Ocean...

...Deep!

Well, not really.

The estuary of the Terengganu River is not that deep, even to the extend that a F36 Monsoon Cup yacht could run aground if it sails too near to the shore. How does mad redo1 know all this?

He just competed in the Heritage Bay Cup, The Monsoon Cup 2010 Edition with his Team AG:eing.

mad redo1 is not a sailor and he never intend to become one during his childhood years. But since the annual Monsoon Cup tour came to town in 2005 it has been his ambition to get himself onto the boat.

Last year was the closest when someone offered him the chance to ride with the competitors during the race but due to his 'busy' schedule, he only got to shoot pictures of the race from the balcony of the Marina building.

Then when mad redo1 received this call, he did not have to think twice and within a day a crew of seven was assembled. Taking into consideration the average age of the crews (39.3 years old) thus the name Team AG:eing was adopted.

A set of sailing attire was ordered and printed with the name of the team and the crew, at a very low cost, thanks to the sponsorship by the print-shop owner himself who then delivered the shirts on the very next day after confirming the order.

Anybody wishing to get a good deal on uniforms/shirts or other items can get in touch with ABB Jaya Enterprise via e-mail: abbjaya_05@yahoo.com or contact the manager: Encik Anuar at 013-927-1418. The business already has a good reputation in kT.

On Friday, the crew assembled at The Ri-Yaz Heritage Marina and after a briefing by Mr David Mills, the Programme Facilitator, Team AG:eing took to the water on a F36 boat under the tutelage of Miss Ai-Li and Miss Anushka. Of course it was just a short with just over an hour for these ageing brains to absorb all the information needed in order to compete later in the afternoon.

Then it was time for Friday Prayers.

The race time could not come soon enough for the crew. Despite having a few butterflies in the stomach everybody was in an upbeat mood. After Mr Mills had given the racing brief, everybody headed out to the marina and this time everyone seemed to know their job.

Linda a.k.a. Mrs Birch had taken the role of the skipper while mad redo1 a.k.a. The Birch would be the Bowman. These roles put both of them at different ends of the boat. Nizam or more more affectionately known as Kulat had volunteered for the role of the Mast-man while the rest of the crew namely Abu, Hilmi a.k.a. Mat Ming, Enal and Eskay became trimmers and grinders for port and starboard sides respectively.

The weather was similar to the monsoon which made us more excited with the challenge.

Race One was done on a Windward Leeward Course and after a few tacking and jiving we surprised ourselves by coming in at third place. Not bad, not bad at all for a crew of beginners.

Unfortunately for Race Two which was done on a Trapezoid Course, our advisor 'seemed' to be misjudging the distance in getting to the starting line in time for the start of the race. As a result we were already 15 seconds behind the rest of the pack. It was not a recoverable distance and Team AG:eing finished last.

For Race Three which returned to the Windward Leeward Course we timed our start almost perfectly and despite going in different direction from the rest of the pack it seemed that we were still in a good position to at least finish at least among the top four of this race.

Unfortunately several 'questionable advices' threw us off the pace and after hitting a buoy which induced a penalty, Team AG:eing really looked the age as we finished last again. Thus the two last finishes put paid to our hopes of not finishing last of the pack.

The sailing bugs certainly have bitten us hard and we are certainly looking forward to competing again in the next edition of the Heritage Bay Cup.

Watch out world, Team AG:eing is coming at you again!

By the way the Heritage Bay Cup was won by the Ri-Yaz Sailing Team.



...

Worthwhile Trip...

...Football Wise it is Not.

The trip to Alor Setar to watch the second leg match between Terengganu and Kedah is on irrespective of the result in kT. It turns out to be a fine balance for both team after the first leg finishes in a 2-2 scoreline, giving the Canaries the advantage on away goals rule. They just need to hold out for for a 1-1 scoreline or less to advance to the last four.

For Ganu fans, the belief that their team still have the capabilities to battle against the odds is still there and waiting for them in the last four is arch-rival Kelantan who have bundled out 2010 Super League Champions, Selangor with an impressive 3-0 scoreline a day earlier in Kota Bharu.

The trip which is supposed to start after the Subuh prayer has been brought forward to an hour before midnight. mad redo1 is not really fond of night driving due to his inability to keep his eyes open to drive all the way to the Kedah capital, with the challenging East-West Route awaits.

But you have to do what you have to for the sake of the traveling party.

So with a prayer mad redo1 takes the wheel of Ms TAT, the Perodua Viva belonging to the most passionate female Ganu supporter, Ummi Munira. The departure time is around midnight and just ten minutes before two the party reaches Machang. The traffic is very smooth.

After picking up an item in Machang and filling up the tank of Ms TAT the real journey begins. The last time mad redo1 drove through this route was when the AKSARA were coming back from their trip to Taiping and Penang in 2008. The only concern now is whether he will be able to keep his eyes open, at least until they reach Grik.

Surprisingly, he can. Two and half hours after leaving Machang, he pulls up at a Mamak 24 hours restaurant in Grik. After a dose of teh tarik and two roti telur bawang he just could not keep it up anymore and leaves the driving to another guy. Then another stop in Baling for Subuh prayers and he just dozes off right until right before they enter Alor Setar.

By this time the sun has already risen and at quarter past eight they pull up into the Darul Aman Stadium parking lot. Another hearty breakfast for mad redo1, this time his choice is roti planta.

The last time he was in Kedah, it was for an assignment at the Alor Setar and Sungei Petani hospitals in 1996. During that time, there was not much time to do any sight-seeing to the extent he did not even get to go to the famous Pekan Rabu.

Well, this time Pekan Rabu is definitely there in mad redo1's agenda. With a lot of time to spare before the ticket counter opens they set off with Ummi's friend from Kedah acting as the tour guide. Thanks to her mad redo1 manages to complete his assignment of buying 'Sepat Pekasam' for his roomey.

The rest of the day is spent sleeping and resting at a inn in PJ2, Jitra.

Then the time for the match arrives. Parking is certainly a nightmare everywhere if it is a high profile like this, and for Kedah it is no exception. We park Ms TAT at a housing estate and walk to the stadium.

With no ticket in hand mad redo1 hopes to find a fellow e-fans photog to enable him to get into the stadium. Luckily he bumps into a HKC member who will be snapping photos of the match too.

Being his first experience at the Darul Aman, it is certainly understandable why it is quite an intimidating arena for the visiting team. The noise created by the Green & Yellow army certainly enable them to become the twelfth man for the home side.

mad redo1 certainly not going to delve into details of the match which ends with The Turtles suffering their fourth defeat to Kedah this season. The 3-0 scoreline makes it 5-2 on aggregate and there would not be much argument about the result among Ganu fans, who seem to be in agreement that much need to be done by the management in order to make a meaningful challenge for honours next season.

The journey back to kT is pretty quiet and mad redo1 only lasts around Baling before succumbing to his need for sleep. During the last leg, Ummi takes control of her Ms TAT and having to make it to the office she brings out all her skills and by 10am mad redo1 is safe and sound at home.

It has been a worthwhile trip after all.

...

One Out of Two...

...Not Bad, Not Bad At All

Terengganu secured their place in the last eight of the 2010 Malaysia Cup competition with almost the last kick of their match against Kuala Lumpur at the KLFA Stadium in Cheras last night. Sitting in third place prior to the final Group B match The Turtles began well with skipper Marzuki Yusof heading the visitors in front from a set piece.

However, Kuala Lumpur who were already eliminated from the competition after their defeat against Pahang on Wednesday decided not to make it easy for Irfan Bakti's boys. They leveled the score early in the second half and despite creating a host of chances Terengganu simply could not find the way past the stubborn home defence.

With Pahang and Sabah tied at 1-1 in Kuantan, Terengganu were facing elimination from the competition which they have managed to qualify for the semi-finals in the last two seasons. Then the Malaysian Super League topscorer, Ashaari Shamsuddin stepped up his game and with time ticking away, unleashed a powerful shot that gave KL goalkeeper no chance.

Cue pandemonium on the terraces where many Ganu fans had gathered to give their support for their beloved Turtles. Unfortunately the same cannot be said with the scenario in Kuala Terengganu where T-Team were facing Felda United.

The Terengganu club-side needed to win big against the 2010 Premier League Champions while hoping for Selangor to win their match against Perlis in Kangar. In the outset, it seemed like an impossible situation.


They began well though and threatened Zainal Rabin's goal early on. Unfortunately they could not maintain the momentum and the match turned into a bore for the spectators, a feeling that was reflected by the lifeless drum beating by the T-Team supporters.

The pace only picked up in the second half but it took a huge error by the Felda United defence which opened up the space for Mohd Haris Safwan to score and put T-Team in the lead. However, the lead only lasted for three minutes when the home side goalkeeper, Ismail Abdul Rahman made a rash challenge on a Felda United player.

The referee had no option but to award a penalty to Felda United. It was duly converted and the 1-1 score remained till the final whistle. If only they showed more composure and creativity they could have overhauled Perlis which were beaten 2-0 by The Red Giants, thus creating history by having two Terengganu teams for the first time in the Malaysia Cup quarter finals.

Alas, it was not meant to be. Now all support will be channeled to Terengganu team which will take on one of their bogey teams in Kedah in the last eight. The first leg will be on 12-10-2010 in Kuala Terengganu with the return leg in Alor Setar four days later.


C'mon Turtles!


...

Crucial...

...Week for The Turtles

After watching their team finishing third in the Malaysian Super League, Terengganu fans could be forgiven for expecting their beloved Turtles would breeze through the Malaysia Cup group which consist of East Coast neighbour Pahang, Sabah and Kuala Lumpur.

But after finishing the first round of play, the seeded team is still winless with just a point on board after losing both their home matches so far. The 3-1 defeat in the East Coast Derby during the opening match just a few days after Aidil-Fitri left the home crowded stunned, after all Terengganu have done the double over them in the Super League.

Then they traveled to Kota Kinabalu to play The Rhinos. On a rain-soaked pitch they staged a great comeback from being two goal down to snatch a point from the home team. When the players trooped out to face Kuala Lumpur in Kuala Terengganu a few days later many would have thought it would be the starting point to get the Malaysia Cup campaign on track again.

However luck and to a certain extent the referee decisions seemed to conspire against The Turtles. Three deflections from a dubious free-kick awarded to the City Boys led to the only goal of the match.

Terengganu are now propping up the table led by Pahang which already amassed six points from their two wins. Sabah are unbeaten but could only muster a single win to sit in second place while Kuala Lumpur are third. The only chance for the Ganu boys to progress further in the competition is to win all their matches in the second which starts on Sunday and hope other results will go their way too.

It is a hard task but not an impossible one.

In contrast with Terengganu, T-Team are in a good position to qualify to the knock-out stage from their group which consist of Super League champions; Selangor, the Northern Lions Perlis and Premier League champions Felda United.

After suffering a 3-1 defeat at Shah Alam against the Red Giant many would have thought the club side would struggle for the rest of the campaign. But Che Ku Marzuki's boys picked themselves up to thrash Perlis in the next match 4-0 before registering their second win with a 2-1 win over Felda United in Cheras.

T-Team should be confident enough to qualify for their first ever Malaysia Cup quarter-finals and a win against group leader Selangor on Sunday will enhance that feeling further.

For this Ganu football fan, mad redo1 wishes the best of luck to both Terengganu and T-Team and pray for their success and bring back the much missed Malaysia Cup back to Terengganu again.

Come on Turtles!

...