Saturday, November 15, 2003
Man is probably one of the weirdest animal in the animal kingdom. Don't know why but that thought has always bugged me.
Another thought that has been in my head is how we judge a person to be mad. So how do we define a person has being insane or mentally handicapped? It's because of what think was on Time that kept me thinking. Yup, it's about autism being the highest form of Man's intelligence. Generally we will deem a person going against society's norms as being crazy, or at least along that line. So if we the supposedly sane people was to enter a hospital for the mentally handicappped, are we than not the insane people. Afterall, the majority of people there act in a different manner as us. Maybe it is us that is mad, considering how we react to certain issues. For example, in the pursuit of hygiene in order to have good health, we have actually tuned our bodies to be not able to combat certain germs. Yup, its like us Singaporeans, we have a rather high standard of hygiene, so when we go to a place that has a lower standard of hygiene, we'll end up with ailments like food poisoning. Isn't that so ironic? By having a higher standard of hygiene, we actually end up being weaker.
Sometimes I'm thankful that I'm an Asian and practice communal eating. Some Westerners cannot fathom why we practice this supposedly unhygienic method of eating but I think this method of eating has allowed us to have a slightly higher immune system. Moreover, communal eating has this "bonding" element. We may not always have "fellowship" or "bonding" by sitting down having a good chat etc, but we bond over a meal. Not only do we share a common meal but also in a way take in the other person's saliva. Haha, know that sounds disgusting, but hey, its true isn't it. Think of the soup. We use our own spoons to dip into the same bowl. May sound and look disgusting to some people but hey, that's the beauty of the Asian culture. By sharing the same meal that way, we are actually showing mutal respect, that we are all equal.
Ok, the above post may not show much detail thought but hey, its the hols. Haha.
The more I'm on the road, the more the way some Singaporean drivers irk me. Like today, while my dad was driving, he turned out into the main road. There was this lady who wanted to turn into the road we were coming out from, but she did not signal. So both cars nearly crashed, luckily both drivers were alert enough so as to avoid an accident. That bitch had the audacity to glare as if we were in the wrong. Please, if you did not signal how you expect us to know you are turning?? You think all the drivers in the world can read your mind or got to give way to you?? Sometimes I really wonder how these people can pass their freaking driving test.
Another thing that irks me is that Singaporean parents are really slackers. Please do not expect the state to take care of your children. Like the recent wrestling TV saga. Man, its your duty to tell your children that wrestling is acting etc. Please don't expect the broadcasters to help you "nanny" your children. Please do not expect the broadcasters to help you cover your incompetence to be good parents. If you are a failure as a parent just admit it, don't shift the blame to the media. Prove to me that the media is a bad influence to the children. Some of them give reasons like "children can easily turn on the TV when we are not around". Harlow, please again do not blame the media for your child's lack of discipline.
Was on the bus today and there was this child that threw his metal toy car at the metal railing. It hit the railing with a loud sound, the bus driver immediately turn around to see what happened. The father did not apologise to the bus driver nor did he scold his son. All he did was to ask his son why did he throw the car. The best part was the boy was laughing about the incident. He thought that his father's reaction was part of a game. Man, the father should have just gave his son a slap man. What if he did it again and this time there were people? The force which he threw the car is definitely enough to leave a deep gash on a person.
Spare the rod and spoil the child? To a certain extent I do agree with that statement. Especially with the children of today. Some of them really deserve a good whack. The parents of today will say that its child abuse etc, but I do not fully agree with that. If you cane or hit the child till he is half dead than yes, that's child abuse, but if you do it just to teach the child that it is wrong, than its education. There are reports of people actually calling the police because they see a parent slap his child. Well, I would like to see how good those people who call the police are as parents. I would like to see how they discipline their children and how good their children are. I pray that if I ever become a parent, I will not be like those over protective parents.
Another thing that has baffled me is the amount of animal welfare groups Singapore has. It seems to me that every month or so, I see a new group being mentioned. Today's papers had this group called SOS Animals or something like that. Than there's Acres that made the headlines recently. They were the group petitioning against the dolphins at Dolphin Lagoon. Wow, Singapore actually has a group who takes interest in dolphins, yup the few dolphins at Sentosa. Haha, man, that's complete madness. I stick to the point that its ok for places like zoos etc to keep animals. Yes, I agree that its cruel to a certain extent to keep animals in captivity etc. But those people also got to realise that, yes these animals may be supposedly wild animals but the vast majority are born in captivity, meaning that they are not capable surviving in the wild. If we are to release them, tehy are unlikely to suvive. That's the exact situation of the dolphins at Dolphin Lagoon, they were born in captivity and have been fed by man since they were born, its more cruel to free them than to keep them at the lagoon. Moreover they play a very big role in educating Singaporean children about wild dolphins. Now they can not only see them in National Geographic but also live. It will bring them closer to dolphins thus making them have a closer bond with dolphins. So when they grow up, they will have reason to combat wild dolphins hunting. If Acres want to really do dolphins a favour, go to Japan and monitor the dolphin hunting there. There, more dolphins are affected rather than the few dolphins swimming at Sentosa. At times I also wonder if they are doing all these for publicity, to gain awareness for their group. Why? For money! Cos these are non profit organisation, so in order to survive they need money to sustain operational cost and the money usually come from public donation.
The other group that have caught me attention recently is the cat welfare. They are so protective of the stray cats! The reaction towards cat culling was amazing. Never expected such a huge reaction from them. In my opinion the problem of so many cats is the supposedly cat lovers themselves! Feeding the strays! Come on, these cats can hunt and live on their own! By feeding these cats, they are actually more harm than good. Had the cat population not been so big, there would had been a lesser need to cull them. Maybe the cat welfare should address the problem of people feeding cats first before tey starting crying foul on cat culling.
he spoke at 7:39 pm
Friday, November 14, 2003
Caught the re-run of SM Lee's interview about TV. He made an excellent about the competition of the local media. Maybe not upfront but I felt that he subtly referred that the greatest competition MediaCorp and MediaWorks face with regards to TV is not each other but cable. Maybe you guys have figured out or maybe I'm slow but realised that its something the two broadcasters hardly mention but its very true. The fight is not between PCK and Ah Girl but more of them with Friends. The problem also lies with Singaporeans not accepting local produces. Do you really think that Sun Yanzi would be so big in Singapore had she not been so popular in Taiwan? I really doubt so. Sad isn't it, we need another country to affirm our talents before we actually accept them. We seem not to be able to accept them if they are not big internationally. Sometimes I scorn at how Aussies are like so in their own world. They reject things that are not Aussie but at times I really admire them. Its only good if its Aussie. Imagine if we are like that, its only good if its Singaporean. Wow, that will certainly be nice isn't it. Screw what US wants us to be attracted to, as long as it is not local, its got to take a back seat. I suspect also that Tiger is well liked partly because some people do not know its a local brand. And some people I'm sure reject Tiger simply because its local.
Was quite disappointed that ST did not mention anything about the international friendly between Poland and Italy. There was a human element in it but it was never picked up. The human element was that when Antonio Cassano scored, he refused to celebrate out of respect of the Carabinieris who were killed in Iraq. Isn't that a show of humanity?? Yes, that brat from Serie A actually shows his human side. All he is doing is some sanity in his insane world but we are not showing it. All we read is negative news like the Rio Ferdinand drugs scandal, the sex scandals and Owen delaying on his contracr. All gossip like news. Is that how our world is degrading?? That news is only news if it is gossip??
Another event that took place and was not reported in ST was the memorial match for Marc Vivien Foe. Yup, the player who collapsed in France while playing for his country. The match was held on the same pitchwere Foe collapsed. How was the macth kicked off? Foe's son kicked the macth off. I quote from Reuters:
The match was played under the motto "a lion never dies, it sleeps" and a banner in the stands read "another star now shines above Gerland".
Again, isn't that sanity in an insane world?
he spoke at 11:55 am
Thursday, November 13, 2003
Just back from the Geylang Bazaar. Man, I'm bloated! Ate a Burger Ramly, than a beef kerbab and Turkish ice cream. Haha, its madness but hey, I'm not a person who can resist food, especially when its such good food. It certainly helps when you got great company! It's always fun when you have Yah Yah, Keng, Melly and Poh Ling. Wasted Brian, JY, Penn and the rest could not join us, otherwise we'll have a greater time. The food at Geylang Bazaar is just wow. If we had felt richer, than we'll definitely go for the fried seafood. Since we were not feeling rich, than we had to settle for the other food. But again I'm not complaining cos its good food. Yummy!
We went to the CBTL at the Post Centre. Sat around enjoying the air con and we started talking and laughing. Yup, our usual loud laughter and all. Teasing each other and just having such a great time.
he spoke at 11:38 pm
Watched "We Were Soldiers" for the don't know how many times. Man, its really good, one of the shows that I can watch upteen times and still not get tired of it. Yup, its that good. Read the book too. Still remember reading it during my wisdon teeth MC. Read it faster than usual just to finish it before catching the show. The show was close to the book, quite unlike most adaptations whereby the show is quite different from the book. The only main difference is that the show is based on half the book, 7th Calvary had another battle at LZ Albany whereby they suffered tremendous losses, of course being a US production, they did not show that.
Anyway, think the show did lots of justtice to the book and the soldiers cos apart from telling the truth, they added effects to place emphasis on some issues. Something that I remember in the cinema was people laughing when a platoon got lost because they were chasing this Viet scout and were left stranded. Truth is that lost platoon played a very big role in the entire operation. Historian will tell you that it is probably them that forced the Viets to seperate thus making them more vulnerable. Had it not been for that lost platoon, 7th Calvary would probably had suffered a longer casualty list.
The ending was the most symbolic. Felt what Hal Moore and Galloway did and said was very touching an true. Hal Moore mentioned about feeling guilty for being alive etc. hat's a cliche but is very true. Seeing all the fallen commrades and one will just wonder why is it not themselves. Those fallen will need to face anymore crap and mental torture but those who survived will have to face the pain of the fallen's love ones. Those people are the war forgottens. They are the strength behind the soldiers but they are never remembered. Galloway's ending was him saying how soldiers were forgetten and the scene was this soldier was injuried and being wheeled out of the airport. A mother immdiately pulled her child away from the wounded soldier. How more symbolic can that be. They were supposed to be hero but they never got that hero treatment they deserved. All they got is the mental torture they have to face for the rest of their lives.
I was thinking about the weapons we all see everyday. Why is the M-16 considered a good rifle? Its because it is battle worthy and proven. Same goes to the Chinook and Apache. But in order for it to be considered battle worthy, it has to under go battle and survive it. On the surface it sounds cool and all, but the underlying meaning is that the weapon has been proven that it can kill people. It's well liked because it had been to battle and taken the lives of many people, of which not all are soldiers. Afterall in every war, more civilians are killed than soldiers. Ironic isn't it? Its actually safer to serve as a soldier during war.
he spoke at 3:50 pm
Tuesday, November 11, 2003
Always a delight to watch. That was how I would describe Tanjong Pagar United. Still remember watching the two cup finals with Wil at the National Stadium, the only two to the Jaguars' name. That was a power team sia, skippered by the unflappable Lim Tong Hai, with Rudy Khairon in mid field together with "Super-sub" Steven Tan and the attack consisting of the "Twin Towers" Nicodeme Boucher and Boubacar Seck. Vlado Bozinoski and Nahar Daud in that team too and their goal is plugged by the best keeper the S-League ever have seen, Dragan Talajic. They were super feared, had it not been for an unsporting act by Balestier Central, the Jags would had been the only team to win the treble!
Look at the Jags now, a contender for the cellar place, with a super unreliable keeper in the form of Liu Gang. Let's not forget that Singapore's best foreigner turned Singapore, Daniel Bennet made his name at the Queenstown Stadium. And now, they have four players (five if you consider the reports) in the S-Leagues duds of the season.
Whenever I see the clip of the Jags training at Queenstown Stadium on CNA, man, those memories just come back sia! But I highly doubt we will ever get to see the Jags bite again. However, they are still no doubt the team I will support for the upcoming S-League.
Class 95 Love Songs is asking something about thinking of someone else when you get intimate with your soul mate (something along that line). Some Singaporeans actually say its ok, some even say that when they are having sex, they are thinking of their ex and they feel that it is ok. What the hell is wrong with these people?? Wonder how will they feel if their partners did that too. Hmmmm.
Tomorrow is porbably going to be another day whereby I'll just waste me life away again. Haha.
he spoke at 10:32 pm
Monday, November 10, 2003
Chelsea with yet another convincing victory. This time Newcastle is the victim (poor Wil). Its not that I'm jealous of Chelsea or anything like that but their approach to getting players is really spoiling the entire game. With all the buying of stars etc, they are doing another Real Madrid. Good for the short term game but bad for it in the long run. Claudio Ranieri says that they are not challengers is just a load of crap. Chelsea has got a very realistic chance of winning the EPL this season. As each day goes by, they are just getting stronger. If any club wants to beat Chelsea, it has to be now. Anything later, Chelsea may be way too strong. Look at it this way, they are still in the process of gelling and look at them now, notching up the almost regular good results. Imagine Chelsea after they gel. It will really be indeed horror of all horror. Assuming they do not buy any new players from now on (which obviously be impossible unless you know who gets arrested over graft charges) they still have a strong enough team to dominate for the next five years at the very least. By than I fear too much damage will have been done. They are not like Man U who have a good youth academy, a place where by the future of the game is nurtured. Chelsea is definitely not capable of producing gems like Giggs, Beckham, Scholes, O Shea, Neveille brothers and more recently Fletcher and Djordic. All they can do is to buy players from poorer clubs (which obviously is almost every single other team in the world). True Man U is guilty of doing that too, think Ferdinand and Veron but at the end of the day, they still produce quality players from their youth system even till today.
But the modern Chelsea has its cheers, especially for England. Gone were the days were Chelsea fielded players of any nationality except England. These days at least they have John Terry (their last player from the youth system to break into the first team?) and Frank Lampard in their first eleven. And hopefully more of Joe Cole. And soon in mid 2004, we'll prob see another Englishman in the form of Carlo Cudicini, though he is more of a foreign talent. I really think he'll make the smart choice and play for England next summer. He's very good but not good enough to challenge for a place with the Azzurris. If he is English, he's almost a certainity to start for them. Come on, he's way better than "Sad" James, there's a reason why he's still playing in Division One. Richard Wright is no longer the player he was ever since his move to Arsenal. Now with Everton, he's really yet to reproduce the form he has shown with Ipswich. Paul Robinson is talented but the bloke now spends more time picking up the ball from the back of his net than making saves. So if Cudicini makes the right choice, England will have a new and dependable number one.
Also Chelsea has finally found consistency. They have evolved from being a charity organisation to a true title contender. Instead of screwing up the top placing, they are now invloved in the fight for it. You see in the past, all they did was to beat the top teams and lose to those relagation contenders. If you are struggling to survive in the EPL, play Chelsea and they will almost give you the three points, but if you are a title contender than you got play very well to get a point from them. Haha, yea, that was the Chelsea of the past. But they still show a bit of that even till today, think Bestikas and Lazio. Think that the Bestikas result will be more of a rarity these days.
Its really heart wrenching to see the way soccer has evolved, gone were the days where we get to see football as a true team game. Still remember the good old days like in the late 90s whereby teams like Ipswich still dish out "old school" football. They were a true delight to watch, true they were not that brilliant but they played football as a team! No stars but played footbal the way it was.
What's wrong with Fowler?? Sad to see him in the news for the wrong reasons. He should be England's saviour but look at him now, putting his balls in the wrong places. How we all long to see the Fowler of the mid 90s, I think we have found our answer to Gazza. But I got this feeling that Fowler is doing what he is doing now because of his form. The pressure on him is probably too great for even himself so that's his way of escape. Go ask Tony Adams and George Best and they'll tell you what is it like to face the pressure as geniuses. Hope that we can still have the chance to see the real Robbie Fowler before its too late.
Man City is really quite a disappointment. They have lots of talent on the field except between the posts but still they lack that bit of talent called consistency. If they are more consistent, they will not be challenging for the title directly but more of be outside contenders. Justified outside contenders to be more precise. A Champions League position will be a reality in fact. They'll be like Newcastle of last season.
he spoke at 11:16 am
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