Donation From A Stranger...

I should probably consider changing my email address soon. Real soon. Nothing wrong with Yahoo! Mail. I think they've done a great job filtering out all the spam, but sometimes, one or two interesting ones tend to sneak into my Inbox. (Like this and this)

Now, I have just received a nice 'donation' from some stranger from Cote d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast). I've had friends and family members from a few places around the world, but I do not know anyone from the Ivory Coast. Still... as flattered as I am, I think I have enough sense to smell a scam when I read one. *wink*

Donation From Mrs Hadeel Mohammed

Wednesday, March 18, 2009 2:10 AM

From: "hadeel2mohammed@marafiki.com" hadeel2mohammed@marafiki.com

To: hadeel2mohammed@marafiki.com

Donation From Mrs Hadeel Mohammed
N38 Rue Des Martyrs Cocody
Abidjan,Cote d'Ivoire.

Beloved

I am Mrs Hadeel Mohammed from Kuwait. I am married to Mr Mohammed Abbas who worked with Kuwait embassy in Ivory Coast for nine years before he died last year.We were married for nineteen years without a child. He died after a brief illness that lasted for only four days.

Since his death I decided not to remarry or get a child outside my matrimonial home. When my late husband was alive he deposited the sum of US$3.5million dollars in a Bank here in Abidjan Cote d'Ivoire.Presently, this money is still in bank.

Recently, my Doctor told me that I would not last for the next Eight months due to cancer problem. The one that disturbs me most is my stroke sickness. Having known my condition I decided to donate this fund to a person or organisation that will utilize this money the way I am going to instruct herein. I want this fund to be use for orphanages, widows,schools and propagating the message of love to all mankind.

I took this decision because I don't have any child that will inherit this money, I want God to be merciful to me and accept my soul.My husband relatives are selfish,they refuse to distribute to charity organization some amount of money which my late husband gave to them for charity on the second day of his illness,I don't want a situation where this money will be used in an ungodly way. This is why I am taking this decision. I am not afraid of death hence I know where I am going.i know that God will fight my case and I shall hold my peace. I don't need any telephone communication in this regard because of my health hence the presence of my husband's relatives around me always. I don't want them to know about this development.With God all things are possible.

As soon as I receive your reply I shall give you the contact of the Bank here in Abidjan Cote d'Ivoire. I will also issue you an authority letter that will prove you the present beneficiary of this fund. I want you to always pray for me. My happiness is that I lived a life worthy of emulation. Please always be prayerful all through your life.Contact me on the this e mail address(hadeel002mohammed@yahoo.com) any delay in your reply will give me room in sourcing another person or organisation for this same purpose. Please assure me that you will act accordingly as I Stated herein.

Hoping to receive your reply.

God bless you
Mrs Hadeel Mohammed.

What do you think?

What A Fantastic Match!

I am pretty sure last Saturday was a great day for all Liverpool FC fans, the fact that they thrashed Man Utd 4-1 in their own backyard. Frankly speaking, I was as nervous as the next fan before the match kicked off, knowing that Man Utd are out to kill any chance for us to win the league title, rubbed in by the fact that their striker, Wayne Rooney, came out saying he hates Liverpool. Can't blame him, he is an Evertonian. And he is balding prematurely.

Nevertheless, Liverpool came out with as much panache as they did against Real Madrid during the midweek and brought the game to Old Toilet Old Trafford. It was amazing to watch, especially when we were down by one goal due to a reckless penalty given by Pepe Reina. Unnecessary.

Collision course...

Then, we got down to business, with Torres giving their defense a torrid time and eventually capitalized on a defensive error by Vidic. 1-1. Game on!

Catch me if you can...

A second penalty was given, this time, to Liverpool, thanks to Evra hacking down Gerrard instead of the ball.

He shoots... He scores!

I don't mind being the camera, though... *wink*

1-2 into half-time. Both teams making the effort, but none scored. Then, Sir Alex Ferguson did the unthinkable - he used all three of his substitutes in one go. Sure, it was risky, but he did show intent. Sadly, he could not have predicted that his team would be a man down with 15 minutes left on the clock. Nemanja Vidic basically tugged and pulled Gerrard to the ground as he was about to run for goal. Professional foul. Red card.

Strike Three - You're Out!

Free kick to Liverpool. Cue Fabio Aurelio. He lines up the free kick, takes it and the ball went into the net leaving Van Der Sar rooted to the spot. 1-3.

Bend it like Aurelio...

With Man Utd down to 10-men and all three substitutions used up, they had to improvise, but being 2 goals down, it was going to be a really difficult task. In the end, they couldn't muster any last minute attempts and with Dossena getting onto the score sheet in injury time, it was dead and buried for Man Utd. 1-4. Full time.

Dink! Goalkeeper rooted again!

To win by 4 goals to 1 was amazing and frankly, unbelievable. We would have taken the game at 1-2 but that Saturday was Liverpool's because everything that could go wrong in a football game went wrong for Man Utd.

To do a double over Man Utd AND Chelsea is an amazing feat. Now, if we can get all three points against Arsenal and Aston Villa too...

Go Reds!

Pictures taken from LiverpoolFC.tv and Getty Images

I'm Rich, Again!

If only I get paid to debunk every single email scam I have ever received, I might eventually get rich. Right now, I have apparently won ­£1,000,000. Yes, One Million British Pounds! Well, at least, according to this email:

FILE FOR CLAIMS
Saturday, March 14, 2009 7:31 AM
From: "The Monday Lottery"
To: undisclosed-recipients

You have just been awarded, the sum of £1,000,000.00 GBP in the Monday Lottery 2009 Anniversary Bonanza. For Claims email your details to: mondaylotboard@hotmail.com

Names:............
Address:..............
Country:................
Age:..........
Sex:..............
Phone/cellphone........

Regard
Mrs. Jenifer Fox
Tel: +447031931675,
Online Coordinator,
The Monday Lottery.

Seriously, is it THAT easy to win? Hmm....

Creepy...

It's bad enough that Sean Kingston's song "Beautiful Girls" is horrible by nature, the fact that he keeps repeating the word "suicidal" throughout every chorus he sings, I think it is worse still when the female colleague seated in front of you is actually singing along with it during working hours, repeating only the word - you guessed it - "suicidal"... Oy!

And that colleague of mine happens to be a mother of a 14-year-old! Technically, she shouldn't even KNOW the song... If my Mom were to be singing along with that song, I think I would have nightmares... Eek!

*cringe*

Slumdog Ordinaire*

8 Oscars... 7 BAFTAs... 4 Golden Globes... and numerous other awards to boot... That was the hype that got me wanting to watch this movie. Sadly, I think this movie has been over-hyped and overrated. I have to say that the storyline is quite refreshing, albeit based on a real-life game show, but this movie wasn't anything to shout about. I've actually seen better Bollywood movies than this.

Granted, it is a Jolly-Holly-Bollywood (English director, American distributor, Indian writer) movie, something different than the usual rat pack of movies the Academy Award members have been accustomed to but apart from highlighting the slums of India, which is a reality, I personally feel that it is hardly any different from the old Hindi movies I grew up with. In fact, there was not even a scene of couples playing hide-and-seek with tree branches or rolling down a small hill of freshly cut grass or splashing around at the beach. (Okay, I'm asking for too much here...)

Nevertheless, it was interesting to see how the current scenes - him being on "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire" - intertwined with flashbacks of the protagonist's life, in this case, Jamal Malik, that enabled him to answer the increasingly difficult questions in the game show, eventually winning him the top prize money (and the girl, of course!).

But overall, I still feel the movie lacked something. I just can't seem to put a finger on it, but it's just not all it is hyped up to be. It still felt like an ordinary Bollywood film to me, except, they spoke more English throughout the show than they did in Hindi. Oh, they eventually DID dance, at the end of the movie, but it was rather comical seeing them dance because the main guy (Dev Patel) looked awkward dancing. I had a good chuckle, though.

What did you think of the movie?

*Ordinaire means ordinary in French

And We're Off!

American Idol Season 8 has finally started with its Top 12, no wait, Top 13 finalists after last night's (this morning Malaysian time) Wild Card group performance. Yes, technically, I still have yet to watch the show itself, as it only airs tonight, but I couldn't wait and Yahoo! News was jumping at me to read the article, so I did...

Now I know who the finalists are this season, and I have to say, it is a pretty disappointing group. There are a few standouts, don't get me wrong, but I felt that a few pretty good contenders slipped through the cracks and didn't make it through.

Oh well, it is up to America now (as it has always been) and I hope they make the right decisions.

If Winning Was So Easy...

I opened my email this morning, and guess what?! I'm rich! Here, I've got the email to prove it:

Hyundai Funds Grant

Thursday, March 5, 2009 11:37 AM

From:"Hyundai Motor Company"

To:undisclosed-recipients

You have been awarded (850,000.00 Pounds) from Hyundai Company. (CONTACT PROJECT MANAGER) Name: Mr Anderson Williams. Phone # : +447031935671 or +447024086795. E-mail:(hyundacars08@hotmail.com). Send your NAME, COUNTRY, CITY, AGE, OCCUPATION, POSITION, HOME PHONE, MOBILE PHONE NUMBER, EMAIL ADDRESS. To Mr. Anderson Williams for Claims.

Uhm... I don't even own a Hyundai. I drive a very modest local car. And I mean, modest... Well, not as modest as the new Tata Nano, that's bare minimum...

Well, I'm gonna go claim my money now...

Wishful thinking...

I Got Me A Fever...

Yup, the viral flu caught up with me and now I have a fever... I now have 5 different types of pills to swallow, along with a side of Vitamin C to boot (and they're not even the chewable kind!)...

Pills, pills, pills...

I have to admit, though, I'm probably one of the worst pill popping junkie you would ever come across, in the event I decide to switch 'hobbies'... The sole reason why? I cannot swallow pills for the life of me... I have had a phobia of swallowing pills since I was very young. Heck, if they would only continue with liquid medication for adults, I might just stick to that instead.

Most people do not like to fall sick because they do not like the suffering. For me, I just don't like the pills that come with it. I like the rest/sleep I get when I fall sick. Helps me to get out of 'jail' (i.e. work, commitments) free...

Sadly, I'm not out of 'jail' this time... I'm still at work... Sigh...

Interesting Watch

Disclaimer: This is, by no means, a shameless plug or advertisement...

But it still is... Thanks to my sister, I now have a new show to follow (apart from the CSI franchise and Grey's Anatomy, that is!)

'Lie to Me' is a new series on Fox starring Tim Roth and Kelli Williams (of 'The Practice') about an expert on body language and facial expressions who is capable of detecting deception in people. It is quite an interesting TV series, the fact that it borders on science and crime solving, something along the lines of CSI.

I personally am not sure if this series will last long, mainly because it is centered on a group of people who are able to detect emotions based on body language and facial expressions of the people they meet and interrogate. The storylines have been interesting thus far. It is only in its fifth episode in the States and I am not too far behind... *wink*

If you have always been fascinated by the art of reading people, this is the show to watch. I DO wonder, though, if it will make me more skeptical of people. Hmm...

I'm Blue (I Would Beat Up A Guy!)...

No, not really going to beat up a guy... Almost, maybe... but that's another story altogether.

I've decided to give up on the second half of my 2008 recap because I got too swamped with life to even have time to sit down and regroup my thoughts.

Feeling a little blue lately...

Maybe because someone's been missing in my life for the past month and 5 more months ahead...

Or maybe because my 1-year-old baby of a car got knocked by an errant (well, idiotic would be a harsher word) driver and he still hasn't forked out the money for the repairs of my side view mirror (and by the looks of it, it doesn't seem like he will)...

Hmm...

Then again, I feel thankful that I have won a few contests here and there... Tiny ones, but the cash prizes do help. (especially for the aforementioned repairs!)

I'm also feeling a little bit more adventurous in the kitchen these days. Feeling like I want to cook up a storm but not quite sure I am capable of cleaning up the mess in the aftermath. Yikes!

Wishful thinking, I guess...