PAUL the OCTOPUS and THE FROGS

Posted by Unknown On Sunday, July 11, 2010 24 comments
By now, many would have heard of Paul, the Octopus. Paul the Octopus or Paul Oktopus (hatched in 2008) is a common octopus living in a tank at a Sea Life Centre in Oberhausen, Germany. The octopus is used as an animal oracle in an attempt to predict the results of football matches, usually international matches in which Germany is playing.

The finals of the World Cup final will be played @ 2.30am tomorrow morning (Malaysian time) and he has predicted a win for Spain against the Netherlands in the World Cup final on July 11 by eating the mussel in the box with the Spanish flag on it.

During a prediction, Paul is presented with two boxes. Each contains food, and is marked with the flag of a national football team in an upcoming match, among which he is said to choose his predicted winner. Paul is reported to have chosen the box with the flag of the winning team in several of Germany's six Euro 2008 matches, and in each of their first six matches in the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Today, I received the following pic of Paul the Octopus and have taken the liberty of adding four frogs to the box.



Can you imagine how wonderful it would be if someone actually bought Paul the Octopus and went on to make such a prediction as in the above pic???

I know - I am a dreamer!!! :-) But dreams keep us alive and young haha!!!

I think many others would zoom to the forest to get more animals to partake in animal oracles.

And if Paul were to correctly predict Pakatan Rakyat as the winners in the next GE, then the frogs will be skinned alive and cooked gourmet style :-).

Whatever the case, I am sure many will be seeking ways to make money from such oracles while both Pakatan and BN will be busy gearing themselves for the next election.

In the mean time, who is your favorite team in the final?

24 comments to PAUL the OCTOPUS and THE FROGS

  1. says:

    Anonymous i dun like bull-killers ...cruel !
    'Little dutch girl'...lovely song !

  1. says:

    Unknown Dear Anon aka iwc

    Of course even without the hint of "Little Dutch Girl" I know it is you lah...

    Haiz...You have been reading my blog for so long - naturally I know it is you :-).

    Take care and enjoy tonight's game. Hope you win your bet with your wife this time :-).

    Cheers

  1. says:

    Anonymous O , NO !...the wretched bukit rat in penang has resurrected , damn !

  1. says:

    Anonymous I know you could trace me from the 'Live traffic feed' ...hehehe !
    Cheers with kopiputih !

  1. says:

    Unknown Dear Anon @ 2.44 pm

    Are you talking about this report:

    http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/fmt-english/politics/barisan-nasional/7837-pkr-mp-smells-a-heritage-rat-in-rais-

    Have a nice day!

    Cheers

  1. says:

    Unknown Dear IWC

    Nolah - I am writing a post on tv programs and not looking at the live feed.

    I know it is you from the syntax and tone of your comment lah...Old fren already tahu lah...

    Take care! Had my kopi putih already!

    Cheers

  1. says:

    HotDogg Lucky for us the choice is made by Miss Oktopussy...so you can expect an unbiased prediction.

    If it is my choice to pick the winner and my choice is between eating the Okto or the Pussy, then don't expect the right pick...

    Of course I'll go for the Pussy!!!kakakakakaka!!!

  1. says:

    daffodils Germany had what it took to win it all. Youth bursting with vibrance and dangerous forwards. They trounced Australia, England and Argentina convincingly. All 12 goals for and 1 against.

    But alas the route to the finals went up in smoke with the Spain game. What a pity, when it comes to the crunch, the boys did not deliver.

    Germany was cautious, did not pressure the Spaniards,and conceded ball possession to them. They frozed. It was as if the Germans had abdicated to a fate of losing mentality for having lost the Europe Cup to Spain in 2008. The Germans should have viewed this more as a revenge game, and should go all out attacking.

    The commentators fronting Astro thumbed up for Spain. Sotong also predicted a win for Spain. I am sitting on the fence, but I ll try to catch the game if I can stay up.

  1. says:

    HotDogg Well, Miss Oktopussy predicts Spain to take the Cup. I like pussies...so I'll naturally go along with Miss Oktopussy...kakakakakaka!!!

    But seriously...Spain is one impenetrable fortress in their defense strategy...it is like a brickwall...but then again the Dutch are world-class dyke builders...if they can build 'em, so can they destroy it...

    But like I said...I'm with the Spanish Armada...

  1. says:

    KoSong Cafe So far, Octopus Paul predicted games which involved Germany.

    With the choice between Spain (familiar) and Holland (new), he chose Spain. Could it be because of familiarity eg. he chose Germany 5 times before he chose Spain. So there is a chance that he chose Spain a second time like what he did Germany, and probably another 3 more times before changing to another flag.

    Don't forget as la living thing, he chose something to eat. Having eaten something he likes, he is likely to go for the same again.

    On the other hand, the parakeet is used to choosing cards only when fortune telling. Having seen housewives of yesteryears falling for the fortune teller using parakeet, I have chosen it over the octopus.

    Tonight I hope I can stay awake for the one and only match at such an unnatural hour for me.

  1. says:

    Unknown Dear Little Corgi

    Ah - I see it is the mating season LOL!!! Kakakaka!!!

    Wishing you a litter of little Corgis and please remember to send one over! :-)

    Take care and have a lovely evening!

    Cheers

  1. says:

    Unknown Dear daffodils

    I was very surprised at the way Germany played against Spain. Something was not quite right on that day - perhaps it was nerves and they buckled under pressure.

    Looks like they learnt their lesson well because the game against Uruguay was brilliant...I dozed off after the 75th minute and missed the third and winning goal.

    I am not sure who will win. Both have had a fantastic run but many are rooting for Spain because they have yet to win the World Cup, if I am not wrong.

    I will be staying up to watch this match!

    Btw, what do you think of the recent announcement wrt PSD scholarships? Would love to hear your views!

    Take care and thanks for sharing. Do keep in touch!

    Cheers

  1. says:

    Unknown Dear Little Corgi

    Both teams are very formidable in their own way. I believe Spain will be more spirited and motivated because psychologically, they have the edge over the Dutch team, thanks to all the hoo-haa from Paul.

    Yet, as the underdogs, the Dutch may surprise us!

    I am not sure who I support but I would be more inclined to support Spain tonight as the guys are more handsome LOL!!!

    Cheers

  1. says:

    Unknown Dear KoSong Cafe

    That is a very perceptive observation wrt the octopus! Parakeets have long been used by many fortune tellers in Penang. You can see a few of them still plying their trade along Pitt Street and there is one near my home too!

    I really don't know which team to support as both are formidable in their own way. Like I said earlier, the Spaniards are cuter and have been playing well so we will have to wait and see. Yup - I am staying up to watch the match.

    Take care and have a great week!

    Cheers

  1. says:

    rainstorm And if Paul were to correctly predict Pakatan Rakyat as the winners in the next GE, then the frogs will be skinned alive and cooked gourmet style :-).

    More like the frogs will be skinned alive & thrown into rubbish bin ! No point turning it into gourmet cooking, waste of time, effort & other ingredients !!!!

  1. says:

    Captain Obvious Dear masterwordsmith,

    Might as well let the Oracle choose who is the CIA agent, Anwar, or Najib?

    Anyways, the octopus also called El Pulpo Paul in spanish.

    Cheers!

  1. says:

    HotDogg Did you say the Spaniards are cute?

    Wo! Wait till you see 'em Senoritas!!

    Las chicas son tan lindo!!!
    (The girls are so cute!)

  1. says:

    HotDogg Any male between the age of 16 and 60 who don't watch the WC final "live" should be shot!!

    Of course, Aunty Paula is cordially invited to watch!!! :-)

  1. says:

    Unknown Dear rainstorm

    LOL!! I left this post in my facebook and another girlfren's response there was just like yours - she said iti s a waste of time but it would be better to feed it to the snakes and then kill the snake before grinding them to a pulp! :-)

    Thanks for the smiles. Take care and have a great week ahead! Cheers

  1. says:

    Unknown Dear Captain Obvious

    :-) That'sa good one~ Thanks for the tip wrt the Spanish version of Paul.

    Lovely to hear from you again as always. Take care and have a great week. Do keep in touch!

    Cheers

  1. says:

    Unknown Dear Little Corgi

    Now, now Little Corgi - remember it is mating season LOL so you have to focus on Miss Corgi...LOL!

    Otherwise, I may not get my Junior Little Corgis haha!!

    Take care and have a great time watching the match!

    Cheers

  1. says:

    Unknown Dear Little Corgi

    Thank you! Am watching the match now!

    Take care and have a great week!

    Woof woof!

    Cheers

  1. says:

    daffodils Students whine when they don't clinch the scholarships. Many think that they are entitled to it. A’s and now A+s come a dime a dozen and that is the beginning of the problem. Quite a lot were awarded those grades even when students haven't earned them. Seriously, does anyone believe that the A+ grade is for score above 90?

    We have an inflated grading system in our schools that can be traced to the inflated opinion we have of ourselves. We keep awarding unearned A’s and Bs. The students will be living with the fall-out of this mess we've made. We can't fix the whole system, but we can be truthful about the grades they are earning in public examinations. The exam board should be more transparent and show the actual score attained by the student. I have students scoring A’s in chemistry and yet fail a few times in my STPM class. It just goes to show the A was given on a low score. You get students scoring A’s in PMR Mathematics but failing several times in Additional Mathematics in school exams.

    Year in, year out the JPA episode is played and recycled again. It is better in the long run to do what is right, rather than what is easy or expedient, that is raise the bar or award scholarships based on Pre U exams like STPM or A levels. It should be based on an exam that requires a higher level of rigorous assessment. Then only one will know the true merit of the student concerned. STPM is a totally different cup of tea. I have students scoring 8, 9 As in SPM floundering in STPM subjects.

  1. says:

    Unknown Dear daffodils,

    Thanks for sharing your thoughts and experiences with us. I have no experience wrt to the local examination system. My experience in the UCLES A levels and IGCSE 'O' levels seem to show that standards are higher and more consistent there although lately, the questions across the board have been easier.

    I believe that the grading system for our local exams is highly questionable because I have students scoring 10As and above who can only manage a minimum of a C in my A level classes.

    You are right wrt the gap between marking in school exams and that of public exams. The student who consistently won the BM prize for three consecutive years in my older boy's school scored a B4 whereas an obscure person with an average score ended up with A1. One student (a friend's son) whom I helped years ago and another 13A1 student whom I coached briefly had a A1 for EST when they could not even string a sentence correctly. In sharp contrast, my boy had a B3!

    The question is why there is such an inflated system. Some of the former students I taught scored A1 in Chemistry and Physics at SPM level but failed in the A levels.

    I am more concerned about the recent announcement that scholarships will be awarded to all who score 9As and above regardless of race. If such low standards persist, would it not be a waste of money to send such scholars overseas? I am aware of such cases in both UK, US and Australia - even of JPA students in local med colleges.

    Also, the new syllabus for the Literature component (English paper) is truly an area of concern because it does not do much to improve the student's mastery of the language. Rather, it will ensure that MORE do well thereby giving many the false notion that their level of English will be fine - until they sit for IELTS, SATs or TOEFL.

    Will the exam board do anything to reactify the situation?

    So far, few have commented on the recent announcement. I reckon many are still discussing the proposed abolishment of UPSR/PMR and the teaching of Maths/Science in English.

    Anyway, thanks again for your elegant comment. Do keep in touch and continue to share your views. I always enjoy your lovely comments. Have a great day!

    Cheers

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