Thursday, March 30, 2006

Lyon vs AC Milan. goalless it finished. what a disappointment. both sides seemed short of ideas, and it was the defence that left the deepest impression. Coupet and Dida were in top form in their respective goals, and frankly, i think Coupet is far and away France's no. 1 goalkeeper. pity the French coach doesn't think so. the defenders were a class above the attackers, with Abidal, Clerc, Cris and Cacapa for Lyon and Maldini, Nesta, Costacurta, Serghino and Kaladze for Milan all in top form. the game petered out in the end, with both sides happy with the draw. hopefully, with Juninho's return for Lyon next week, the game in the cauldron that is the San Siro will be a much better than it was last night.

'Lost' is back tonight! yea! happy happy happy! can't wait man. the excitement's killing me already.

'Extras' on Tuesday at 10pm on Arts Central! fantastic show! must watch! :D

i heard the crickets at 11:30 am

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Wednesday, March 29, 2006

watched the game between Arsenal and Juventus last night. Arsenal were pretty impressive, especially Cesc Fabregas in the middle of the park. Kolo Toure and Emmuanel Eboue were solid at the back; perhaps the goal-shy Juve forwards helped them abit. Juve were just disappointing. passing was bad, especially so in the final third, and they sorely missed the creativity of Del Piero and Nedved. 0-2 down, and Juve will find it alot harder to come back next week, even if they are playing in the fortress that is the Stadio Del Allpi; Zebina and Camorenasi having been sent off last night. Vieira will also miss the game, having picked up an unnecessary booking. all the signs point to Arsenal going through next week, bar a calamitous collapse.

woke up with a terrible headache. hangover from a night of disrupted sleep. anyway, headache or no headache, it'll be more of the same tonight; Lyon vs AC Milan tonight. 2 great attacking teams. looking forward to what should be an absorbing contest.

was thinking just now, as my headache was starting to kill me, about Panadol. kinda been scared off Panadol after the stories of what it does to your resistance to pain. so i was wondering: is there another good way to ward off headaches? i mean, if the stories are true, then Panadol, for all its short-term benefits, would hurt a person real badly a couple of decades down the road. the story goes that Panadol lowers your resistance to pain, so much so that after many years, your body would become so incapable of handling pain on its own that even for minor operations, morphine, a drug administered for GUNSHOT WOUNDS, would have to used in place of regular painkillers. that is a hell of a scary future man. so it made me wonder why the hell hasn't anyone bothered to come up with a more organic version of Panadol that is just as, if not cheaper than Panadol; a version that is as easily available and safer for consumption. i mean, if this theory is true, then something must be done about it. so many people use Panadol ever so often that it has become part-and-parcel of everyday life. shouldn't we now take a deeper look at the possible side effects of the drug? after all, a better drug might just keep that nasty migrane away for good.

i heard the crickets at 3:02 pm

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Tuesday, March 28, 2006

hmm. football. alot's been going on lately in the game. Reading's been promoted. first team in 32 years to do so by March. they've got a pretty solid squad, but a lot depends on what additions they make to their squad in the summer. the remaining automatic promotion place should be a big slugfest. four teams still in the hunt. and none of the four are very consistent. should make for a cracking end to the Championship season. can't wait.

the relegation dogfight in the Premiership's heating up. never really thought West Brom would be so involved in the fight. the plot just continues to thicken with each and every passing week. of course i'm not talking about Sunderland. the Limp Cats more or less confirmed their relegation back in September. -_-

i heard the crickets at 11:25 am

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Sunday, March 26, 2006

was thinking about this the other day. about the temasek alumni. i kinda realised that its... almost non-existant. apart from the jokers who double up as jackasses in a certain uniformed group, there doesn't really seem to be anyone active in it. all the top instituitions and famous schools (fine, INFAMOUS, happy?) have strong alumni behind the scenes, giving back to school and all. temasek seems to buck the trend, and i find it totally stupid. i'm sure there would be many ex-temasekians out there willing to contribute, but we just aren't given the chance to do it. the alumni hasn't been proactive about getting new blood. 360 temasekians graduate every year. just how many people get drawn into the alumni network? to help contribute to the school? not many i would guess. there should be constant self-renewal within any organisation, and the temasek alumni shouldn't be an exception.

i heard the crickets at 5:36 pm

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Thursday, March 23, 2006

i don't get what the fuss is with the Commonwealth Games. i don't understand why we would want to commemerate an Empire that no longer exists, an Empire that did nothing for any of us. i don't understand why we would want to subject ourselves to the humiliation of recognizing and honouring a monarch that doesn't care whether we live or die. i don't understand why we still bother with an instituition that is a hollow shell. the Commonwealth Games are a blatant reminder of the stain of colonialism, a stain on our history that i find so revoltingly insulting. we are a free and independent country, and doing great, thankyouverymuch. surely there are no reasonable grounds for us to submit ourselves to this grave insult to our national pride. we must remove this last blot of colonialism from our system. we have tahan-ed this insult for decades now. its time to end it.

i heard the crickets at 11:31 am

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Wednesday, March 22, 2006

i'm falling sick all over again. abit of a cold and a terrible sore throat. its frustrating. so wanna play football on saturday. haven't played in 4. i'm really rusty now, and falling sick doesn't help me play better.

filling in the poly enrolment forms are such a bother. go for medical check-up lah, take photo lah, fill in dozens of forms that don't make sense lah... troublesome sia. the deadline's in a week i think, and i still haven't done much. i am so DEAD.

i heard the crickets at 12:29 pm

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Tuesday, March 21, 2006

caught "V For Vendetta" yesterday. i loved it. it was a fantastic movie. one of the best i have seen. EVER.

i heard the crickets at 10:17 am

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Monday, March 20, 2006

"Remember, remember, the 5th of November
Gunpowder, treason and plot;
I know of no reason, why the gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot."

i heard the crickets at 8:51 pm

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Sunday, March 19, 2006

still having diarrhoea. damnit. been bugging me for nearly a week now. frustrating really.

watched "Gangs Of New York" last night. it was not bad. the cinematography was excellent. the acting however, left much to be desired. only Daniel Day Lewis was good. DAMN GOOD really. superb actor. totally deserved that Oscar. he made me wonder just who was the lead; he, or Leonardo DiCaprio. frankly, i think Leonardo's overhyped. he's only got one performance of note, in the role of Frank Abangale in "Catch Me If You Can". aside from that, he's just a good-looker passing off as an actor. like so many jokers out there.

watched the new boys Sporting Afrique play on Friday against Tampines Rovers. they had some nifty moves, and some players to look out for, but the passing, especially in the final third was lousy. the defending was way too slack, and in sixes and sevens way too often. Tampines punished them for that, and ran out deserving winners. 4-2. i think most of the coaches in the League were wondering how to contain Sporting Afrique at the start of the game. but after that largely below-par performance, they'd be worrying more about the champs. come on Rovers!

caught the qualifying for the Malaysian Grand Prix. Rosberg and Webber looked really quick in their Williams cars. Rosberg was especially impressive, considering this will be only his second Grand Prix. Fischella was also very quick, and should be someone to look out for. especially since he's on pole position. frankly, this race is hard to call. as many as 10 could finish on the podium. so it should make for an exciting race. just a pity i don't have cable. hai.

i heard the crickets at 11:55 am

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Friday, March 17, 2006

sick yesterday. down with fever. left me with a really bad headache. casued me to miss the check-up. which just means i'll need to arrange for again for an appointment. sian. paiseh la jen, leonard.

my left arm feels severed. i think its the badminton. haven't played in a long time. to be frank, my whole body's been hurting, and falling sick yesterday didn't help. CRAP.

i heard the crickets at 12:58 pm

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Sunday, March 12, 2006

"The Pianist" was a really good movie. the pain in the movie was so... real.

i heard the crickets at 11:26 am

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Friday, March 10, 2006

went for the game between Geylang United and Sengkang Punggol yesterday. haven't been to an S-League game in years. i think the last time was way back in... er... 2001? yea. i know. SHAME on me. ironically that last game was also at the Bedok Stadium. the season finale. Geyalng United vs Jurong. Geylang won that game 3-0 i think, and with that, clinched the league title. yea. but in that time, Geylang have become a shadow of their former selves. my dad's bitterly disappointed about it. he's a Geylang fan. funny don't you think? for a Tampines resident to hate his local club side and support their nearest rivals?

as always, we went for makan before the game. barbecued fish. it was just so damn... SHIOK! the chilli had just the right amount of spicyness, and had this sour tang that added punch. damn good.

on the way into the stadium, we met jovin. yea. so we talked. mostly about life-and-death questions. like whether we could get into the stadium for free.

the game was pretty good. played at a pretty fast tempo. Geylang dominated proceedings for much of the game, hitting the woodwork thrice. just when i thought the game was heading for a draw, the referee awarded Geylang a penalty for a handball by one of Sengkang's defenders. Geylang duly converted, and bagged the three points. i thought it was just cruel for Sengkang, to lose like that.

i think, after last night, i might follow the League alot more seriously after all...

i heard the crickets at 11:11 am

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Thursday, March 09, 2006

Chelsea vs Barcelona. finished one-all, although i think Chelsea's equaliser should never have stood. well, at least Barca are through to the quarter-finals. the first half was rather drab, with few oppotunities. Ronaldinho was on fire with his backheels, but that was it in terms of good, flowing football. it was a waste that Messi came off after just 25 minutes due to injury; would have loved to see him prove a point to Mourinho. the game only came to life in the second half. Eto'o and Ronaldinho combined to finish off a most brilliant goal, with the latter beating four markers before slotting home. the game, however, was spoilt by a certain incident towards the end. Terry dived to get the penalty, and made a meal of it. he should get an Oscar for that performance. stupid idiot. spoilt the game totally.

went katong with the gang yesterday. played CS and Battlefield: Vietnam. it was great, especially Vietnam. damn shiok. but damn off-form in the final mission. finished last in number of kills. damn. anyway, lets do it again!

i heard the crickets at 11:17 am

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Tuesday, March 07, 2006

i just realised why Felicity Huffman was not awarded Best Actress for her excellent effort in "Transamerica". if she snagged Best Actress, Michael Jackson would have to be honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award for playing the same role: a woman playing a man playing a woman. yea. now i see why.

saw the trailers for "Da Vinci Code" and the new "Pirates Of The Caribbean" movie. wa... can't wait man. of course, for me, movies forever also cannot wait. there's "Spiderman 3", "V For Vendetta" etcetc. this week "LEG" is on. of course, if you dunno what the hell i'm saying, you haven't been reading my blog regularly. SHAME on you. anyway, the movie i'm really looking forward to this week is "The Pianist". man, love March. its movies-on-television season! puts a whole new spin to the term "March Madness doesn't it?

oh ya. tonight. big night. Chelsea vs Barcelona. at the Nou Camp. promises to be a cracker of a game. looking forward to it. come on Barca!

i heard the crickets at 6:21 pm

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Monday, March 06, 2006

the oscars was great. host jon stewart was the highlight. incredibly funny dude. Lee Ang won, of course, and i think thats really good for asian cinema. don't agree with the Academy on Hoffman being awarded Best Actor though. he was freaking boring in that movie. and i think Clooney was short-changed for "Good Night and Good Luck". how could they miss out on his fine work? crap la.



i heard the crickets at 6:02 pm

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Sunday, March 05, 2006

right. posting. got in. ya.

went cycling yesterday. ECP! ole! not as crowded as i expected it to be, but the Cove area was still a hazardous minefield. the 'scenery' wasn't too good though. little to offer.

egg prata at ECP kopitiam sucks!

we decided to go down to katong for laksa, but had problems finding our way there. stupid bus driver directed us to TANJONG KATONG complex, not KATONG shopping. bloody idiot. on the second bus we took, we had the misfortune of sitting near a gung-ho five-year-old, who at every opportunity, tried to piss us off. bloody moron. the laksa wasn't too good. all because i forgot to add chilli into it. it was.. well.. bland.

went bowling. as the reigning longkang king, i decided not to take part. the finish was nail-biting. leonard, leader for much of the way, faltered at the end. allowing jaime and jen to seize the advantage. in the end, jen finished as the champ, finishing with 3 straight spares, for a grand total of 74 pinfalls.

CS came after that. leonard kena hammered, courtesy of jaime. jk and jen finished as top marksmen of their respective teams, and the leonard/jaime combination clocked in about 10 kills.

2304 rocks! :)


i heard the crickets at 12:01 pm

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Thursday, March 02, 2006

right. been thinking about the issue for a long time now, and been really tentative about tackling it. sensitive as it is, the prickliness is compounded by the very fact that you can never second-guess what the authorities might find offensive these days. anyway, i've decided to take a stab at it, and so, if you find this space closed down in the next week or so, you can more or less conclude that i'm rotting in changi. here goes...

read somewhere recently that a great deal of people in the West are astonished as to how fierce (and violent) the reaction to the caricatures have been. yet, they fail to grasp the fact that these caricatures seek to lampoon a holy figure in the religion of a billion or so in the world. surely, they must admit that the "cartoons", if you must call them that, have gone too far. after all, in many countries in Western Europe, there are laws to tackle anti-Holocaust ideas, be they in print or otherwise. a case in point would be a certain British historian who's now rotting in jail for saying that the Holocaust never took place. the media in these countries accepts that freedom of the press must be tempered with press responsibility and hence they seek to be sensitive to the feeling of their audience. so why can't this same responsibility come to the fore when it comes to the caricatures? would Westerners take kindly to cartoons that seek to poke fun at the Holocaust? would they go up to the cartoonist and compliment him on having told an excellent joke? i can tell you right now, the answer would be a resounding "NO". why can't the blockheads in the Western media accept their mistake and apologise? freedom of expression is not a concept that is superior to all laws. the concept of freedom of speech itself is one created by Man. laws and concepts do not have a life on their own. it is down to the person who wields the concept as a tool who breathes life into it. freedom of expression must go hand-in-hand with press responsibility. let not the members of the press corps believe they can get away with anything, but do not seek to go overboard.

i heard the crickets at 11:50 am

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Wednesday, March 01, 2006

went down to leonard's workplace to try the makan yesterday. the bloody waiteress was so damn rude (what's her name again? cauliflower?), always passing some snide comment or another. stupid bitch. anyway, the soup wasn't great. the burger was fine though, even if it was a tad too cheesy. went bowling at marina square after that, where sam and wilson had the big showdown. wilson won, to our surprise, since he was saying how bad he was. LIAR. he ps us there after that. bloody hell. must have gone gallivanting with girls. we went to look up leonard, since he was on his break, and we went to have sundaes at swensen's, where leonard once again showed off his lameness (today where got sundae? only got tuesdae!).

i think Agu's punishment for going AWOL was too light. by walking out on his contract with the Indonesian club, he has tarnished the good name that Singapore has. he has got too arrogant for his own good. the FAS should have made an example out of him and kick him out of the country for good. he's become for too selfish and lazy, and no self-respecting Lion will allow this to creep into his game. come on! he's just making use of the FAS. make an example out of him, and show the people of the FTS payroll that no foreign-born player can get away with nonsense of any sort.

flipping through the scholarship guides pisses me off. almost every single Government scholarship is for those who choose the 'A' Level route. what? poly people too stupid for Government issit? please la. the Government can make noises about poly education being good, and how employers like the skills that poly grads have, but if the Government continues to shut the door on poly grads taking up Government scholarships, then nothing will change. the same old attitudes towards poly education will stay. the Government will also miss out on what poly grads can offer to the Civil Service. so this is what i say: change the criteria for taking up Government scholarships; let poly grads compete with 'A' Level holders on an equal footing, and we will see Singapore move one step closer to becoming the society for all that the PM himself envisaged.

i heard the crickets at 10:39 am

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Ginger & Garlic