Brava Italia & Argentina - the Blue Jerseys Rule

LOOK AT THE WINNERS!!
(ok, for 1st round at least and more to come!)




The `living legend' (at least to me) who gave me the reason to support Argentina since my first WC in 86.

Messi the whiz kid and dubbed the next Maradona




Superb goalie Buffon celebrating with his team mates


GOAL!!

Am happy! My two favourite teams - Argentina and Italy - are through to the 2nd round ie the last 16 teams!

These two teams have lots of supporters in Malaysia but somehow the people around me esp. male colleagues are totally not for them. It makes me more determined to support them! Not like it really make a difference to the results but hey, this is the beauty of World Cup!

After four consecutive mornings staying up till 5am - with no sleep before 3am either, i think the unearthy sleeping pattern is taking a toll on me! Sigh... I must admit that I'm not young anymore. I remember watching many matches in USA 94 and France 98 (with time differences) and matches shown in wee hours in the mornings.. but I was ok - just adjusted sleeping hours and lack of sleep didn't affect me at all!

But now it's quite different.. I suddenly felt so tired today - despite after sleeping almost 7 hours with a short interception of my home alarm blarring.

Anyway, I decided not to stay up for the 3am match ie Brazil vs Japan/ Poland vs Australia mostly also because I have an 11am assignment in the morning. and no way i could survive on less than 5 hours of sleep!

Well, at least my favourite teams had played and gone through.. i am happy. :D

For the sake of extra `entertainment' and `education' (to prove that some women do love and know about football) following is a g-mail chat conversation I had with a girl friend today. Ms Cheah a lawyer is also a footie fan and probably knows more than me though she couldn't watch many of the matches.

ee-tan: so have u been using that chart?

its very useful for me. ;)

go ITALY!!

Sent at 1:51 PM on Thursday

mayyoke.cheah: hi!

ee-tan: finally u here

mayyoke.cheah: yeah... have been faithfully filling it up every day :D

ee-tan: haha..

mayyoke.cheah: back from lunch

yumm

ee-tan: i also just had lunch

but still at home!

4 days watching 3am match1

DIE DIE

mayyoke.cheah: so nice... you watched again last night ah

Argies

ee-tan: of course, it was argentina! playing

but not as exciting la

mayyoke.cheah: i like Holland

ee-tan: cos both know they're thru to next round

i see..

so tonite Italy and Czech

mayyoke.cheah: i watched Portugal vs Mexico

sure u must watch!!

what time ah? will it clash w the wedding rehearsal?

ee-tan: phew. its 11pm.

sorry, it's 10pm

mayyoke.cheah: aiya

ee-tan: got mixed up with next week's!!

mayyoke.cheah: so u not going for rehearsal?

ee-tan: going. i am the usher head fpr church.. so just need to understand here and there.. :D

leave at 9:30pm in time home 10pm for hte match!!

mayyoke.cheah: just to watch football?... cheh...

ee-tan: why cheh

its ITALY playing la

and they need to win!

close call

mayyoke.cheah:i thot Italy already through to next round?

ee-tan: almost

not if czech beat them and ghana beat USA

mayyoke.cheah: I think overall Italy has best looking team :D

ee-tan: yeah yeah

and spain not far behind

did u watch enland's match? poor Owen!!!!

mayyoke.cheah: 3am... nolah

heard abt it on radio this morning

so sad

ee-tan: u know owen injured himself after 1 min!

broke his knee or something.. poor thing

mayyoke.cheah: cruciate ligament

out for 6 months

ee-tan: really!!

there goes his world cup!! :(

mayyoke.cheah: and he just recovered fr ankle injury

so unfortunate

ee-tan: if england gets to final.. poor him will feel so left out

i think joe cole is cool!

mayyoke.cheah: hahaha

better than david beckham?

ee-tan: cool as in can play well

beckham is cool as in suave

and plays well but not as fast as this crazy j.cole

mayyoke.cheah: got different style of play i think

ee-tan: yeah true

mayyoke.cheah: beckham good at crosses

but cannot dribble

ee-tan: beckham always taking free kicks. he's precise.

yep!

hey, so who u think or like to see play in the final?

mayyoke.cheah: who i like different from who i think will be in final

on current form it could be argentina vs germany

ee-tan: wah.. u and i think alike!

i was jsut telling my colleague that.

he thinks brazil is out of hte picture

i would like to see argie and italy but i know not really probable

mayyoke.cheah: yea brazil not impressive

ee-tan: (hey can i copy and past this coversation and put on my blog?)

hahahahaha

women footie chat

mayyoke.cheah: ha... serious ha

:P

ee-tan: just an idea but why not? ;)

mayyoke.cheah: hehe so we can show that gals don't only talk abt good-looking football players

ee-tan: oh but u did mention italy and i added spain!

haha but good looking is just a bonus

mayyoke.cheah: oops

ee-tan: it's the skills that count! right?

so i am quite impressed with most of the big teams minus france i think. brazil ok la.. not up to the standard.

mayyoke.cheah: of course... just look at anna kournikova...

i'm impressed with spain this round

i like their style of playing... very open and attacking

ee-tan: i think so far i like the matches better than japan/korea 2002 first round.. if i could still remember but not that memorable. maybe becos none of the big names are kicked out yet.

yeah spain is quite a nice `surprise' - i thought they couldn't win tunisia but they bounced back 3 1

mayyoke.cheah: seems to me like there are more goals this WC. Last WC the teams seemed more defensive

ee-tan: yeah..

hey, i am still at home

:p i gotta go

(but will save this conversation to be used..)

hahahaha

mayyoke.cheah: ok...

have a good day... cu later!

ee-tan: happy to chat football with a gal pal!

(have been doing it with guys..)

mayyoke.cheah: yea :D

ee-tan: some guys like one or two of my colleagues make fun of me! but others happy to talk..

hmm

ok la.. see u tonite

mayyoke.cheah: cu :)