au revoir

Howard Webb has a competitor

Ten years ago, Manchester united was outclassed by the greatest players to have ever graced the Earth with the likes of Zidane, Ronaldo (the Brazilian one), Figo, Raul etc. I still remembered it as one of the most enthralling and memorable encounters I have ever witnessed. The better team progressed.


Ten years later today, the immensely anticipated spectacle was ruined by an act of incompetence and illogical decision. Outclassed not by outright technical superiority, but by an artificial turn of the tide. The better team this time did not progress. What a pity.

What an emotional night it must be however for Cristiano Ronaldo. To return to his home where he was nurtured for over 8 years as a boy, and to score the winning goal, these moments show us the human side of this great talent. Kids should definitely learn from his mentality, to always remember to be grateful to those who have shaped you the way you are today. To borrow an often-used phrase in high school, when you drink water, always remember its source.

Now, the only way to bury the injustice of the red card, Real Madrid has got to win the Champions League, so that United can at least say that we lost to the eventual winners.

Thank god for the Champions League. Every such night is magical in its own way, hope to catch it live in future one day.

Ayrton Senna

Watched the documentary “Senna” which is about the life of Ayrton Senna, probably one of the greatest racing drivers of all time.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1424432/

What a legend. Such a pity for him to pass away so young.

An inspiring movie for all, you don’t have to know anything about F1 to be spurred by this movie.

The full movie

More fairytale stories soon?

With Manchester City clinching the English Premier League in insane fashion and Chelsea winning the Champions League in a dramatic penalty shootout, will there be more fairy tales soon? There could be, with the European Championship coming in just two weeks time. Having purchased the starhub package after much deliberation, I can only hope that it will be another exhilarating summer football tournament. With no exams and no major bugbear like the Block Tests during the 2010 World Cup, I can finally watch this whole showpiece in peace (no pun intended). I think France, Italy and Germany have a good chance of winning it. As usual, England is overrated and will probably crash out at the quarterfinals if they are not already knocked out of the group stages.

My England Starting Eleven (with all due respect to Roy Hodgson who is a really great manager and great guy):

Goalkeeper: Joe Hart

Defenders: Kyle Walker (But sadly he’s out with an injury so Glen Johnson is the next choice), Phil Jones, John Terry, Ashley Cole

Midfielders: Steven Gerrard, Scott Parker, Frank Lampard, Theo Walcott

Forwards: Jermain Defoe, Wayne Rooney

Adam Johnson, Aaron Lennon, and Grant Holt should be given a chance seriously.

The Stirring Champions League theme song

And here’s the one which is shown on tv:

These are truly the best and the champions. The Champions League is really the mother of all cups (no indecent inferences) for european football clubs.

Goodbye Gregory House

And so, after eight seasons of engaging television, House has ended for good. Despite the lacklustre later seasons, Hugh Laurie still managed to maintain the standard of the whole series by his award-winning portrayal of Gregory House. The last ever episode was kind of sentimental, and provided a fitting closure over the life of Gregory House and James Wilson. Well, if you have never watched it, go find season one episode one and give it a shot.

And recently, the HBO series Game of Thrones has hooked me these few days. It’s kind of like Romance of the Three Kingdoms in a Lord of the Rings setting. With a heck of a long list of characters, and a cliffhanger at the end of every episode, you will want to keep on watching the next to find out what happens next. Unfortunately, I don’t think Mediacorp is going to air this series on local television anytime soon due to the uncomfortable level of violence, nudity, and homosexual nudity (aka mature content to film censors). But come on guys, these help to portray the intensity and emotions of the characters and the development of the overall plot. After I’m done with the current two seasons, I’m definitely going to read the original book by George Martin. Give it a go.

Opening Credits for Game of Thrones. Quite “medieval” will you say?

So many twists in the final day

This sums it all up. Such is the beauty of football. What a season.

tinker tailor soldier spy

watched tinker tailor soldier spy. What a cast! This is the kind of movie you would pay $30 for the dvd. Time to explore more john le carré.

And while tinkering on youtube, i found this.

a chance discovery of an indie musician

Girls Generation made me feel the heat on 9th December 2011

Watching Girls Generation live for the first time was a goal set two years ago and it was one of the most awesome experiences ever! You got to admire the effort they put in to rehearse all the dance moves, songs, and their own logistics on stage. Bought the tshirt and lightstick outside the stadium but I didn’t buy their third album which came with a free poster, what was I thinking?!

Anyway, it was kinda sad that Yoona, Yuri and Jessica didn’t really came to my side a lot of times but thankfully there’s Tiffany, Taeyeon and Seohyun who were super enthu. It was really awesome to see them up close. Taeyeon’s hairstyle makes her look very beautiful. And Tiffany and Jessica speak really good english! Yuri and Seohyun speak really good Chinese! No harm done when spoken with their sweet voices.

 

Supposed to be Seohyun and Taeyeon. Lousy phone camera. They were much closer than it seemed.

Should have brought a proper camera.

mid autumn

I look forward to next year's maf, it is when i will truly be able to sense my liberation and say ord soon lo...

Going back to hc made me wonder how will the school celebrate its 100th anniversary which is not that far away. When everyone is 27 years old already, I wonder who will go back and truly say thank you hwachong, I'm successful now. I will come back an accomplished man, at least that is my goal. See you when you are hundred, hwachong.

jack is back

Keira Knightley is no longer a pirate :(

aljunied awkwardness

Losing the foreign minister but gaining an opposition voice, to be sad or happy?

first platoon

when they say bmt is your most memorable period of your army life, they are absolutely correct. You go through the worst shit and the best shit of your life there and meet the best people there. Just to share my platoonmate’s essay on our unique life in bmt:

For many, the defining moment in BMT is field camp, most often thought of as the toughest experience during NS. However, what constitutes a defining moment? For one it has to be memorable; something that my platoon mates and I will recall decades from now. Secondly, it also has to be meaningful, which means that the experience must have had some sort of impact on a person's character or point of view. There are, of course, plenty of worthy candidates, like the nauseating smell of gunpowder of our first live shot, the nervousness of holding a live grenade, the cold unforgiving rain at SITEST, or even the despair we felt digging our first shell-scrape. Personally, I felt that none of these encapsulates my BMT experience as well as some of the routine day to day treatment my platoon received.

   I cannot say that this applies to the whole company, but Area Cleanings, a frequent exercise in the military, often send my platoon into a chaotic frenzy. People are shouting at each other, running around with buckets of water, and finding ways to reach inaccessible corners which dust and dirt apparently favours. Work is delegated, everyone rushes to do their duties, and every single time, somebody's figurative toe will get stepped on and tempers flare. It was one of  these frequent, mundane exercises that defined my BMT life.

   Time was up, and IC frantically shouted at everyone to form up along the corridor. A sudden spike in noise level was indicative of the last adjustments the platoon was making. We breathed a sigh of relief as the strength was accounted for in the nick of time. We all knew in our hearts what awaited us at the end of the 20 min inspection, but still secretly hopeful that by some miracle we escape with a reasonable punishment.    

   The Sergeant picks his way through our tidy bunks, scrutinising our work. Most people would be unable to find any speck of dust due to the thorough cleaning job, but not the sergeant. As if imbued with a sixth sense, he scans the area, then zeroes in on his target like a hungry predator. A swipe with his finger gathers no dust, so the sergeant drags his finger along the entire length of the bed frame multiple times.

   “What is this? One mistake.”

   Helpless, we watch as the sergeant inspects every nook and cranny, revealing mistake after mistake, enjoying like a three year-old on his first Easter Egg hunt. Our spirits continue to plummet as the mistake count steadily increases. Done with his inspection, the sergeant sends us scurrying to the gym.

                                                            ------------------------------------------------

  Facing the floor, with sweat pouring off our chins, and our arms trembling with fatigue, everyone was pushed to their limits. At the back, several people developed breathing problems due to over-exertion. High pitched wheezing, heavy panting and even animal like groans were frequently broke the tense silence in the gym.

  "DOWN!"

  That was the word that we hated the most. All of us shakily tried our best to lower our trembling bodies with our arms. More sweat flows off our noses and soaks into the gym floor. Eyes shut, and with a grimace, we all sound off the count, "Thirty-nine!"

  For my platoon, being called down to the gym often means intense, prolonged suffering. While each "session" may last only about an hour at best, the experience is certainly way more intense than any other in BMT. Doing PT with profanities being screamed and hurled at us, I found that it is during these times where my endurance and character are tested, and often pushed to breaking point.

   Simply exhausted, someone's gives in to the pain and attempts a brief respite by resting their knees on the ground. Things like these should never be attempted as they never escape the sight of the vultures perching on the gym equipment watching us slowly die.

   “Still cannot do properly? Cannot give me standard push-ups? START FROM ZERO!”

   It is only logical to expect that as fatigue and muscular cramps set in, people would be less able to perform the streamline body shape, less able to lower their bodies. However, since when have military punishments followed logic? Sergeants have long had the ability to reject reality and substitute their own. Wishing nothing but to get the session over and done with as soon as possible, we struggle but manage to continue pushing the ground.

   “Eighty-Five!”

   Around this count, we start to find out more about ourselves. The pain now is excruciating and some start to give up. On the other hand, those with stronger determination continue to shout words of encouragement. At this point, there is little I can do but dig deep for the strength and perseverance I never knew I possessed. To take my mind off the present, pleasant and peaceful images, such as my next family gathering or my simple guppy bowl, float through my mind.

   “One hundred and sixty!”

   Nothing is working now. My senses work but I feel nothing but an incapacitating fatigue and the burning of my arms. It seems that the closer you are to the end-point, the more acutely aware you are of your suffering. We take it one at a time now, as our bodies are unwilling to give more. At the end, we all collapse and gasp for air like fish out of water. An unforgiving voice booms “Ranger hops Change!”. Having no power over our situation, our suffering continues. 

  That evening, one hour and 500 counts of 4 later, we were greeted with a cool evening breeze as we staggered out of the gym. It felt like we were entering an air-conditioned complex rather than stepping outdoors, and was a much needed gift after an hour of suffering in the suffocating confines of the gym. Marching off to dinner, we all sang at the top of our voices, perhaps scared stiff of the prospect of further punishment, but there was also a sense of camaraderie and pride stemming from the fact that we had just been to hell and back in one piece. There was something intangible in the air, perhaps a new found sense of unity, and probably also the pure joy of being liberated from our torture. To me, the pride we felt as a platoon immediately after that fateful event was one of the greatest highs in my entire BMT experience.

  Later, I met my friend, a 2-day-old enlistee in the cookhouse. He asked why my whole platoon wore dark green admin shirts. It was only then that I realised that every single one of us had soaked our admin completely, without a dry patch. When we look back, this will definitely be one of the episodes that stand out in our minds. When everybody suffers together, it brings the platoon closer, with another memorably painful shared experience added to our memories. I had trouble putting my spoon into my mouth that evening, as expected of victims of 500 counts of 4 of various exercises, but whenever my friends ask me where I'm from, I can proudly say that I'm from Platoon 1, Taurus Company.

Just say no

Played monopoly deal from 1am to 1pm. This is life. And the awesome new rule: Use $10 million card to get all the money from one player’s bank. Just say no.

Hoot

AAAA/AA

better later than never

steven gerrard

eat shit ac milan

this candle has met its match

 

need to get a freaking a for gp

my prayers have been answered…but at the wrong time

i wrote at the start of the year that one of my new year wishes was for snsd to come to singapore and guess what, they are actually freaking coming, but it’s together with the gay boyband bigbang and some other not-so-nice bands. And the kpop night concert is like 2 weeks before A levels fml. I’ll wait for the ticket prices to be announced before deciding.

tomorrow may just be another usual friday for the common salarymen and housewives, but for me and many others in hwachong, it marks the end of a 12 year uniformed education. Joyous occasion? Anyway, to add the icing on the non-existent cake:

It’s the freaking japanese version mv, and they are developing the habit of constantly revising the definition of awesome with every new mv.

the present is a good time to present the present

olivia bontempelli

she’s damn good, and she’s damn freaking tall what’s wrong with her genes?

http://www.singapore2010.sg/public/sg2010/en/en_games/en_games_bio.html

who is the singapore basketball girls’ coach?

wtf, she didn’t know the tv camera was on her as she mouthed the f word when the opposition scored a point. felix bach is one pro shit, the german rower guy.