Kisah Anak Gen-X: Selamat Tinggal, Jurgen Klopp!

 

Sebaik saja Jurgen Klopp mendarat di Liverpool pada Oktober 2015, penyokong, pemerhati serta pengamal media dunia terus berspekulasi dan bertanya; Mampukah si “Normal One” ini membawa pulang trofi liga ke Anfield selepas kemarau lebih dua dekad? Adakah ini permulaan satu revolusi ala Bill Shankly dan Bob Paisley?

Aku sendiri sangat berhati-hati kerana pernah menonton filem yang sama berulang kali sebelum ini. Harus faham, aku bukan baru menyokong kelab dari Merseyside ini. Aku membesar dengan Liverpool bertakhta sebagai kuasa bola sepak paling dominan di England dan juga Eropah. 

Namun, selepas memenangi kejuaraan liga buat kali ke-18 pada 1990, fasa kekecewaan bermula. Dari setahun menunggu, jadi lima, jadi 10, jadi 15; sehinggalah aku rasakan seolah mahkota liga itu sudah tidak akan kembali ke kabinet trofi Anfield.

Tiga pengurus sebelum Klopp, Brendan Rodgers, Rafa Benitez dan Gerard Houllier, pernah hampir memecahkan badi, tapi semuanya berakhir dengan airmata.

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Jalan-Jalan Kuching 2024

 Ah, it's always good to be back, Cat City!

Coming Soon!

 

Lama tak jumpa Mr Publisher, Faisal of Merpati Jingga. Good discussion yesterday on our book project. Insya Allah, hope to have the book in your hands (hint, hint) by the end of the year. 😃

Mind Blown!

I just had my mind blown. One of my favourite scholars is Ustaz Hakim Murad, who's with the Cambridge Muslim College (which I hope to study at one day, Insya Allah), and also an imam at Cambridge Central Mosque. He's someone EVERYONE should listen to, seriously. Anyway, Ustaz Hakim Murad converted in the late 70s and his christian name was Timothy Winter. And my wife just told me that his brother is actually HENRY WINTER, one of the best football writers ever. MIND. BLOWN.

Food, Glorious Food!: Congrats, Mee Kolok!

Mee Kolok has been gazetted as a National Heritage Food! First time I tasted it was of course when I got posted to Kuching back in 1996. Thought it was only ok lah. Basic noodle dish. Then I was transferred to Miri, and things got serious. 

I started going to this one shop near the market opposite the old Miri Court building and it quickly became a daily routine. I would go with a colleague, the late Brian Bryan Mason, and for variety,  I would alternate between dry and soupy mee kolok. Haha. For a year plus, mee kolok was almost my daily weekday breakfast! 😃 

So, where's my favourite mee kolok now? In Kuching, Kopi o Corner and Bismillah Cafe. In Miri it's Mat Kolok (see picture). And in the Klang Valley, Salted in Mutiara Damansara. Nyaman!