Member-member di Aloq Staq pulak, mai la rumah. Raya kedua atau ketiga singgah-singgah la..

Akhir kata, Selamat Hari Raya Aidil Fitri.

KEDAH, MALAYSIAN BEST FOOTBALL TEAM

I wanna pay tribute to the best Malaysian football team ever. Kedah is the first football team in Malaysian history to won double treble championships.

The key factor of their success was teamwork and consistency. Thanks also to Azraai Khor, Radhi Mat Din, Ahmad Sobri and the coaching staffs.

The player of the season!! Marlon Alex James had a tremendous season. He scored 40 goals in total. He was crowned the Most Valuable Foreign Player of the season. However, FAM new rulling indicated that no foreign player shall play in M-League. Therefore, Marlon is now playing with Vancouver Whitecaps in Major League Soccer, USA.

This is my pick for the best local player...Kyril Muhymeen though not playing every single game due to national duty, was no less sensational. He gave us hope that Malaysia might still have future in international football.

Next season will be a different game of course. No more foreign trio. Nevertheless looking at the ability of the young Cannaries no one should write-off the title winning chance.

To my fellow state football heroes, go for one more record breaking season...

LIVERPOOL IS NOW BACK ON TRACK

Todays Mersyside derby was quite one sided. Liverpool dominated the game to the fullest. Excellent ball possession, brillant passess and link-ups. Goodisson Park was turned to RED!!!

However, we were made to wait until half way into second half to get the scoreboard moving. Fernando Torres ended his barren scoring spell with a double. He looked very comfortable of himself, looked just like last season.

Again Keane fails to break the duck. However todays game was one of his finest. In fact it was him providing the assist for the first goal. Gerrard and Kuyt was very good in midfield. Alonso who took over Mascherano's position did pretty well.

A salute to Skrtel!!! Super defending job!!

Next will be a Champions League showdown at Anfield against PSV Eindhoven on Oct, 1.

As Torres is now back into his best form, there will be no mercy given to the Dutch side..I expect that Liverpool will be winning that encounter. Hopefully both Torres and Keane will score. A goal from Babel would be good also.

KLCC AT NITE

The shots were from my Nokia N82. Pretty cool huh...

HAPPY 2ND BIRTHDAY AAEESYA

My youngest daughter, Sharifah Aaeesya celebrated her birthday on September 22, 2008. I pray to Allah all the best for her. I love you baby!!