Christmas play ball

preseason plus the tiny matter of lockout are done, and in two days' time the 2011-12 season of NBA finally begins.

truth be told, i haven't followed NBA for a few years now. my last clear memory of a champion was Celtics in 2008. and maybe my following dropped as my dreaded Lakers dominated the next two finals.

well oh well. ive NBA TV on cable, and im at ESPN now, and suddenly NBA's returned to my life. the upcoming season, probably as exciting as any, now seems more exciting to me.

a quick preview of the season by teams:

the contenders:

Dallas Mavericks

you can never write off the champs, but in this case, you almost can. they were old last season, and they're older now. the departure of Tyson Chandler will hurt them, since superstar Dirk Nowitzki will have to take on big-man duties. still, with a roster of Shawn Marion, Jason Terry, the evergreen Jason Kidd and new boys Vince Carter, Lamar Odom, the Mavs are star-studded.

Miami Heat

everyone knows the Big Three. and this could be their year. LeBron James and Chris Bosh have settled in, and together with former champ Dwyane Wade, Miami are their own enemies.

LA Lakers

some writers list teams by their rankings, but for me the biggest franchise must come next -- for the wrong reasons. all is not well in Hollywood. Odom is gone, so Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol will be a weaker force. what does that leave you? a one-man show expected of Kobe Bryant (again). they still have Metta World Peace, but the player formerly known as Ron Artest or Mr Troublemaker is nowhere near his best.

LA Clippers
no wait, all is well in Hollywood. the other half, that is. All-Star point guard Chris Paul couldn't sign for Lakers, and in a twisted outcome did for Clippers. fading clutch cager Chauncey Billups was released by his former employers, and suddenly the Clippers are a force to be reckoned with. that's due to the small reason they also have DeAndre Jordan, former All-Star Caron Butler and monster slam-dunk rookie Blake Griffin.

Chicago Bulls

will it be Chicago's year, or OKC's? i like the Bulls more, so let's talk about them first. boasting the MVP is no small deal, and Derrick Rose is only 23, who knows what he's capable of becoming. and Chicago were so good last season because they had an exceptional supporting cast. Team USA's Carlos Boozer remains the second big name, but Frenchman Joakim Noah is fast becoming his equal. Luol Deng seems to be peaking, and new acquisition Richard Hamilton should be a significant albeit old component.

Oklahoma City Thunder

the name's not illustrious nor synonymous with NBA success, but OKC are one of the biggest teams around today and you better believe it. at just 23, franchise superstar Kevin Durant is already twice the league's scoring champ. he is ably supported by Russell Westbrook, one of NBA's best point guards. they of course also possess the colossal Serge Ibaka and no-longer-overweight Kendrick Perkins.

New York Knicks

Manhattan's got a new skyscraper. Chandler is strangely traded here, freeing up Amare Stoudamire's burden, and suddenly the Knickerbockers have a real shot at the last-four. with Carmelo Anthony settled, and former All-Star Baron Davis, star rookie Iman Shumpert in the squad, NBA's glam underachiever may be in for good times.

Boston Celtics and San Antonio Spurs

the two aging teams remain in the running, especially with a shortened calendar... but only just.

the Big Four of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo haven't looked the same since they took the title in 2008. KG is on an irreversible decline, and with 'The Truth' and Allen, are at least 34 years young. in my opinion, this is their last shot.

to be honest, Spurs look worse. multi-hyphenate Tim Duncan is long past his prime, Tony Parker will be praying his post-Eva Longoria form returns to the pre- kind, while Manu Ginobili probably has just that bit of gas left. still, their 61 wins last term aren't a fluke. if they work out how to use the squad optimally, they're in with a shout.

the pretenders:

Atlanta Hawks

this unassuming team can only improve, but they're still a visible distance from touching the contenders. with five-time All-Star Joe Johnson calling the shots, a lot will be expected of the talented duo of Al Horford and Josh Smith. then there is Tracy McGrady. the former superstar is the bit-part guy now, but game-winning ability/mentality is permanent. 

Memphis Grizzlies

from perennial no-hopers to dangerous banana skins within a year, can the Grizzlies keep this up? Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol again will star as one of the most effective frontcourt in the league, and for better or worse, franchise headliner Rudy Gay is back.

Indiana Pacers

with the coaching position sorted out, Indiana will believe things are on the up. most importantly, Danny Granger's scoring burden is eased by David West's arrival, a player even bigger than the current franchise star. but interim coaches sometimes enjoy much luck; a first full season for Frank Vogel can expose a lot more flaws.

Minnesota Timberwolves

this will be an exciting year for the T-Wolves. rebounding king Kevin Love is joined by an impressive new lineup of Ricky Rubio, Derrick Williams and JJ Barea, therefore i reckon Minnesota are the ones who will dislodge one of last year's playoff teams. but the biggest difference lies in not a player, but Rick Adelman, the successful former Kings coach who just took over.

Golden State Warriors
the dark horse among the rest, if GS can toughen up their defence, their game should be more all-rounded. former no.1 pick Kwame Brown is the notable reinforcement to rebound leader David Lee and a talented backcourt of Stephen Curry-Monta Ellis.

Orlando Magic

the very reason i held off writing this piece is this team... or rather, Dwight Howard. he is a distraction simply because he is such a massive player. i am assuming 'Superman' will be here on Christmas tipoff, and the Magic have an outside chance. lose him, and they're finished. the other notable players will be Jameer Nelson, Jason Richardson and the new Glen Davis, while JJ Redick as always is the sniper on the bench.

the no-hopers:

Milwaukee Bucks

Andrew Bogut hasnt become the superstar many thought he would, but he's still good and the Bucks rely heavily on the league's no.1 blocker. the team can defend, but they cant score, so hopefully the addition of the volatile former champ Stephen Jackson helps.

Denver Nuggets
im gonna plunge for Denver to fail this season, even though they performed admirably after Melo left them. Danilo Gallinari and Nene have done well, and a very old Andre Miller can still contribute, but players like Kenyon Martin are only returning in March. the Nuggets simply have too little star power. 

Detroit Pistons

this is a messed-up franchise in transition. since their glory years of 2004, 2005, Detroit have declined badly. alumnus of that vintage Tayshaun Prince is their key small forward now. the rest of the starters are all extremely talented, but need to perform night in night out to fire the Pistons forward. the great new hope is Brandon Knight, who was a college phenom. there's Ben Wallace on the bench too, but he's quite a joke these days.

New Jersey Nets

with only Deron Williams, albeit an All-Star go-to man, the Nets will find the going tough.

Washington Wizards

as the franchise lost its headliners, its fortunes have tumbled. today, only John Wall remains. tipped as a future All-Star, the sophomore will carry a lot on his shoulders. the Wizards now look like the Clippers last year, a team depending on one young dude.

Sacramento Kings

they dont look like getting out of their regal slumber anytime soon. in DeMarcus Cousins they have a leading center, while Marcus Thornton can rack up a scary amount of baskets, but that's about it.

Toronto Raptors

with Jose Calderon expected to pull the strings, the man to watch is former no.1 pick Andrea Bargnani. the Italian will be stronger this time round in the power forward position and some have already called him the new Dirk. on the bench Toronto have one of the best sixth-man around, Leandro Barbosa.

Philadelphia 76ers

a pathetic opening last season offset by a credible showing as the year wore on, the roster has largely stayed the same. Elton Brand continues to lead the names, while the coach must decide between two good shooting guards in Andre Iguodala and Evan Turner.

Phoenix Suns

if you're a romantic, two-time MVP Steve Nash and NBA great Grant Hill are your men. but they're 37 and 39 respectively and Phoenix dont have younger guys better than them... 'nuff said.

Utah Jazz

this is a team in transition, and it's nowhere more obvious than having a coach who isnt called Jerry Sloan. there is also no D-Will and Andrei Kirilenko in town anymore. the leadership in this fractured team now lies in Al Jefferson and Devin Harris, who has to fill Williams' big shoes.

Houston Rockets

the small problem at Houston is they tried to trade their top two players Kevin Martin and Luis Scola away but failed. so two unwanted/unhappy stars reported for training and are now gonna start for the franchise. the larger-than-life Yao Ming has also retired, without a visible replacement.

Portland Trail Blazers

it's never easy to lose your franchise star, to say the least. Brandon Roy has retired at just 27, and now all the weight of the city is on LeMarcus Aldridge's shoulders. Portland do have good players, and they'll all need to stand up and be counted this transitional season. look out for NBA's top sixth-man Jamal Crawford off the bench.

Cleveland Cavaliers

the Cavs went from being a top Eastern Conference team to 63 losses last term. and whether they wanna admit it, it's because of LeBron. Antawn Jamison's the big name now, but he cant go it alone. the rebuilding no doubt starts with star rookie Kyrie Irving, yet he's no LeBron.

New Orleans Hornets

expect 'The Big Easy' to no longer be a playoff team. they've lost not just CP3, but fellow All-Star West. to be frank, this season the only player i would watch them for is college star Eric Gordon.

Charlotte Bobcats

they have one highly rated rookie in Kemba Walker. and that's it. end of story. the exciting part is, if owner Michael Jordan wanted Walker so badly, we are in for something special.

Things to know at 25(ish)

source: Relevant magazine 

When you’re 25-ish, you’re old enough to know what kind of music you love, regardless of what your last boyfriend or roommate always used to play. You know how to walk in heels, how to tie a necktie, how to give a good toast at a wedding and how to make something for dinner. You don’t have to think much about skin care, home ownership or your retirement plan. Your life can look a lot of different ways when you’re 25: single, dating, engaged, married. You are working in dream jobs, pay-the-bills jobs and downright horrible jobs. You are young enough to believe that anything is possible, and you are old enough to make that belief a reality.

You Have Time to Find a Job You Love

Now is the time to figure out what kind of work you love to do. What are you good at? What makes you feel alive? What do you dream about? You can go back to school now, switch directions entirely. You can work for almost nothing, or live in another country or volunteer long hours for something that moves you. There will be a time when finances and schedules make this a little trickier, so do it now. Try it, apply for it, get up and do it.

When I was 25, I was in my third job in as many years. I was frustrated at the end of the third year because I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do next. I didn’t feel like I’d found my place yet. I met with my boss, who was in his 50s. I told him how anxious I was about finding the one perfect job for me, and quick. He asked me how old I was, and when I told him I was 25, he told me I couldn’t complain to him about finding the right job until I was 32. In his opinion, it takes about 10 years after college to find the right fit, and anyone who finds it earlier than that is just plain lucky. So use every bit of your 10 years: try things, take classes, start over.

Get Out of Debt and Stay Out of Debt

Part of being a healthy, mature adult is learning to live within your means all the time, even if that means going without things you think you need, or doing work you don’t love for a while to be responsible financially. The ability to adjust your spending according to your income is a skill that will serve you your whole life.

There will be times when you have more money than you need. In those seasons, save like crazy, and then let yourself buy fancy shampoo or an iPad or whatever it is you really get a kick out of. When the money’s not rolling in, buy your shampoo from the grocery store and eat eggs instead of steak—a much cheaper way to get protein. If you can get the hang of living within your means all the time, never going into debt, you’ll be ahead of the game when life surprises you with bad financial news.

I know a lot of people who have bright, passionate dreams but who can’t give their lives to those dreams because of the debt they carry. Don’t miss out on a great adventure because you’ve been careless about debt.

Don’t Rush Dating and Marriage

Now is also the time to get serious about relationships. And “serious” might mean walking away from a dating relationship that’s good but not great. Some of the most life-shaping decisions you’ll make during this time will be about walking away from good-enough, in search of can’t-live-without. One of the only truly devastating mistakes you can make in this season is staying with the wrong person even though you know he or she is the wrong person. It’s not fair to that person, and it’s not fair to you.

“Who are you dating?” “Do you think he’s the one?” “Have you looked at rings?” We confer a lot of status and respect on people who are getting married—we consider them as more adult and more responsible. But there’s nothing inherently more responsible or more admirable about being married.

I’m thankful to be celebrating my 10th wedding anniversary this summer, but at the same time, I have a fair amount of friends whose marriages are ending—friends whose weddings we danced at, whose wedding cake we ate, whose rings we oohed-and-aahed over but that have been taken off fingers a long time ago.

Some people view marriage as the next step to happiness or grown-up life or some kind of legitimacy, and in their mad desire to be married, they overlook significant issues in the relationship.

Ask your friends, family members and mentors what they think of the person you’re dating and your relationship. Go through premarital counseling before you are engaged, because, really, engagement is largely about wedding planning, and it’s tough to see the flaws in a relationship clearly when you’re wearing a diamond and you have a deposit on an event space.

I’m kind of a broken record on this: “He seems great—what’s the rush?” and, “Yes, I like her—give it a year.” And, “Time is on your side.”

Really, it is.

Give Your Best to Friends and Family

While twentysomethings can sometimes spend a little too much energy on dating and marriage, they probably spend too little energy on friendships and family. That girl you just met and now text 76 times a day may not be a part of your life in 10 years, but the guys you lived with in college, if you keep investing in them, will be friends for a lifetime. Loyalty is no small thing, especially in a season during which so many other things are shifting.

Family is a tricky thing in your 20s—to learn how to be an adult out on your own but to also maintain a healthy relationship with your parents—but those relationships are really, really worth investing in. I have a new vantage point on this now that I’m a parent, and I give my own parents a break.

Find a Rhythm for Spiritual Disciplines

Going out into “the real world” after high school or college affects more than just your professional life. Where once you had free time, a flexible schedule and built-in community, now you have one hour for lunch, 10 days max to “skip” work and co-workers who are all over the place in age, stage of life and religion.

One of the best routines I adopted in my 20s was a monthly solitude day. I found I lived better if once a month I took the time to read, rest and write, to ask myself about the choices I’d made in the past month and to look ahead. Some of the most important decisions I made in that season of life became clear as a result of that monthly commitment.

Volunteer

Give of your time and energy to make the world better in a way that doesn’t benefit you directly.

It’s easy to get caught up in your own big life and big plan in your 20s—you’re building a career, building an identity, building for a future. Find some place in your life where you’re building for a purpose that’s bigger than your own life or plan.

Feed Yourself and the People You Love

If you can master these things, you’re off to a really great start: eggs, soup, a fantastic sandwich or burger, and some killer cookies. A few hints: The secret to great eggs is really low heat, and almost every soup starts the same way: onion, garlic, carrot, celery, stock.

People used to know how to make this list and more, but for all sorts of reasons, sometime in the last 60 or so years, convenience became more important than cooking and people began resorting to fake food, fast food and frozen food. I literally had to call my mom from my first apartment because I didn’t know if you baked a potato for five minutes or two hours.

The act of feeding oneself is a skill every person can benefit from, and some of the most sacred moments in life happen when we gather around the table. The time we spend around the table, sharing meals and sharing stories, is significant, transforming time.

Learn to cook. Invite new and old friends to dinner. Practice hospitality and generosity. No one cares if they have to sit on lawn furniture, bring their own forks or drink out of a mug from 1982. What people want is to be heard and fed and nourished, physically and otherwise—to stop for just a little bit and have someone look them in the eye and listen to their stories and dreams. Make time for the table, and you’ll find it to be more than worth it every time.

Don’t Get Stuck

This is the thing: When you hit 28 or 30, everything begins to divide. You can see very clearly two kinds of people.

On one side, people who have used their 20s to learn and grow, to find themselves and their dreams, people who know what works and what doesn’t, who have pushed through to become real live adults.

Then there’s the other kind, who are hanging onto college, or high school even, with all their might. They’ve stayed in jobs they hate, because they’re too scared to get another one. They’ve stayed with men or women who are good but not great, because they don’t want to be lonely. They mean to develop intimate friendships, they mean to stop drinking like life is one big frat party. But they don’t do those things, so they live in an extended adolescence, no closer to adulthood than when they graduated.

Don’t be like that. Don’t get stuck. Move, travel, take a class, take a risk. There is a season to be wild and a season for settledness, and this is neither.

This season is about becoming.

Don’t lose yourself at happy hour, but don’t lose yourself on the corporate ladder either. Stop every once in a while and go out to coffee or climb in bed with your journal.

Ask yourself some good questions like: “Am I proud of the life I’m living? What have I tried this month? What parts of my childhood am I leaving behind, and what parts am I choosing to keep? Do the people I’m spending time with give me life, or make me feel small? Is there any brokenness in my life that’s keeping me from moving forward?"

Now is your time. Walk closely with people you love, and with people who believe life is a grand adventure. Don’t get stuck in the past, and don’t try to fast-forward yourself into a future you haven’t yet earned.

Give today all the love and intensity and courage you can, and keep traveling honestly along life’s path.

疯神无双 疯秘笈

瓶中信

把信放到玻璃瓶里丟到海中

这就叫瓶中信

那如果把鸟放在笼子里面

就叫笼中鸟

如果把食物放在盘子里面

就叫盘中餐

把钉子放在眼睛里面

就叫眼中钉

那如果把人放在舞台中间

那就叫台中人

final whistle

okay again another much-delayed post.

it's not something to be proud of and probably not something i should be blogging about, but 2010-11 was my most awry Inter School-Inter Hall season in four years. it wasn't just form, but a combination of factors like FYP and my ailing body.

ISG, which has been my priority the last three years, took a backseat this final year. i dont know why, maybe it's precisely due to my prolonged commitment that im now tired. i only played three sports this year, after three trainings in total. pathetic i know, considering last year when i captained soccer we had numerous trainings and friendlies.

soccer, touch, volleyball

soccer, the one im most proud of in WKWSCI and the only sport i played four years, was negligible this time. we played our hearts out in 2007, we went on our fairytale run in 2008, we had a superb squad in 2009, but 2010 the format became 7-a-side and the pitch was halved. i stepped down and there was no leadership. the new captain got into an emergency situation, and none of the seniors wanted to play.

 
at the eventual tournament, it was a team of all freshies plus clement cher and a 50%-fit me. almost everything was a disaster, only redeemed by promising players who have joined the school - gordon, paddy, amin, michael.

after years of drifting in and out of our strong sport, i finally geared up to play touch, since my exposure to contact rugby has helped me appreciate this form more. sadly we didnt have the services of some of our best players, and only me yanyi jocelyn yini know the game. and we met a very strong HSS in the prelims, bleh.

vball was a joke. ive been a key part of the team for years, but after the organisers merged the sport into co-ed, plus the absence/departure of other guys, i became a fringe player due to some talented freshie girls. thoroughly not enjoyable haha.

floorball, badminton

couldn't make it for badminton as i had the much more crucial IH softball to play. floorball, one of the most emotional sports over the years, i dont even remember anything.

when you're a graduating senior in hall, IH just feels a lot different. other than trying to make your mark or get your hands on that long service award, juniors seem to look to you as the guiding light, the calm in the storm. so somehow, suddenly, IH became a big deal for me.

softball, rugby

i had a bad feeling about softball all along. this was the weakest team ive played alongside. barely any heavy batters, and probably only five or so able fielders. and it showed. although we managed a memorable victory over traditional powerhouse Hall 15, we could not beat noisy neighbours Hall 5 -- in two attempts.

the one i cared about the most and put in the most effort ended with a whimper. after hardcore training and arduous planning, our hopes high, the tournament saw IVPs participating and we simply crashed and burnt. we were supposed to qualify 2nd, but ended last. it didnt help that key players kelvin, desmond and melvin were injured, while IVP zen made a pledge to sit out.

volleyball, soccer

soccer is one thing, since there were enough good juniors, but i had trained passionately for vball, and for the first year in hall i stood a reasonable chance of turning out for our vball team.

then tragedy struck, in the form of gout again. not stepping out into the court for my hall vball is one of my big regrets in college life surely.

thus, an awkward nostalgia. it sucks that 2010-11 was such a bad season, plus i was graduating, yet it feels that was normal proceedings since i wasnt fully in it.

slut lock

Woman asks:

If I sleep with 3 men, everyone calls me a slut.

But when a man sleeps with 8 girls, everyone calls him a real man.

How come?

Confucius replies:

It's very simple. When one lock can be opened by 3 different keys, it's a bad lock.

But when one key can open 8 different locks, we call it a master key.

indulge

one year in the planning, and at last it happened.

although for very unfortunate reasons one of the five couldn't come, the day was just non-stop laughter, relaxing, and htht.

a list of how me, yewhan, jonathan and yong seng tried our best to recoup the high cover charge:

hot pool

cold pool

sauna

steam bath

shower

couch bed + tv

*repeat the above

blow-dry hair

clean ears

brush teeth

shave

multiple drinks

cream puffs

bananas

kaya toast

gingko nut barley

multiple bowls of sze chuan veg pork rib soup

2 x tom yum kway teow

2 x penang prawn mee

3 x curry chicken mee

3 x ginseng herbal chicken

5 x fish 'n' chips

it is important to note the epic lengths to organise this. one year, to match five people's schedules, how about that. the birth of the idea, according to records, had taken place on new year's day.

疯神无双 疯秘笈

大头照

顾名思义

大头照就是只拍大头的照片
是一种身份证 护照用的照片

结婚要拍的是婚纱照
艺人常拍宣传照
在金钟奖颁奖典礼拍的

是金钟照

拿鮮奶拍的照片

就是鮮奶照

Praised by the Wise

"The way of Buddhism is Middle Way between all extremes. This is no weak compromise, but a sweet reasonableness which avoids fanaticism and laziness with equal care, and marches onward without that haste which brings its own reaction, but without ceasing.

For 2,500 years it has satisfied the spiritual needs of nearly one third of mankind. It appeals to those in search of truth because it has no dogmas, satisfies the reason and the heart alike, insists on self-reliance coupled with tolerance for other points of view, embraces science, religion, philosophy, psychology, mysticism, ethics and art, and points to man alone as the creator of his present life and sole designer of his destiny."

Christmas Humphreys, eminent British prosecutor and judge

疯神无双 疯秘笈

庐山真面目

典故出自苏东坡的題西林壁詩:

不识庐山真面目

只缘身在此山中

所以当时如果苏东坡人在黃山
那很可能就会变成:
不识黃山真面目

如果他在泰山
很有可能就会变成泰山真面目

那如果他人在富士山
那么苏东坡很有可能是
日本人

"虽然我们错过了 但我真心希望你也能找到你的幸福.

谢谢你喜欢我.

wait for my wedding invite!"

like a boss #applause

A man went to a shop to buy parrots. He asked about the first one, and the owner said it costs $50 and speaks Italian. He asked about the second, which costs $500, and why.

The owner replied, "Well this one speaks Italian, Cantonese, Russian and Navajo!"

The man then asked about a third. "Oh this costs $5,000!" exclaimed the owner.

"Why? What does it speak?" asked the stunned man.

"Actually I don't know, but the other parrots call it the chairman."

那些年 那个女孩

where do i start. 那些年 was neither the best shot nor written (as a film), but it was surely my most cathartic film in a while.

audiences and critics across the region had raved about how the content's so close to heart - a story of our younger days, and that girl who meant everything.

i was a little fearful, i admit, given the past ive had. indeed, i cant put it in any other way but concede that the content's closest to my heart.

they were right. it's like watching a film about your own life.

-spoiler alert-

expect no happy ending. some call it bittersweet, but im not too sure. after all, 那些年 is giddens' biographical work, and it stayed true to how reality pans out, not just in his story, but most of ours as well.

maybe that's what makes it work. no Hollywood fairytale here. just the hard-hitting fact that the one might not be the one, and circumstances are often out of our control.

not sure who wrote the screenplay, but i guess 那些年 works better as the novel it originally is, for now. the film doesn exactly follow the arc of a typical film, especially its chronological telling and the lack of a tense climax.

but yes, it's been said many times, this is life. giddens tells his story as it is, from high school to college and beyond. it's in fact just a sequence of incidents through the characters' lives, monkeying in class or dreaming about the future.

the initial setup already captured me. boy and girl sit side by side in class, things happen and sparks fly. of course it gives me goosebumps to talk about it now, but i look back fondly, because it did happen to me.

(plus the trailer and all also seemed to hint at lost love, which drew me more)

but like all good films and stories, there is much more than an "initial setup". eventually 那些年 struck many more chords.

the story of 柯景腾 and 沈佳宜 is, well, bittersweet. they liked each other, but due to mishaps along the way, although they shared beautiful moments, they never materialised as a couple.

for example, he never properly declared his love for her, despite his pursuit. she never reciprocated the right signals. and they never got over their many points of friction.

in other words, it's a case of raw, unpolished love.

the sky lantern scene devastated me. he refused her answer, afraid a rejection would end his desire to continue liking her forever. it was immature and fatal. she, for her part, decided to hold back her true feelings. mistakes on both sides started the ominous path to their eventual split.

the right thing to do would be to take a leap of faith, but in real life we seldom do right.

the sky lantern, an authentic Taiwanese icon for wish-making, told it best. on 柯景腾's side was his confession, on 沈佳宜's side was her "yes" answer. none saw each other's wish.

but furthering this, their story is also about a lifelong affection and care for each other. they continued a bond years down the road, because, well, truth is, you dont fall out of love with someone. she remained that very important girl to him, and in his words, she'll always represent his 青春, always be 那个他追的女孩. and in a positive take, 他说她一定要幸福, 因为她是他很重要的一段回忆, 而他打算保留好这段回忆.

anyway. regarding the opening scene, i admit i was semi-fooled they were getting married, but i also flirted with the possibility he was marrying someone else, not 沈佳宜.

oh well.

and call me a bitch but i got excited at giddens' homage to jay chou. first was the public announcement in school, using 三年二班's opening. then years later, 双节棍, which was released in 2001 and according to the film's timeline is a contemporary, was used as soundtrack.

the standout performer, without a doubt, is 陈妍希. i was hands-down enthralled by her cry scene upon receiving her pre-college grades. she fully deserves her 金马奖 nomination for this performance.

so there you go. gonna end off with my favourite dialogue in the film, which also in those few words rise above what we may assume and magnify the tender calm of the story.

柯景腾: 你相信有平行时空吗? 也许在另一个平行时空里 我们是在一起的.

沈佳宜: 真羡慕他们呢 谢谢你喜欢我.

my last word: i think in looking backward, 那些年 is an attempt to help us look forward. you learn the lessons of life, and love better. you right your regrets. not least as a tribute to 那个女孩, who helped shape who you are today.

疯神无双 疯秘笈

小明

小明是个笑话或谜语中
最红的虚拟人物

通常他会有一个好朋友叫小华
有个女友叫小美
有个哥哥叫大明
有个舅舅叫志明
志明的老婆是春娇
春娇有个情夫叫老王
老王养的蟑螂叫小強
老王养的小狗叫小黑
而小明的全名听说是王小明
不排除小明其实是老王的儿子

所以不论小明是谁
反正小明就是沒有脚
因为小明在一次的车祸当中
失去了他的双腿
小明太可怜了

Frazier wins top billing at last

source: Reuters

Joe Frazier had to wait until death to win rightful appreciation after a boxing career spent in the shadow of the magnificent Muhammad Ali, boxing historian Bert Sugar said.

“He never got his due,” Sugar told on Tuesday when asked about the former world heavyweight champion, who fought three epic bouts with Ali in the 1970s.

“This is the day for Joe Frazier, who has always been the second slot to Muhammad Ali, even when he won. Today is the day when he stands up as his own and he’s Joe Frazier, period, paragraph, and he can stand up to anybody on his own.”

Boxing promoter Bob Arum said the three bouts between the fighters stood as a hallmark in sport.

“He gave the world what had to be one of the most thrilling trilogies in any sport. There was nothing like it in this country and in the world for the attention those fights received.”

Ali returned after a three-year exile imposed after he refused induction for the Vietnam War due to his Muslim beliefs to face Frazier and the build-up was intense.

“I think the first, certainly was the biggest event I ever covered. It seemed like the world stopped in anticipation of it,” HBO fight commentator Larry Merchant said.

“It was building up for several years, two heavyweight champions. Ali in exile.

“And then to have the fight and the drama exceed the highest expectations, was a once-in-a-half-century, thrilling event.”

Merchant did not think Frazier was slighted by his association with Ali, but rather enhanced.

“Regardless of the fact that Ali was such a towering figure in his time, a worldwide figure, he brought out the best in Joe Frazier,” said Merchant.

“Indeed Frazier was admired and respected widely and had the heavyweight stage to himself during Ali’s exile… in boxing, nobody didn’t love Joe Frazier and what he represented in his honesty, dedication and toughness as a champion.

“It was one extraordinary man against an ordinary Joe in terms of personalities and how they reached out to the world.”

Better Fighter

Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Dave Anderson of the New York Times wrote that he considered Frazier a better fighter.

“I’ve always believed that, each at his best, Joe Frazier… was the better fighter,” Anderson wrote in his column.

Ali won their Madison Square Garden rematch by decision, setting up the Thrilla in Manila rubber bout in 1975. Ali won that rough bout, but Anderson said Frazier inflicted more punishment.

“The Thrilla in Manila in 1975 was awarded to Ali when Frazier’s trainer, Eddie Futch, wouldn’t let him answer the bell for the 15th round because he couldn’t see the right hands coming out of his closed left eye,” recalled Anderson.

“But Frazier soon talked freely in the interview area. When an exhausted Ali finally arrived, he described their epic in brutality as ‘next to death.’

“That evening, at a party in an old Filipino palace, Ali, his ribs battered, walked stiffly and sat stiffly, painfully offering a finger or two instead of shaking hands. At his hotel, Frazier sang and danced. Seeing them both, if you didn’t know what had happened in the fight you had to think Frazier was the winner.”

Said Sugar: “Had he stood up off his stool and gone to the centre of the ring, Ali would have collapsed. Ali has no legs, they have to almost drag him to the corner after the last round. He would have lost. That’s one of the ironies.”

Some diminish Frazier in historical terms because his career ebbed after his three epic fights against Ali.

“It is no surprise that after that night of greatness, he was never the same,” Wally Matthews wrote for espn.com about Frazier’s ferocious victory in their first fight.

“But to knock Frazier for being unable to match the greatest athletic performance ever seen at the Garden is like criticising Michelangelo for being unable to sculpt another David.”

"Never explain -- your friends do not need it and your enemies will not believe you anyway."

疯神无双 疯秘笈

大肠镜

是一种检测人体大肠健康狀況的仪器
但是要注意是大肠镜
不是大长今

大长今是韩国历史上
第一位女医生

根据韩国人表示
韩国的医术是世界第一

针灸也是韩国发明的

手術也是韩国发明的

世界第一位女医生
也是出自韩国

搞不好大肠镜跟大肠面线
都是大长今发明的

韩国人真是太了不起了

我们給韩国掌声鼓励...

Singaporean Men Cannot Make It One Lah

by Tan Sze Yao

Singaporean girls like to use the phrase "cannot make it" to describe Singaporean men. They wrinkle their noses and act all surprised when you suggest, ever so gently, that perhaps Singaporean Male X might be a suitable mate. "Huh?? Cannot make it lah, he." A few years later they marry Singaporean Male Y, who looks and sounds exactly the same as Singaporean Male X.

Why are Singaporean men all so ostensibly "cannot make it"? I do not know the answer to this question, for I am reasonable. However, I do have suggestions for the men. To become a "can make it" Singaporean male (without having to resort to plastic surgery), one must achieve a certain level of competence at the activities I shall be listing out below. Ours is a small, closed society; the traits that mark one out for worthwhile reproduction are easily and quickly discernible, if one pays proper attention.

1. Must be good at computers and computer games

Strangely, being good at computer games appears to be more impressive to the average Singaporean female. If you are good at computers only, you are taken advantage of for most part. If you are good at computer games, however, you are a badass potential protector.

Compare

You: OK, upgraded to Windows 7 already.

Girl: Thanks so much! (thinks: the software did everything.)

You: You're welcome.

Girl: Can help me install antivirus?

with

You: ALL RIGHT 25 KILLSTREAK!

Girl: Huh?

You: Nothing. I just kicked your boyfriend's ass.

Girl: Orh. (stands over shoulder and watches very fast paced game and thinks: aiyah why my boyfriend so lousy.) Can help me install Windows?

You: Sorry not interested, I am aiming for 35 killstreak

Girl: (subconsciously registers lack of punctuation as sexy) Oh. Kill kill kill... so manly.

As a general rule, the hierarchy is such: first-person shooter, versus fighter, real-time strategy, turn-based strategy and then everything else. MMORPGs occupy a value system of their own, but in general their gentle learning curve reduce street cred. Angry Birds and Bejewelled FTW for now though.

2. Must be good at pool

There is nothing else to do in Singapore. Get good at it, you will be spending a lot of time in these places. Don't just chalk your stick - chalk some victories while you're at it. Ah-lians will be watching.

Must-learns: jump-shot, English, doubles.

3. Must be good at one team sport

So that you will look good next to the other doddering dodos. Football obviously occupies top spot, but basketball and water polo work too. Volleyball is for girls.

Girls find it easier to come down to support team sports, because they can rationalize their conduct diffusely: "I'm here for the TEAM." Let them have this. You know what they're thinking when you're... scoring.

4. Must be good at one individual sport

While girls find it harder to support these because you are alone and therefore very bo sei for them to come all the way down, the simple fact that you are involved in some sport somewhere is already very "can make it". Walk around with your lacrosse bag slung over your shoulder or your tennis shoes carelessly dangling from your backpack. When they ask about your sport, just make vague references and knowingly use terms of art.

Girl: Where are you going?

You: Oh, practice.

Girl: What practice?

You: Kallang... today we're doing slice serves.

Girl: *tingle down spine* Ohhh.

Few other people will be able to challenge your authority, since these are individual, recherche pursuits. Exploit the opportunity.

To avoid: ping-pong, badminton (everyone thinks they can play these)

5. Must be musical

GUITAR for individual, DRUMS in a band. Girls are quite dumb one and they like to see action jackson. You bang bang the drum, they happy. You stand around and pluck a few strings, nobody knows what you're doing. Of course, if you are going to do the serenading thing, it will be guitar without question.

Tip: When serenading, pretend to be practising (when you actually practice sui sui at home already). Always choose a current song, so people will bite. If you play More Than Words for the 238645823648243234th time, people confirm lose interest one. And don't look at anybody when singing, otherwise they will feel that you are "invading" them. Don't "invade" anybody. Just let them listen to your ostensibly unassuming music. Confirm plus guarantee plus chop will have results.

6. Must be able to do math

A guy who cannot do maths is like a eunuch. He is not a man. In Singapore especially, even our girls are damn good at maths. So you better be super damn good, so you can explain to her how to divide her parts.

One better: PHYSICS. For some reason, applied stuff is harder for girls. So take physics and ace it. Then later on, toss in puns about how you two have such great chemistry, you want to explore the geography of her biography in a physical way. "Your body is a wonderland," you will coo. "Do you want to read my literature or should we just start making history?" Just don't show her your mother tongue.

7. Must have good sense of direction

A guy who has no sense of direction is a girl. The end.

8. Must drive and must be good driver

DRIVE. And for fuck's sake, practise that parallel parking thing. Girls always tell themselves that they are not lousier drivers, just more careful/cautious/whatever. But despite that ALL OF THEM STILL CANNOT FREAKING PARALLEL PARK. Become tok gong at this, heighten the gender difference, enhance the sexual tension. Ooh yeah baby.

By the way, European marques please. The Singaporean lady does not want to be seen rolling in a Hyundai.

9. Must be laconic and listen to her drivel

Ya. It helps. Srsly.

Singaporean girls think they are really interesting, and maybe they are. Who knows? We aren't really listening. But you don't really have to - just nod every 10 seconds. And then say, "Really ah." I just did this today. It is fricking awesome. You can abidicate responsbility for having a brain.

The bottom line is that by keeping silent, you allow her to project her preferred self-image onto you. She is interesting, so therefore you must be interesting, since you are absorbing her everything. How cool is that? I love lady logic.

10. Must know DIY

"I hammered her and her friend last night, we had a good screw. Talk about nailing two in one night! Of course I bolted the next day, but I will always be ready when their pipes need further unclogging."

Euphemisms aside, you must know DIY because other penises will try to undermine you with their own DIY knowledge. Especially contractors who overcharge. If you are fleeced in any DIY-related matter, you are not a man.

This is also perhaps the origin of the phrase "cannot make it" - a man who "can make it" can make... things. With hands and tools. He probably also knows how to instruct the girl on how to rectify a swollen ball-cock.

11. Must speak dialect

My biggest regret, I cannot speak dialect. In lup sup KTVs and Warrant Officer messes, I am the lowest of the low. With contractors, I am a freaking pony with "Kan Me" on my forehead. Why is dialect so important for the Singaporean male? Primarily, it establishes street cred. Denizens from below must look up to you before any female will find you worth apprising. Importantly, also, dialect is crass; crassness establishes contrast, and in contrast we find admiration.

12. Must not be below PES B

Or at least finish normal BMT like everyone else. Nobody really knows whether OCS or SISPEC is tougher, so you can elide that easily.

If you had a buay gan army life, try not to talk about it at all. Girls know one. They all have "a friend" who was a commando-officer-parakeet. They will compare you like they compare their Prada bag with the other girl's Miu Miu. Don't become an object!

If you were a star in the army, also don't talk too much about it. Girls just want to know that you were good, and that you were not a jellyfish. The rest is still for you to prove - funny, rich, smart etc. Prove it.

13. Must have "ambition" and "passion"

Most Singaporean girls have a vague notion that their man should be "successful" or aim for success of some sort. For themselves, they have less concrete ambitions. Use this to your advantage. However, only hint (not talk) about your plans. For instance:

Girl: So, what's next for you?

You: I've had several offers... well, we'll just see where it goes. I have a pretty clear idea of what I want though.

Girl: What's that?

You: Haha, it will bore you. Let's not talk about me. Do you like baby blue or pink?

Once they know you have "plans", they will stick with you, regardless of what those "plans" are. Make sure you always have "an idea" of what you are going to do. When in doubt, obfuscate and pass off a successful person's life as your own.

14. Must say nearly every other girl is "cannot make it"

This is by far the MOST IMPORTANT ITEM on the list. Singaporean girls like a guy who has "standards". Secretly, the standard for every girl is HERSELF. This is not a cardinal scale, there is no relativity. Instead, on this mystery scale there is THE GIRL IN QUESTION, and then EVERY OTHER FEMALE ON EARTH. She will make cursory concessions for Angelina Jolie and Megan Fox (the latter usually grudgingly), of course, but DO NOT BE FOOLED. She just wants you to think that SHE is the prettiest and THAT IS IT!!!

If, however, you are unable to lie barefacedly, you might want to go with a less extreme approach. You must say that girls SHE LIKES AS PEOPLE are pretty. NEVER SAY THAT PRETTY GIRLS ARE PRETTY! Girls are unable to divorce looks from personality. It would be unwise to do so, therefore, in their presence. A good sample discussion would run as follows:

Girl: Do you think Girl X (ugly but liked) is pretty?

You: Yes, she has a certain je ne sais quoi that I find charming.

Girl: (pleased) Really ah? I think so too! Not like that Girl Y (pretty but disliked).

You: Oh, Girl Y. Cannot make it lah. Act cute buay cute.

Girl: (ready to give you blowjob liao) I ALSO SAY!

Have you ever noticed that girls thought pretty by other girls are really not pretty at all? And hot, sexy girls are almost always labelled "sluts", as if that were a bad thing? Important hint: Do not address the girl on these points. She does not want to confront her inner evolutionary demons.

Well, that's the list. A tall order? Yes, but a worthwhile endeavour, if we are not to lose all our women to the cast of The Last Airbender. We can make it one.

"I used to pray every night for a new bicycle. Then I realised God doesn't work that way. So I stole one and prayed for forgiveness."

疯神无双 疯秘笈

比大小

是一种最简单分出胜负的
扑克牌玩法

但除了扑克牌以外
还有其它东西可以比

例如男生就可以比肌...

肉的大小

女生就可以比兄...

弟姐妹有几个

可以说是

最快分出胜负的一种比法

FHM 100 Sexiest Women Party 2011

i covered this event courtesy of xinmsn, and talked to Kim Lee, George Young, Stephanie Carrington, Sarah Tan, Rebecca Tan, Adele Wong and Lynn Tan.

Kim Lee is the best person to have a hangover with!

FHM's 100 Sexiest Women in the World 2011!

forgive the hyperlinks, i dont know where the embed functions went.

疯神无双 疯秘笈

姜

姜是一种辛香料

早採的薑是嫩姜

晚採的姜是老姜

如果姜切成了丝

就成了姜丝

如果把姜分的很平均
就成了姜均

如果把姜切成四块
那就成了 姜 姜 姜 姜

Praised by the Wise

"Satipathana is in line with our Western scientific attitude of mind in that it is unprejudiced, objective and analytical. It relies on personal, direct experience, and not on anyone else's ideas or opinions. It therefore explores all premature judgments, all arguments, discussions and such waste of time as we in the West are inclined to be fond of. In fact, it gets you out of the rut and bondage of yourself, your prejudices, your cliches, your blindness and your self-opinionatedness, to set you free to see and prove a real world."

Dr E Graham Howe, British physician

The Da Vinci Shroud

since the Middle Ages, millions of Catholics have venerated the Shroud of Turin, believed to be the burial cloth that accompanied Jesus Christ after his crucifixion. its fame and holy stature come from it being a rare, physical memento of his human form, and it is the single most controversial piece of artefact in the history of man.

 

In 1898 a photographer discovered a more visible face of Jesus in the negative of his photos taken of the Shroud, throwing the holy cloth into further fame.

the Vatican has chosen to not comment on the Shroud's authenticity, but considers it an item of the Church and allows followers to idolise it.

after questions arose about it in the 20th century, the Vatican granted permission for a small piece of the cloth to be cut for carbon-dating. results from three independent, authoritative labs announced in 1988 ascertained it belonged to 1260-1390. from then the Shroud has been declared a fake, although there are still many believers.

some questions that were raised about it included that if it was Jesus' burial cloth wrapped around him, geometrically the impressions left on it should be warped, and not a nice-looking portrait. recent discoveries also compared the intricately-weaved cloth to other textiles found from the same period of time that are much simpler. this strengthened the argument that it was created much later than Jesus' death. scientists have also reproduced the Shroud with more than one feasible technique, including painting, photography and Maillard reaction.

but it was a masterpiece, nonetheless. the Shroud has fooled the whole world for generations, and i suspect will intrigue us for many more. forensic experts have verified how detailed and accurate the physical trauma shows on the man in the cloth, including around the eyes, the multiple wounds on the back, and of course the famous nail in the hand. scientists also claim only the work of a genius can fool them for so long. until 1978, an American study still called the production of the Shroud "a mystery".

who in medieval times was capable of pulling off a scam so perfect it has set scientists on a wild goose chase up till today?

Leonardo Da Vinci (1452-1519) is widely regarded as the most superior polymath in mankind's history. he was a puzzle of both an artist and a scientist, an architect, musician, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, botanist and writer.

but he was also remembered for being a heretic, for distancing himself from the Church's doctrines, which the Renaissance Man felt was antiquated and restrictive. at the same time, Da Vinci was considered centuries ahead of his own time, a modern man who shaped much of modern discourse. combining the two, it is no wonder many conspiracy theorists believe the genius, sometimes considered a master forger, created the Shroud of Turin and has fooled the world for hundreds of years.

these theorists say Da Vinci's quest was to mock religion. by creating an idol that would be fervently and unquestionably worshipped by millions, he would have achieved debunking and exposing religion as mass superstition.

Lynn Picknett, a Shroud researcher, said: "The faker of the shroud had to be a heretic, someone with no fear of faking Jesus’ holy redemptive blood. He had to have a grasp of anatomy and he had to have at his fingertips a technology which would completely fool everyone until the 20th century."

if he's still alive, he would be most proud of his achievements. the Shroud has a lasting legacy. before it, images of Jesus came in all forms - clean shaven, short haired. but the Shroud provided the most definitive face of Christ, and left its mark as the prototype to follow.

 

don't the timelines not match? although Da Vinci lived approximately a century later, some believe in his great fraud he would have ensured he acquired a considerably old cloth.

as the Shroud is seemingly a negative, one recent theory by Professor Nicholas Allen is that it was created through photography. far-fetched, you say? not really, considering the camera obscura, the modern-day camera's ancestor, was available in Da Vinci's time. further strengthening the theory is the Florentian's well-known obsession with optics.

so we're there. the forger had to have a grasp of physics, art and human anatomy. not forgetting a rigorous contempt of religion. Da Vinci was the perfect man.

if not Jesus, who is the face then? recent analysis by scholars have gone even further. we now all know Da Vinci made the world wonder (stupidly) at the immense beauty of Mona Lisa, when it is in fact his self-portrait. in his effort to make a joke out of Christianity, Da Vinci used his face again for the Shroud, as found by Dr Lillian Schwartz, the woman who made the Mona Lisa discovery. computer analysis showed that the face is an exact replica of his own features.

with that, he became God.

UPDATE
in recent years, more evidence leaning towards the argument that the Shroud is genuine has been found. one is that the 1988 test was flawed, since the corner that was cut could have been contaminated as the Shroud has gone through so much over the years. another is the discovery of Jesus' nearly-invisible death certificate on the cloth, a contemporary Jewish practice.

疯神无双 疯秘笈

尿壺

用來尿尿的壺就叫尿壺

又称夜壺

用來泡茶的壺就叫茶壺

用來泡咖啡的壺就叫咖啡壺

相公还喊自摸

那是诈胡

过年红包钱被妈妈收走

那是不舒服

Bill Gates' 11 Rules

one-time richest man in the world Bill Gates purportedly made a speech that outlined 11 rules you wont learn in school.

Rule 1: Life is not fair - get used to it!

Rule 2: The world doesn't care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.

Rule 3: You will NOT make $60,000 a year right out of high school. You won't be a vice-president with a car phone until you earn both.

Rule 4: If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss.

Rule 5: Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your grandparents had a different word for burger flipping; they called it opportunity.

Rule 6: If you mess up, it's not your parents' fault, so don't whine about your mistakes. Learn from them.

Rule 7: Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you thought you were. So before you save the rainforest from the parasites of your parent's generation, try delousing the closet in your own room.

Rule 8: Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life HAS NOT. In some schools, they have abolished failing grades and they'll give you as MANY TIMES as you want to get the right answer. This doesn't bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.

Rule 9: Life is not divided into semesters. You don't get summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you FIND YOURSELF. Do that on your own time.

Rule 10: Television is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.

Rule 11: Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one.

relative pricing

Once, at a party, George Bernard Shaw asked a beautiful woman to go to bed with him for £1000.

The woman hesitated for a while but finally agreed.

He then asked if she would go to bed with him for £10. She exclaimed, "Do you take me for a whore?"

He replied, "M'am, we both know what you are. We're just establishing the price."

Doctrines and Shit

Taoism: Shit happens.

Confucianism: Confucius says, "Shit happens."

Buddhism: If shit happens, it isn't really shit.

Zen Buddhism: Shit is, and is not.

Hinduism: This shit has happened before.

Islam: If shit happens, it is the will of Allah.

Catholicism: If shit happens, you deserve it.

Protestantism: Let shit happen to someone else.

Presbyterian: This shit was bound to happen.

Episcopalian: It's not so bad if shit happens, as long as you serve the right wine with it.

Methodist: It's not so bad if shit happens, as long as you serve grape juice with it.

Lutheran: If shit happens, don't talk about it.

Fundamentalism: If shit happens, you will go to hell, unless you are born again. (Amen!)

Judaism: Why does this shit always happen to us?

Calvinism: Shit happens because you don't work.
Christian Science: When shit happens, don't call a doctor - pray!

Seventh Day Adventism: No shit shall happen on Saturday.

Jehovah's Witnesses: Shit has been prophesied and is imminent; only the righteous shall survive its happening.
Moonies: Only really happy shit happens.
Creationism: God made all shit.

Secular Humanism: Shit evolves.

Unitarianism: Come let us reason together about this shit.

Utopianism: This shit does not stink.

Darwinism: This shit was once food.

Capitalism: That's MY shit.

Communism: It's everybody's shit.

Feminism: Men are shit.

Chauvinism: We may be shit, but you can't live without us...

Commercialism: Let's package this shit.

Impressionism: From a distance, shit looks like a garden.

Existentialism: Shit doesn't happen; shit IS.

Existentialism #2: What is shit, anyway?

Stoicism: This shit is good for me.

Hedonism: There is nothing like a good shit happening!

Mormonism: God sent us this shit.

Mormonism #2: This shit is going to happen again.

Practical: Deal with shit one day at a time.

Agnostic: Shit might have happened; then again, maybe not.

Agnostic #2: What is this shit?

Atheism: What shit?

Atheism #2: I can't believe this shit!
Satanism: SNEPPAH TIHS.

Nihilism: No shit.