Monday, November 10, 2008
Monday, July 21, 2008
Sunday, June 08, 2008
Friday, June 06, 2008
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Santiago Bernabeu on Match-Day (1)
A friend of mine requested me to buy the "official" shirt of Real Madrid for his beloved 6 year old son. He has been asking me to buy a Real Madrid shirt since 6 months ago, kept asking me about the price, etc.
I tried to discourage him to buy because the shirt, because despite it's officiality, it's Made in China anyway. Also in my opinion it is not worth it to spend some money and give it to Real Madrid CF. Of course the main reason is actually because I don't follow Real Madrid therefore I don't think I should visit their stadium and buy something from their official shop. A fans of Atletico de Madrid should never touch anything Real Madrid.
However, since I don't want to disappoint a friend, eventually I went there this noon after a Sunday mass. Apparently, Real Madrid will play Athletico Club de Bilbao this evening at 9 PM and Real's fans have arrived at the stadium to buy tickets at noon. There was a long queue in front of the ticket office.
Having got off a bus, I walked to the official store of Real Madrid, passing by two lines of Real Madrid's fans on both sides of a small road towards the Santiago Bernabeu's stadium. There was a grey colour coach parked near the stadium, it was the bus of Real Madrid's players. The fans were waiting for the bus, which was going to transport the players to somewhere. I believe they were going to go to their training centre somewhere near Barajas Airport, for a short session before they play this evening.
So, joined the lines and was tried to pick up what was said by the locals, of course I knew nothing because of my lack of Spanish. Then I gave up and walked straight into the official store. I browsed around, checking shirts, jackets, fleeces, scarfs and many other things.
I went to check kid's shirts, then chose one that I thought will fit the body of my friend's son. Afterward I took one hat for my young cousin and joined the queuing line to pay. One shirt for a kid costs 55 Euros and 1 hat costs 20 Euros. So, I've given Real Madrid 75 Euros today. Overall I spent approximately half an hour in the official store, may be a bit more, I could not remember.
When I walked out of the official store, I saw people are still waiting for the bus to pass by and in fact there were more people than there were half an hour before. I stopped there for a couple of minutes and joined the lines once again. Two minutes later, people started to shout and jump, the bus was about to come. Then I saw Real Madrid's players who are sitting on the left side of the bus.
Some faces seem to be well-known. I was able to recognise Robinho and probably Guti, but I had no idea who the others are. They were cold, didn't smile to people who screamed, shouted and called their names. Not a wave, not a smile, just a look without expression.
I took some pictures of the scenes by using my mobile phoe and will upload them later this week here on this blog. Stay with me!
I tried to discourage him to buy because the shirt, because despite it's officiality, it's Made in China anyway. Also in my opinion it is not worth it to spend some money and give it to Real Madrid CF. Of course the main reason is actually because I don't follow Real Madrid therefore I don't think I should visit their stadium and buy something from their official shop. A fans of Atletico de Madrid should never touch anything Real Madrid.
However, since I don't want to disappoint a friend, eventually I went there this noon after a Sunday mass. Apparently, Real Madrid will play Athletico Club de Bilbao this evening at 9 PM and Real's fans have arrived at the stadium to buy tickets at noon. There was a long queue in front of the ticket office.
Having got off a bus, I walked to the official store of Real Madrid, passing by two lines of Real Madrid's fans on both sides of a small road towards the Santiago Bernabeu's stadium. There was a grey colour coach parked near the stadium, it was the bus of Real Madrid's players. The fans were waiting for the bus, which was going to transport the players to somewhere. I believe they were going to go to their training centre somewhere near Barajas Airport, for a short session before they play this evening.
So, joined the lines and was tried to pick up what was said by the locals, of course I knew nothing because of my lack of Spanish. Then I gave up and walked straight into the official store. I browsed around, checking shirts, jackets, fleeces, scarfs and many other things.
I went to check kid's shirts, then chose one that I thought will fit the body of my friend's son. Afterward I took one hat for my young cousin and joined the queuing line to pay. One shirt for a kid costs 55 Euros and 1 hat costs 20 Euros. So, I've given Real Madrid 75 Euros today. Overall I spent approximately half an hour in the official store, may be a bit more, I could not remember.
When I walked out of the official store, I saw people are still waiting for the bus to pass by and in fact there were more people than there were half an hour before. I stopped there for a couple of minutes and joined the lines once again. Two minutes later, people started to shout and jump, the bus was about to come. Then I saw Real Madrid's players who are sitting on the left side of the bus.
Some faces seem to be well-known. I was able to recognise Robinho and probably Guti, but I had no idea who the others are. They were cold, didn't smile to people who screamed, shouted and called their names. Not a wave, not a smile, just a look without expression.
I took some pictures of the scenes by using my mobile phoe and will upload them later this week here on this blog. Stay with me!
Monday, March 10, 2008
Fernando Torres
He has scored 25 goals in his first season with Liverpool FC in all competitions. He has 19 next to his name in the English Premier League so far....and he is still scoring them....Every single goal he scored is unique. His goals showed his technique, accuracy, confidence and intelligence. He never score two similar goals......
Monday, February 25, 2008
What to Do When Your Flight is Cancelled
Watching or listening to news on flight cancellation due to severe weather condition is something many people are used to, but experiencing it and knowing what to do to save your time and do something else that is more useful than waiting and keep waiting are different matters. On Wednesday the 20th of February this week, I was given "privilege" to know how it feels and what it looks like when the authority of London Heathrow airport and British Airways decided to cancel my flight. It was a big mess!
There were about 10 flights canceled on the day, including mine, which was supposed to depart for Madrid at 7.40 in the evening. I expected several hours of delay of course, as I could see the thick fog on Wednesday morning covering the Midland. But to have my flight canceled was a major surprise to me.
At around 5.30 PM the flight departure screen displayed the departure time for my flight as 21.40. Then at around 6.00 PM, it displayed my flight had been canceled. The big mess started immediately. We scrambled to the Customer Service office of BA and requested information about what to do. At the time, we're already within international zone.
There were about 10 flights canceled on the day, including mine, which was supposed to depart for Madrid at 7.40 in the evening. I expected several hours of delay of course, as I could see the thick fog on Wednesday morning covering the Midland. But to have my flight canceled was a major surprise to me.
At around 5.30 PM the flight departure screen displayed the departure time for my flight as 21.40. Then at around 6.00 PM, it displayed my flight had been canceled. The big mess started immediately. We scrambled to the Customer Service office of BA and requested information about what to do. At the time, we're already within international zone.
The Customer Service lady (a Chinese look-a-like lady with Singaporean/Malaysian accent) told us to walk to the walk back to arrival hall, go through the immigration check point, waited for our luggages, pick them up, go to the ticket office and rebook our flights. It sounds reasonable and easy to do. I would find out later how wrong I had been.
The walking path to the arrival hall itself was not clear, no clear sign, me and my friend were lost basically. Then we found the correct way and spent about 30 minutes queuing in front of the immigration check point. Afterward we spent nearly 2 hours waiting for our luggages, kept looking for our ones and nothing came out. We finally went to the Customer Service in the baggage hall, all they told us was:
"Go rebook your flight and show the receipt of your luggages when you check in to your next flight, tell them to record exactly the same receipt number. The airline staffs will look after your luggages and help you."
If I had known that all we need to do was to rebook our flight and left the luggages to the airline staff, I would have done it quickly and found a hotel to take a rest.
So, we finally re-booked our flight and left our luggages in the airport. Then we found a hotel later and spent the night without changing our clothes. The next morning (Thursday) we checked in to our flight and arrived at Madrid in the afternoon. Having arrived in Madrid, we went to the Customer Service of Iberia (a member of BA OneWorld network) and made a report that our luggages were "lost". They received our report and then promised to send them back to Madrid in 2 days. On Saturday, I got my luggage back.
The lesson to learn is: don't spend your time waiting for luggage when your flight is canceled but you still need to travel using the same airline. Rebook your flight immediately and tell the airline staff to record your luggage number when you check in and make a report that your luggage is lost when you arrive at your destination. Easy.
The walking path to the arrival hall itself was not clear, no clear sign, me and my friend were lost basically. Then we found the correct way and spent about 30 minutes queuing in front of the immigration check point. Afterward we spent nearly 2 hours waiting for our luggages, kept looking for our ones and nothing came out. We finally went to the Customer Service in the baggage hall, all they told us was:
"Go rebook your flight and show the receipt of your luggages when you check in to your next flight, tell them to record exactly the same receipt number. The airline staffs will look after your luggages and help you."
If I had known that all we need to do was to rebook our flight and left the luggages to the airline staff, I would have done it quickly and found a hotel to take a rest.
So, we finally re-booked our flight and left our luggages in the airport. Then we found a hotel later and spent the night without changing our clothes. The next morning (Thursday) we checked in to our flight and arrived at Madrid in the afternoon. Having arrived in Madrid, we went to the Customer Service of Iberia (a member of BA OneWorld network) and made a report that our luggages were "lost". They received our report and then promised to send them back to Madrid in 2 days. On Saturday, I got my luggage back.
The lesson to learn is: don't spend your time waiting for luggage when your flight is canceled but you still need to travel using the same airline. Rebook your flight immediately and tell the airline staff to record your luggage number when you check in and make a report that your luggage is lost when you arrive at your destination. Easy.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Monday, February 11, 2008
Ireland's Proposal for Switch to Right-Hand Driving
The Irish are very nice people, they want to switch to right-hand driving because of people who visit them are used to right-hand driving. The Irish do not want the visitors to be involved in accidents because the visitors cannot control their cars well enough to drive in Ireland. This is amazing! This is an example of immigrants and tourists actually change the rule applied in a country. I bet we will not find it anywhere else in Europe!
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Diga me
As foreigner in a new country, I am trying to learn about local culture and way of life, - (I beg your pardon, I am not talking about the "swing" culture of some people in Madrid, definitely not about the clubs where you can have group sex for only 25 Euros as the entry fees) - carefully listening to new sound, capturing new language and trying to understand when to use the terms and in what context they can be used.
One word I often come across is "diga me", which means "talk to me" or "tell me". This word is usually used as an answer to someone who calls us and we want to listen to what the person wants to say. So instead of asking "what's up?" or just "yes" we ask the person to tell us what the his/her intention is.
Diga me is also often used when people answer a phone call, usually with "yes" in front of it. So the complete answer is: "Si, diga me!" or "Yes, tell me!". The locals like to speak at 200 miles/hour, so most of the time we will hear "di" and "me" only, while the "ga" is left out. So, sometime it sounds like "di me"
Now then, because saying "diga me" is a habit of the locals here in my office, most of the time people who answer me (when I call their names), will just say: "Tell me!"......in English, not Spanish. It is a Spanish habit with English translation, as the language of communication between us. At first it sounds odd to me, because I am not used to someone answering me with "Tell me!". But after more and more people say the same thing and once I understand the Spanish translation of "Tell me" and hear the locals keep saying it, I am used to it now.
One word I often come across is "diga me", which means "talk to me" or "tell me". This word is usually used as an answer to someone who calls us and we want to listen to what the person wants to say. So instead of asking "what's up?" or just "yes" we ask the person to tell us what the his/her intention is.
Diga me is also often used when people answer a phone call, usually with "yes" in front of it. So the complete answer is: "Si, diga me!" or "Yes, tell me!". The locals like to speak at 200 miles/hour, so most of the time we will hear "di" and "me" only, while the "ga" is left out. So, sometime it sounds like "di me"
Now then, because saying "diga me" is a habit of the locals here in my office, most of the time people who answer me (when I call their names), will just say: "Tell me!"......in English, not Spanish. It is a Spanish habit with English translation, as the language of communication between us. At first it sounds odd to me, because I am not used to someone answering me with "Tell me!". But after more and more people say the same thing and once I understand the Spanish translation of "Tell me" and hear the locals keep saying it, I am used to it now.
Monday, February 04, 2008
Live for Nothing, Die for Something
"Live for nothing, die for something"
John Rambo came out of his retirement to save a group of Christian missionaries and take them out of Myanmar, fighting the troops of the military dictator of the country along the way. It is a scary scenario for the military junta, the ruler of Myanmar and now they are trying to stop distribution of the pirated DVDs of this latest Rambo movie in the country. The military rulers fear of the movie could spur their opponents on to fight them.
While it is unlikely that a movie can influence Myanmar people to fight their military rulers (because ordinary people don't have sophisticated weapons), perhaps this movie can make them dream of the unthinkable, that one day there will be troops sent by some countries to "liberate" them. It remains to be seen if John Rambo indeed becomes an inspiration for the people of Myanmar. Only time can tell and history will record it.
John Rambo came out of his retirement to save a group of Christian missionaries and take them out of Myanmar, fighting the troops of the military dictator of the country along the way. It is a scary scenario for the military junta, the ruler of Myanmar and now they are trying to stop distribution of the pirated DVDs of this latest Rambo movie in the country. The military rulers fear of the movie could spur their opponents on to fight them.
While it is unlikely that a movie can influence Myanmar people to fight their military rulers (because ordinary people don't have sophisticated weapons), perhaps this movie can make them dream of the unthinkable, that one day there will be troops sent by some countries to "liberate" them. It remains to be seen if John Rambo indeed becomes an inspiration for the people of Myanmar. Only time can tell and history will record it.
Monday, January 07, 2008
Do Not Queue in Spain...
Especially when you are waiting for a bus.
This is not a joke. If you try to queue and think the person in front of you IS in the queuing line, then make sure he/she IS QUEUING. Otherwise, the bus driver will just quickly close the bus door, leaving you screaming and swearing, because the person in front of you does not move at all and the bus driver thought all passengers have boarded.
Some locals like to stand very close to the entry door of a bus although they are not going to board in to the bus. I learnt from experiences that being nice and trying to queue behind someone who looks like going to board a bus and waiting for him to move is a disadvantage for myself. Once I realised the person in front of me, who blocked my way to get into the bus, was not going to board the bus, it was too late, the buy driver was annoyed so he just departed, leaving me baffled. More annoyingly the person who blocked my way didn't even say sorry or any word at all.
Sigh...
This is not a joke. If you try to queue and think the person in front of you IS in the queuing line, then make sure he/she IS QUEUING. Otherwise, the bus driver will just quickly close the bus door, leaving you screaming and swearing, because the person in front of you does not move at all and the bus driver thought all passengers have boarded.
Some locals like to stand very close to the entry door of a bus although they are not going to board in to the bus. I learnt from experiences that being nice and trying to queue behind someone who looks like going to board a bus and waiting for him to move is a disadvantage for myself. Once I realised the person in front of me, who blocked my way to get into the bus, was not going to board the bus, it was too late, the buy driver was annoyed so he just departed, leaving me baffled. More annoyingly the person who blocked my way didn't even say sorry or any word at all.
Sigh...
Thursday, January 03, 2008
Differences Between Live Football Coverage in Spain and Indonesia
Having watched many live coverages of EPL football matches on local television stations in Spain, I can see some differences in the way the Indonesian and Spanish show the game.
The differences are as follow:
1. Indonesia
Pre-game review: Starts 15-30 minutes before the game. At least 1 commentator is present apart from one TV presenter. The so called commentator may be a sport journalist, an ex player or anyone who deemed "knows" about football. It is considered normal if they talk for one minute and then there are some ads for about 5 minutes, then the commentators talk again for another minute, again followed by advertisements for 5 minutes.
In-game comments: Usually in English, in other words the original in-game comments from the broadcaster.
Post-game review: Usually the commentator gives his review of what went wrong, what should have been done, etc. A minute talk normally will be followed by 5 minutes of advertisement, which is just like during the pre-game review. Ends about 10 minutes after the game.
2. Spain
Pre-game review: none but advertisements run for about 10 minutes, until the game starts.
In-game comments: 2 persons, one TV presenter who also reports the game and another commentator who reviews the tactical side of the game.
Post-game: again advertisements run for about 10 minutes.
The differences are as follow:
1. Indonesia
Pre-game review: Starts 15-30 minutes before the game. At least 1 commentator is present apart from one TV presenter. The so called commentator may be a sport journalist, an ex player or anyone who deemed "knows" about football. It is considered normal if they talk for one minute and then there are some ads for about 5 minutes, then the commentators talk again for another minute, again followed by advertisements for 5 minutes.
In-game comments: Usually in English, in other words the original in-game comments from the broadcaster.
Post-game review: Usually the commentator gives his review of what went wrong, what should have been done, etc. A minute talk normally will be followed by 5 minutes of advertisement, which is just like during the pre-game review. Ends about 10 minutes after the game.
2. Spain
Pre-game review: none but advertisements run for about 10 minutes, until the game starts.
In-game comments: 2 persons, one TV presenter who also reports the game and another commentator who reviews the tactical side of the game.
Post-game: again advertisements run for about 10 minutes.
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