Soccer Saturday: Week 22

Welcome to a new series in Mr. Paokaliao, where we dissect the games happening each week, as well as for those playing Fantasy Leagues (be it through the official site, or other alternate sites) to decide what transfers to make or which players are on form.

First and foremost, I would like to start of with letting everyone know that I am a proud supporter of this club since 12 (that's 14 years and counting)

Yes. Am a Newcastle United Football Club supporter ever since the Alan Shearer era. Otherwise known as the Magpies, Toon Army or Geordies, us lot have gone through aplenty since the inauguration of the Premier League (Relegation, Europe, Mike Ashley)

Anyway, that's beside the point. Let's get down to proper football talk, and discuss the games happening in this week, Gameweek 21. 

Note: Numbers shown in within the brackets represent their record in the Premier League (Win-Draw-Loss)

1. Swansea (8-6-7) vs Chelsea (15-4-2) [MIO Stadium Ch102]

• Last 5 games: Swansea (WWLDD) & Chelsea (WWDLW)
• Last 5 home games for Swansea: DWLWD
• Last 5 away games for Chelsea: LWWDL

Swansea faces the league leaders with plenty of key personnel missing, with Ki Sung-Yeung away on Asian Cup duty, and Jonjo Shelvey completing his 4 match suspension. Additionally, now with their top scorer Bony off to Manchester City, all the goal scoring burden will now rest on Bafetimbi Gomis, and on-loan Nelson Oliveira now as their back up striker. Jefferson Montero could make it to the bench after making a quicker than expected recovery from a hamstring injury.

Chelsea will be missing Cesar Azpilicueta with a groin injury, but will be welcoming back Thibaut Courtois after missing the past 2 games with a finger injury. 

Chelsea has emerged victorious 4 out of the last 5 times in this fixture. Times are a changing now at the Liberty Stadium, and with Bony now off to Manchester City, expect a tough time in terms of goals to come for Swansea. I don't envision Gomis replicating the success of Bony, but his hold up play has been decent. Sigurdsson will now have a larger role to play, thus expect him to bomb forward with every opportunity possible. However, I still expect Chelsea to coast through this fixture comfortably, as their attacking firepower may prove too strong for Swansea's defence to cope. Expect Hazard to play a huge role once again.



Prediction: Chelsea to win 2-0
Key personnel: Gylfi Sigurdsson, Eden Hazard 


2. QPR (5-4-12) vs Manchester United (10-7-4) [MIO Stadium Ch103]

• Last 5 games: QPR (WLDDL) & Manchester United (DWDDL)
• Last 5 home games for QPR: WWDDL
• Last 5 away games for Man Utd: WDDDW

QPR will be without Armand Traore, with Sandro & Yun Suk-Young still sidelined with knee and ankle injury respectively. Niko Kranjcar is back from a thigh problem. 

Manchester United comes into this fixture with the possibility of Robin Van Persie missing out due to an ankle injury, while Ashley Young misses out due to a hamstring problem. They will welcome back both Rafael and Marcos Rojo from their respective cheekbone and thigh injuries.

QPR hosts Manchester United, with the travellers having lost their previous game against Southampton without even registering a shot at goal and mysteriously "resting" Falcao. Although QPR has been getting all of their points at Loftus Road, I don't expect them registering even a draw today. Watch out for Wayne Rooney coming in from midfield to dominate against QPR's weak midfield, as well as Falcao getting a game this time round. However, do expect Charlie Austin to once again feature at some point in time.

Prediction: QPR 1 Man Utd 3

Key Personnel: Charlie Austin, Wayne Rooney

3. Aston Villa (5-7-9) vs Liverpool (9-5-7) [MIO Stadium Ch104]

• Last 5 games: Villa (DLDDL) & Liverpool (DWWDW)
• Last 5 home games for Villa: WDDDW
• Last 5 away games for Liverpool: LWWWW

Aston Villa will be missing plenty of key players, with Ciaran Clark suspended, and Ron Vlaar, Philippe Senderos and Libor Kozak all sidelined. However, new signing Carles Gil from Valencia comes straight into the team, and will be expected to feature at some point during the game.

Liverpool will be racing against time to hopefully get Steven Gerrard and Adam Lallana fit for this fixure. Both are recovering from an tight hamstring and thigh injury respectively. Joe Allen, Kolo Toue  & Daniel Sturridge are still out.

Aston Villa will soon find themselves in serious relegation trouble if they cant convert the chances they have. They have scored only 11 goals. which is 2 shy of Alexis Sanchez himself. Liverpool now find themselves on the cusp of a renaissance, being undefeated the Old Trafford collapse. Apparently, Mario Balotelli has scored 4 goals against Villa in 3 games, twice as many as any other opponent. Im predicting a narrow Liverpool victory, with this game potentially being decided by a moment of brilliance or stupidity.

Prediction: 1-0 win for Liverpool

Key Personnel: Mario Balotelli

4. Tottenham (10-4-7) vs Sunderland (3-11-7) [MIO Stadium Ch105]

• Last 5 games: Tottenham (WWDWL) & Sunderland (WLDLL)
• Last 5 home games for Tottenham: WWDWW
• Last 5 away games for Sunderland: DDWDL

Tottenham will be without Erik Lamela and Ryan Mason for at least a week more, and that they will be having their regulars back after the midweek FA cup replay tie. Nabil Bentaleb misses out due to international commitment at the African Cup of Nations.

Sunderland will be without Jack Rodwell, Lee Cattermole and Anthony Reveillere through injuries and Liam Bridcutt misses out after his sending off against Liverpool. Jermaine Defoe might well be handed his debut against his former team.

Tottenham is the form team of the EPL coming into this fixture. In my opinion, the loss against Crystal Palace was just a blip, and I feel that they would most likely get back to their winning ways against a Sunderland side that has been simply woeful of late. Jermaine Defoe might help with their issues of scoring, but it might not be enough for them to get a win. Hence, am tipping for a clear Tottenham victory.

Prediction: Spurs to win 3-1

Key Personnel: Christian Eriksen, Harry Kane, Jermaine Defoe

5. Leicester City (4-5-12) vs Stoke (7-5-9) [MIO Stadium Ch106]

• Last 5 games: Leicester (LLLDW) & Stoke (LLWDL)
• Last 5 home games for Leicester: (LLLWW)
• Last 5 away games for Stoke: (LLDWL)

Leicester will be without Kasper Schmeichel, Matt Upson, Jeff Schlupp through injuries, and Riyad Mahrez will be away for international duty through African Cup of Nations. Dean Hammond & Esteban Cambiasso might miss out as well.

Stoke will be without Mame Biram Diouf through African Cup of Nations, but will welcome back Steven Nzonzi. Peter Odemwingie is still a long term casualty.

Leicester, after a bright start, find themselves rooted at the bottom of the table. Stoke is one team that you just simply wont know how they will perform. This match is one that has a word draw all over it.

Prediction: 1-1 draw

Key Personnel: Bojan Krkic

6. Burnley (4-8-9) vs Crystal Palance (4-8-9) [MIO Stadium Ch 107]

• Last 5 games: Burnley (LLDDW) & Crystal Palace (LLDDW)
• Last 5 home games for Burnley (DWLDW)
• Last 5 away games for Crystal Palace (DLDDW)

Burnley will be hoping that Kieran Tripper and Jason Shackell be passed fit for this game. Kevin Long, Stephen Ward and Matt Taylor are all still sidelined. 

Crystal Palace will be having a fully fit team, coupled with the addition of Yaya Sanogo on loan from Arsenal. Mile Jedinak is away on international duty, likewise for Yannick Bolasie

Two teams with identical records come face to face in another relegation 6 pointer. It seems that with Alan Pardew at the helm of Crystal Palace, they seem to be a different team. Burnley, whom everyone thought would be clear cut favourites for relegation, are making a fight out of it, with Sean Dyche doing a better than expected job. Will Yaya Sanogo show EPL, especially Arsenal fans, what he is capable of? Or will Danny Ings come up with goals to further add on to his burgeoning reputation? I predict an exciting 2-2 draw for this game.

Prediction: 2-2 draw

Key personnel: Danny Ings


7. Newcastle (7-6-8) vs Southampton (12-3-6) [MIO Stadium Ch 102] 2300

• Last 5 games: Newcastle (LLWDL) & Southampton (WWDWW)
• Last 5 home games for Newcastle: WWLWD
• Last 5 away games for Southampton: LLWWW

Newcastle has officially the longest injury list, with Mehdi Abeid, Siem de Jong, Gabriel Obertan, Rolando Aarons, Jak Alnwick, Rob Eilliot, Steven Taylor & Adam Armstrong all missing through injury. Furthermore, Cheick Tiote & Papiss Cisse are away on international duty.

Southampton themselves do have a long absentee list, with Victor Wanyama, Morgan Schneiderlin & Toby Alderweireld missing in action. Emmanuel Mayuka, Sadio Mane & Maya Yoshida misses out due to international commitment.

The 2 teams come into this fixture in contrasting form. With Newcastle having just pick up 4 points, while Southampton had managed to pick up 13 out of 15 points, with the only points dropped playing against Chelsea, and Southampton actually played well, including getting wins against Arsenal and Man Utd. Newcastle, who will wait only till the end of the month to decide on their next manager, would have not preferred to meet Southampton. But, given that Southampton's midfield tandem of Waynama & Schneiderlin are both missing, I'm tipping Newcastle to at least hold on for a point.

Prediction: 1-1 draw

Key Personnel: Dusan Tadic, Moussa Sissoko

Movie Monday: Taken 3

Apologies for the lateness in this entry, given this was supposedly Movie MONDAY. For this week, I will be reviewing the third (and hopefully final) installment of the Taken series, Taken 3. Taken 3 sees the return of Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace, Famke Janssen, all reprising their roles, with the addition of Forest Whitaker and Dougray Scott.

Liam Neeson returns as ex-covert operative Bryan Mills, whose reconciliation with his ex-wife is tragically cut short when she is brutally murdered. Consumed with rage, and framed for the crime, he goes on the run to evade the relentless pursuit of the CIA, FBI and the police. For one last time, Mills must use his "particular set of skills," to track down the real killers, exact his unique brand of justice, and protect the only thing that matters to him now - his daughter. (C) Fox

Im pretty sure that many of you out there felt the same way as I did with regards to this franchise: 

Stop at Taken 2. How suay can he be?

But I guess the top brass at 20th Century Fox wants to milk this cow for all it was worth, since everyone still probably wants to see Liam Neeson kick some Eastern European ass.

With Taken 3, our "wish" had been granted, or more of their wish for more profts was granted. In my opinion, this movie wasnt necessary, and in terms of plot and action sequences there were flaws aplenty.

Within the first 10 minutes of the show, one would have found a major plot flaw. Given the normally logical thinking character of Mills, one would think that under the circumstance of facing arrest for a murder that he DID NOT COMMIT, he would just have duly complied with the law enforcement officers and then slowly go about proving his innocence.

BUT NO. He resist arrest in the only way he knows how - treating everyone like his worse enemy. And then slowly using his own methods (relying on his 4 buddies, sneaking in and out of places), he goes about proving his innocence and protecting his loved one (his daughter, bless her poor soul)

To me, the action sequences have gotten watered down. The plot this time round, like what I have mentioned earlier, has gotten even more ridiculous (surviving car crashes! not just once!), and the most major flaw, which also undoubtedly is what made this movie successful, is the fact that they have now made Liam Neeson's character to hit a level of invincibility. It seems that there is nothing he can't do to ensure that his loved ones are safe, that he just cant be defeated in anyway possible.

All in all, I felt that the movie had hit its plateau with Taken 2. With Taken 3, there were plenty of hidden references made to the first 2 movies (take note of the phone conversations Liam Neeson has with the LAPD played by Forest Whitaker). The lack of a truly decent fight sequence, coupled with the weakness of the plot, made this movie a miss-able affair.

Calvin's Movie Monday Ratings: 2.5/5



PS: This sequence that took place in Taken was the most memorable out of all 3 movies. Enjoy

Music Survey 2014

I have been listening to BBC Radio's 1 Breakfast Show while at work for quite awhile (the time difference meant that while their breakfast show was on, its around 230pm here in Singapore) However, what got me interested to do upon my Music Survey for 2014 was inspired by this other DJ in BBC Radio 1 called Zane Lowe.

(picture taken from BBC Radio 1 homepage)

Zane Lowe helms BBC Radio 1's evening show, and everynight, he will introduce the newest tracks that he believe are the "hottest in the world". At the end of the year, he would ask listeners to vote what are the hottest records for the entire year. 

I decided to try to do something similar, using an old school method: surveys. Yes, the dreaded surveys that people hate to do or hate asking people to do.

Below are the questions that I had posed to people.

1. What are your top 3 songs for 2014?
2. What is your 1 most disliked song for 2014?
3. Who is your artist of the year?
4. Which song is more for you: All of Me or Thinking Out Loud

I had polled a total of 35 people, which did not amount to a lot, but it was interesting for me to find out more about the musical tastes, and to explore new genre of music that I might not have been exposed to previously.

Here's presenting to you the results of MrPaoKaLiao's first ever Musical Awards!

The top 3 songs for 2014, as decided by voters

3. "Chandelier", Sia

Sia, no stranger to Singaporeans (especially the eh-wa generation), is back 2 years later with this single that according to Wikipedia, details the "demoralisation and rationalisation of alcoholism through the typical thought process of a "party girl".

Yes. It sounds chim, and its a super hard song to sing as well. So credit to Sia for recording this track. And how can we forget about the MV? The entire choreography was something to behold, and in fact it was the seventh most watched YouTube video of 2014. Click on the video above, and you might end up watching it again to even try to understand the complex routine.

2. "Stay With Me", Sam Smith; "All of Me", John Legend; "Rude", Magic!

Coming in at 2nd place, we had a tie between these 3 songs. Sam Smith truly had an a 2014 that even he could not envision happening, and I predict even greater things for him come 2015. Sam Smith's singing chops is indeed one that is hard to come by, and the emotions that he poured in while singing Stay With Me is something that you know is something that is heartfelt.

Next, John Legend's All of Me. Well, what could I say about this track has already been summarized in my previous post This track simply sets the tone for all future marriage proposals. Nuff said :)

Lastly, Magic's Rude. This was my most disliked song of the year, hence I wish i knew how to write this in a totally non-biased point of view. Therefore, I decided to play cheat by simply adding in the background of the song that I took from Wikipedia.

"Rude" was named after the reggae term "rude boy" and originally based on a real-life situation. The lead singer of Magic!, Nasri, had been in an unhealthy relationship with a previous girlfriend. After Nasri got in a fight with his girlfriend, the band based the song off of that headline. The couple was in a "mean time" when they were both being rude to each other, as Nasri says in what he describes as a "dark vibe." 

In my opinion, this song simply made no sense lyrically, and I truly wonder if Bob Marley is alive today, what would be his opinon with regards to this "reggae" tune. Thankfully, I'm not alone with regards to this being the most disliked song of 2014

1. "Blank Space", Taylor Swift

Yes, who else but Taylor Swift to be MrPaoKaLiao's winner for best song of 2014. At least 1/5 of our respondents picked this song to be part of their top 3 songs of 2014. Taylor Swift had an awesome 2014, with her album being the top selling album of 2014 even though it has only been released for 9 weeks!

For me, this song definitely stood out more as compared to that ridiculous first single that is "Shake It Off". Apparently, this song was written as a form of Swifite mocking herself for all the exposure with regards to her dating life. As we all know, Taylor never seems to be able to avoid the limelight with regards to her boys in her life. Might as well write a song about that eh. 

Charts wise, this song was as successful as Shake. In fact, she is the first female artist in Billboard's Hot 100 history to have 2 different songs at the top spot in respective weeks.

Congrats to Taylor Swift for winning the MrPKL's Best Song of 2014 :)

The top 3 most disliked songs, as chosen by voters

3. "All About That Bass", Meghan Trainor

This was a bit of a surprise for me, given the popularity of the song. Perhaps it struck a nerve among the skinny girls out there, especially with Meghan referring them as "skinny bitches" (yes, here at MrPKL, we avoid censorship as much as we can) This song definitely made its mark in the charts, it having the honour of being at the number 1 spot for the 8 weeks, only behind Pharrel Williams Happy. 

One of the respondents provided this wonderful cover of All About That Bass done by local band The Sam Willows, that was simply awesome. Do have a listen and hit the comments box to tell me about whch version you prefer :)

2. "Shake It Off", Taylor Swift

When I was tabulating the reuslts, I was really hoping that this song would be number 1. According to Wiki, this song was dedicated to her detractors, to shake all those scrutiny on her life away. To me, this song simply made no sense to me. I totally agreed with what a critic had said about this song

"the least musically interesting song that Swift has done" and "it's not personal, at least not in the ways we expect from a Taylor Swift song." 

Couldn't have put it any better I say.

1. "Anaconda", Nicki Minaj

I was the least surprised that this song was voted the most disliked song of 2014. Why?

I use this song to irritate the shi* out of my friend.

I had absolutely no idea that actually the word "anaconda" had hidden meanings, until my friend mentioned to me about it. And it made total sense! 

Amazingly, this song received critically good reviews! Wow. IMO, this song simply represents the sexualization of the media industry.




The Artist of The Year

Congratulation to Sam Smith!!!!!

Truly a remarkable singer, with greater material to come from him I'm sure :)




All Of Me or Thinking Out Loud?

Most people preferred All of Me as compared to Thinking Out Loud. IMO, All of Me  probably edged out simply because it was released earlier as compared to Thinking Out Loud. The reason why i asked this question was because both had similar vibes lyrically, with both songs suitable as a "wedding tune". 



And that's about it for my music "awards" or survey! Here's hoping for even greater music in 2015 (Adele I'm looking at you especially) And I can promise you that I would be doing even more music reviews in 2015! Cheers :)

2014 in Review - Movie and Music

Note: I do apologize for the lateness with regards to this post, as normally people would do this on the last day of the year (311214)

Hi everyone! As we embark on a brand new year, we look back on 2014 with both joy and sadness, and in anticipation of the exciting times ahead of us. For this entry, I would be talking about the gems of 2014 in terms of movies (be it whether I have watched it or not) and music (and the survey that i did)

First up, MOVIES!!. Fess' up everyone, movies is one of the easiest activity to think of for gatherings with friends, family and the potentially awkward first date. So what movies in 2014 did I watched (which sadly wasn't a lot) and had impacted me greatly. Here are my top 3 picks.

1. Boyhood

Easily the best movie I watched for 2014. What a captivating tale of a boy growing up right in front of our eyes. Richard Linklater, the director, started filming Boyhood when the leading actor (newcomer Ellar Coltrane) was only seventh-grade, thats the equivalent to our Secondaary 1. This film draws you in slowly, allowing audiences more than enough time to witness the growth of a boy to a teenager. All the leading cast stood out, from his mother (Patricia Arquette) to his estranged father (Ethan Hawke) and his older sister (played by Richard Linklater's own daughter Lorelei). This film is simply a blockbuster in its own right. Little wonder rottentomatoes gave it a whopping 99% for it tomatometer. 

2. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

The sequel to the Rise of the Planet of the Apes, this movie packs a punch in terms of storyline development as well as breakthroughs in motion technology This movie certainly taught me a thing or two about the essence of human nature, albeit through apes. The transition of the apes from being docile in the prequel, to being organized and smart and being able to exist collectively (at the beginning) and the eventual power struggle amongst the apes made this movie one of the most viscerally exciting movies for 2014, yet at the same time, will leave you thinking and pondering (it certainly did for me and my friends)

3. Lucy

One word to describe this movie: Badass. This movie was one of the movies that I had been anticipating for awhile after i watced the trailer. Luc Besson is truly one of the most original writers, coming up with this action-thriller that had me hoping for more. Scarlett Johansson is truly one of the best female action stars, and with the elaborate action sequences (especially the one where Lucy comes after the mob upon having the drug ingested) being so classy and yet violent all at the same time, this movie definitely was one of the must watch for 2014. The only thing that I had hoped for was the duration. 89 minutes was too short! 

Honourable mentions: Stay With Me (the Doraemon movie), X-Men Days of Future Past, The LEGO Movie

Movies that I will be getting the DVD: Gone Girl, Grand Budapest Hotel

Now I would talk about the music scene in 2014, that has seen the growing emergence of UK artistes making it in the coveted and tough industry that is called USA. Additionally, there is no slowing down of the EDM wave, with DJs coming up with tunes with increasing regularity.

Below are MY top 3 tracks for 2014. They might not all be chart-topping, or recorded by the most popular of artistes, but they all stood out for me for various reasons.

1. "All of Me" - John Legend

This is one of those songs that in around 5 years time, would replace this song as the go-to song for the introduction of the groom and bride at wedding functions. Everything about this song spoke to me in volumes I didnt expect, from the stripped down piano arrangment, to the lyrics that describes how a guy sees his one and only. Yes, it might be cheesy and mainstream, but thats how I like my music to be.

2. "Counting Stars" - OneRepublic

This uptempo track really took off early 2014, with plenty of chart success worldwide. With it part folk, part rock influences in the track, as well the references to Bible verses within the lyrics, this track manages to hit the right notes. Plus i love to sing this whenever i go to Kbox.

3. "Take Me to Church" - Hozier

This song has nothing to do with being religious and heading to church, in fact its undertones couldnt be more of the opposite. It talks about "comparing a lover to religion". The MV for this track got even more controversial, depicting a gay couple and their struggles within their community. Hozier's deep, soulful voice made this track even more haunting and beautiful at the very same time.

Honourable mentions

• "Stay With Me", Sam Smith
• "I'm Not the Only One", Sam Smith
• "Pompeii", Bastille
• "Let Her Go", Passenger
• "Thinking Out Loud", Ed Sheeran
• "Say Something", Great Big World + Christina Aguilera
• "Rather Be", Clean Bandit + Jess Glyne

I have compiled my Top 50 tracks for 2014, please do share your top 50 tracks with me by providing your comments :)

Additionally, I have done a survey here at mrpaokaliao with regards to music tastes of Sinaporeans. The results well be out shortly, so stay tuned :)