The one about a fresh new start...

Yes, World Cup season is over. Imagine this. The next time we lose sleep over grown men chasing a ball all over a field in order to win a gold trophy, it'll be four years time. Ethan will almost be ready for school! That does seem like a long way off...

It was great that Italy won - since I predicted in a pool that they would win, I took the first prize in that pool. Not bad, since this is the first time I've actually won something like that. Glad.

So, as I was saying... World Cup season is over. There will be some who will feel the effects of post-World Cup syndrome. Apart from slowly easing back into our usual routines, some will feel a sense of emptiness - as if there's nothing to look forward to. Sad.

For the World Champions Italy, it was a reprive from the scandal that was looming in the back of their minds. Several officials from some of their biggest teams had been involved in match fixing. If found guilty, 13 members of the World Cup winning squad will find themselves playing in the Serie B. Sad.

Well, the announcement came last week. Juventus, Florentina & Lazio will be playing in Serie B while AC Milan get to remain in the Serie A but have lost their Champions League spot. What it all translates to is a huge loss in terms of earnings. Well known players may leave their respective teams sparking what many have called, "The Sale of the Century". I was chatting with Phee Boon Leng this afternoon and he made an interesting point. If any of these stars should decide to stay with their present teams, they would earn a place in Italian football folklore. Imagine being the selfless hero who stuck loyally with his team to help bring back the glory days. Stuff of legends. Wow.

So, final word on football. Liverpool will start the new Premier League with a trio of new faces in their midst. Bad boy Craig Bellamy, Brazilian Fabio Aurelio and Argentinian Youth Gabriel Paletta. Looks like Welsh angst will shake it with South American flair at Anfield. Should be interesting. Glad.

Still on the issue of fresh starts, we got ourselves a brand spanking new digital camera - the Canon Ixus 65. 6-megapixel of vibrant colours on a 3-inch LCD display. NICE.

Here's a pic from the new toy...


Last Monday, July 10th was our 7th wedding anniversary. We spend it in a decidedly low key way, keeping to routine and work except for a nice dinner at the new Asian restaurant at E-Gate called "Tao". The restaurant is one of those "eat-all-you-can" places which allows one to order from the menu unlimitedly for the one price of RM45. The food is predominantly Japanese and its quality is fairly good overall. It was great that we could get away, just the two of us for a quiet night out. Glad.

Strange enough, that very Thursday, we both took the folks to dinner to celebrate Jo's Dad's award. Guess where we had dinner? Yep, at "Tao" again. It was simply the best choice as our folks had never been there and it was also affordable! Glad.

Last weekend was a quiet one. Ethan had to catch up on his Tumbletots classes, so we brought him on Saturday and Sunday. As usual, the little fellow had a ball making a nuisance of himself and giving his parents much needed exercise. Pooped.

Tonight, Jo and I went for the Bar Dinner food tasting at the Equatorial Hotel. We tasted the food, we didn't like. Sad.

Looking forward to the rest of the week. Mum is now in hospital for her 11th cycle of chemotherapy. She seemed in good spirits today as Uncle Gilbert, Aunt Sooi See and Aunt Florence dropped by to see her there. As her chemo sessions come to and end, we look forward to a fresh start for her. Glad.