when things happen...

Things are always happening around us, both good and bad. Some of these things we can control and some we cannot. We can plan our lives as much as we like, but when these things happen, those plans are at times left in tatters and you really don't know what to do because that's what you have planned for. Then you start looking for a plan B, but that ain't always easy to do, especially when you've had your heart set on plan A.

Well you know these things happen, and you just have to move on with your life. Well I'm not saying plan A wont go ahead, but the way things are at the moment, it doesn't seem like to be the case. At the end of the day, everything happens for a reason and I know my life has been planned out, so really, there's nothing I should be worried about. Feels good to have let that all out. [/rant]

Well guess who's back in the winners circle? Urawa defeated Vissel Kobe over the weekend 2-0, with goals to Edmilson and Takahara. It's good to see Takahara back in some form. Rumors have it that he's looking to go back to Europe, which I think will be a good thing for the Reds. We have a lot of attacking options at the moment, especially when it comes to the youngsters that should be given a go. Haraguchi & Yamada (Naoki) has been playing well this season, and there's still Umesaki to come back in. Then there's also Escuardo who's been used sparingly this season and Ponte as well coming back from injury.So by saying that, I hope Takahara's form continues and he will attract clubs from Europe.

want or need...

What I want isn't always what I need, but I seem to always make an excuse to get what I want because I make it out as it is a need. Confusing isn't it? Well that's what I try to do a lot of the time to get what I want. I know one thing is for sure; sometimes I need to stop myself from getting what I want all the time. I am at times a spoilt little boy, one of my friends has always said I've grown up with a silver spoon, but I don't think that is entirely true. I know I've worked hard to get where I am, and been blessed immensely along the way. I do tend to spoil myself a lot of the time, but I think it's time I start looking at the bigger picture.

I know I need to be a lot more wiser with my spending and not be as careless because it's no longer just me. Down the line there are things that I really should start saving for; like for example a house.I know that the first house I, I mean we buy, isn't going to be like the above, but to save, you have to start somewhere right? It's something I need to start doing. But it's easier said then done, which is why I'm blessed to have an awesome life partner, together I'm sure anything is possible!

my dream raysir...

Well most guys has always had a dream car, whether it's a Ferrari, Lamborghini, Porsche, Aston Martin or something along those lines, guys have a car that they dream about. For me I've always been a general fan of cars, but never really had a "dream" car as such. I do like the Porsche 911 GT3 RS, the Lamborghini Gallardo and I've always been a fan of the BMW M3. But lately there has been one car that I do like above the rest. The Bentley Continental GT. I've been fortunate enough to have driven one, and the sound of the engine is amazing! The styling of the Continental GT isn't as out there as lets say the Gallardo, but it has that classic elegant look with a modern touch.

Now I've just found out that there is a new Continental coming out. The Bentley Continental Supersports. The car looks amazing! Take a look for yourself.The Specs are also pretty amazing. The car is powered by a 6L twin-turbocharged engine (the Bentley W12) which produces 621bhp capable of 0-60mph in 3.7 seconds and 0-100mph in 8.9 seconds. More information can be found here.

Dreaming one day that the number plate [RAY-51R] will be on a Bentley Continental Supersports. I guess that's why they call them dream cars.

what next...

So there always comes a time when you ask this question and I think a lot of the times I ask this I don't really have the answer for it. You know that at times you want something more, but for that to happen you need to wait your time. Then you start to wonder what if there is a better oppertunity out there for me that I'm missing out on?

As humans we always want what we want now. I think its just natural, but we really need to wait for the "right time", which is sometimes hard to fathom. We always want to get from point A to point B the quickest we can, but then what next.

One of the things I really need to learn, actually a lot of people need to learn is to be patient. In life we don't need to rush things, it all has it's own time and everything always happens for a reason. Not the easiest thing to do aye?

One a different note, there has been rumors that Bojan has been linked to a move away from Barca. Now I really hope this doesn't happen; for several reasons. First reason is a selfish reason, I just got Barca's 09/10 jersey from Tokyo and it's got #11 Bojan on the back, so if he leaves the jersey would look quiet stupid. The second reason is that I really do see Bojan as the future of Barca. Bojan and Pique are the future of Barcelona!

missing tokyo...

Having been back for a week, I still long to be back in Tokyo. I guess working everyday since being back doesn't help, but this is what made the one week fling in Tokyo what it was; an awesome week! I think to be honest with you I don't think I can live in Tokyo, maybe that's because of the lack of Japanese I can speak (which I am slowly trying to learn), but it's something I wouldn't mind doing.

I think if I had the chance to live there for at least two months, I should be able to pick up the language. The only trouble I do for see is my job, which requires me to converse with people. Thinking of my "career" is another thing for now.

It's good to be back in Sydney, my home, but right now I wish I could be back in Tokyo, eating the food, living up the life and go back to using public transport!

take two...

Transformers - Revenge of the Fallen is definitely an awesome movie. I really did have high expectations for the movie, which actually made me scared that the movie would end up being a let down. Actually one of the thing that excited me about the movie is that my favorite Transformer, Sideswipe, is going to be in the movie.And you know what, the movie met my expectation and then some. A big thanks has got to go out to my beautiful Ci who suggested to watch it today, another brilliant idea!

Funny thing, after watching the movie we decided to go for a Macca's drive through for dinner. We placed our orders, went to the window, no one was there. Went to the next window and waited, until someone asked us what we ordered and then was asked to go around the drive through again! When we did go through the second time, the service was still horrible! The good thing was that the Crispy Chicken snack wrap was nice and that it filled my tum tum.

so this is now...

Well it seems that I'm back into the swing of things at work & Tokyo seems like a distant memory. Well I've had 5 days back at work and still 4 more days of work before I get my 2 days off. 9 days of work to only get 2 days off, that sounds like a fair deal yeah? Wait till you hear the next part; after the two days off I'm rostered on for 11 straight days. Crazy huh? Well I am really hoping to get that changed!

You know I think for me, this is one of the worst feelings you can feel. The feeling that your holiday was a week ago and now you have to grind it at work for months before your next holiday. Ok, so it probably isn't as bad of a feeling as I make it out to be, but it's def something I do not enjoy!

But the one thing I got to say is that working these crazy stretches is def. worth it. That one week of Tokyo with my Ci is so worth it. It's not just about where we went, but rather what she did. Spending that one week with my Ci def. confirmed alot of things.

One last thing, this post seems so doom and gloom, but over the weekend Urawa was defeated by Yokohama F Marinos 2-0. After a good run in the Nabisco Cup, it seems as though we are struggling back in the league. Come on Urawa!

# 22 Yuki Abe

the food...

How can anyone not like Japanese food? It's just awesome! You know as they say, pictures speak louder then words. So here they are;

Japanese Fast Food - Sukiyaki beef

Bento Box @ Saitama Stadium 2002

Takoyaki

Sushi @ Tsukiji Sushi Sen

There are two places missing. The first is, in my opinion at least, the BEST ramen I have ever had! I'm talking about Ichiran ramen. The second is the Mon Cher Ton Ton restaurant at Roppongi; a Tepanyaki restaurant which serves Kobe (Wagyu) beef.

the game...

This was my main reason on going over to Tokyo. The final match day in the Yamazaki Nabisco Cup. Urawa Red Diamonds need a win to progress to the next stage of the competition, anything less will result in the Reds to being eliminated. The opponents; their cross town rivals Omiya Ardija.The end result was a 6-2 victory to the Reds. The goal scorers were Naoki Yamada, Edmilson (2), Naohiro Takahara, Genki Haraguchi & Nobuhisa Yamada, with Haraguchi's goal being the pick of the bunch, it was a cracker of a goal (see below).

It was good to see Naoki Yamada and Genki Haraguchi joined in the starting line-up for this match by another youngster; Takuya Nagata. All three had a good game, with Nagata setting up Edmilson's second goal.
I couldn't have asked for a better birthday present!

Click here for more pictures of the game.

back down under...

Well after a week, my fling with Tokyo is over and I am back in Sydney. I will try and give a day by day account of what I did (that's with time permitting), but right now all I can say is that I had an awesome time over there; I over ate and over spent.

Again a big thank you again to my beautiful Ci who made it all happen. You are the best!

all packed and ready to go...

Wow, so the day has finally arrived. It's almost 1:30am I'm still awake. Actually I'm abit too excited to sleep & besides I have to be up in about 2 hours, so I might as well stay up right? Well I might just finish this blog and try to catch at least 2 hours of sleep.

Okies my final check before I head off to Lala land before heading of to the land of the rising sun. Alright I think I am now set to go! Hopefully I'll be able to blog abit whilst in Tokyo, but if not, see you all in a week!

ready, set...

Not really ready or set to go yet and I'm leaving in less then 24 hours. Yet as I say this I still have time to blog. Funny that aye? That's besides the point though, there is always time to blog. So this time tomorrow I'll be somewhere between Sydney & Tokyo.

But between now and then I need to go and exchange some money, get some Aussie chocolates/stuff for Yuki and pack my bags. That doesn't sound like a lot of things to do yeah? Have I forgotten something?

the bro code...

"Everyone's life is governed by an internal code of conduct. Some call it morality, others call it religion. But Bro's in the know call this holy grail the Bro Code."

You know there's ever only been one bro who seems to always be there for me, a Bro who has stuck by me through thick and thin, a Bro who's always been a reliable Wingman. We go through our phases in life but this Bro always seems to be apart of mine. He is also responsible for giving me this book for my b'day; more then a week late of cause but as they say it's better late then never. So to my bro this is for you.

It's going to be Legen...wait for it...dary!

I'm so excited...

So now there's only one more game in the Yamazaki Nabisco Cup, this weekend 13Jun. The stage has been set; Urawa Red Diamonds need a win to progress to the next stage of the competition, anything less will result in the Reds to being eliminated. The opponents; Omiya Ardija. The stage; Saitama Stadium 2002.

I can't wait because I'll be there in the crowd cheering on the Reds.

something blue...

Well since that I've done my so called "shopping list" I was going to make my Ci a "shopping list" to give her ideas of what she could get whilst we're at Azzurro Nero; but I'm unable to do so because I'm unable to copy the pictures to paste on to this page. Well since I can't put up a proper "shopping list" for my Ci of what she can get at Azzurro Nero, I thought I'd introduce everyone to Fronta Kun & Reddia. So who are these somewhat cute creatures? They are the club mascot for Kawasaki Frontale and Urawa Red Diamonds respectively.

Now I've been raving and ranting about the Urawa Red Diamonds throughout these pages, but have only mentioned once or twice about Kawasaki Frontale. So who are the Kawasaki Frontale? They are also a team in the J-League like Urawa but most importantly they are the team the my Ci supports. How did she come about following them? Well one night at Ci's old apartment in Potts Point she decided she did not want to follow Urawa because they where my team and that they're red. So she had a look at all the teams, what each teams colour was, how good the team's jersey looked, how the teams performance has been the past few years and most importantly the team mascot.

At the end of it all, Ci found the least ugly mascot, a team that had the colour blue, a jersey she liked the look of and the performance has been quiet good (Frontale finished runner up the previous season). So that is the story of how Ci began to follow Kawasaki Frontale.

step by step...

What if I stumble, what if I fall,

What if I lose my step and make fools of us all,

Will the love continue when the walk becomes a crawl,
What if I stumble, what if I fall
-DC Talk.

It's amazing sometimes to think where we have come from and where it is that we are going, well where we think we are going anyways. This journey that we are on, to where is it leading us to? I think a lot of the times we focus to much on the destination, the light at the end of the tunnel, our eyes are on the prize that we forget about the actual journey that we are currently on.

I think lately I have been focusing too much on the prize; where's my next promotion, how can I get ahead of the pack, that I forget about the journey that I'm on until it smacks me in the face and you see at the end of the day what really matters. Your job is not your life; there are more important things out there, like your family and friends. You don't identify as to who you are from your accomplishments or your failures. You are who you are, you are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14). I think lately I have forgotten that, with my eyes focused on my career, which isn't a bad thing, but you do need balance in your life and remember what is important to you.

for old time sake...

Noahiro Takahara has scored a goal to lead Urawa Red Diamonds to a 1-0 win over Jubilo Iwata in the Yamazaki Nabisco Cup. Its always good seeing alot of the young fringe players like Shunki Takahashi, Yoshiya Nishizawa and Takuya Nagata receiving playing time.

#33 Shunki Takahashi

Urawa are on top of the table for Group A but has one only one match remaining in the Nabisco Cup against Omiya, depending on how the results go this Sunday for the other teams in Group A (Urawa has a bye), it would make for an interesting game on the 13Jun09 @ Saitama 2002 Stadium. Can't wait for that game, because I'll be there!

my turn to plot and plan...

Well now that all the hard work has been done by my Ci, it is my turn to organise the "finer" details. Well for me it's organising my shopping list and figure out where to eat and when! So after the game on Saturday, there isn't anything planned until we go to Disneyland on Tuesday.

So what do I have planned so far? Not much really; at the moment I just have a shopping list of what I want to buy, how much it is and where. Also I have an idea of where and what I want to eat. Only one that I haven't really figured out yet is finding a Wagyu/Kobe beef restaurant; but that's where the concierge at the hotel comes in to help!

Below is the shopping list I have compiled so far and this is the only things for me, I also have a another list which is a "shopping list" for Ci. As you can see it's mainly Urawa gear; which is one of the main reason's we're going to Japan. Anyways here we go...So there you have it. I have become somewhat of a football nut recently, especially when it come to the J-League and in particular the Urawa Red Diamonds. Anyways that's the shopping list so far, of cause I want to buy a few things from the Modern Amusement store as well as some Oakley gear. This could end up being a very expensive week in Tokyo.

the surprise job...

I've never been good with surprises; especially in organising one or in keeping it a surprise. In receiving one I'm perfect; seriously I wouldn't suspect a thing. You can drop little hints here and there, tell everyone I work with, even tell me and then retract what you said; I wouldn't suspect a thing!

So for my birthday my wonderful Ci decided to fill a little void I have. As you all might know I follow the Urawa Red Diamonds in the J-League, ok i might be obsessed with them. Anyways when I went to Japan at the end of last year, I didn't end up going to watch their games because of various reasons, hence creating a little void, as I've always vowed to be back and watch one of their games. So Ci went about to fill this void and turn it into my birthday present.

So what did my Ci get for me? Well firstly she organised the tickets to the game; she didn't just get me any ordinary tickets, she got me the 'Wonder 3' tickets, which includes "box seating", a lunch pack and gifts (like scarfs, flags etc.). So the ticket were organised, but she didn't have the tickets physically, so she created some "replica tickets" (see below) for me to hold before we pick up the real ones in Japan. She also booked flights over there and back as well as accommodation; but the best part comes next.She went to my boss to organise my annual leave, to which my manager agreed to. They went to the extent of creating a dummy roster so that I wouldn't find out until my birthday! I was wowed to the max; speechless and could not believe my eyes.

Ci, thank you heaps for possibly the best birthday present ever!