In My Mind

KWN

2007-05-26T11:00:00.000+08:00

My daughter Nurul Hafizah attended the KWN workshop organized by Panasonic from 24/5/2007 until 25/5/2007. The workshop is to prepare the students for making videos for Kids Witness News (KWN) competition. The trainers were Habsah Hassan, Othman Hafsham and others from the film industry. The kids had really fun-filled 2 days of training.

I will post some of the photos later.

Open Sesame...

2007-02-26T10:47:00.001+08:00

You Are 78% Open

You're a pretty open person - and you don't mind sharing the good, bad, and sometimes ugly.
And while sometimes you do catch yourself blabbing on, you usually exhibit restraint.
You're openness is quite refreshing, and it encourages other people to be open with you!

How Open Are You?

Miami

2007-02-26T10:45:00.000+08:00

Never lived in other cities except Miami - for six years in 1984-1990

American Cities That Best Fit You::

70% Austin

65% Miami

60% Seattle

55% Honolulu

50% Denver

Which American Cities Best Fit You?

INTP

2007-02-26T10:38:00.001+08:00

Your Personality is Very Rare (INTP)

Your personality type is goofy, imaginative, relaxed, and brilliant.

Only about 4% of all people have your personality, including 2% of all women and 6% of all men
You are Introverted, Intuitive, Thinking, and Perceiving.

How Rare Is Your Personality?

Not That Weird After All

2007-02-26T10:32:00.000+08:00

I was classified as a wierdo in school but ....

You Are 30% Weird

Not enough to scare other people...
But sometimes you scare yourself.

How Weird Are You?

Nerd? No, not Me

2007-02-26T10:27:00.000+08:00

I am not that nerdy after all....

You Are 36% Nerdy

You're a little nerdy, but no one would ever call you a nerd.You sometimes get into nerdy things, but only after they've become a part of mainstream culture.

How Nerdy Are You?

EID MUBARAK

2006-10-24T15:44:00.000+08:00

SELAMAT HARI RAYA AIDIL FITRI kepada semua kaum muslimin daripada kami (Eid Mubarak to all muslims from all of us).

The photo of my kids and their grandma was taken during our visit to my sister's house in Bangi.

The guy with the skull cap must be me then?

This is the photo of my youngest brother, my mother and my only sister (same-mother-same-father that is) together with my mother and my two youngest daughters.

My other brother (also from same father and same mother stock) is celebrating hari raya in Kelantan.

(Note: I have 13 brothers and sisters all together, the eldest is 62 years old. 4 had passed away)

At Last - Completed

2006-09-10T09:20:00.000+08:00

I am pretty quiet lately.

At last, I have completed my PhD proposal and submitted for evaluation before going for Comprehensive Examination.

IIUM's PhD in Engineering program is a bit wierd, before students can proceed for proposal defence (i.e., comprehensive examination), we need to discuss 5 topics with 5 different potential PhD supervisors - eventhough we already have our main topic to do research on. So, if we want to do a proper job, we need to at least do some research (i.e., literature review) for each five topics. I did that and took me some time to complete.

If approved, I will be sitting for my Comprehensive Exam by end of September 2006 and if go through I will start my research immediately after that. In order to get some sponsorship for my research, I need to complete my TechnoFund application by September 12, 2006.

My area of research? Well, it has to do with Real Time Object Detection, Object Tracking and Activity Recognition in Video Image Sequence. The application can be in surveillance system such as at airports, can be in automatic film censorship and rating system, and many other areas such as in medical and Military. My interest is more in Military applications.

NCAA Football Is Here Again

2006-09-10T09:52:00.000+08:00

University of Miami started its 2007 campaign on a low note by losing to Florida State University 14-10 on September 4.

This year I am not going to post as many as last season. But I still post a few scores.

Kakak's Golf Tournament

2006-04-13T21:19:00.000+08:00

Kakak (pic: most right) competed in the MSSK (Majlis Sukan Sekolah-sekolah Kelantan) Golf Tournament on 28-29 March 2006 and got Third Placing. She did not get to represent Kelantan (MSSM Golf competition will be held in Melaka) due to her score (eventhough qualify to represent Kelantan, but it is better for her to wait next year - even if selected she would have to miss it due to her prior commitment to represent her school in Public Speaking Competition which to be held almost at the same time in Pahang).

The competition was her first time and for the first round she did very bad due to unfamiliarity with the course and also new golf clubs used (also it was the first time where she had to cart her own golf bag and no caddie). For the second round, I decided to be her caddie. She did well for the second round but her tee-off let her down.

Top two players were already represented Kelantan last year and both of them will again be playing for the state. The winner Siti Salbiah (pic: most left) is a very good player even my own golf buddies could lose to her ;-)

What was in the bag?
Driver: Callaway Steelhead 11 degree
Fairway Woods: Callaway Great Big Bertha II #3 & #5
Irons: Mizuno Mira #4 - PW, SW
Putter: Odyssey White Steel 2-Ball Blade

After the competition I took Kakak back to KL and decided to have an hour lesson with Coach Tony.

I also got her a new driver. What is in her bag currently: Let see....

Driver: Callaway X460 11 degree with Fujikura shaft
Fairway Woods: Callaway Great Big Bertha II #3 with Grafalloy Prolaunch 45 shaft & #5 with GBB gems shaft
Irons: Callaway Steelhead X-14 #3-PW, SW all with Grafalloy Attacklite shaft
Putter: Odyssey White Steel 2-Ball Blade

Coaching for Kakak

2006-03-07T12:56:00.000+08:00

I have arranged for golf coaching for Kakak

Sunday March 12, 2006 at 11:00am
Wednesday March 15, 2006 at 11:00am

She will be coached by Tony Maloney - Director of Golf and AAA Member Australia PGA at Pro Tour Golf Learning Centres located at Glenmarie GCC

Swing Analysis

2006-03-13T20:38:00.000+08:00

Kakak went for a one-hour golf lesson with Tony on Sunday 12/3/2006. Tony was pleseantly surprised with Kakak's swing mechanics even though Kakak stopped going for lesson for the last two years.

Tony asked Kakak to hit a few balls so that he can video tape the swing and load the video into the computer for analysis (to compare her swing with Tiger Woods and Ernie Els). Photo below showed Kakak and Tony during the swing analysis.

The photo below showed the swing sequence with some marking made by Tony to point out some areas which need improvement.

The first frame (top) showed Kakak's arms were close together and this need to be improve. The first frame of the second row showed her "casting" problem where the arm is not corked enough which result in early release.

In the next swing sequence, Kakak was taped from the side.

In this sequence Kakak was shown to have problems in gripping the club (second frame top - her finger was shown to be dangling) and the hip was not pependicular to the target line (second frame bottom) which indicated she did not rotate properly during impact.

Play Golf

2006-03-13T20:32:00.000+08:00

I played 27 holes of golf last Friday.

In the morning, I played 9 holes of golf with Kakak. We paid for 18-hole but since Kakak's game was not up to my expectation, we decided to stop half-way.

After Friday prayer, I played 18-hole of golf at Monterez with my group of high school friends kopo, aeyol, and juki. My game was bad except for the last few holes.

The Power of Love

2006-03-08T18:49:00.000+08:00

I learned something today from my birdie.

Around noon today, one of the chicks (the smaller size) dropped from the nest. I tried help the chick but it flew away. Then the second chick also flew leaving the nest. Both of the chicks ended up in the tree nearby.

A few minutes later, the mother came back with food but could not find the chicks. I could see the sadness in the behavior of the mother. It then when looking for the chicks and flew to and fro for a few times. I think after a while it managed to find both of the chicks in the nearby tree.

The whole afternoon, I spent my time watching the mother bird (in between my meetings) trying to get the chicks to fly into the nest. At last at 6:40pm the mother successfully get both chicks to fly back into the nest. I watched the mother spent a few minutes fending off the attacker and also to pacify the chicks before it flew again. This time to bring food for the hungry chicks.

At this moment, the mother is busy feeding the hungry chicks.

It bring tears to my eyes watching how strong the love of a mother towards its chicks.

Want to See My Birdie?

2006-03-07T06:58:00.000+08:00

I want to do the unthinkable. I am going to expose my birdie for all of you to see. Are you ready? What I am going to do is to reveal bit by bit and finally will show a bit of head.....

Here we go.....

Now let see a bit of head....

The birdie started to nest a bout a month ago...

The birdie constructed the nest right outside of my office by sticking the nest onto my glass window (see photo below). I think within this two to three days, the chicks (I think there are two chicks) will be ready to explore their world and leave the nest.

My Family

2006-03-07T06:54:00.000+08:00

One of the latest photos that I have of my family. The picture was taken during my employer's family day gathering. The only one missing from the photo was my second child. She had to attend the UPSR clinic at National Museum on that day.

Another Golf Game Planned

2006-03-06T14:23:00.000+08:00

My daughter will come home for mid-semester holiday on March 9 and I planned to take her for another round of golf on a day after. Hopefully she will improve on her game.

A few weeks ago I met her former coach Tony Maloney at Glenmarie Golf Club. He told me that he just got back from a Junior Golf Tournament and the players from East Coast just the same standard as my daughter if not worse. Tony mentioned to me that a few of Kakak's teammate have progressed tremendously. 3 of them (combined) won 22 tournaments in 2005.

So Kakak, do you think you can represent Papa's birthstate next year or in 2007?

I planned for Kakak to have 2 1-jour session with Tony during the school holiday just to brush up on her skills. Most probably on Sunday and then another one, maybe on Wednesday.

Papa cannot wait for you to come home for the holiday.

Golfing with Apple of My Eyes

2006-02-01T11:16:00.000+08:00

I took my daughter golfing on January 27, 2005. We went to Kundang Lake Golf Club since the club is junior-friendly. Juniors can play during weekdays especially in the morning.

She started learning golf in year 2003 but stopped in 2004 to concentrate on her UPSR. Only this year that she started golfing again.

This year she was appointed as President of SMSTMFP Golf Club. The club has 20 members and she is the youngest member there.

See her tee off form, hers is definitely better than mine. She has a smooth flowing swing compared to mine which is a bit jerky.

Maybe because to some I am a "jerk" ;-)

Building My Own Golfing Buddies

2006-03-02T09:50:00.000+08:00

I am a member of Bukit Jalil Golf and Country Club but I rarely play there due to not having a regular golfing buddies. So, I just pay my monthly subscription fee for nothing.

Starting this year I am building my own golfing buddies. I have trained my eldest daughter (Kamilah) to play golf and now she is able to play an 18-hole of golf. She need to have a handicap before she is allowed to play at BJGCC. So now I have one golfing buddy.

I need two more. My second daughter (Hafizah) and my son (Kamil) are now taking golf lesson at Setapak Driving Range and I think by next year Hafizah will be ready to go to Kundang for her first golf game with me. My son will follow suit maybe the year after.

By 2008, I will play with my kids at BJGCC.

I have also able to convinced my wife to start learning to play golf also. She started he first lesson last Saturday. I am targeting for her to start playing golf with me in six years time (why? by then my youngest daughter, Widad, will be in standard one. She is one year-old now and already know how to make an interlocking grip ;-)).

My forth child, Laila is also keen to learn to play golf, but she is too young to start yet. I just let her play with putter (I bought USKids Golf putter for her) while her elder siblings hitting balls at SGR.

At last I have a concrete plan on how to utilize my BJGCC club membership.

Trip to Klate and Charity Work

2006-02-03T12:10:00.000+08:00

I sent my daughter to her boarding school on January 31.

And on February 01, I handed over the golf sets which I donated to the SMSTMFP Golf Club. I donated the sets since the school does not have even a single club for the student to use.

I donated;

2 sets Dunlop John Daly for male students,
2 sets Dunlop Tour Elite for female students,
some loose #7 iron (ladies),
some loose #7 iron (mens),
some loose #3 wood,
some gloves (mens),
some gloves (ladies),
some rubber tees,
45 caps with school logo, and
Rule of Golf booklets

I hope with this donation the school will be able to activate the club.

I played a round of golf with Aminuddin (one of my golf buddies) after that. The plan was to have played with Jame but he injured his back the day before.

Hybernating

2006-03-01T10:59:00.000+08:00

I have been hybernated from updating my blog for a few months now (my last post was Dec. 12, 2005). Work is taking a toll on me.

My PhD also is weighting me down. I am still stuck at proposal stage and two semesters have gone by. I do not want this time to be the same as the last PhD which I registered. Previously, I had to terminate my PhD in Management program due to changes made at the university. This time I will make sure I complete my PhD in Engineering.

Just need to soldier on.

Below are some of the updates which I managed to type today.

Peachy Miami vs. LSU

2005-12-12T20:11:00.000+08:00

I take back my word. It was good for Miami to play LSU in Peach Bowl instead of playing Louisville in Gator Bowl. Peach Bowl game is one of the only 3 bowl games which pitted both top ten teams (the others are Rose Bowl - USC(1) vs. Texas (2) for National Championship game on Jan. 4, 2006, and Fiesta Bowl - Ohio State vs. Notre Dame on january 2, 2006).

Peach Bowl will be played on December 30, 2005 in Atlanta.

The rest of BCS bowl games are (USA Today Top 25 is used);

1. Rose - USC (1; Pac 10) vs. Texas (2; Big 12) - Jan. 4
2. Orange - FSU (22; ACC) vs. Penn State (3;Big 10) - Jan. 3
3. Sugar - Georgia (7; SEC) vs. West Virginia (12; Big East) - Jan. 2
4. Fiesta - Ohio State (4; Big 10) vs. Notre Dame (5; Ind.) - Jan. 2
5. Capital One - Wisconsin(20; Big 10) vs. Auburn(7; SEC) - Jan. 2
6. Gator - Virginia Tech (11; ACC) vs. Louisville (16; Big East) - Jan. 2
7. Cotton - Alabama (SEC) vs. Texas Tech (Big 12) - Jan. 2
8. Outback - Iowa vs. Florida - Jan. 2
9. Houston - Iowa State vs. TCU - Dec. 31
10. Liberty - Tulsa vs. Fresno State - Dec. 31
11. Meineke Car Care - NC State (ACC) vs. South Florida (Big East) - Dec. 31
12. Peach - Miami (ACC) vs. LSU (SEC) - Dec. 30
13. Independence - South Carolina vs. Missouri - Dec. 30
14. Sun - UCLA vs. Northwestern - Dec. 30
15. Music City - Minnesota (Big 10) vs. Virginia (ACC) - Dec. 30
16. Holiday - Oregon vs. Oklahoma - Dec. 29
17. Emerald - Utah vs. Georgia Tech (ACC) - Dec. 29
18. Alamo - Nebraska (Big 12) vs. Michigan (Big 10) - Dec. 28
19. MPC Computers - Boise State vs. Boston College (ACC) - Dec. 28
20. Insight - Rutgers vs. Arizona State - Dec. 27
21. Champ Sport - Clemson (ACC) vs. Colorado (Big 12) - Dec. 27
22. Motor City - Akron vs. Memphis - Dec. 26
23. Hawaii - Central Florida vs. Nevada - Dec. 24
24. Fort Worth - Houston vs. Kansas
25. Poinsettia - Colorado State vs. Navy
26. Las Vegas - BYU vs. California
27. GMAC - Texas El-Paso vs. Toledo
28. New Orleans - Arkansas State vs. Southern Miss.

Hurricane Season is Here (and ended prematurely after losing to Georgia Tech)

2005-12-02T07:53:00.000+08:00

THIS POST WILL BE TOP STORY UNTIL THE END OF NCAA COLLEGE FOOTBALL SEASON. I WILL KEEP UPDATING THE SCORE BELOW. (Record As Of November 20, 2005: Overall:9-2, Conference:6-2)

Talking about Hurricane, another Hurricane storm is coming starting from September 05, 2005 and hopefully will last until January 02, 2006.

Miami Hurricanes Poster

Below is the schedule of the Hurricane storms:

2005 Schedule (All time are EST)

(UPDATED: September 7, 2005)

GAME 1: Sept. 5 MIAMI (9) at Florida State (14)

MIAMI LOST 7-10 (Record: Overall 0-1; Conf. 0-1) Miami down to No. 14 in USA Today Top 25 Poll.

Miami's Ryan Moore makes a second quarter touchdown catch over Kyler Hall
For more photos go here

Miami is idle next week.

(UPDATED: September 19, 2005)
GAME 2: Sept. 17 MIAMI (13) at Clemson (23)

MIAMI WON 36-30(3OT) (1-1; 1-1) MIAMI up one slot to No. 12 in USA Today Top 25 Poll.

Tyrone Moss dives into the end zone to score the winning touchdown against Clemson' s Jamaal Fudge.

For more game photos go here

(UPDATED: September 27, 2005)
GAME 3: Sept. 24 MIAMI (12) hosting Colorado

MIAMI WON 23-3 (2-1; 1-1) Miami moves to No 10 in USA Today Top 25 Poll.

Kyle Wright scoring a 2-yard run touchdown.

For more photos go here.

(UPDATED: October 3, 2005)
Game 4: Oct. 1 Miami (10) hosting South Florida 8:pm

MIAMI WON 27-7 (3-1; 1-1) Miami moves to No 8 in USA Today Top 25 Poll.

(UPDATED: October 10, 2005)
Game 5: Oct. 8 Miami(8) hosting Duke 3:30pm

MIAMI WON 52-7 (4-1; 2-1) Miami moves to No. 6 in USA Today Top 25 Poll.

Miami running back Tyrone Moss goes over the top of Duke cornerback Deonto McCormick..

For photo go here

(UPDATED: October 17, 2005)
Game 6: Oct. 15 Miami(6) at Temple 1:00 p.m.
MIAMI WON 34-3 (5-1;2-1)

Miami stays at no. 6 in USA Today Top 25 and ranked no. 8 in BCS ranking which taking into account USA Today Top 25, Harris Interactive Top 25 and 6 computer rankings average. Miami suffers in the computer ranking where 2 polls ranked Miami at 11 points out of 25, and one poll each with 12, 13, 14, and 18 points. BCS poll is as follows;

Southern California
Texas
Virginia Tech
Georgia
Alabama
LSU
Texas Tech
MIAMI
UCLA
Penn State
Florida State
Boston College
Oregon
Wisconsin
Ohio State
Notre Dame
West Virginia
Auburn
Tennessee
Florida
TCU
Minnesota
Nebraska
Michigan State
California

(Note: Unbeatens are in red)

Hopefully next week (20-22/10), Miami can move up at least by one spot. I am expecting Texas(6-0) to beat Texas Tech(6-0), and hoping for Tennessee(3-2) to beat Alabama(6-0). It would also be good is UCLA(6-0) to lose to Oregon State(4-2) and LSU(4-1) to lose to Auburn(5-1).

(UPDATED: October 25, 2005)
Due to Hurricane Wilma, Miami has posponed their game with Georgia Tech. Miami will play GT on Nov. 19, and moved game with Wake Forest to Nov. 12. As of October 25, 2005 The latest BCS Ranking is as follows;

Texas (7-0) (Remaining games: Oklahoma State, Baylor, Kansas, Texas A&M)
USC (7-0) (Washington State, Stanford, California, Fresno State, UCLA)
Virginia Tech (7-0) (Boston College, Miami, Virginia, North Carolina)
Georgia (7-0) (Florida, Auburn, Kentucky, Georgia Tech)
Alabama (7-0) (Utah State, Mississippi State, LSU, Auburn)
UCLA (7-0) (Stanford, Arizona, Arizona State, USC)
MIAMI (5-1) (North Carolina, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, Georgia Tech, Virginia)
LSU (5-1) (North texas, Appalachian State, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas)
Penn State (7-1) (Purdue, Wisconsin, Michigan State)
Florida State (6-1) (Maryland, NC State, Clemson, Florida)
Oregon (7-1) (California, Washington State, Oregon State)
Wisconsin (7-1) (Illinois, Penn State, Iowa, Hawaii)
Ohio State (5-2) (Minnesota, Illinois, Northwestern, Michigan)
Boston College (6-1) (Virginia Tech, North Carolina, NC State, Maryland)
Notre Dame (5-2) (Tennessee, Navy, Syracuse, Stanford)
Texas Tech (6-1) (Baylor, Texas A&M, Oklahoma State, Oklahoma)
West Virginia (6-1) (Connecticut, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, South Florida)
TCU (7-1) (San Diego State, Colorado State, UNLV)
Florida (5-2) (Georgia, Vanderbilt, South Carolina, Florida State)
Minnesota (5-2) (Ohio State, Indiana, Michigan State, Iowa)
Northwestern (5-2) (Michigan, Iowa, Ohio State, Illinois)
Auburn (5-2) (Mississippi, Kentucky, Georgia, Alabama)
California (6-2) (Oregon, USC, Stanford)
Colorado (5-2) (Kansas State, Missouri, Iowa State, Nebraska)
Michigan (5-3) (Northwestern, Indiana, Ohio State)

(Note: Unbeatens are in red)
Next week, I not expecting any upsets to happen, but wishing for Florida to beat Georgia and Stanford to beat UCLA. Also I prefer for VT to remain unbeaten for another week until the game with Miami. Texas will meet Oklahoma State(3-4); USC vs. Washington State(3-4); Virginia Tech vs. Boston College(6-1); Georgia vs. Florida(5-2); Alabama vs. Utah State(2-4); and UCLA vs. Stanford(4-2).

Game 7: Oct. 29 Miami(6) hosting North Carolina

MIAMI WON 34-16. Miami now is 6-1; 3-1. UM was trailing 7-16 during half-time.

UM revived the old jersey for this game. After the game, the jersey will be auctioned off.

The photo above showed the back-in-time-jersey wore by UM players (Miami defensive back Brandon Meriweather, left, celebrates with Quadtrine Hill after Hill picked up a blocked punt for a touchdown in the third quarter). The Hurricanes wore circa-1967, kelly green-and-gold throwback uniforms. In the first half, literally and figuratively, they looked nothing like their usual selves.

"I don't know when's the last time Miami had a terrible season and looked terrible on the field," Miami coach Larry Coker said. "But that first half, that might have been a throwback to that time."

Miami moved to No. 5 in USA Today Top 25 Poll after georgia lost to Florida.

(UPDATED: November 02, 2005)
As of October 31, 2005 BCS ranking are as follows;

USC (8-0) (Remaining games: Stanford, California, Fresno State, UCLA)
Texas (8-0) (Baylor, Kansas, Texas A&M)
Virginia Tech (8-0) (Miami, Virginia, North Carolina)
Alabama (8-0) (Mississippi State, LSU, Auburn)
UCLA (8-0) (Arizona, Arizona State, USC)
MIAMI (6-1) (Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, Georgia Tech, Virginia)
Penn State (8-1) (Wisconsin, Michigan State)
LSU (6-1) (Appalachian State, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas)
Florida State (7-1) (NC State, Clemson, Florida)
Ohio State (6-2) (Illinois, Northwestern, Michigan)
Georgia (7-1) (Auburn, Kentucky, Georgia Tech)
Wisconsin (8-1) (Penn State, Iowa, Hawaii)
Oregon (7-1) (California, Washington State, Oregon State)
Notre Dame (5-2) (Tennessee, Navy, Syracuse, Stanford)
Texas Tech (7-1) (Texas A&M, Oklahoma State, Oklahoma)
Florida (6-2) (Vanderbilt, South Carolina, Florida State)
West Virginia (6-1) (Connecticut, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, South Florida)
TCU (8-1) (Colorado State, UNLV)
Boston College (6-2) (North Carolina, NC State, Maryland)
Auburn (6-2) (Mississippi, Kentucky, Georgia, Alabama)
Michigan (6-3) (Indiana, Ohio State)
Colorado (6-2) (Missouri, Iowa State, Nebraska)
California (6-2) (Oregon, USC, Stanford)
Fresno State (6-1) (San Jose State, Boise State, USC, Nevada, Lousiana Tech)
OKlahoma (5-3) (Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State)

( Unbeatens are in red)
I am really praying for Miami to beat Virginia Tech. Also hoping for Stanford(4-3) to upset USC, Arizona(2-6) to beat UCLA (eventhough it is just a wishful thinking), and another wishful thinking for Mississippi State(2-6) to be Alabama.

Game 8: Nov. 5 Miami(5) at Virginia Tech(3)

(UPDATE: November 06 10:44am GMT+8)

Miami is leading 10-0 at halftime. UCLA already lost to Arizona 52-14, FSU lost to NC State 20-15 and Boston College lost to North Carolina 16-14.

(UPDATED: 12:14pm)

MIAMI TRASHED VIRGINIA TECH 27-7. Miami is now 7-1;4-1.

Next week Miami will play Wake Forest, USC will play California(6-3), Texas will play Kansas(5-4), Alabama will play LSU (7-1). Hoping for LSU to end Alabama unbeaten run and Califronia to beat USC. Kansas has no chance against Texas.

(UPDATED: November 08 4:15AM)

Latest BCS ranking as of Nov. 07 is as follows:

USC (9-0) (Remaining games: California, Fresno State, UCLA)
Texas (9-0) (Kansas, Texas A&M)
Alabama (9-0) (LSU, Auburn)
MIAMI (7-1) (Wake Forest, Georgia Tech, Virginia)
Penn State (9-1) (Michigan State)
Virginia Tech(8-1) (Virginia, North Carolina)
LSU (7-1) (Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas)
Ohio State (7-2) (Northwestern, Michigan)
Georgia (7-1) (Auburn, Kentucky, Georgia Tech)
Oregon (8-1) (Washington State, Oregon State)
Notre Dame (6-2) (Navy, Syracuse, Stanford)
Texas Tech (8-1) (Oklahoma State, Oklahoma)
Florida (7-2) (South Carolina, Florida State)
West Virginia (7-1) (Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, South Florida)
UCLA (8-1) (Arizona State, USC)
Wisconsin (8-2) (Iowa, Hawaii)
TCU (9-1) (UNLV)
Colorado (7-2) (Iowa State, Nebraska)
Florida State (7-2) (Clemson, Florida)
Auburn (7-2) (Kentucky, Georgia, Alabama)
Michigan (6-3) (Indiana, Ohio State)
Fresno State (7-1) (Boise State, USC, Nevada, Louisiana Tech)
Georgia Tech (6-2) (Virginia, Miami, Georgia)
Minnesota (6-3) (Michigan State, Iowa)
Louisville (6-2) (Rutgers, Syracuse, Connecticut)

( Unbeatens are in red)

To be safe, I am wishing for Penn State to lose to Michigan State, Alabama to LSU, USC to California, and Texas to Kansas.

Game 9: Nov. 12 Miami(4) at Wake Forest 7:30 p.m.

MIAMI Beat Wake Forest 47-17. I am in cloud nine that LSU finished off Alabama 16-13 in OT. USC won by beating California 35-10 and Texas win big against Kansas 66-14.

Now I am rooting for Texas A&M (against Texas on 25/11/05). Fresno State is too weak to pose any challenge against USC. I think Texas will will against Texas A&M and also will beat Colorado on December 03 against Colorado (which they beat earlier in the season). USC still have UCLA two weeks after the Fresno State game. Miami needs either Texas or USC to fall in order to have a shot at Championship Game at Rose Bowl.

(UPDATED: NOVEMBER 14, 2005)

Miami moves to no. 3 in USA TODAY Top 25, Harris, and AP polls. The BCS poll is as follows:

USC (10-0) (Remaining games: Fresno State, UCLA)
Texas (10-0) (Texas A&M)
MIAMI (8-1) (Georgia Tech, Virginia)
Penn State (9-1) (Michigan State)
LSU (8-1) (Mississippi, Arkansas)
Virginia Tech (8-1) (Virginia, North Carolina)
Ohio State (8-2) (Michigan)
Alabama (9-1) (Auburn)
Notre Dame (7-2) (Syracuse, Stanford)
Oregon (9-1) (Oregon State)
UCLA (9-1) (USC)
West Virginia (8-1) (Pittsburgh, South Florida)
Auburn (8-2) (Alabama)
TCU (10-1)
Michigan (7-3) (Ohio State)
Georgia (7-2) (Kentucky, Georgia Tech)
Fresno State (8-1) (USC, Nevada, Louisiana Tech)
Louisville (7-2) (Syracuse, Connecticut)
Texas Tech (8-2) (Oklahoma State, Oklahoma)
Wisconsin (8-3) (Hawaii)
Minnesota (7-3) (Iowa)
Florida (7-3) (Florida State)
South Carolina (7-3) (Clemson)
Boston College (7-3) (Maryland)
Oklahoma (6-3) (Texas Tech, Oklahoma State)

( Unbeatens are in red)

Game 10: Nov. 19 Miami(3) hosting Georgia Tech

MIAMI LOST 14-10.

Georgia Tech sacked Kyle Wright seven times, took advantage of key penalties on two touchdown drives and made a pair of late defensive stands to upset the third-ranked Miami Hurricanes 14-10 Saturday night.

What a depressing game where Kyle Wright was sacked 7 times. Miami was also penalised too many times especially for the excessive celebration after a sack which aided GT in their second touchdown. There goes the chance for at least an Orange Bowl bid. They should stick to the normal jersey instead of go for the new jersey (see photo above).

I will not post anymore BCS ranking since USC and Texas more or less locked the Championship Game in Rose Bowl on January 04, 2006.

I am devastated!!!

Game 11: Nov. 26 Miami hosting Virginia

The No. 10 Miami Hurricanes got exactly what the doctor ordered last Saturday, getting back on the winning track by defeating Virginia 25-17.

Quarterback Kyle Wright looked like a different player than one who got sacked seven times against Georgia Tech. In the win over the Cavaliers he completed 23 of 30 passes for 248 yards. Wright also set up the Hurricanes' final touchdown of the night by running 31 yards down to the one-yard line. Charlie Jones' one-yard touchdown run made sure the Hurricanes had their ninth win for the sixth consecutive season.

On Senior Day at the Orange Bowl, 18 seniors were playing in their final regular season games. Senior tailback Quadtrine Hill made the most of his last home game by catching a career high seven passes out of the backfield.

Jon Peattie opened the scoring by connecting on a 40-yard field goal midway through the first quarter to give Miami a 3-0 lead. The lead didn't last for long, however, thanks to some trickery by the Cavaliers.

Virginia quarterback Marques Hagans handed off to wide receiver Emmanuel Byers, who instead of running, sprinted wide right and threw to an open Deyon Williams, who ran 91 yards into the end zone, giving Virginia its first lead of the game at 7-3.

Connor Hughes made a 24-yard field goal on the Cavaliers' next possession to give them a 10-3 lead early in the second quarter. But Miami fought right back, as Jones scored from four yards out to make the score 10-9 before Peattie missed his first of two extra points on the night.

The Hurricanes took the lead before halftime when Sinorice Moss caught his final touchdown in the Orange Bowl, taking a pass from Wright and making a couple of nifty moves to scamper 17 yards into the end zone.

Also playing in his final game at the historic Horseshoe was offensive lineman Eric Winston."This is the closest team I've been on since I've been here," Winston told the Miami Herald. "Everybody was there for each other. Everybody loved each other. That's what I'll remember most."

Jones finished with 88 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries in front of a rather disappointing crowd of 37,629.

The Hurricanes are now in wait-and-see mode. It is yet to be determined where Miami will play its bowl game. It seems like the Hurricanes will end up in the Gator Bowl on Jan. 2 against Louisville. The Cardinals gave Miami fits last year at home, and the teams will play next year in Louisville.

Douglas C. Kroll can be contacted at d.kroll@umiami.edu

FSU Won ACC Championship

2005-12-04T13:42:00.000+08:00

It was a good ending for ACC. At least the team that won ACC was a team which beat Miami and not the team which Miami beat (i.e., Virginia Tech).

I hope Miami will play in Gator Bowl against Louisville and not in Peach Bowl.

I Do Not Think This is The Reason Hurricanes Lost But ...

2005-11-22T14:25:00.000+08:00

Rap song featuring football players stirs controversy
Most students feel indifferent towards explicit, vulgar tune
By: Greg Linch
Issue date: 11/22/05

A two-year old rap song threw the spotlight on UM's football team in a different direction from the field, stirring controversy that reached a national level when it surfaced on the Internet last Tuesday.

Kyle Munzenrieder, sophomore, posted a link to a song on Miamity.com that supposedly features several former and current Hurricane football players.

"I just thought it was funny. I wasn't trying to get back at the football players," Munzenrieder said. "I wasn't really expecting the controversy that came after it."

Munzenrieder deleted the link from the weblog soon after it garnered attention from students, administrators and national media outlets for its explicit and vulgar lyrics.

In a statement, athletic director Paul Dee said the song was recorded privately and was not intended for public use.

"To be clear, the University and the Athletic Department disapprove of the content and its references," Dee said. "To those who may hear this material, we apologize. Any students whose voices can be identified will be subject to appropriate discipline and/or counseling."

Athletes are not the only ones who may face possible disciplinary action. According to Munzenrieder, the University has contacted his father, saying that Munzenrieder should withdraw from classes and that he must move out of campus housing.

Pat Whitely, vice president for student affairs, could not comment on any disciplinary measures Munzenrieder might face, saying that it is strictly confidential.

"They have been treating me with little respect and haven't been communicating directly to me," Munzenrieder said. "I think it's a blow to free speech at the University.

"I'm not withdrawing," he said. "I think there's been an overreaction to the song and my role in the whole thing. I'm going to try and appeal [the withdrawal]. It's kind of ridiculous."

Word of the nine-minute song spread quickly across campus, which relates the supposed sexual exploits of several football players, calling themselves the Seventh Floor Crew, thought to represent the seventh floor of Mahoney Residential College, where the players lived at the time.

"I first read it on ESPN.com and then like 20 minutes later everyone on my floor was playing it," Mike Holzer, freshman, said. "But, as far as the actual song, I think it's just a rap song like any other."

That sentiment was echoed by a number of other students though the song has been called sexually explicit, vulgar and degrading to women by members the mainstream press.

"I thought it was kind of funny; it was humorous," Jessy Antoni, freshman, said. "I think they did it all in good fun. The words obviously are a little bit offensive, but it's like any other rap song. I think it's just a huge joke, guys being guys basically."

"A rap song is a rap song," Nate Stout, junior, said. "Plus they just had a Beat Down at the Convocation Center with a bunch of rap groups that rap about the same stuff, so I don't think the University can offer any kind of punishment."

In fact, the posting of the song on the Internet has given it a new audience.

"I thought it was funny, I didn't think it was offensive at all," Brett Bailey, freshman, said. "It's my ring tone."

Larry Nolan contributed to this article.

Greg Linch can be contacted at g.linch@umiami.edu.