Dispensable but Replaceable?

Regardless whether Ronaldo had lifted the Champions League trophy last month, he is one of the best players around but amazingly his common sense still doesn't communicate with me. I'm only writing this because of the official statement from Utd, again the papers have overstated the meaning of RECEIVED as ACCEPTED. No deal yet but it could be likely. Almost a year ago I predicted Utd will not regain the League without Ronaldo. My predictions on other matters were not as good but I think this one is fair.

Beginning of the season, Utd really slumped without him , having one of the worst starts ever. A so called mediocre season by Ronaldo still saw him become the highest scoring midfielder ahead of the seemingly better Gerrard and Lampard. He scored 18 goals in the league and trailed leader Anelka by one. Goals were a lot short compared to the previous seasons but his influence has an "invisible hand" (Stolen from economics..lol). He is a bit silent on the goal front but when he plays, there's such exuberance with Man Utd, something Arsenal has lacked. The sort of catalyst and game-changing capability that every team is envious about. The question for Ronaldo first, is he making the right move?

YES, HE IS
Well, he has achieved every trophy and award possible at his level and it is fair for him to look for better challenges ahead. He has given so much to the team and he has the say what he wants. Not a very strong argument but he does have a point.

NO, USE YOUR HEAD.
Not many people really agree with the mentality of Ronaldo and what he says. I personally don't have a problem with his arrogance. At 23, still too risky for a move to Real Madrid. A move that has shown evidence players never really achieve their potential or didnt grow as much as they could have. Beckham,McManaman, Woodgate, Owen, Reyes, Anelka, Gravesen, Van Nistelrooy, Robben, Diarra, Dudek, Heinze are the ones that made their way to the Bernabeau. How many really did well? I don't think any of them did exceptionally well. First argument against this, none of them were really so called "best"players. There's some truth but Ronaldo is the best player in the world. The chances of screwing up his career is high apart from the possibility of spending the best years of his career wasted. Plus, Real Madrid has Kaka and can they actually play together. Mouth-watering prospect for an under-achieving team, but for me it is just blind optimism. For Real's sake , I hope it works.

REPLACEABLE?

According to THE SUN, they identified a few players who could replace Ronaldo. Let me take a look.
1. Luis Fabiano
I seen him play before , pretty decent, too far from Ronaldo.
Ronaldo "replacementness" rating : 3/10

2.Antonio Valencia
He has played for Wigan for awhile now and no one is really interested in him. Why will United be?
Ronaldo "replacementness" rating : 2.5/10

3. Karim Benzema
Now you're talking, excellent playmaker for Lyon but not for France. Superb skills and capability. Has the muscle for the Premier League. Scores goals.Thumbs up.
Ronaldo "replacementness" rating : 8/10

4. Franck Ribery
Good candidate as well. Aggressive style, scores goals and creates too. Not bad.
Ronaldo "replacementness" rating : 7/10

5. Samuel Eto'o
Radically different player, too attacking compared to Ronaldo's creativeness. 28 years of age. Not quite the replacement.
Ronaldo "replacementness" rating : 5/10

6.Carlos Tevez
On the list because not signed permanently. He has played for Utd and we have seen him play. Should sign for Utd but he is not a replacement for sure!
Ronaldo "replacementness" rating : N/A

My considerations
Kaka should be on this list but thanks to Real again.

1. Lionel Messi
Some call him the best player in the world, he could be this year. Barca wont sell him for 80mil pounds, but maybe 100? He is top draw , all I can say.
Ronaldo "replacementness" rating : 10/10


2.Diego
Haven't seen to much of him but a playmaker is the concern for Man Utd and he is one which is quite sought after. A third of Ronaldo's price could do it. His speed is a problem here.
Ronaldo "replacementness" rating : 6.5/10

3. Xavi
Man Utd surely knows a lot about him. Great player but different attributes. Don't think Barca will sell again.
Ronaldo "replacementness" rating : 6.5/10

4. Sergio Aguero
Very talented youngster. I haven't watched him play in awhile, but he could be a good buy. Small in size but big in talent.
Ronaldo "replacementness" rating : 7/10

5. David Villa
Proven capabilities. Has a very big eye for goal. Love to see him in the EPL. Sadly, almost the same argument for Eto'o. Too much of a striker.
Ronaldo "replacementness" rating : 6/10

Whatever the outcomes, someone will celebrate, whether its Ronaldo with the biggest wage cheque in his entire life, the Premier League's other 19 teams or even United (if he stays or they like the money).
Let's hope this fellar does not let success takeover him. Happy decision-making and discussions Ronaldo! Return the glory days to Madrid...haha. (Sorry for being bitter because of the champions league semis)

~deyao~

The Composed Investor

I thought about writing this quite some time ago but it just didn't happen. I've encouraged almost everyone that has been close to me to INVEST. I'm sure I've instilled some knowledge to some people but somehow people feel that investing is risky and never take the first step.

This so called "theory" I thought of many months ago has actually been affirmed by this speaker who came to Taylors. Mr. Ooi Kok Hwa who writes an article about investing every Wednesday on The Star came to give a talk. And the very next day, he wrote a column titled "Control your greed and fear".Click image scan to enlarge above. I was very surprised, greed and fear were the exact words I always thought about.

In this post I will share with you some experience I went through and explain MY theory why people do not invest. My experience is very limited but its growing and I feel it would very appropriate to help out others in this are of great importance in life. I always tell people, INVEST!! But I realised there's always a barrier that prevents people from investing,I do not blame anyone because I've found out why!!

The title Composed Investor was created by me in the shower. I kept thinking what title to put up. But after recalling Benjamin Graham's "Intelligent Investor", I've come up with this. In this post I will share with you the Human side to investing, not telling you what shares or equity to put your money into. 1st theory, COMPOSURE WINS. We all know that but sometimes we lack the composure when we deal with tough situations.
In everything we do today, if we are composed or a simpler word, calm, we usually win. It's very true when we relax we usually do well. But to achieve the level of composure we require, we first need to fulfill the CONFIDENCE level.

GREED AND FEAR
A big reason why people do not invest is definitely not because they don't have the money. It's the greed and fear that takeovers the mind and not allowing it to think the way it should. I call this STEP 1. If you don't pass it, you most likely wont' succeed or invest. People do not pass this step because
1) THEY FEAR THEY WILL LOSE THEIR MONEY

2) THEY ARE WORRIED THEY CAN'T FIND THE BEST INVESTMENT (GREED)

I just gave you the main point about my so-called theory. When I first started investing, these 2 elements clouded my mind, making me so fearful on what instruments or field I will be investing in. I HAVE experienced this. A hypothetical situation for new investors, when we buy a share at $5, the biggest fear and disappointment would be the share falling below $5. We will take this as we have "lost" or would be thinking "I shouldn't have bought it at $5".
That is the biggest problem. We thought we have lost our money but we didn't know the biggest lesson awaits us. LEARNING FROM OUR MISTAKES. Like Rich Dad said, we learn by playing. DO NOT BE AFRAID OF LOSING MONEY because it is the ULTIMATE way of succeeding in investing. Make the errors early and fix it immediately. Then you will be able to invest with the composure required.

The 2nd element, we always hope to buy things at the lowest price and sell it at the highest. This is the theoratically the best way of making the most money but in real life we must take it as we can NEVER buy at the lowest and sell at the highest. This is GREED. I have experienced it too FYI. I couldn't sleep for so many days last time when it became true I was buying at a rather high price. I was thinking to myself "Damn it, why didn't I wait a little longer". In truth, we will encounter these situations and blaming ourselves for not maximising return. But as I said it will NOT HAPPEN. Never blame yourself for bad judgment as long as you think you have done what was right. Market forces determine the outcomes of the market not YOU and thats why you have to very careful about what the market thinks.

SOLUTIONS
I always believe in solutions and you are pretty lucky to be reading one FOC. How to overcome fear? Do your homework. Quoting Rich Dad again, "You get rich at home not at work". I totally agree. I would love to explain to income diagram he described but I don't think I will. How to do your homework? Read, read, read and read. It doesn't matter where you get the business section from, just read it!! That's your homework. Read and understand what affect the financial markets. Analyse what is written and make your judgment.

The greatest solution. DO IT. DO IT. DO IT. There's no better way of learning to ride a bike than actually doing it. Afraid of losing money? I tell you what. Set aside maybe $1000 and invest. What's the most you can lose? $1000. What you will learn, invaluable. When we do it more often, we gain confidence and we will gain more composure about things. We will be less affected by what the "Broker's Call" column says, Top Stock Picks column or what your friend tells you to buy. You make your own decisions because YOU CAN AND KNOW HOW TO. When you cross STEP 1, the path to choices and options in life will broaden. Start investing now!! Post queries if you have any.

Be Fearful When Others Are Greedy and Greedy When Others Are Fearful - Warren Buffett

~deyao~

My Baby

Since I haven't introduced my baby, here she is..CHUA CHU SHYEN




She is with the baby maltese in Eu Ween's house.


With teddy and pig.
I love you baby.

~deyao~

Video Recommendation by Sylvia

It has been real busy for me in many ways for the past few weeks. But it has been mostly good. I've never written about what happened during the day or anything like that before and I think I will keep it that way. This video was recommended by Sylvia yesterday and I thought it was pretty awesome. I have always loved and admired musicians all the time and this video continued to prove to me that I was partly wrong not to continue with the piano a Very Long Time Ago. The piano is the ultimate instrument that touches the heart, hands down.

The video was done by a Jon Schmidt and his friend Steven Harp Nelson. They combined two of biggest hits in the past year, Taylor Swift's Love Story and Coldplay's award winning Viva La Vida. It took me awhile to really appreciate Viva La Vida until I saw Boyce Avenue do a cover which is very impressive.

The composition and creativity on of this performance is quite unbelievable. I shall leave it here with 3 videos.
1. THE VIDEO
2. Viva La Vida by Boyce Avenue <-- Check this out
3. Taylor Swift's Crazier for the Hannah Montana Movie.









Thanks again to Sylvia for sharing.
enjoy
~deyao~

Right On Track

Arsenal's win over Villareal this morning may not be very intriguing, but it was very convincing. Theo had a wonderful finish which turned out to be the match winner. Arsenal fans got to see Legend Robert Pires play. His contributions are not forgotten at all and Wenger's comment on him being the best player in his position at his prime is totally true.The return of Cesc and Ade as I mentioned before would be huge catalyst and indeed it was as expected. The most exciting prospect for Arsenal fans would be finally seeing a squad which has more room to stretch than before. Any team would be fearful of the Arsenal bench - Diaby, Eduardo, Vela, Bendtner, Ramsey and Denilson were all on the bench this morning. This is one hell of bench. Oh yea, we got red-hot Andrey Arshavin at our disposal too .

The team standing in our way next is Man Utd. It's a little history for me, not sure they have met in European Cup before, but I certainly haven't seen both teams clash in this competition. But more imminently, we got Chelsea this weekend. Chelsea has got an extra day off compared to Arsenal, but Arsenal were less worked out and this is when the bench comes in again.
Meetings with Man Utd
EPL - Away
UCL - Home and Away
FA CUP - Wembley final(probable)

Meetings with Chelsea
FA CUP - Wembley
EPL - Home
UCL - Rome final (probable)

We would be meeting them two more times than expected. And they will play the biggest role in preventing us from achieving anything this season, vice-versa. I've heard Alan Parry use the immaculate so many times this morning. On other days he prefers astonishing. Both Chelsea and Man Utd would start as favourites based on their league positions and past achievements but Arsenal might be giving them a real shocker.Not forgetting Arsenal's record against them this season has been immaculate...haha, totally tempted.

It's the 2nd time we reached the semi-final which is comparatively inferior to Man Utd and Chelsea. But the fact that we are in very good shape and form would definitely give us an edge ahead of the matches. The 2 John Carew goals for Valencia, a Steven Gerrard penalty, an Alex header, a Wayne Bridge sidefoot goal and Belleti's final match winner still drives so much frustration every time the Champions League is concerned. Can we finally do it....yes please.

~deyao~

Taylor and Fearless Win Big !

Read the good news in the papers. Congratulations to Taylor Swift for her 3 awards won at the 44th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards

ALBUM OF THE YEAR (AS ARTIST AND PRODUCER) and

CRYSTAL MILESTONE AWARD

The Crystal Milestone Award is awarded for Outstanding Achievement in Country Music. Only Garth Brooks,Tim McGraw and Faith Hill has won this award. Btw, she is also the youngest ever recipient of the Album of The Year at 19 years old.
Not surprising as Fearless has gone Triple Platinum (3 million copies) and is the best selling album in 2008!Videos from the event







More details will be added later like pictures.

~deyao~

2 New Albums

It's been awhile since I updated since I updated on Marié Digby. Well she hasn't updated a lot recently so I was quite clueless about her whereabouts compared to a year ago. A recap of my previous craze is here. But she did explain her absence on YouTube . Well it's very good news, she has come out with 2 new albums. The first has released on the 4th this month and it's called Second Home. It's a full Japanese album consisting of covers of songs by Japanese artists. The album name Second Home clearly refers to her being half Japanese. She spent several months in Japan mainly to record this album and probably to catch up on her family which is half way around the world from where she lives. Well as a huge fan of hers, the album certainly had to be on my collection. So here is it.Thanks to my Ah Chi again.
COVER
BACK .Really like the expression.
INSIDE

I know none of the songs she covers, which is not surprising. I don't understand a single word she sings unless it's in English. For a cover album, it's pretty good. I can't rate her pronunciation, but it sounds pretty authentic to me. A real Japanese could have rated this album more accurately. As for me , there's obviously bias to everything I like. Lol. But the truth is, some tracks are pretty good, all the credit to the original singers of course. 4th track caught my attention so. The chorus sings "Don't you think,I wanna be with you, and then something something...lol".

Live performance of her first song in the album


Some pictures from her photoshoot for the album and promotion of her album.
















FULL CREDIT TO MARIEDIGBY.ORG for the pictures.
Go to the website for more of the pictures.

Can't help but notice the really cute hair!! Marié, pretty as always....

Before I forget, the 2nd album would be out on 27/5/2009 , its called Breathing Underwater. You can check the preview on her YouTube channel (linked on the sidebar). Four CDs in over a year, some accomplishment for the girl on YouTube.

Here's her preforming her song from the album "Come to Life" in Japan.

~deyao~

Final Dash

The season's most painful wait for Arsenal is about to be lifted IF we get through the next 3 games. It's almost something so inverted like a sea-saw, you just can't be up at both times (read further). But this season has been different in too many ways especially in the worse side of things. This is the worse season I've seen Arsenal played in all my life but something really special is on its way.
The next 3 games
Roma - Champions League
Blackburn - Premier League
Hull City - FA Cup
If we do win this three games, the bonuses gained would be priceless. What am I talking about?
The return of Cesc Fabregas and Emmanuel Adebayor in April. This painful wait as I mentioned earlier still drives agony down Gooners' hearts when we recall the goalless draws and worse of football played this season. We have sorely missed the Spanish maestro this season. The loss of vision in passing and bossing of midfield by this genius has once again dealt the biggest blow to our League hopes.

But hold on, we have 2 Cup competitions left this season and one of them still eludes every single Arsenal fan and player in history. Cup competition would be the biggest redemption for Arsenal as the mostly average season form guide can be thrown out of window. What has been played before does not matter now, what we have ahead of us is real.

I started the season with full of optimism citing Arsenal could challenge for the league (Which Arsenal fan would have done otherwise). I forcasted the intrinsic value of the team has finally grown to a level whereby it was no longer the so called "grace period for development".
80% of the team has now at least played 4 years of the highest level of competitive football and there was no reason that the team could still be labeled "Young" or most commonly "Inexperienced". Fabregas, Van Persie, Adebayor and Eduardo with the mixture of Walcott and Nasri absolutely convinced me this is it. Not sure how many times lightning (injuries) can actually strike the same club again, but it did hit us again and we could no more than mediocre.
Critics say we lacked depth but come on.... 4 of your best players out ???
Hmm.Man Utd without Ronaldo, Rooney, Tevez and Berbatov? Liverpool without Gerrard, Torres..oops..that should be enough. Go imagine what sort of team is put out.

We MUST get through these 3 matches if there's any hope in salvaging the season. The surprise form of Van Persie and Bendtner plus recent bloomers in Arshavin, Vela and Eduardo can be no coincidence with the return of Cesc and Ade for the final dash. God bless the Gunners!

~deyao~