164

Ajax was so close but in the end, it was so far. In the final minutes, while I was watching Manchester United’s dying moment, Tomasson scored a goal and thus ending all Ajax’s dreams.
Nevertheless, I hope this is a beginning of new golden age for Ajax. We lost yes but there is always next year.
You’ve lost Ajax but Hup Ajax hup! A job well done. I stand here saluting you, wishing De Magish van de Arena to be a reality as De Magish van de Meer was.

163

This is it. Today, in a matter of a few hours, Ajax will be up against its traditional foe in the European arena in San Siro. The match between Ajax and AC Milan has always been a matter of champion. During their first meeting, AC Milan defeated Ajax in order to win the European Cup. In 1995, Ajax beat AC Milan and as a result, Ajax was crowned as the king of European football.
The current Ajax is a mirror of itself in 1995; an underdog, young but impressive players and a mediocre club in term of financial meaning relative to the name of Real Madrid and Manchester United. Van de Vaart and Zlatan remind the Ajacied of Kluivert and Overmars, Chivu of Frank de Boer. Nobody had suspected Ajax to go on and win the European Cup back in 1995 but they defied the odd and went on to steal the spotlight from the Italian giant. Jari Litmanen will certainly remember the night when he lifted the trophy as an Ajacied. I only hope he will relive that night again, this year wearing the same jersey if not the same number.
That was back in 1995, about seven years ago. What was a blessing turned out as a curse. Later after winning the Cup, Ajax went downhill as its players and the then coach, van Gaal, left the team.
Now, in 2003, Ajax will again face AC Milan but this time, it’s not the final but it is the quarterfinal that will lead to the semifinal and eventually the final itself. Between these two rivals, between the teenager idealist and the elite, only one will be allowed to continue on dreaming of conquering the world. And if Ajax manages to dream on further at the expense of the Italian, let us just pray that the dream won’t be turned into another nightmare.
In any case, Ajax main goal is to reach the quarterfinal. The objective is complete and so, losing this particular match is not going to be a disappointment, at least not as disappointing when Ajax lost to Inter Milan twice during the group match. But to win, to win against one of European aristocrat will be sweet indeed. Imagine, seeing Inter Milan again after this in the semifinal, it is going to be a déjà vu. In 1995, Ajax met AC Milan during the group stage only to meet AC Milan again in the final. In 2002, Ajax met Inter Milan in the group stage and will meet Inter again if AC is beaten. I hope the déjà vu will work its charm.
Ajax, whether you win or lose, I will always be with you. Since when have I left you?
I shed tear with you in 1996. I didn’t leave you when Kluivert left. I stayed with you when the de Boer brothers when said goodbye to de Meer. I stood beside you when we heard van Gaal was heading to Barcelona. I celebrated with you when we were avenged against Feyenoord and PSV. I am still with you here and I will be with you when you fight against the Italian again. I will never leave you.
Hup Ajax Hup!

162

HAPPY EARTH DAY.
Like what Greenpeace has always said, it's time to take back the planet.

161

Right now, I am just less than an hour worth of game time away from my second ship, the admirable Griffin class freighter.
After weeks of playing Eve: The Second Genesis, all those patience, hours of mining the rare omber ore, running from both the authorities and the pirates, and even the patience of waiting for slow docking procedure is finally paying off. All I need now is 20k more credits and then, Griffin will be mine.
Griffin is a good freighter designed by the Caldarian engineers and it cost exactly 320 000 worth of credits. This is roughly a product of 4 200 refined ombers. Once I have the Griffin, all the pirates are going to lick my ass.
If you are unfamiliar with the Caldari and the Griffin, I am currently a beta tester for Eve: The Second Genesis, a game produced by a company from Iceland named CCP. It has been in the beta stage for almost a year and I joined the testing team around the eighth stage of testing and that was back in February.
The game is basically massive online role playing game (a.k.a. morpg, a relatively new genre in the gaming world) cum a real time strategy game and has the same basic concept as Earth and Beyond. You are in control of one ship at first and your main objective is to make money. In the world of Eve, it is all about money. Money motivates almost everything, much as in real life.
Currently, there are four main races which the players can choose from. In the final version however, another race will be added. Each race has its own advantages and disadvantages and it depends what role the players wants to be; a miner, a trader, a pirate, a CEO or anything. The options are simply a lot if not endless.
There many ways to make money. The easiest way is to mine resources and there are a variety of resources that can be mined. The only place where the resources can be found is at the asteroid field, or the roids as the Eve testers are calling it. Nevertheless, the precious ores can only be mined at far away roids and usually, there are pirates that guard the field. Another way is to trade items from one system to the next. Looting is an option but Taking up a bounty hunting or courier mission provide attractive amount of credits. Although the mentioned methods are the major ways to earn credits, each new patch for the beta tester seems to bring more alternatives. The latest addition is the stock market. The market coding has not been implemented by the programming team at CCP but it will be interesting to see how corporations will wage a war through the stock market instead of the conventional means with missiles and stuff.
The choices are endless simply because the Eve universe is simply huge. In a system, there are usual an average of five to ten stations and each offers different items for the players. Not only that, each system is part of a constellation which typically contains up somewhere around seven systems and that constellation itself is part of a region. At the same time, a few constellations build up a region. And the best thing is there is countless number of regions. Of course it is not an infinite count but any sane people certainly wouldn’t count the number of leaf on a tree. To demonstrate the shear size of the universe, once during a test run, there were 4 servers running and each server has the ability to serve more and 2 000 players all at once.
The eye catcher for this game is the game play graphic. In GameSpot, the reviewer was even surprised after knowing that a beautiful graphic was actually game play graphic rather than a CGI for the plot’s film. Another interesting fact about this game is the ability for the player to create a unique face for the player’s character.


A screenshot of me docking on a station orbiting a water planet.

This game will be the new Everquest. Instead of calling it Eve: The Second Genesis, it will be Eve: The Second Crack. And of course, the first gaming crack is Evercrack (reads Everquest for the illiterate).
For more information, visit Eve Online.

p/s - Fucking Blogger won't display the correct format. Go to www.eve-online.com manually instead of following the above link.
p/s 2 - Fucking Blogger's problem is now solved although the current command I am using is supposedly to be fucking wrong.
p/s 3 - There is too much fucking pressure. One more fucking annoying n00b gonna make me fucking crack. Especially the fucking n00b teammate that threw a fucking nade in front of me. I was fucking mad at that fucking n00b for taking 90% of my fucking hp. I fucking gave him a fucking headshot with a fucking shot gun immediately after my blood shot up to my fucking brain. FUCKING n00b!!! I am so fucking mad that I am gonna fucking hack some fucking ppl with some fucking nick on MSN. Better not do some fucking nick on your fucking IM if you don't want your fucking C drive to be fucking wiped out. Do you hear me you fucking n00b? DO HEAR ME FUCKING |\|00b?!?!?!?!!?!?
p/s 4 - That feels fucking good. Ah...
p/s 5 - This is way too much profanity. Sigh...
p/s 6 - Screw you guys, I'm going home. Er...wrong phrase.
p/p/s - UNCLE FUCKA!!!
Shut your fucking face uncle fucka
You're a cock sucking ass licking uncle fucka
You're an uncle fucka, yes its true
Nobody fucks uncles quite like you
Shut your fucking face uncle fucka
You're the one that fucked your uncle, uncle fucka
You dont eat or sleep or mow the lawn,
You just fuck your uncle all day long
Hmm!
What's going on here?
Oooooooooooooooooooooooh
Fucker fucker uncle fucka fucka fucka fucka fucka
Shut your fucking face uncle fucka uncle fucka
You're a boner biting bastard uncle fucka
You're an uncle fucka I must say
Well you fucked your uncle yesterday
Uncle fucka... thats
U-N-C-L-E fuck you
Uncle Fuckaaaaaaaaaaaaa
tonight...

160

I met my economics yesterday and she recommends me to take up Statistics with Economics. This is going to get ugly, really ugly.

Anyway, Michigan failed to prevail over Minnesota for the NCAA Hockey and Red Wings lost to the Mighty Ducks. Now, I must admit that I don’t really follow NHL as much as I would want to but I know losing to the Mighty Duck is embarrassing.
Well, at least Ajax still has a chance against AC Milan next week. After reading and seeing match highlights and reports, Ajax surprising dominated up to 60% of the game. I was expecting Milan to show Ajax who is he boss but apparently, Ajax is not a whipping boy. I won’t be expecting Ajax to advance to the semifinals but with Ajax current form, I am willing to raise my bet on them.
In the Eresdivisie, Koeman is optimistic that Ajax still can overrun PSV but personally, I say Koeman is too optimistic. If I were Ajax’s chairman, I would advice Koeman to concentrate on the second place and on the Champions’ League.
Onward to the British Isles, the match of the season, Arsenal – Manchester United ended in a draw. In any case, Arsenal has the upper hand right now. However, the advantage will quickly evaporate if Arsenal loses any one of its final game. Manchester United on the other hand needs to win all its last games if they want to keep up the pressure on the Gunners.

159

If I were given a chance to choose in when and where I would be born in, there are four options that I would seriously consider. The first period of course would be right now, anywhere in the first world nations where technology reigns supreme. Next in line would be in southern Europe during the Renaissance. Thirdly, anywhere in the Islamic civilization from the Abbasid’s rule till the Umayyad Andalusia’s days and finally during the classical era in Athens or Rome.
I wouldn’t choose any place in the new world during the ancient times simply because the culture there was too barbaric and thus living even the most decent life will be almost impossible. Ancient Egypt and the Mesopotamian (or the Persian) are also out of the equation because, although their architectural feats were impressive, the Greek and Roman provide a far more interesting scenario. Finally, I wouldn’t live in Chinese Empire realm because they were technically and geographically deprived from contact with any other powerful civilization and thus lack the excitement that Athens, Rome, Alexandria, Cairo, Damascus and Baghdad enjoyed.
The first thing that I will explain is my choice on the modern world.
Why anyone wouldn’t want to live anywhere in a first world country today? All life’s possibilities are here and today. Information and wealth are excessively abundant. The distance between one point to another are nothing but physical. We could virtually reach the other side of planet in mere minutes. The internet has made our life easier in almost every means necessary. All we need to do is order a delicious pizza or an ATi Radeon 9700 Pro over the net and then wait for the pizza boy or postal service to deliver it right to your front door. Read what is happening in Baghdad today while you are sitting comfortably in front of a high end computer with an instant black coffee on your side to start the beautiful day during the warm greenly spring. Go to classes or offices or in matter of fact, anywhere with modern day transportation. It doesn’t how, by the tires, cruise all the way across the pacific or airborne; you will get there eventually (provided the wallet is thick of course). Food are plentiful and not to mention delicious. People are friendly or at least polite. Hack, this is heaven on Earth baby. There are some problems though like Osama bin Laden and getting a bad score for an engineering course exam but hey, life is a risk and we all will die sooner or later. If you think too much of the risk, you might as well commit suicide now.
On the other hand, life during the Renaissance would be interesting indeed. Trade was on its peak and kingdoms were starting to send out expedition to find land in order to find new profitable trade routes. Wealth was starting to build up and culture was enjoying rejuvenation like it had never seen before. Be in the court of kings and see how their recklessness changed the world. Be in Seville and Lisbon and look out for Columbus, Diaz or Magellen. Or better set foot in Pisa and Venice and see how Michelangelo polished up his name. At the same time, listen the argument Galileo made against Church and quietly laugh at the Church illogical counter arguments against a single man revolutionized modern astronomy. Life was a high profile drama back then. At the same time, enjoy the mythical stories of the oriental and read the scientific works of Muslim scholars during the golden age of Islam.
One will wonder how the Renaissance was achieved and eventually will look in the direction of the desert during the day when Islam ruled supremacy in all areas. Be in ancient Damascus and Baghdad and see how Islam saved the world, the European in particular by preserving the classical Greek works and further refined it. Make yourself present in the House of Wisdom that was established by Harun al-Makmun and be marveled at the collection of books before it was destroyed by the ravaging Mongol armies. See also how they transferred the art of paper making from China through the Silk Road to the other part of the world and used to for their own advancement. At the same time, be amazed at how they integrated the modern numerical system into theirs, abandoning the abacus and thus enabling scholars making steps further in the field of Mathematics. Look at how the great Persian and Byzantium Empire crumbled under the might of the Muslim army. Wonder at how the Crusaders managed to conquer Jerusalem and see Saladin reconquered the holy city of Religions of the Book. Listen to the stories concerning the struggle between Richard the Lionheart and Saladin. And finally, be in Alhambra to experience the height of Islam in Cordova and Granada, the one place that became the genesis point of European supremacy.
If that doesn’t impress you, sure being side by side, or least living during the times of Julius Caesar, Mark Anthony, Brutus and Marcus Aurelius or with Alexander the Great and Plato himself makes you shudder. See how Caesar and Anthony fell in love with Cleopatra or be in front of the Roman Senate and hear to Mark Anthony when he said “Friends, Romans or Countrymen!” out loud after the assassination of a great person that changed a republic into a despotism and inevitably a monarchy. If you like the dead tree edition, then delve by yourself in the Great Library of Alexandria and enjoy the wisdom of the ancient world or see yourself the construction of the ancient Lighthouse of Alexandria, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.
Damn I love history.

158

I found that this is outrageously funny.

157

Rumi's Mathnawi. Beautiful piece of work.

From love, bitter things become sweet,
From love, copper becomes gold,
From love, the dregs become pure,
From love, pains become medicine,
From love, the dead are made alive,
From love, kings are made slaves...

156b

Once when I was small, I'd read this one book published by Reader’s Digest. It was a book with black, hard cover. I couldn’t remember what the book was about but it had a picture with the Sphinx covered with snow. Seeing Egypt covered in snow is impossible back then that even I who was a nothing but a kid dismissed the picture as an impossibility. Now however, seeing the scenario in the real world is not really science fiction. Cairo may well be seeing snow if the climate continues to change as drastically as it is now.
Ann Arbor has the reputation as a town with notorious winter. All people that I’ve known off always sigh about spending the wintertime in the Tree Town. Upon hearing all the complaints and the sorts, I had waited my first winter in Michigan complete with almost all the winter gears. Later, turned out that my first winter was not so bad at all and I pushed all the words I had heard before as merely exaggeration. Yet, I heard chatters among the local residents on how that winter was fairly easy compared to past years.
This year winter, the truth is now known. The snow fell but it was late. But it fell anyway with a vengeance. By the time it took a halftime break, the snow was more than ankle’s deep. After halftime was up, the snow fell again well into February. By that time, the snow in some parts of Arboretum was groin’s deep.
February passed slowly and winter with it, or so it seemed. March was pretty much getting warmer although it was still cold by any standard. Then, on St. Patrick Day, the Sun finally came up and everybody declared spring was here to stay. Unfortunately, right after the warm green St. Patrick, God decided, let it be snow rather than light and the next thing I knew, the snow was ankle’s deep again.
Afterward, April sets in so did spring, or so it seemed again. The temperature was still below the 20s nevertheless (and this I mean degree in Fahrenheit of course).
Currently. the Sun is high up the sky and it is tempting to go outside and smell the spring air. Today is spring indeed but it is going to snow again tomorrow, like it was yesterday.
To some people, this might be God’s way of playing enjoying April Fool’s. Like how Nue put it, I was dumbed.
If snow in spring is not impossible, then snow is Egypt is possible too sooner or later.
This is the reason why we need to change our mind set. We cannot continue to pollute when the result of pollution is right in the air that we breathe. How much longer do we need to be convinced that something is wrong?
True that climatic change might be just a natural cycle but how much more living evidences do we need to see in order us to be convinced that we are actually accelerating the cycle?
How much longer do we need to confirm that global warming is being accelerated and in turn causing the climatic change to be accelerated too?
Will seeing the Sphinx wrapped in snow convince us?
If that so, it might as well be too late for us. By us, I mean you and me. This includes the industrialist and the environmentalist of course.

Anyhow, an April Fool’s joke fooled lots of gullible fools. To Nue, I believe it Poisson d'Avril. ROTFLOL.
Below are the mails behind the April Fool’s joke author and me and with Nue’s pissed and dumbed mail to Mike. The format defers since different email platforms were used. And I DID NOT, I repeat, DID NOT hack into anybody account for this.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On Wed, 2 Apr 2003, Mohd Hafiz Noor Shams wrote:

http://128.84.137.192/2003/US/04/01/deport.muslims/index.html
COOL APRIL FOOL STUFF!!!
I salute you! =)

Wednesday, April 02, 2003 7:58 AM -0500

Heheh, thanks. :) I have a few Muslim friends who fell for it while some
caught it. Happy April Fools!

Cheers,
Mike

On Wed, 2 Apr 2003, Mohd Hafiz Noor Shams wrote:

hey again,
i think one of friends is pissed off and she is thinking of mailing you.
Considering she actually called home and stuff, i imagine her email gonna
be harsh. hehehehheh
Just ignore it hehehehehe.
Damn, i can't stop laughing hahhahahaa.

Wednesday, April 02, 2003 10:40 AM -0500

LOL. One of my friends thought it was HORRIBLE but so funny at the same
time. Her first reaction was "i'm not surprised, bush is a moron" and so
forth. My friend and I were laughing hysterically!

Mike

[I then asked Mike for Nue's mail after knowing that Nue sent an email to him. I lost this copy somehow]

Thursday, April 03, 2003 5:13 PM -0500

Hey, here you go. :) Hehehe.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Wed, 02 Apr 2003 12:38:40 -0800
From: nue abdul <***@eudoramail.com> [I censored the add for privacy reason]
To: *****@*****.shafe.com
Subject: congratulations


---
a nice and productive day is all you need :)

Greetings
I don't think any introduction is necessary
Just know that I am one of your stupid joke victims
A few things to be said,
you made me panic like hell
you made me rethink my future plans and LIFE
you made me actually spread the paranoia
you made me feel like an ass

All in all, although the joke was GOOD and INGENIUS
I just think that the topic is a bit too inappropriate
But then again, gullible me
So keep up the good work
May your other works, work like hell

regards
pissed and dumbed

Date: Wed, 2 Apr 2003 18:14:18
From: Mike Shafer <*****@*****.shafe.com>
To: nue abdul <***@eudoramail.com>

Thank you. :) I'm sorry I had to shut down the page.... the powers that be
didn't find it funny. Oh well. :(

------------------------------------------------------------------------

After all this, Nue demands me to buy her an ice-cream but hey, a really good laugh worth paying an ice cream for somebody.

p/s - The Russian HAS finally put da! server back online. I'd thought it went offline for good, which really scared the crap out of me.