Goeie oggend, Singapour!!

televised sports is insane here. one of the speakers at the conference (i think was the south african minister) said they screen more fta sports here than many other countries. it's true, i tell you. sports is mega in south africa. in the four days i spent there, i caught Man Utd-Valencia, Chelsea-Everton, Liverpool-Aston Villa, Springboks-Barbarians, a couple of La Liga, Bundesliga, Top 14, Aviva Premiership matches, and even the local Telkom Cup final (Kaizer Chiefs-Orlando Pirates).

angmohs really do 3-hour dinners. no shit. twice i experienced it, and i tell you we strolled through starters, mains, desserts, coffee. with a lot of chatting in-between. dont get me wrong, im not complaining. it's great. they really know how to enjoy life sia.

oh and i love how they'd go "bon appetit" before eating.

one of the most memorable convos i heard:
Alan Harris: Odane Skeen's from Kingston, Jamaica.
Essar Gabriel: Ah... It's crazy down there. That's where they shot Bob Marley.
Alan: Yea.
Essar: No one shoots Bob Marley.
Alan: No one.

and i had the best cream pasta ever in a real italian restaurant there. it was soooo good and so much i couldnt finish it, at just S$14. man, it's serious stuff since it made this blog post.

the night of the gala dinner was wild. we were randomly placed around tables, and me and adam happened to sit with these two local college girls - francesca, a white of italian descent, and fuzzy, an indian who's quite different from the indians in singapore. hours later it was like we'd known each other for really long! joseph parker joined us, so did their friend robin/robyn, and they took us out. fuz drove and we squeezed six into the mini car. no joke considering joseph's a 113kg kiwi boxer. we sped through the pouring rain and beat red lights and at one point joseph was throwing our glass bottles out of the window. crazy shit. the night was spoilt though as the place we wanted to go to was closed. we ended up at a bar.

i wasnt supposed to drink. not when my foot's already swollen. but what's fun without alcohol right. so i committed self-murder by finally relenting and took white wine (straight from the bottle, no joke). then a Springbok, a local shooter. then a John Deere, a local Graveyard-esque cocktail.

oh yea and drinking in public is apparently a crime here in South Africa. cops will pull up and arrest you on the spot. if you don't slip some cash into their pockets.

anyway, the plan was to go to the place the next night, but turned out i was really tired and had stuff to do. i heard the bunch, together with other Young Reporters, Ambassadors and Athletes went to a club, but on hindsight, im glad i gave it a miss. next morning adam told me they got into some misunderstanding. come on, this is South Africa, people carry weapons. they ended up paying more than S$600.

okay that's it for my SA trip. totally no time for checking out the city. didnt braid/dreadlock my hair too.

Goeie oggend, Singapour!

i might be taking too much of SIA. i was sick of the food cos they gave me the same meal i had i think just recently.

Rooibos tea: a traditional South African tea.

they had this and English tea on the flight. i had to choose the latter cos... yes. no wonder i couldn't understand the stewardess.

what's worse on a trip than losing your baggage the first thing you arrive? i had a connecting flight in 90 minutes, but after everyone cleared their baggage i was left with nothing. yes just me. thank god for the extremely lovely airport guy who made many calls and ran everywhere (im limping, you see) to locate my bag.

my first 100rand went to useless ends. i rushed, on a hurting foot, to the transfer. got delayed by so many things as im in unfamiliar territories. so 'helpful' guides are good, right? i was swarmed by a (uniformed) syndicate who directed me to my flight. it's not that difficult really, if i wasnt panicky. so yea when we reached he asked for a fee, and i only had 100rand notes on me. what's worse was i already sensed something wrong and when i ran into the conference's volunteers i tried to get their help (they sensed something too), but the swindler brushed them away.

adam and i made the crazy decision to walk around, and ended up in an apparently blacks-only neighbourhood. they were all staring and it was scary shit. the doctor also advised against streetside food, but the first thing i did here was do just that. wth. too cool lah, cant resist.

we also saw a tranny, and giggled to ourselves. but South Africans dont giggle. when s/he walked by, all the guys started wolf-whistling to the extent it became almost a carnival.

South Africa has one of the highest crime rates in the world. no joke.

everywhere you see young drug peddlers. teens knock angrily on your cabs for money to finance their drug addiction.

there are countless dubious minibuses that want to ferry you somewhere, and they tout blatantly. it seems though that's a preferred transport for the locals. i guess the public transport system here must really suck.

when night falls, you only see street corner gangs and streetwalkers. just stay in the hotel lah.

a bunch of kids (aged 14, 15 max) chased another, who was holding up a wallet like a prized haul. seconds later, knives came out and they started slashing him. whatthefuck.

when one pays peanuts, one gets monkeys

Warning: Possibly Inflammatory Content

"...when one pays peanuts, one gets monkeys. This has been used as justification to increase the ministers’ pay. What they fail to realize is that the same adage applies to all ranks – even the unskilled worker. Pay them peanuts and you get monkeys. (Or are we being classified monkeys already – I wonder?). So, instead of finding ways to help increase the wages of these unskilled Singaporean workers, so that the Singaporean worker can make a serious decision to take up these jobs, they instead choose to allow employers to use peanuts to attract the unskilled workers from abroad.

The ill-treatment cases aside: I think we have too many foreign monkeys in our land already. It is time for this government to make these jobs more attractive, in terms of better wages, so that we do not have to depend on monkeys – especially those from abroad."

gemami, The Online Citizen

Girlfriend: I walked in and the doctor said...

Boyfriend: How old are you?

Girlfriend: ...'how old are you?' EHHH HOW YOU KNOW?!

so sweet. how i miss being in love.

talk to me

empirical proof we're in a (highly) digital age:

there were 10 ppl in the mrt carriage,

5 of them listening to music from players and phones, with at least 3 ipods visible,

1 using netbook,

1 watching mp4,

1 viewing photos,

1 on the phone.

and i noted down all these on my phone. lol.

one day, the human touch would be gone.

signs

i still believe that night i fell ultra sick - yes ultra is the only apt word - with no apparent reason at aloha changi was because it's haunted. but that's for another day.

anyway i experienced the whole nightmare again a few days back. it reminded me how hellish it is and what it means by you'd rather be dead than alive. of course, for a while i thought my room's haunted. i went to bed okay, but got more and more bloated until i could no longer fall asleep. i was basically lying flat there motionless the whole night until, i remember, 656am.

鬼压床 you know?

i developed fever, headache, nausea, diarrhea, and became dizzy when i got up. i threw up everything i had inside me over the next two hours.

best part? i was alone. in every sense of the word.

roomie jianli's at home. hall's near-empty of people from my batch. i don't have a girlfriend anymore. as i trudged to NTU's medical centre later under the blazing sun in cold sweat, pausing for breathers along the way, coupled with momentary blackouts, the big questions came.

are these signs my time in hall is up? at my weakest, there seemed no one i could turn to.

then things went on the up.

i started bumping into people and they were concerned. news also spread. people all over the hall started sending their regards and helping in any way they could. lingqin and jacq especially. they came once with painkillers, then again when i was asleep to soothe me with fever pads. somehow, uncannily, it sure seemed a bigger deal i fall sick now than when i was a freshie, when i had so many friends around.

on another note, i realised i started my hall 4 life in sickness too: anaemia during my own FOC. and i remember the care showered on me by the seniors then. maybe this is the end, and the end is marked by sickness too. more comfortingly i guess, it was marked by the love of ohmers.

anyway it was stomach flu damn it.

Chris Tse's rap-poem, I'm sorry I'm a Christian

grabbed this off terence's Irreligious blog. it was so freaking good i had goosebumps throughout.

thought-provoking repentence and truth, or blatant insult and blasphemy?

you decide. im going for the former.

I am a Christian. I’m sorry.

I’m sorry for the way that I come across

So fair and faith friendly and full of myself

Judging your spiritual health by the words that you say

And the way that you dress, and the things that you do

Or maybe just judging you.

I’m sorry for the way that I live my life

So confident of my own beliefs that

I would never even think to think about thinking about yours

I’m sorry for the wars.

Ivory clad Crusaders mounting steeds and drawing swords

With such a spirit that if The Spirit spoke they wouldn’t hear

But you see the sword of The Spirit was not a sword but the Word

And the Word was with God and the Word was God

And they preached this as they marched on the Holy Land

Singing and praying and killing and slaying

And purging and healing and raping and stealing

It’s ironic that they lined their pockets in the name of God

Just like the priests who line their pockets in the name of God

Just like the people that you can’t stand, because they always raise their hand

And spread their faith and hate and judgment in the name of God

I’m sorry that I take God’s name in vain

Or rather I’m sorry that I stain the name of God

Defending my selfish actions as selfless actions pertaining to the will of God

I’m sorry for being intolerant

For trying to talk down to you

For trying to talk over you

For not letting you talk

I’m sorry for not walking the walk

For being a hypocritical critical Christian

Criticising your pagan lifestyle while my lifestyle styles itself

Just like the televangelist’s hair

All slick and sly and slippery

As the silver syllables slide their way into your ear

But see that’s my greatest fear

That the steps I take won’t match the words I speak

So that when I speak all you hear of me

is a weak hypocritical critical Christian

Doing one thing, but saying another

Loving my friend, but hating my brother

It’s a show.

I’m sorry I get drunk on Saturdays

and go to church on Sundays to pray

for my friends who get drunk on Saturdays

And on that note,

I’m sorry for making the church about the pews and the cross

And the walls and the steeple

Because see the building is not the church

The church is the people

I’m sorry that I hate you because you are gay

I’m sorry I condemn you to hell because you are gay

Instead of loving I jump to hatred

Mouth open and tongue preaching

Eyes open but not seeing that you are the same as me

Just a fucking human being

I’m sorry that I only hang out with Christian friends

And we do nice Christian things

Like pot luck dinners and board game nights

While in the night a man beats his girlfriend again

Another homeless man died again

Is this the way that my own crowd has been?

But here I am with the same friends again

But see what I always forget is that Jesus didn’t come

to hang out with the priests and the lords.

No, He hung out with cripples and beggars and whores

Love.

I’m sorry for history

For native tribes wiped out in the name of the church

Lodges burning, stomachs churning and yearning for justice

And mothers screaming and pleading

Pleading for the young ones

As they are dragged away to church schools

Where they were abused

I’m sorry for the way that I refused

To learn your culture

Instead I just came to spread the Gospel

And the plague

I’m sorry that I stand at the front doors of abortion clinics

Screaming at 15-year-old girls as they enter

Instead of waiting at the back door to hug them as they leave

I’m sorry for taking my wars and my faith to your lands

When historically it was on your lands that my faith was born

And in the face of the storm, I realise that

If God is Love and Love is God

Then why are we shooting instead of sharing?

Why are we launching instead of learning?

Why are we warring instead of walking together?

Why are we taking instead of talking together?

Why are we bombing instead of breaking bread together as brothers?

You see I think that God looks down and He’s sad

And from His right hand throne above

Jesus asks where is the Love?

And if it takes will.i.am and Justin Timberlake

Asking that same question for us

To start asking that same question

Then where the fuck are we headed?

So I will take this stage to be my chapel

And this mic my confession booth

And in the presence of God, the few, the proud,

and the blessed I confess, that

I am a Christian. I’m sorry.

Legend.

that's a word i use often on seniors. my seniors. often, but sparingly. because i attach the highest value to the label.

in the space of five weeks, ive been called a CS legend and a Hall 4 legend. as much as i cannot express it, i am deeply honoured.

ive made an impact, but ive also made enemies. sometimes, i really regret these pieces of my university life. then along came the author Adrian Tan, who said during WKWSCI's 2008 convocation:

be hated. every great figure who has contributed to the human race has been hated. often, one is hated because one is trying to do right by one's own convictions. it is far too easy to gravitate towards the centre and settle into the average.

very wise. that surely exorcised some demons.

a panicky melissa before robin's surprise

thiam peng says: (3:01:58 AM)

got emcee or not haha

baddabbing says: (3:02:08 AM)

lol dun have leh

thiam peng says: (3:02:17 AM)

cham

then u emcee meh

baddabbing says: (3:02:21 AM)

i got no programme line up hahaha

thiam peng says: (3:02:36 AM)

haha how can no programme!

bday partyyy

baddabbing says: (3:02:50 AM)

hahaha cuz the timing so flexible

also i figured got not much time

yall come at 6 plus

he comes at 7 plus

settle down all eat

8 plus can show video

then cut cake alr

then take photo

then bye bye

thiam peng says: (3:03:45 AM)

means he'll hav to go ard entertain everyone

he become e busy one

lol i need to copy this convo down

baddabbing says: (3:04:12 AM)

OIIIIIII bish.

hahahhaa

if not do what

must have game meh

also dunno what game to play

thiam peng says: (3:04:32 AM)

haha no lah

but at least hav rough idea

like speech

baddabbing says: (3:05:23 AM)

AIYA then just make him make speech

then video

then cut cake

eh wrong

is video

then speech

then i surely kena sabo-ed

then cake

then photo

then bye bye

pls, oh mighty teh ping, tell me if i missed anything else out

self-respect

A journalism lecturer on reporting in Singapore, the challenges working with the state, and the meaning of it all:

"In the 9 years I've worked here, the civil service has been solid. They do not leak anything.

"But it is through our little attacks on the system that we gain some self-respect."

Shame on who?

You go to a wet market, and in a tucked-away corner you happen to find the cheapest and best eggs. The pound-for-pound, in other words.

You believe you’ve uncovered gem, assured of quality yet economical eggs for, say, the next couple of months.

The next day, however, the stall owners relocate to the centre of the marketplace, and hike up their prices. All upon your feedback.

Such a move isn’t wrong. But somehow, it doesn’t feel right either.

That’s when the touchy region of ethics is being manoeuvred. Ever so grey, ethics guide the morals and conduct of a people, yet often have no binding effect on their actions. It is a self-policing system.

Transplant the capitalistic egg business to the internship process in Nanyang Technological University (NTU).

Before I enlighten you on the resulting controversy, let me explain how it works.

Students go away for an internship during their enrolment with the university at a company either of their choosing or by allocation. There is a list every year from which they can pick. At the school’s and companies’ discretion, individuals are invited for interviews or sometimes offered spots immediately.

However, there is a special round before all of the abovementioned when students can source for their own companies, for various reasons. It could be they have the relevant contacts, or wish to avoid the imminent cluster, or want to do something specific outside of ‘the list’.

At least two counts of a similar incident have called into question the behaviour of corporations and, by extension, the long-existing flaws of the much-maligned NTU administration.

What if I put in the time and energy to source for a company of my own and for myself, carry through the administrative and logistical procedures, but end up, to my surprise, seeing that company join ‘the list’, which everyone is entitled to, as a result of my efforts?

Note, I’ve not even been accepted nor given priority to a place.

These companies merely acted with their own interests at heart, deciding to submerge themselves in the wider sea of talent, where the best fishermen use the best tackle.

But in opening up their options, they’ve ignored courtesy where it’s due. They were uninformed (or misinformed), and it was those very internship-chasing undergrads who had informed them.

The nature of things in a capitalistic society has left the students with… Nothing. Kaput. GG.

Selfish reasons aside, this also isn’t natural, is it?

But what can be done? The students - the fee-paying clients of the university - are unfortunately in a lose-lose situation.

The system is flawed, and whoever they raise their grievances to, be it the school or the company, they risk incurring the wrath of the latter, putting their job application in jeopardy.

We can ask them to 'do the right thing', but that's certainly too much to expect of these young men and women.

Because NTU cannot control the actions of companies, the least it can do, in my opinion, is to prepare 'the list' early for the students' reference. The students would be able to assess the choices and plan self-sourcing accordingly.

Currently, this list is only finalised just before the application period, with companies still able to move in and out of it at their discretion. Students, on the other hand, will for weeks only have the previous year's list to guide them, which is often an inaccurate one.

NTU has to stop being wishy-washy and stand their ground. After all, if companies genuinely want interns, they should meet deadlines, and if students labour to self-source, they probably deserve the spots more.

The well-known Soviet spy Kim Philby once said, "To betray you must first belong." The ambiguity of this controversy lies in whether those internship organisations in question ever 'belonged' to those students.

There is a fine line between ethical and practical. When a company low-blows undergrads like that, the shame is on who?

The wet market, the egg seller, or my industriousness?

the redefinition of beng

tattoos. piercings. brown hair. skinny jeans.

two barely-18 ah bengs in a train, and

1) they conversed in English

2) they gave their seats up to an old lady

how the world has changed since my days.

i like motion pictures

the film's classic quotes:

一朝天子一朝臣

洪仁就: 棋 不是这么下的 要赢 用不着吃光棋子

左手: 我不像你 我一出道就不是将军 只是个小卒子 用不着光彩

Interview with actress Sherry Tan for Channel 5 drama Fighting Spiders 2

<br /> <a href="http://video.xin.msn.com/watch/video/guess-who-don-t-sue-it-s-sherry-tan-from-fighting-spiders-2/tnysjnzv?fg=sharenoembed" target="_new"title="Guess who? Don’t Sue! It’s Sherry Tan from Fighting Spiders 2!">Video: Guess who? Don’t Sue! It’s Sherry Tan from Fighting Spiders 2!</a>

darling, you were wonderful tonight

i got to know the song 'Wonderful Tonight' when i was really young, in primary school. the cover i heard was done by the now-defunct British RnB group Damage.

i fell in love with it. the lyrics are just amazing.

in later years i found out it was originally by the guitar legend Eric Clapton, whose version is very different, but equally showstopping.

i like to think im a closet romantic and the lyrics, of an evening night out with a date, and how narrative they are, have struck a chord with me since. ive imagined that one day, hopefully, i can perform this song for a girl i like.

this sem, i finally got GV17, the singing module. as we could choose our own songs for the first performance, i racked my brain for days to draw up a songlist. after trying them out, and in different styles (ie minus-1, acapella, accompaniment), i instinctively threw 'Wonderful Tonight' into the mix. as with all things destined, i picked it, deciding on an acoustic, unplugged version.

oh, the romantic.

unlike that longtime childhood dream, where everything should be planned, this just fell into place, which made it even more 'wonderful tonight'. to my surprise, she, who against all odds has returned somewhat to my life, appeared at the showcase, partly to watch me.

i didnt realise. until right when i was gonna start, then it dawned upon me fate has worked the elements for my childhood fantasy to materialise.

but despite the scale of this personal milestone, there was no nerves. just calm, and a quiet sense of joy, exactly like the song.

irreligion

is religion important? this is a relevant question today, with the rising religiosity in our society. Singapore is unique for being multi-religious, boasting major faiths like Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Taoism and various others. what we knew as free-thinkers, is surely seeing its population dwindle. i personally haven't met as many of them in recent years.

but back to that question, i think the answer is, in fact, no. if we gauge a society's progress by its religiosity.

irreligion is defined as the state of indifference or hostility towards organised religion. do take note that it isnt atheism. irreligious people might still be theists holding strong convictions.

the Gallup poll, the Dentsu and the Zuckerman indices are the best representations of irreligion. Singapore and the US belong to the half that places importance to religion, consisting of mainly African, Middle Eastern countries and the Americas.

but these statistics also seem to show that a lack of religion doesn't lead to an erosion of values, thus a lack of goodness, just as able countries and their peoples do not need religion. heading the list of most irreligious countries are the four legendary Scandinavian states, superpowers France and the UK, and the successful Japan and Hong Kong.

i am not irreligious. i am religious, i am faithful and i stick with it. but i cannot stand how many people are placing way too much on religion, and think it's blasphemous people like me hold such views.

it's just plain stupid when you allow religion to blind you from straightforward, rational decisions. i think Prof Alister McGrath, a Christian theologian and former Atheist from Oxford University and King's College, said it best:

"most people at most times just get on with their daily lives. but very often, a crisis will occur, and they'll need something beyond themselves, something that gives them meaning and stability, and that is when religion comes into its own. one of the key tests of whether religion is failing is what happens in moments of crisis, what do you turn to? and i still see religion playing that critical role."

this was in the BBC documentary Secular Believers, about the growing number of an almost paradoxical group that seems to be deprived genuine attention - believers, but not religious. it explains identities like atheist, agnostic, humanist, free-thinker and bright.

it also asks the questions: why did the dinosaurs come before humans? why did God create the tyrannosaurus rex? why were death and killing so prevalent in the world the dinosaurs lived in?

believers say God has a reason for everything. but doing the math, why is there still so much pointless suffering today?

the documentary also positioned: "many people have lost interest in religion. they're neither passionately atheist, nor passionately religious. they don't need to have any deep beliefs about god, or a lack of god."

catch it. it's on youtube lol.

Interview with local actress Janice Koh for Channel 5 drama Fighting Spiders 2

<br /> <a href="http://video.xin.msn.com/watch/video/hail-mabel-lee-the-kampung-mother-of-fighting-spiders-2/tnp476q3?fg=sharenoembed" target="_new"title="Hail Mabel Lee, the ‘Kampung Mother’ of Fighting Spiders 2!">Video: Hail Mabel Lee, the ‘Kampung Mother’ of Fighting Spiders 2!</a>

Interview with local actor Andie Chen for Channel 5 drama Fighting Spiders 2

<br /> <a href="http://video.xin.msn.com/watch/video/andie-chen-s-spooked-in-fighting-spiders-2/tnrb2h6p?fg=sharenoembed" target="_new"title="Andie Chen’s SPOOKED in Fighting Spiders 2!">Video: Andie Chen’s SPOOKED in Fighting Spiders 2!</a>

Risk

The notion of risk, I should point out, is inseparable from the ideas of probability and uncertainty. A person can't be said to be running a risk where an outcome is 100% certain. There is an old joke that makes this point rather neatly. A man jumps from the top of a hundred-storey skyscraper. As he passes each floor, on his way down, he says 'so far so good'... He acts as though he's making a risk calculation, but the outcome is in fact determined. (Giddens, 1999)

Interview with local artistes Chua Enlai and Tan Junsheng for Channel 5 dramedy Silver Lining

<br /> <a href="http://video.xin.msn.com/watch/video/meet-chua-enlai-and-his-son-jun-sheng/tnkdyk3v?fg=sharenoembed" target="_new"title="Meet Chua Enlai and his 'son' Jun Sheng!">Video: Meet Chua Enlai and his 'son' Jun Sheng!</a>

FIFA Ballon d'Or 2010

it was announced that the FIFA World Player of the Year and the Ballon d'Or will be merged. two of the most disputed prizes in world football, each had its own critics and supporters, laying claim to be the ultimate individual honour for a footballer.

although sounding more like the heavyweight, FIFA World Player of the Year only started in 1991, considered a lifetime late since the sport turned pro. also, it is voted for by national coaches and captains, which although ensuring diversity, often throws up obscure nominees.

the Ballon d'Or is therefore what many consider the ultimate prize. it has a longer history and is voted for by journalists. the one gribe was originally only European players at European clubs were eligible. only since 1995 did it allow international players playing at European clubs. and it was just three years ago that the award allowed any player from anywhere in the world. because of this blot, legends like Pele and Diego Maradona have never been conferred.

after fighting for years, the two sides have finally found truce and come to an agreement, to merge the two awards, to be voted for by journalists, and national coaches and captains. now we do have the top honour.

but this brings me to wonder about its recipient this year. you see, on World Cup years (and to a lesser extent, European Championship years), these awards traditionally go to players who made major contributions to the tournaments, especially winning them.

let's not go too far back.

1988

(B) Marco van Basten, Ruud Gullit, Frank Rijkaard

the Dutch won Euro 88.

1990

(B) Lothar Matthaus, Salvatore Schillaci, Andreas Brehme

Germany won World Cup 90, while Italy finished with bronze. Toto was Golden Boot and Golden Ball.

1994

(F) Romario, Hristo Stoichkov, Roberto Baggio

(B) Hristo Stoichkov, Roberto Baggio, Paolo Maldini

Brazil beat Italy in the final of World Cup 94, while Stoichkov's Bulgaria was semi-finalists. the above four names lit up the tournament, with Romario walking away with the Golden Ball.

1996

(F) 3rd Alan Shearer

(B) Matthias Sammer, 3rd Alan Shearer

Germany won Euro 96 with Sammer the Golden Ball, while Shearer was irrepressible.

1998

(F) Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo, Davor Suker

(B) Zinedine Zidane, Davor Suker, Ronaldo

France, Brazil and Croatia were the three best teams at this tournament. Suker was Golden Boot while Ronaldo was Golden Ball.

2000

(F) Zinedine Zidane, Luis Figo

(B) Luis Figo, Zinedine Zidane

the two greats fought tooth and nail this year as Zidane's France continued dominating world football while Figo's 'golden generation' signalled its arrival on the senior level.

2002

(F) Ronaldo, Oliver Kahn

(B) Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos, Oliver Kahn

Brazil put a fifth star on its crest as traditional rivals Germany pushed them all the way. German captain Kahn received a rare accolade for a goalkeeper.

2004

(B) 2nd Deco

as hosts of Euro 2004, Portugal went all the way to the final, in one of the country's greatest achievements, before losing to a negative-minded Greece.

2006

(F) Fabio Cannavaro, Zinedine Zidane

(B) Fabio Cannavaro, Gianluigi Buffon, Thierry Henry

the two unfancied giants this World Cup were the last teams standing, and although Zidane was head and shoulders above the rest, Cannavaro took home both awards as a defender.

if past evidence is anything to go by, South Africa 2010 should define this year's recipient. many expected Lionel Messi, Kaka or Cristiano Ronaldo, the past three winners, to lead their teams to victory, but all three did not make the semis. more often than not, the planet's top player would hail from one of the remaining four.

Spain, Holland, Germany and Uruguay.

doing the math, it should be a toss-up among the cast of Xavi, Andres Iniesta, David Villa, Iker Casillas, Miroslav Klose, Mezut Ozil, Thomas Muller, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Wesley Sneijder and Arjen Robben.

considering their club achievements and personal consistency, it should be either Xavi, Iniesta, Schweinsteiger, Sneijder or Robben.

only Sneijder won the Champions League.

or will Messi retain it, with his 47-goal exploits last season?

Interview with local actress-model Rebecca Lim for Channel 5 drama Fighting Spiders 2

<br /> <a href="http://video.xin.msn.com/watch/video/rebecca-lim-promotes-to-mamasan-status-in-fighting-spiders-2/tn1hiiqd?fg=sharenoembed" target="_new"title="Rebecca Lim promotes to ‘Mamasan’ status in Fighting Spiders 2!">Video: Rebecca Lim promotes to ‘Mamasan’ status in Fighting Spiders 2!</a>

爱你·离开你

the song i dig most currently. i dont usually loop my songs, but ive been looping this (and only this) for some time now.

once again, although i dont consciously follow their music, 南拳妈妈 has written a song that is leaving quite a mark in my life. again as is their trademark, not just a catchy chorus, but a very strong and emotive verse too.

this song has a rather pop-ish chorus typical of most industry ballads, but the verse, delightfully, offers a very pragmatic build-up, almost coming across as someone.. i dont know.. who has seen the light after the darkness?

given the song is about post-break up and letting go, one can only wonder at the genius of composer 宇豪 and lyricist 弹头, who perfectly create and deliver the exact mood and emotions.

枫呢喃的轻拂窗口

像爱情也只是稍事停留
风很轻 思念却很透明
怎奈穿越不了爱情

缓慢的妆流过伤口
晕开了我给不起的温柔
那一夜我们紧紧相拥
终于说出口已经不爱我

爱你所以离开你 眼泪是回忆
就让他随风去
我们走过的风景 剩下了飘零
漂泊的名叫伤心

爱你所以离开你 爱放进行李
流浪我的记忆
为你我愿变成云 跟着风去旅行
再静静的聆听 你幸福的回音

Interview with Hong Kong actor Richard Ng for Channel 5 dramedy Silver Lining

<br /> <a href="http://video.xin.msn.com/watch/video/richard-ng-my-son-carl-is-beginning-to-be-a-very-good-actor/tnrxbvjt?fg=sharenoembed" target="_new"title="Richard Ng: My son Carl is beginning to be a very good actor!">Video: Richard Ng: My son Carl is beginning to be a very good actor!</a>

Interview with local actress Rui En for Channel 8 drama Unriddle

<br /> <a href="http://video.xin.msn.com/?mkt=en-sg&vid=&from=sp&fg=sharenoembed" target="_new"title="Rui En is willing to brave dangers for her new show. 瑞恩为了新戏不怕危险。">Video: Rui En is willing to brave dangers for her new show. 瑞恩为了新戏不怕危险。</a>

Google founder Sergey Brin to use search engine to find cure for Parkinson's

Source: Telegraph

Sergey Brin, the co-founder of Google, is harnessing the power of his search engine in an attempt to find a cure for Parkinson's disease

Mr Brin, 36, is creating a database of information from thousands of sufferers and will use hi-tech computers to find links between them.

Mr Brin, who is worth an estimated $17.5 billion (£11.5 billion), entered the medical research field after discovering several years ago that he has a high chance of developing Parkinson's himself.

His mother Eugenia, a former Nasa mathematician, was diagnosed in 1999 and a genetic test put Mr Brin's own chances of developing the disease at 80 per cent.

The Google billionaire has described the pace of research into Parkinson's as "glacial" compared to developments on the internet, and hopes his methods will dramatically accelerate the search for a cure.

He has invited 10,000 Parkinson's sufferers to take part in the project, asking them to pay a nominal fee to make sure they are committed. Around 4,000 have already signed up.

Those involved are sent a test kit, which they spit into and return for analysis. They are also asked to answer detailed questionnaires about their lifestyle, as environmental factors can affect chances of developing the disease.

Algorithms will be used to find meaningful patterns in the flood of data.

Most previous research into Parkinson's has followed the traditional process of scientists coming up with a hypothesis and carrying out focused studies on smaller groups of patients.

Mr Brin wants to reverse the process, collecting vast swathes of information first and then using computers to look for trends.

Google has entered the health field before, quickly detecting outgreaks of flu and swine flu by tracking search queries entered by internet users around the world.

In an interview with Wired magazine, Mr Brin said: "It just goes to show that when you apply our new found computational power to large amounts of data, and sometimes it's not perfect data, it can be very powerful.

"We could be looking lots of places and collecting lots of information and, if we see a pattern, that could lead somewhere."

Parkinson's is a degenerative neurological condition that impairs functions such as speech and movement. There is currently no cure for the disease.

Around 10,000 people are diagnosed in Britain each year, with the first symptoms usually appearing in those over 50.

Mr Brin is the latest in a long line of wealthy philanthropists who have tried to find a cure for their own conditions and has already contributed some $50 million (£30 million) to Parkinson's research.

He discovered his increased chance of developing Parkinson's after taking a test offered by a genetic testing company called 23andMe, which is run by his wife, Anne Wojcicki.

Google has invested more than $6 million (£4 million) in the company and Mr Brin has put in $10 million (£6 million) of his own. It is gathering the data for his Parkinson's study.

His test showed he had inherited a mutation of the LRRK2 gene from his mother, increasing his own chances of developing Parkinson's. His one year-old son is also being tested for the mutation.

In September 2008, after discovering he could develop Parkinson's, Mr Brin said: "Until the fountain of youth is discovered all of us will have some conditions in our old age, only we don't know what they will be.

"I have a better guess than almost anyone else for what ills may be mine and I have decades to prepare for it."

Interview with actress Ong Ai Leng for Channel 8 drama Unriddle

<br /> <a href="http://video.xin.msn.com/?mkt=en-sg&vid=&from=sp&fg=sharenoembed" target="_new"title="Zheng Ge Ping: The most fearful thing is to give up on oneself. 郑各评：人最怕的是先放弃自己">Video: Zheng Ge Ping: The most fearful thing is to give up on oneself. 郑各评：人最怕的是先放弃自己</a>

this is nirvana, Rony Tan

today in a class about media law and freedom of speech, we were shown the controversial clip of Pastor Rony Tan of Lighthouse interviewing a convert in front of his congregation. ISD had deemed the actions inflammatory and met the pastor, who apologised soon after. in the lecture, he is seen using the convert's example to question the teachings and rituals of Buddhists and Taoists, putting the convert under pressure, and drawing laughter from the crowd.

as per practice, we went into discussion in our own small groups. CS being CS, i was easily outnumbered by Christians and Catholics. but i didnt say much, since the case in question is about an apparent mistreatment of Buddhism/Taoism, so i thought i shouldn't overreact.

but it didnt stay quiet. amazingly, the Christians and Catholics started debating about whether Rony Tan's actions were right (or more so, wrong), or if the clip should have been made public at all. they argued about what they felt watching it as Christians, and imagined how it would feel if they were Buddhists/Taoists. some said it is offensive, others said it's quite similar to their own sentiments.

for a moment, it seemed the lecturer almost could not get the attention back. then i quietly moved into my group and said, "Calm down."

Tiger Airways would consider offering a 'standing-only' option

Source: Today

Budget airline Tiger Airways would consider introducing a "standing-only" option for passengers in a bid to lower airfares, according to reports.

The carrier said it could follow in the footsteps of United Kingdom budget airline Ryanair and introduce "vertical seating", reported news.com.au, an Australian news website. "We continue to look at ways of making our operation more efficient so we can offer even lower fares than we do now," Tiger Airways director Steve Burns was quoted as saying.

"Everything we do is about offering the lowest possible fare then allowing our customers to choose what, if any, extras they wish to pay for."

Mr Michael O'Leary, Ryanair's chief executive, has proposed ideas include charging customers £1 ($2.10) to use the loo.

A standing area with "vertical seats" will be introduced at the back of its fleet of 250 planes, The Daily Telegraph has reported.

However, a spokesman for the Civil Aviation Authority said the plans would struggle to meet safety requirements.

Spokesman Simon Westaway for another airline, Jetstar, said the airline would never contemplate vertical seating or charging passengers to use the bathroom, news.com.au reported. "A lot of Jetstar destinations are over two hours and longer, so the stand up seating idea doesn't register on our radar. We have a completely different business model to Ryanair," he was quoted as saying.

"It's an interesting concept but I can't see how this would fly in our part of the world."

Capello and numbers

England were utterly destroyed, and personally im least surprised. although i was impressed by their qualifying campaign, which was nowhere like the disastrous one for Euro 08, England never looked like it was in South Africa to win. they were ridiculous in the warmup friendlies, played almost amateur football against Algeria, and rarely communicated to the world they had a teamsheet boasting Wayne Rooney, Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, John Terry, Ashley Cole and Glen Johnson.

quoting an AFP story:

"Germany's pace, fitness and energy levels were key to their last-16 victory in Bloemfontein, with manager Joachim Loew speculating later that younger players were better able to recover from a long season.

Now England must search out new, young, talent...

The view in the camp is that only a handful of [U-21] players are anywhere near ready for promotion and England's best hopes lie in the under-17 squad which recently beat Spain in the European Championships but are years away from selection for the senior squad.

Quite what Capello can do until those players miraculously arrive is hard to fathom."

in that same story, this was what Fabio Capello claimed:

"The big problem for us is only 38 percent of players in the Premier League are English. In other countries it is 68, 69 or 70 per cent.

Clubs do produce young players. But some are Welsh, some are Irish, some are the others. They are not English but they play in the Premier League.

It can happen suddenly, though. When I was director of the academy at Milan we produced seven players who played for AC Milan. Now, no-one. It is the same for Manchester United. You have to be lucky sometimes. At some moments players come, at others nothing.

Against us Germany played four foreign players. Double passports. And they did not produce good players for a long time.

We hope to find the same in England. But you have to understand in Germany there are 80 million people."

that was terrible judgment, Signore Capello. maybe it was your PR manager, i dont know. you see, Euro champs Spain has about the same population as England, albeit less. semi-finalists Holland, which have won its last 13 competitive matches, only has 16 million. the other semi-finalists Uruguay has a mere 3.5 million, while the minnows you beat 1-0 seems like a kampong at just 2 million.

Interview with local actress Chen Liping for Channel 8 drama Unriddle

<br /> <a href="http://video.xin.msn.com/?mkt=en-sg&vid=&from=sp&fg=sharenoembed" target="_new"title="Chen Liping loses weight for new action show 陈莉萍为动作戏减肥">Video: Chen Liping loses weight for new action show 陈莉萍为动作戏减肥</a>

Two buses and a 12-hour shift to be part of history

the best YOG story from Alan Harris, the IOC Young Reporter from Barbados and also winner of the Steve Parry Prize.
 
SINGAPORE - He takes two buses every morning to keep the Youth Olympic Village clean.

Cheng Chuan, a Malaysian, journeys daily from his home country to the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore to sweep, mop and pick up the garbage left by the more than 5,000 athletes and officials of the first-ever Youth Olympic Games.

He rises at 2:30 a.m., seven days a week, without fail.

His commitment to his job, be it of necessity, is simply unwavering.

After a quick cup of tea, he leaves his wife of 25 years and his teenage daughter in bed in their one bedroom wooden dwelling in Jahar Bharu, Batu Pahat – a small province in the southeast of Malaysia.

At 3:45 a.m., he takes a bus to Singapore where on his arrival, he spends one hour, never less, in Singaporean customs.

At 5:45 a.m., he then takes another bus to the YOV where he reports to work, never late, for a shift starting at 7.

Cheng, 48, is a small man in stature but a great man within.

He is often, almost always, bypassed in the chaos which is the YOV. Nevertheless, he sees his job as one of importance. “You want to hear my story?” he said, ashamed of his broken English.

"[This is]... my first time working at [the] university but it is a good experience for me. I can see a lot of friends and they are very good to me.”

He said that despite being obscure in the realm of the Olympic movement, he was honored to be part of sporting history.

"My job is the same as everyone else,” he said as he broke into a smile, clearly happy that someone had taken the time to ask.

"This is the first time that [the Youth Olympic] Games are in Singapore and I am glad to be here. I come, do my job, and I am part of history.”

The job he speaks of lasts 12 hours.

He leaves the hustle and bustle of the YOV at 7 p.m. and repeats the journey back to Malaysia, to his beloved wife and daughter.

Rest assured, he will be back again tomorrow morning – mopping, sweeping and cleaning, doing it all with a smile.

When the Youth Olympic Games have passed, there is a good chance that not a soul will remember Cheng Chuan. However, he will remember them, and for him, that is justice served.

Safe travels, Cheng.

Young Reporter brouhaha

thoughts from Day 10, at the Youth Olympic Village.

1. my profile feature on Yelena Isinbayeva was presented to her to bring back to Russia woohoo! and i thanked her personally on behalf of the Young Reporters Program for coming to speak to us.
2. i utterly hate it when im treated like a second-class citizen in my own country. the retarded yog-ers check my (and only my) accreditation at almost every roadblock simply because i (1) look local and (2) am not doing their lousy job.
3. among the YRs are Africa's 4th-ranked badminton player, a former national tennis player for India, a national handball player of Latvia, and France's 400m runner at Beijing 2008. smlj. 
4. one of the most enduring and cross-boundary moments this YOG for me was being in a YOG bus full of Africans from Equatorial Guinea while the bus uncle had 958FM's retro Mandopop hits playing the whole way. 
5. as much as he appreciates it, four-time Olympic silver medallist Frankie Fredericks of Namibia doesn't like people coming up to say he's already a champion despite everything. respect and honour the real winner, he said, it's their time now, they worked even harder to get that gold. coming from countries like USA doesn't make them less deserving - Namibia has 2 million people, USA has 310. 
6. Tracey called me "a gifted writer". :)
7. like ive told some of the rest, maybe YRP should have tribal councils like Survivor.
8. football choked again. lost 2-0 to underdogs Haiti, who were whipped 9-0 by Bolivia.
9. unwell and sick of YOG, i finally went home today, and did two of the things i had most looked forward to - eat some real Singapore food, and cut my nails.

Young Reporter brouhaha

thoughts from Day 2, at the Youth Olympic Village.

1. im trying to be a good host. i hope the foreign Young Reporters open up more. 
2. it seems like other than Luke and Nick, every other Young Reporter speaks at least two languages.
3. Journalism Mentors: Alan Abrahamson, award-winning sports and investigative journalist, and co-author of Michael Phelps' 2008 bestseller. Lucia Montanarella, head, ONS, Torino 2006, and first female press chief, Vancouver 2010.
   
4. Photography Mentor: Peter Charles, veteran of eleven Olympics, and winner of multiple world photography awards.
5. Broadcast Mentors: Richard Palfreyman, press chief, Sydney 2000, and press consultant, Athens 2004, Torino 2006, Beijing 2008, Vancouver 2010. Tracey Holmes, veteran of eight Olympics, and Australia's first female host of a national sports programme.
   
6. press conference with one of the biggest figures in sports, Jacques Rogge. mindblowing.
7. witnessed Alan interview Seb Coe 'live'. mindblowing.
8. to my surprise, for an assignment i messed up, Alan told me im a good writer. not just in the writing sense, but journalistic sense, he said. among others, he described me as fluid, fluent and vivid. he added those are "super compliments" (for all his journalistic prowess, he's extremely fond of the cliched "super"). i am deeply honoured.
   
9. Richard and Tracey liked my radio story. :)
10. im starting to really really respect the YOG volunteers. no joke.

Young Reporter brouhaha

thoughts from Day -2, and my first day, at the Youth Olympic Village:

1. i had always imagined how it would be like to live in the Grad Hall. now it's become reality. single room, aircon and personal toilet. some more got housekeeping. like hotel sia.
2. a trip on the village shuttle bus is a mindfuck cos got so many different languages and smells.
3. Western Europe and Central Asia produce the most beautiful people in the world. France, Italy, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Egypt. ah, why was i born here.
4. angmoh girls always seem to look good on tv but not in person. nope i no longer believe in that.
5. Uruguayans take 38 (freaking) hours to reach here.
6. excuse me you guys dont look 14, 15, 16, 17 or 18.
7. sports makes you hot, period.
8. today i was led around a campus i know better by an angmoh IOC guy. wtf.
9. the international cuisine buffet dining hall is overrated. fabian, GG lah. ok but at least there's infinite coca cola and 100plus.
10. ive seen half a dozen Michael Phelps-lookalikes.
11. American blacks behave like hiphop artistes, Caucasians are noisy in a group, Russians look too serious, and Italians really speak like how we think they do, hand gestures all.
12. Singapore as an event organiser is not as efficient as we think. and many of the volunteers are inept. or maybe it's just NTU. fuck.
13. today i made friends from Senegal, Latvia, Fiji, Mauritius, the US, Israel, Taiwan, Qatar, Canada, Thailand and the omnipresent China.