Roomania

There are sometimes when as a football fan, you just have to hold up your hand and say "what a player". Since I have started watching football, plenty of players have made me feel like this. Cantona, Ronaldo (Brazilian buck toothed version), Del Piero, Raul, Shevchenko, Henry etc. And now officially I can add Wayne Rooney to the list. For a more detailed version of what he did:

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/report?id=164159&cc=5739
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/headlinenews?id=311700&cc=5739

When Rooney first started out, I was never in doubt of his skill and physique, power etc. But to me he did not have the "luck" of a striker. That is his shots were all either coming off the woodwork or saved brilliantly by the keeper. For me, he had to break that duck and start banging in the goals before he can be acknowledged as a striker. And all through his first 2 seasons in the Premiership he never erased that doubt from my mind. but when Euro 2004 came, he simply blew me away. Something ALWAYS happens when he touches the ball and boy did he finish with aplomb during the summer football extravaganza. That for me, was enough to signal his arrival on the world stage. That is why once Newcastle showed an interest in him and Everton was willing to sell, I wanted United to get him, WHATEVER the price. His potential was just too immense to be ignored. Economically, there is no way Rooney can ever pay back that kind of transfer fee. But in football, there is the so called "superstar" effect at work. Wayne Rooney provides something extra to a team which some other cheap and good player will never be able to produce, no matter how "bargain" the cheaper player is. Confused? Well think absolute and average. A 5 million pound player might be able to get you say 20 goals a season, which is VERY VERY good value for money. But is that enough for a club of United's stature? United need players who have that extra something, who will provide that one magic moment on the biggest stage other than the average 20 goals a season. And that justifies the 27 million pounds on Wayne Rooney. This also explains why I was not bothered by the 30 million pounds spent on Rio Ferdinand. United's defence needed strengthening, and Rio was better than ANY of the defenders United had at that point, and that justifies going all out to get him. Ok enough of the football theory crap. Anyway I hope those Rooney (and also Alan Smith) doubters can now eat humble pie, and just watch the United show get on the road!!

Anyway special mention to Real Madrid who came back from 2-0 down at home to beat Roma 4-2. Did not really watch the match, but must give credit to the galacticos for showing character to dig deep and ally determination with their skills to carve out this win. I for one thought that they were fucked absolutely. I guess this futher proves "form is temporary, class is permanent". Really glad that Raul scored too, he is one of my favourite players.

Anyway a bit of update on my life so far. Officially registered for my courses today. Was pretty disappointed that I HAD to have a lesson on Friday as originally that was an empty day (meaning I would have had a long weekend). And this term I have a 15 hour week as I am taking 2.5 units of course this term (out of 4 units for the whole year). So would be pretty busy this term. Still not really settled into my room yet even though there is internet already. Coz my stuff is in storage and they are only coming tomorrow. Can't wait to get them back and do some serious unpacking. And as a side note, I have a neighbour who blasts Indian music, a drunk Kenyan who wanted to eat my instant noodles, and a person who blasts techno music at 11am. Sounds like a great year ahead :S

Provision Shop Owner

This is it. In another approximately 22 hours, I will be bidding farewell to Singapore. Cents become pence, dollars become pounds, ESPN becomes Sky, Hokkien mee becomes spaghetti, dial up becomes LAN (one good thing...), air con becomes heater, Sembawang Road becomes Euston Road. Not too sure what this year holds for me. Had the comforting thought of Euro 2004 and 2 lovely ladies as my housemates to look forward to last year, but none of that this year. In addition, there's the headache of possibly applyingfor Masters and interviews to try and get sponsorship from MOE, during which I must try and sell myself but which I am totally incapable of doing. And I really ought to plan properly where I want to visit for my holidays, as my days are numbered. Thought it might be interesting to list down the stuff in my suitcase.

5x5 packets of instant noodles
4 packets of instant milo
1 packet of instant chrysanthemum tea
2 bottles of peanut butter
1 bottle of sesame oil
2 bottles of chilli sauce
2 packets of rock sugar
1 kg of green beans
0.5kg of red beans
0.5 kg of barley seeds
10x2 packets of haw flakes
Pi Pa Gao
Ru Yi You (that oil where you rub on your tummy when you have stomachache)
Panadol
2 packs of Know soup cubes
1 can of MSG (my hair is going to drop)
3 packets of salted vege
12 packets of preserved vege (Si Chuan Cai)
Chinese mushrooms
1 kg of ikan bilis

That's all I can think of at the moment. No bah gua this time coz dun wanna it to be confiscated. But guess its enough for me not to miss home for a while. London (and perhaps more importantly) Manchester here I come!!

Feels like: Closing of Gates of Hell

I don't WANT to go back!!!!! It dreads me to think that I got to go back to leading a pauper's life in another few days. I really don't want to. I want to enjoy the good food here, I want to feed my fish everyday, watching them grow. I want to slack in my pavilion eating Kit Kat when I am free. I want to cycle to Upper Seletar Reservoir in the evening on my HASA bike to enjoy the cool breeze. I DON'T WANT TO GO BACK AND SUFFER IN DRIZZLES!!! I don't want to have to cook myself everyday. I want to eat my mum's food! I don't want to do homework!

Complains complains complains, but come 25th Sep 1120pm, I will still be on that SQ flight waving goodbye to my parents. Bummer. But once I am there, I will once again want time to pas by slowly....coz in 9 months time I will be in army green and holding rifle in a jungle in torrential downpour again. Even bigger bummer.

A question that's been bugging me lately. Do you like a PERSON? Or do you like an IMAGE of a person? If the person you like changes herself for your sake, but you do not like her new iamge or behaviour, would you still like her??

We'll Keep the Red Flag Flyin High, Coz Man United will Never Die

Finally. A performance to be proud of. Vintage United was, at least in the first half against Liverpool. Pool were totally outclassed and outfought. Outfought was the main word. Epitomised by Keane and Heinze who fought for every ball there was to be won, United won all the little individual battles all over the pitch. And that set the platform for Giggs and Ronaldo to send in the crosses which time and time again troubled Liverpool. Ronaldo's skills proved particularly frustrating for Liverpool. Fast forward to the second half, and some of the failings of the second half of last season and this season came back. Sloppiness in passing and lack of concentration had cost Untied dearly and on this occasion threatened to do so again. Sloppy passing meant that freekick was conceded, and poor defending meant Carragher got a free header. Against the run of play, Liverpool had equalised. That same familiar fucked up feeling came back again. Luckily enough United scored again and looked more comfortable for the rest of the match. Finally another victory in the league, which honestly I didnt know when it would come. And the performance was pretty good too....just hoping for Rooney, Gary Neville to be fit and Scholes to be back in form and everything looks promising again.

For some reason I had surprisingly been one of the most optimistic fan among those around me. Almost all expressed concern and disappointment at the current form and the future of United. Granted I was no doubt disappointed at the results, but I saw enough in the current team to be optimistic about the present and future. In Howard, O Shea, Spector, Brown, Ferdinand, Miller, Fletcher, Ronaldo, Rooney, Smith, the future is secured. And we still have Silvestre, Keane, Scholes, GIggs, Saha and van Nistelrooy. Man for man, I would say we have as good a squad as Arsenal and Chelsea. It seems to be a bit daft to put United at third favourites for the league title. Joint second at worst I would say. Really tempted to put money on United winning the league, but afraid that I will jinx them as I NEVER win in gambling. But that's how optimistic I am. Transition period? Probably. End of an era? Fucking bollocks. Only time will tell.

But in the afternoon before the match, I received devastating news.

Dear Mr Shihua Toh,
MANCHESTER UNITED V Arsenal
OLD TRAFFORD, 24/10/2004
KICK OFF 16:05
Further to your application in respect of the above game, we have to advise
that, because we were oversubscribed, a ballot was held and unfortunately you
were unsuccessful on this occasion.
Please accept our apologies for the disappointment our response will inevitably
cause but trust you understand the difficulties we are faced with when demand
far exceeds supply.
If you would like further information, please contact the Ticket and Match
Information line on +44 (0) 870 757 1968. If you would like to apply for
tickets for another match simply visit the website at: http://www.manutd.com
Thank you for your continued support which is very much appreciated.
Yours faithfully
Mr A Chubb
Ticket Office and Turnstile Operations Manager

OH how I hate Mr Chubb...fuck him!!! screwing up my last chance of watching Arsenal live!!! AArghhh.......another season of applying tickets, waiting for tickets, and hopefully going to matches is about to commence. Hopefully my luck this season is the same as the last! No second season blues for me like John O Shea....stay tuned!

Wonderful pickup lines..

Got the following from the forum on unitedonline.co.uk which in turn came from bored.com I think.... some really classic ones...*wonder whether I should try them sometimes*

Are you a parking ticket? (What?) You got fine written all over you.

You make me melt like hot fudge on a sundae.

Can I borrow a quarter? ["What for?"] ... I want to call my mom and tell her I just met the girl of my dreams.

Pick up a pack of sugar that actually says, "sugar" on it and say, "You dropped your nametag!".

What does it feel like to be the most beautiful girl in this room?

Do you believe in the hereafter? Well, then I guess you know what I'm here after.

Are your legs tired, because you've been running through my mind all day long.

Do you have a Bandaid? Because I just scraped my knee falling for you.

There must be something wrong with my eyes, I can't take them off you.

Girl, you better have a license, cuz you are driving me crazy!

Hey baby, you've got something on your butt: my eyes.

Hi, I make more money than you can spend.I hope you know CPR, because you take my breath away.

Damn, if being sexy was a crime, you'd be guilty as charged!

I must be in heaven because I'm standing next to you!

If I could rearrange the alphabet, I'd put U and I together.

You must be from out of space cause I can see the stars in your eyes.

If you were a booger I'd pick you first.

Can I have directions? ["To where?"] To your heart.

Baby did you fart, 'cause you blow me away!

Hi, I'm Mr. Right. Someone said you were looking for me.

Turn to the girl sitting next to you at the bar and say..."I'm not really this tall....I'm sitting on my wallet."

Do you believe in love at first sight, or should I walk by again?

When I saw you from across the room, I passed out cold and hit my head onthe floor...so I'm going to need your name and number for insurance reasons.

You know what? Your eyes are the same color as my Porsche.

Do you have a map? Because I just keep getting lost in your eyes!

Is there an airport nearby or is that my heart taking off?

Do you have any raisins? No? How about a date?

I REALLY REALLY like the sugar one, I MUST ADMIT IT LAH, it is preeeeeety funny (ok ok lame personal joke :P)

Of TVs, Coins, and the Gaza Strip

Finally I am free from ANYTHING. And I do mean EVERYTHING. No more attachments, no more projects and no more MOE reports, at least for the next 1.5 weeks, before going back to the ever so expensive London. What better way to celebrate my freedom than to just sit in front of the tv and watch football. Simply fantastic Champions League coverage on Sky Sports, which ESPN had gladly shown in its entirety. 2 matches simultaneously and a post game review featuring highlights from all the games played that night. Definitely a football fan's dream, and undoubtedly caused many a sleepy head at work this morning. But read an article on the Soccernet website just now which I found myself unable to disagree with.

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/feature?id=310127&cc=5739

Basically it argues that there is now way too much football, at least Premiership football shown live on tv. Matches like Portsmouth vs Birmingham, Charlton vs Middlesborough are increasingly being shown on a regular basis on that square little box, and frankly speaking, WHO IN THE WORLD REALLY wants to watch these matches? You might argue that it is a boon for fans of these smaller clubs but if you think more deeply, if they were such die hard fans, they would have gone to the stadium since they would have no problems securing tickets for such low key games. And the writer quite rightly argues that more tv exposure perpetuates this vicious cycle of mediocre club matches. Clubs like Leeds, having had more money from SKY, spent more that ever and found themselves in trouble. Financially prudent clubs like Charlton come in and take their places but frankly speaking these teams do not excite neutral fans. would you rather watch Leeds vs Man United or Charlton vs Man United? The answer is pretty obvious. The ruling in which clubs have a minimum number of matchs that must be shown live adds to this problem. And the conclusion to the article is especially pertinent. We do not want a case whereby Arsenal and Man United are shown every week (though when not I would pull my hair out) but merely increasing output to include ordinary teams is not going to work either.

The main talking about last night's round of Champions League matches has to be Anders Frisk, the Swedish referee, being hit by a coin thrown from the crowd during the Roma vs Dynamo Kiev match. Frisk had sent off Phillipe Mexes shortly after the halftime whistle for kicking out at a Kiev player and while walking to the tunnel for the break, was hit on the head. He eventually took the decision to call off the game as he deemed the 4th official not experienced enough to officiate the game and that the safety of the officials cannot be guaranteed. Frankly, it was appalling. Though not as serious as perhaps say the stabbing of 2 Leeds fans years ago in Turkey when Leeds played Galatasaray, this once again oversteps the sporting barrier. Ultimately football is a sport, no matter how stupid or unreasonable or bias the official is (or how useless the player is), attacking anyone is cowardice and is simply not justified. Do they think they are heroes? Helping their team? NO!!!!!!!!! Heroes are those who risk their lives to help others, like firemen, like soldiers, not people who think they are daring by throwing things at other people. And they are simply making things worse for their team. I will be surprised if Roma are not punished heavily for this.
But having said that, I once again must stress that the majority of football fans are not like this, at least in England. It is just that their reputation precedes them. For example,

http://www.manutd.com/news/fullstory.sps?iNewsid=105212&itype=466&icategoryid=156

A lot of things can be avoided if officials can be more open minded. For example, I had a small box of cherries with me when I went for the France vs England game in Euro 2004. The security guy who searched me, EMPTIED the CHERRIES into my bag and threw away the empty plastic box. And I must ask, FOR FUCK???? Can I throw it onto the pitch and hurt anyone with a box of cherries????? Even if you say yes, what's the point of throwing just the plastic box away then??? I still have the heavier cherries with me and CAN STILL throw if I wanted to. Another Man United fan had his aple and croissant confiscated by Porto officials last season. WHY WHY WHY???? Such unreasonable behaviour only adds to people's frustrations. Football fans are like ordinary people like you and me. Some of them spend an extraordinary amount of money to follow their team and thus must be pretty well to do. Would they really want to create trouble just for creating trouble's sake? THINK THINK THINK!!!! The world is just too full of people with heads stuck in their asses and refusing to use the space in between their ears. People like suicide bombers are just plain dumb. Just because you bomb a few people your God is going to like you and protect you for eternity?? DUMB!!!!!! I think the only solution might be for Buddha, Jesus, Allah and whoever to come down from Heaven, hold hands and celebrate some harmony day to stop all these nonsense. There are just too many stupid people around.

But somewhere somehow, there is always hope.

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/feature?id=310282&cc=5739

And mine do I love it when football is used as a bridge for peace. Like the 1998 World Cup match between US and Iran. Football is the world's most popular game, and thus implicitly it has a role to play in encouraging world peace. And by that all football fans have a role to play in this. By all means have rivalry between teams during games, shout all the abuse you want during a game, but after a game, have a beer and chill out!! There's still money to be earned, books to be read, food to be eaten.... football is NOT everything. Please don't fight or riot....what's the point?? If the Jews and Arabs at Hapoel Bnei Sakhnin can do it, so can everyone of us, and by extension everyone in this world.

Ok ok, I know some of you will snigger at the last paragraph and point out all the times I sulk and whatever when United loses. But I have never ever fought yeah? Will try my best not to be so affected, but can't make any promises :P

Dun know wat to say

Had some pretty deep and satisfying gossiping session today. It feels good when you successfully manage to convince other ppl to agree with you that someone else is a loser or another person is a yaya papaya. It makes you feel that you have really managed to make another person's life more miserable and it feels really pleasant. Damn I love being shallow.

Realised the ppl I have been seeing recently are all the MOE ppl and the ppl I got to know in UK. A bit pathetic really. Do I have any other friends at all? To meet up with JC classmates pretty much need an excuse like someone's birthday to organise an outing. Gone are the days when you just sms the day before to ask whether they wanna catch a movie. Nobody watches movies nowadays. Everybody downloads them, and the only thing to discuss is the quality of the files, not even whether you can find them or whether they are worth watching in cinemas. Sigh. I havent even seen my best friend for like 3 weeks. Is it just me? Or is everybody just too busy nowadays? It feels like a vicious cycle. The more you don't meet, the more the meeting seems contrived and stuff....And that is how relationships slowly die. I can't allow that to happen! I have too few genuine friends as it is...can't let the years of building up relationships in VS and VJ go to waste like that. But can I resist the tide of the life cycle? People are going to meet new people in Uni, at work and stuff...work is going to take up lots of time. And ppl are going to get busy with family and spouses and kids and stuff. This situation is only going to get worse. But looks like I only know how to complain.....never really get down to doing anything about it.....So maybe its just me? AArghh this post is turning out to be rubbish...better get started on my MOE presentation

Night cycling

Had the most amazing night of cycling on Friday night. Cycled from Pasir Ris to Simei and then from Simei to Geylang for supper. Ate like a mad man there before going to Esplanade. AND THEN wecycled back. Must have been over 40km in all from 950pm to 5am. Really enjoyed it a lot, especially cycling on the main road beside the traffic and all. Somehow I love it when I am on a bicycle, putting my life in danger by trying to race with traffic and swerving here and there, but not sure the person behind me appreciated it all that much. Feeling more and more enthusiastic about my plan to cycleto Sungei Buloh, hopefully can find one day when I wake up early enough to do that.

Just realised there's only 1 more weekend to go before I go back, and this time registration is straight away and that means school and work begin almost straight away. I feel lethargic and drained. I feel I have not rested enough. I want to have 2 weeks when I have completely nothing to do, no need to clean furniture, no need to move house, no need to go to school, no need to do presentations for MOE etc etc....just having nothing to do. But there is no chance to do so....

As a last thought....don't you feel saddened by news all the time when you read the newspapers? Don't you feel like going back to the mid 1990s esp 1994 when the economy was doing so well, everybody feels rich, and you feel like you can have anything you want from your parents? A time when there did not seem to be any major security threats? When you do not seem to have the word security and terrorism staring out at you whenever you read newspapers? And fishball noodles only cost $1.50. Somehow I do....

Lazy Pigs eat Red Tape

For the 4th consecutive day, I woke up later than 1230pm. I thought my biological clock had been tuned to normal mode by my 3 week stint in Bendemeer, but no. Once the attachment ended, its back to normal piggy Tosh again. And mind you, I would not wake up too if not for the renovation work going on in the unit behind my house. Don't I just love my body for being so lazy and piggy?

I have been complaining a lot for the past 2 years about British inefficiency, so today I am going to complain about red tape in Singapore for a change (or no change depending on ur point of view). Had to call up the tobacco division or whatever of HSA to help my dad amend the address shown on his licence. It should be #02-40 and not #01-240. However, the lady kindly informed me that I can't change over the phone. The unit number they got from NEA was 240 so they kindly assumed its on the ground floor and added 01 in. Now I have to go to NEA to change the address over there (apparently they got it over there), then troop down to Helios building at Biopolis Way to change the address again. I would have to pay 30 dollars too. Immediately my bullshit detector went on high alert again. Firstly it is none of my dad's business that you all ASSUME it is on the ground floor and added 01 into the unit number! and then my dad has to pay $30 to change it???? just to change the stupid address? And isn't there a system to update all relevant agencies when my dad amends the address at NEA? Why does he need to go to HSA again?!?!?!?! Fucking hell!!! My advice to Singapore: before you move into nice and posh new buildings, and find 101 stylo mylo names like BIOPOLIS and HELIOS to fit your roads and buildings, start looking into ways to enhance your customer service, cut out red tape and lastly be more SENSIBLE. (Asking ppl for original photocopies of certificates when they obviously lost them in the first place is just plain silly. That's why they are there in the first place to apply for visa!!!) Somehow I think consumers would appreciate that more than trying to find silly road names. (Imagine my non- English speaking father's reaction when I tell him he would have to go to BIOPOLIS way, SI MI LAN JIAO?!?!)

And by the way, Louis Saha and Gary Neville got injured during midweek WC2006 qualifiers, adding to United's injury woes. I hate international games. They should be banned (since Singapore sucks anyway).

I Hate the Rain

Jay Zhou's "Qi Li Xiang" was on repeat mode on my MD. Suddenly it did not sound as nice anymore. The pitter patter of the rain drops on my umbrella is starting to irritate the hell out of me. And I also have to watch out for vehicles travelling at high speed going over puddles of water...why does the route to Bendemeer seem especially long today? Damn I hate the rain.

By the way, I finally got to develop my photos today. Thanks to Miss Guo who told me about this place in Raffles City which charges 20 cents for 4R photos if you develop a lot. The place is on the 3rd floor. Anybody else have a better lobang? Please leave a comment.

Off to watch England Poland now, can somebody please tell me why Wayne Bridge is starting and not Joe Cole? But finally David James is dropped.

Crossroads

I am stuck. I have no idea which way to go. I am at the midway point in a cross country run. I know the way forward is kind of like the right way to go, where the fruits of your labour can be enjoyed at the destination. But the way back seems so much easier, and that is the way I have gone pretty much all my life when I need to make any decision. I need a sign to tell me it is possible, or whether I will have to stop eventually because the run will have taken everything out of me before I reach the end. Faced this problem so many times throughout my life, but I am no closer to finding the best solution, damn me.

On a lighter note, has anyone noticed how Mediacorp dramas have turned into *ahem* propaganda *ahem* avenues? Firstly it was all the talk about CPF in Xi Lin Men (Happy Fish) and now its flexi-wages and its benefits in the 9 pm show on Channel 8. Well nothing wrong with that I suppose, if it helps the country to move together in the right direction then so be it. But my main gripe is that the script is hopelessly one sided. Take today's episode of the 9pm show, it portrays all workers as lazy, unwilling to adapt and just wanting to complain about less pay and more work. The person who went to WDA to find work is portrayed as being unrealistic and realises his folly (having no work for 9 months) after just 1 minute of explanation by the official at WDA. Surely that is UNREALISTIC?? The script needs to be more BALANCED!!! More needs to be done to portray the hardships of those retrenched but still have reasons to not accept other low paying jobs? The plot makes the issue look stupid and simple when it actually isn't. Conclusion? Hire me as the script writer. I am the best.

Tried to renew my Man United membership through the phone today. Been rejected twice online already. The whole call took like 21 minutes, of which 16 minutes was spent listening to recorded commentaries of past United matches....terribly exciting :S And who did I hear when some human finally picked up? A lady with an Indian accent. Damn I hate outsourcing. If there is anything I hate more than an ang moh accent, it has to be an Indian/China accent. I WANT to speak to an ang moh!!! At least they give me the impression that they know what they are talking about. After going through the renewal process, I asked

" So has my application gone through? Has it been confirmed or do I have to wait and see if it has gone through?"

"Yes it has been CONFIRMED. You will receive a confirmation letter shortly."

Me: Great, so am I able to apply for the tickets to the Arsenal match this Friday?

Indian accent (sounded unsure): Yes you can apply for matches.

5 minutes later when I tried to apply tickets for another match through the net, it said there is no record of the number being renewed. Damn I hate Indian accents! I can only hope it goes through before Friday.

Selina sent something this morning, quite relevant to my first point I guess...

Follow Your Dream

I have a friend named Monty Roberts who owns a horse ranch in San Ysidro.He has let me use his house to put on fund-raising events to raise moneyfor youth at risk programs.The last time I was there he introduced me by saying, "I want to tell youwhy I let Jack use my house. It all goes back to a story about a young manwho was the son of an itinerant horse trainer who would go from stable tostable, race track to race track, farm to farm and ranch to ranch, traininghorses. As a result, the boy's high school career was continuallyinterrupted. When he was a senior, he was asked to write a paper about whathe wanted to be and do when he grew up."That night he wrote a seven-page paper describing his goal of somedayowning a horse ranch. He wrote about his dream in great detail and he evendrew a diagram of a 200-acre ranch, showing the location of all thebuildings, the stables and the track. Then he drew a detailed floor planfor a 4,000-square-foot house that would sit on a 200-acre dream ranch."He put a great deal of his heart into the project and the next day hehanded it in to his teacher. Two days later he received his paper back. Onthe front page was a large red F with a note that read, `See me afterclass.'"The boy with the dream went to see the teacher after class and asked, `Whydid I receive an F?'"The teacher said, `This is an unrealistic dream for a young boy like you.You have no money. You come from an itinerant family. You have noresources. Owning a horse ranch requires a lot of money. You have to buythe land. You have to pay for the original breeding stock and later you'llhave to pay large stud fees. There's no way you could ever do it.' Then theteacher added, `If you will rewrite this paper with a more realistic goal,I will reconsider your grade.'"The boy went home and thought about it long and hard. He asked his fatherwhat he should do. His father said, `Look, son, you have to make up yourown mind on this. However, I think it is a very important decision foryou.'"Finally, after sitting with it for a week, the boy turned in the samepaper, making no changes at all. He stated, `You can keep the F and I'llkeep my dream.'"Monty then turned to the assembled group and said, "I tell you this storybecause you are sitting in my 4,000-square-foot house in the middle of my200-acre horse ranch. I still have that school paper framed over thefireplace."He added, "The best part of the story is that two summers ago that sameschoolteacher brought 30 kids to camp out on my ranch for a week." When theteacher was leaving, he said, `Look, Monty, I can tell you this now. When Iwas your teacher, I was something of a dream stealer. During those years Istole a lot of kids' dreams. Fortunately you had enough gumption not togive up on yours.'"Don't let anyone steal your dreams. Follow your heart, no matter what.

By Jack Canfieldfrom Chicken Soup for the Soul
Copyright 1993 by Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen

Rojak Thoughts

Several thoughts went through my mind today....not sure how to start. Firstly feeling very very busy, only 2 more weekends before I head back to London. Time to pick up the books, washing powder, wok etc again. I do not want that kind of life. The only thing which makes life barely enjoyable is the prospect of going to Man United matches....but my membership is screwed up, and tickets for the Arsenal match going on sale this Friday...how?

List of things I have to do:
Develop my photos (before some virus invades my lap top and destroys all my precious photos)
Put photos into those big and cute albums (nice when there are girls and they will go "I want to seeeeee!")
Finish up the attachment feedback form for MOE (too many complains, but unpolitically correct to write down...how?)
Buy stuff to bring back to UK (Springfield $114 jacket and more realistically bags of ikan bilis)
Watch VCDs

Secondly, could foreign talent policy be going too far? The ratio of foreigners to locals in local unis are getting ridiculously high. Case in point:
My friend (totally hip and cool local): Auntie wo yao yi wan yu yuan mian
Auntie: Xiao Di, ni shi na li ren? (where are you from?)

That's how bad it is. The mentality now is that everybody suspects everybody else is not a local. Another of my friend do not have any locals in his level in his hall. And this is supposed to be one of the most happening halls in NUS. The first friend who is active in track and field can't even get into this hall simply coz of these foreigners. Now not only Singaporeans overseas are getting screwed, Singaporeans in local unis are also getting screwed. Great.

Watched Harold and Kumar today. For the sake of the majority, decided to watch it too and wasted $6.50 on it. Highly entertaining, but highly brainless too. Many brave souls tried but failed to find any deeper meaning to the show. I shall try.

1. When some idiots just try to wind you up, there's no use getting all riled up.
2. The pretty girl taking the elevator with you everyday probably likes you even if you are a boring Asian
3. The aforementioned pretty girl probably doesn't mind you kissing her.
4. The most hideous people always get the hottest chicks (remember boil man?)

Of the 4 sentences above, the first 3 are basically crap but the 4th one is an absolute truth. How many times have you walked down Orchard Road (or East Coast Park, Suntec wherever you are likely to find couples) to see this really gorgeous babe holding hands with an animal? (the opposite case is not in my database as I have never had time for hideous female creatures) How many times have you felt like going up to those pretty girls and opening up their eyes, drip some eye-mo and asking them to look carefully? But I suppose all this means the rest of us ordinary folk can still have some hope. We just need more stamps (read: cash) to paste over their eyes.

Which brings me to the final thought of the day, money. I need more MONEY!!!! Economics taught me that there are limited resources but unlimited wants. But it did not teach me what to do to reduce those unlimited wants. I want an I Pod, a PS2, plenty of new clothes, accessories for my bicycle and even the stupid 167 to Orchard costs $1.23. Did I hear anyone mention GBP 880?