7.09

the figure to remember.

that's our score, after i fulfilled a dream of 6 years. into my 7th year in liondance, i remember how everything started in 2003. i saw posters around nyjc publicising a cca about chinese arts. they were damn cool and i thought to myself, i want to try something different for once this life, and to find something to like in a school i didnt want to be in. all alone, i tried out for the cca. it was ah mack who welcomed me. then there were qiaoming, yujie, huiyang, sherry, lina, lianghong, christopher, stanley, khairul. there were coach, ms fong and ms lin. then there were jonathan, eileen, ziyun, mingqi, suqi, maehui, benwei, yewhan, wenjuan, junqi, sien.

my journey began there.

i even gave up soccer, my first love, for something i knew nothing about. imagine the sacrifice. i was already in the soccer team and gave up a first-team chance.

i knew back then that the pinnacle of the sport for me is the national championships. not to win it, of course, that's ridiculous. but to at least be capable to compete in it someday.

i have now achieved that.

of course a bigger dream is to qualify for the finals at ngee ann city, but i think that will never be possible. i know my limits.

7.09 is nothing to be happy about. plus the fact that this year the judges give points like free, so many ordinary troupes in West Zone scoring 8+. in the region of 6 to 7 means one must have screwed up a few things. 7-8 generally has to screw up things as well, or just being too ordinary. i guess for us, we were never a 8+. it's our maiden assault, we arnt famous (this makes a difference), our props are simple, and honestly our technique is just average.

but still, we could have been a 7.89, a much more respectable score. 0.8 was deducted for the following~

0.1 for a minor slip while attempting a stunt on the bench
0.5 for an unfortunate major zaogeng after disembarking the bench
0.1 for our wushu performer entering the competition grounds before he should
0.1 for an error during his routine

we're already lucky. the strict judges did not punish us for (warning: stupid incident) my headband dropping out of the lion. later in the routine, i also dropped orange skin while peeling the orange. i picked them up, which is not allowed, but apparently the judges did not see it.

watch 新加坡新洋龙狮运动坊 here.

you'll never walk alone

there were an estimated 40-45,000 liverpool fans at the national stadium. and they brought the house down yesterday in an effort to mimic the famous Anfield Kop End.

liverpool whacked the lions five to nothing.

and there was a bit of regret here and there that local fans rather turn out in full force for these foreign corporations, than our very own heroes.

well, i say not to worry. because for the 40-45,000 pool fans, 4.7 million singaporeans were rooting for the national team.
(author's note: bulk of those being man utd fans like me)

aiya sian if only singapore beat liverpool. haha.

15th Ngee Ann City National Lion Dance Championship
第十五届义安城全国舞狮锦标赛

North Zone qualifier - Cheng San CC, 26 July

雄群龙狮团
达曼裕廊联系少年俱乐部
勇武龙狮学院
淡滨尼尚育民众俱乐部龙狮团
新加坡威劲体育会
九仙宫体育会
新加坡少忠山国术体育会
九龙堂龙狮团

6pm 新加坡新洋龙狮运动坊

灵应龙狮院
新加坡文艺龙狮运动坊
关善坛龙狮学院
威扬体育会
耘青中学
新加坡海星中学
飞将龙狮学院
静山民众俱乐部龙狮团

finally. realising my dream of 6 years.

a year on from the tragic withdrawal due to injury, me and my brothers have overcome everything to reach this stage again. to conquer the pain of last year, and to face a new beginning. fresh trainings, a new routine, props preparations again, and more money poured into this assault.

we've had our fair share of setbacks this year as well. and, hell, were we freaked by the shadows cast by last year.

jj enlisting for army...
change of 狮头 twice...
an almost failed request to get concessions from the federation for jj's NS commitments...
change in jj's army training plan forcing us to swop our competition fixture...

west coast cc (West Zone) is one of our home grounds, so it definitely would have been a sort of advantage. plus u cannot imagine how elated we were when the ballot results first came out; west coast probably consists of a weaker field, boosting our chances.

then the bombshell, and we had to swop zone. now we're in cheng san, a notorious ground (think anfield, ali sami yen), plus formidable opponents like 威劲, 九仙宫, 关善坛, 威扬, 飞将 and not forgetting the hosts. put it this way, we train once a week for a few months leading to competition. some of them are salaried professionals who train 4,5 days a week and are handpicked out of dozens. almost like a football match between ur sunday team and man utd.

im trying to stay positive. easier opponents might make us complacent. it would be a bigger joke if we screwed up there. and the best is usually forged in adversity. let's go out there, face the powerhouses, and do our best!

we've nothing to lose.

a Chinese principle

i was struck thrice in recent times by something. like they say, things happen in threes. and when they do, u can be quite sure it definitely means something.

it is a principle. about leadership. and the instances have one common denominator. they are all Chinese. and judging by their historical value it seems like this principle has been upheld throughout China's history.

in the epic film Red Cliff, set during the time of the Warring Kingdoms around 208 AD, Liu Bei said: 如果连老百姓都不能保护，那这场抗争还有什么意义。(what good is a ruler if he cannot protect his people.)

in the film The Warlords, based on the Taiping Rebellion of the 1860s, General Pang said: 从 前我做官的时候，在街上看见一个士兵，捉着一个穷人，见着就打，打得遍体鳞伤，浑身是血。没有任何理由，就是因为他穷。而这个穷人并没有怨言，好像一切都 是天公地道。从那天起我就发誓，如果我做主，这种事绝不能再发生。不光你们，全天下的百姓，都不能让人欺负。我们要做的是这样的大事。(freedom for everyone.)

and lastly, i saw in a Tiananmen documentary, a student leader back then said, in a particular homage, the late Premier Zhao Ziyang displayed his core Chinese principle that fateful evening, and stuck to it until his death. he believed a government's job is to protect, not harm, its people, which is why he was so against the use of the military that night. and though paramount leader Deng Xiaoping gave him the opportunities to return from exile thereafter, he never succumbed.

causality of behaviour

if there was a line demarcating those on the side of the whites, and those anti-whites, i'd probably fall into the area consisting of the critics of the ruling party of singapore. even the word 'ruling' seems out of context and poor as a label, since they have been the only party to rule the state.

i believe in a rigorous and active system, mostly in the form of an established and mature civil society, one that's conscious of what they are in and put through. the obstacles in our day-to-day labour are acceptedly the government's economic success so far, and a much-contested climate of fear. the extent of what they call youth apathy, which i dub youth ignorance for better accuracy, can be seen in how few of our youths actually know anything about sociology and political science. this is not helped by an ideology that has placed the sciences above the arts, a career in medicine, law, engineering and accountancy where the money is.

but an interesting viewpoint raised by Gillian Koh, senior research fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies, turned the tables on critics of the PAP. we push for what we term 'necessary change'. the government may find it hard to embrace changes and we find fault with them, but is the individual as readily open to changes? even if yes, will it be easy to adapt? she says: "singaporeans have to take ownership of their ability to cope with a reduced government presence in many facets of singapore life". in other words, from my understanding, the system and the success brought about by the PAP might just be the root of our growing consciousness. if in the first place without the work of the government, singaporeans may not even be sparked, or even knowledgeable enough, to care. will the people question as vigorously if there isnt a working, though flawed, democracy? i even dare say it is the PAP's system that gives birth to its critics; without it there would be less or none. why would u care about rights or freedom when u have nothing to compare with, no space to challenge, or even, know nothing? and in a tit-for-tat behaviour, will the statesmen do good if there's visibly no system to follow?

we are arguably the most successful post-colonial state, and this has happened under PAP's leadership. according to LKY himself, PAP has been decked out in full white since half a century ago to symbolise a clean government. and i think they have succeeded in that, made even more stunning relative to corruption around the world, especially in the region this tiny red dot is situated in.

and i loved this line: "in what would become the PAP's article of faith in years to come, LKY offered a glimpse of how his government would work: "there may be times when, in the interests of the whole community, we may have to take steps that are unpopular with a section of the community. on such occasions, remember that the principle which guides our actions is that the paramount interest of the whole community must prevail." "


inspired by Loh Chee Kong's The Next 50 Years, a feature on singapore's self-rule so far, which appeared in Weekend Today June 6-7 2009.

thank you, michael

All over the world today people are gathered in love viduals to celebrate the life of a man that taught the world how to love.

People may be wondering why there's such an emotional outburst. But you would have to understand the journey of Michael to understand what he meant to all of us. For these that sit here as the Jackson family - a mother and father with nine children that rose from a working class family in Gary, Indiana - they had nothing but a dream.

No one believed in those days that this kind of dream could come true, but they kept on believing and Michael never let the world turn him around from his dreams.

When Michael started, it was a different world. But because Michael kept going, because he didn't accept limitations, because he refused to let people decide his boundaries, he opened up the whole world.

In the music world, he put on one glove, pulled his pants up and broke down the color curtain where now our videos are shown and magazines put us on the cover. It was Michael Jackson that brought Blacks and Whites and Asians and Latinos together. It was Michael Jackson that made us sing, "We are the World" and feed the hungry long before Live Aid.

Because Michael Jackson kept going, he created a comfort level where people that felt they were separate became interconnected with his music. And it was that comfort level that kids from Japan and Ghana and France and Iowa and Pennsylvania got comfortable enough with each other until later it wasn't strange to us to watch Oprah on television. It wasn't strange to watch Tiger Woods golf. Those young kids grew up from being teenage, comfortable fans of Michael to being 40 years old and being comfortable to vote for a person of color to be the President of the United States of America.

Michael did that. Michael made us love each other. Michael taught us to stand with each other. There are those that like to dig around mess. But millions around the world, we're going to uphold his message. It's not about mess, but it's about his love message. As you climb up steep mountains, sometimes you scar your knee; sometimes you break your skin. But don't focus on the scars, focus on the journey. Michael beat 'em, Michael rose to the top. He out-sang his cynics, he out-danced his doubters; he out-performed the pessimists. Every time he got knocked down, he got back up. Every time you counted him out, he came back in. Michael never stopped.

But I hope the love that people are showing will make you know he didn't live in vain. I want his three children to know, wasn't nothing strange about your Daddy. It was strange what your Daddy had to deal with. But he dealt with it. He dealt with it anyway. He dealt with it for us.

Some came today to say goodbye to Michael. I came to say, thank you. Thank you because you never stopped, thank you because you never gave up, thank you because you never gave out, thank you because you tore down our divisions. Thank you because you eradicated barriers. Thank you because you gave us hope. Thank you Michael!

Reverend Al Sharpton


Today in Tokyo, beneath the Eiffel Tower, in Ghana's Blackstar Square, in Johannesburg and Pittsburgh, in Birmingham, Alabama, and Birmingham, England, we are missing Michael Jackson. But we do know we had him, and we are the world.

excerpt from We Had Him, by Dr Maya Angelou

The Michael Jackson Memorial Service, Staples Center, Los Angeles, July 7

if only i had...

as every single singaporean laments, complains, and curses about e sweltering heat and unbearable humidity, an unusually long summer and heatwave, let us look back on a life lived, and as the common individual complains "how can my actions impact a global problem", Al Gore in An Inconvenient Truth seeks to remind us that "what we take for granted", are going to disappear, and be sacrificed at our hands. they are "not going to be here" for our descendants, whom would be robbed of e chance to exist, one which we had, and whom would look back at us bitterly knowing we were guilty of genocide even though we say we love them.

"why didnt they wake up, when they had a chance?"

if only i had switched off that fan when i wasnt in e room, that table lamp, unplugged those plugs which i found too troublesome.
~ coal burns to generate electricity, producing e principal greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide.

if only i had driven my car less and took public transport.
~ vehicles run on gasoline, which then produce carbon dioxide.

if only i had thought less of SUVs and discouraged people i know from buying, possessing and driving them.
~ SUVs are not built for city roads, and they emit more than four times carbon dioxide compared to a standard car.

if only i had used paper more sparingly, not printed everything i thought i needed, didnt mind using recycled paper, and not used disposable chopsticks unnecessarily.
~ deforestation is responsible for a quarter of the planet's carbon dioxide emissions, not to forget our elementary science: trees absorb carbon and provide e balance to humans.

if only i had flew less.
~ the aviation industry's contribution to warming is fast growing. e fewer people need to fly, e fewer flights.

if only i had turned off that engine while waiting, and not been part of heavy traffic.
~ stationary vehicles with engines running are contributing significantly in carbon dioxide releases.

if only i had made a point against fertilisers in my vegetables and cars with converters.
~ these are man-made sources of e greenhouse gas nitrous oxide, 300 times more effective in trapping heat than carbon dioxide.

if only i had eaten less beef, pork and rice and gone vegetarian more often. staples suck, they're so high on carbs.
~ cattle and rice fields release large amounts of methane, more than 20 times deadlier than carbon dioxide in trapping heat.

~ for cindy, and all of mankind ~

Out, at the best camp in Singapore

Save the Harddisk

yes i am serious.

u might have noticed on my facebook and msn. i really need financial help for the data recovery of my crashed hd.

a common job costs from $200 to $600, which would not have called for this campaign. unfortunately there's been physical and electrical damage and the expert resources required to salvage the data pushed the price to MUCH higher.

some have u have and i know others would ask is it worth it. i have thought through this long enough (a state of depression for 4 days) and my conclusion is it is.

just for an idea, my hd contains:
important school/CI Club documents
SSUEP videos which i haven't finished editing.
my resumes and portfolio - all my singaporesports.sg and Chronicle articles, and other relevant research and contacts.
all my old and new pugi family photos, and parts of our old pugi video, all of which might never be recovered again.
all my memories since i entered wkwsci and hall 4.

my plan to gather the money is (1) to earn, (2) to loan from my family, and hopefully (3) the goodwill of friends. PLEASE chip in if ur able. any amount will do (but i'd appreciate at least a token of $5 lah).

THANKS SO MUCH.

contact me to make a donation.

it is now a full-fledged campaign.

t: 97694696
e: millenniumrock25@hotmail.com
Save the Harddisk©

a song for viola

"A city riddled with criminals and steeped in poverty.

Where violence is a way of life, and its streets full of blood;

its citizens downtrodden, trapped in an abattoir.

The kingpin, Marko, controls the city.

With the whole criminal underworld at his beck and call,

Women. Money. Power. Authority.

He had everything he wanted.

Amidst the hardships, there were still little simple joys people could turn to;

if it only could take their minds off what lies beneath this city.

The roadside bookshops with wizened storytellers;

the occasional opera troupe;

the travelling circus;

but above them all, there was The Picoult Sisters.

Yet it has been days since the Picoult Sisters have gone missing.

The most popular singers in town; their overnight disappearance reeks of suspicion.
The police have been silent; the Triads claim no responsibility.
As the city mourns its daughters; all four news agencies in town are working round the clock.
This is the biggest news story the city has ever seen.
Everything is on the line;
Everything, in a bid to get the scoop on their disappearance.

The public clamors for information-

If your news agency solves the mysterious disappearance of the Picoult Sisters, sales figures raked in would drive your competitors bust.

It will be wise, to conduct your investigations immediately."

NTUWKWSCIFOC2009. Coming 6-10 July.