Ask not what your club can do for you, but what you can do for your club...

The battlelines have been drawn, the enemy is right in front. Are YOU ready to fight for the Red Army?

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Statements from the club and Takeover Panel:

http://www.uk-wire.com/cgi-bin/articles/200504281358526659L.html

http://www.uk-wire.com/cgi-bin/articles/200504281350206651L.html

From Soccernet:

Takeover panel set Glazer deadline

The battle lines for control of Manchester United have been drawn - and Malcolm Glazer must make the first move.

After months of jousting, the patience of the United board has finally snapped and the American business tycoon has been given just over a fortnight to decide whether he intends to pursue his £800million dream of seizing control at the world's richest club.

On May 17, five days before Sir Alex Ferguson's side face the match that will define their season against Arsenal in the FA Cup Final in Cardiff, Glazer must confirm an intention to bid, or walk away with his own hopes in ruins.

The `put up or shut up' deadline imposed by the Takeover Panel came after a demand from United chief executive David Gill to show his hand.

Sick of the disruption Glazer's manoeuvrings have caused to the running of United and convinced the latest set of proposals submitted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers owner are equally as `ambitious' and `potentially damaging' as the last, Gill has decided it is time for closure.

'The ongoing uncertainty surrounding the potential Glazer offer is disruptive to the business of the company and, in the current circumstances, it is in the interests of all concerned to have a definitive timetable,' said a statement issued from Old Trafford.

'The board remains of the view that the assumptions in the Glazer business plan are aggressive,' added the statement.

'Furthermore the board believes that, notwithstanding the changes from the previous proposals, the proposed capital structure, taken as a whole, still contains more leverage than the board would consider prudent and that as a consequence there is likely to be significant financial strain on the business.

'The board recognises, however, that the price of 300p per share is a fair one and may be attractive to some shareholders of Manchester United.

'Given the board's concerns about the potential impact of the proposal on the company, the board has informed Glazer that it cannot provide a recommendation to shareholders to accept any offer made on the basis of the current proposal.

'Whilst recognising that the price under Glazer's proposal is fair, the board's unanimous view is that they could not support Glazer's proposal (were it to become a formal offer) as being in the best interests of the company.'

The move has been widely welcomed by the United supporters who have campaigned so vigorously against Glazer's involvement and are sure to step up their protests at the club's final two home league fixtures against West Brom and Chelsea in the next fortnight.

Having shown no previous inclination to take fans' views into account, any demonstration is unlikely to deflect Glazer from his quest to complete a takeover.

Rather than be deterred by the announcement, the American, whose sons Joel and Avi are believed to be fronting the bid, will probably see it as a green light to proceed with his plans.

No-one from the Glazer camp has been prepared to comment on the latest development but it is thought the wording of the United statement will not affect the backing of bankers JP Morgan and NM Rothschild, who are putting together the majority of funding.

Talks between Glazer and the banks are believed to be continuing and while no confirmation over his plans is expected until much nearer the deadline, it would be a major surprise if he backed out now.

Once a bid is lodged, shareholders would have a maximum of 60 days to respond, with all the focus then switching to John Magnier and JP McManus, who through their Cubic Expression investment vehicle own a 28.9% stake in United.

Without the agreement of the Irish racing duo, Glazer has no hope of success and he, like everyone else, is completely in the dark over their intentions.

Other than a statement two months ago confirming Cubic remained `long-term investors', there has never been any indication as to whether Magnier and McManus would be willing to sell.

There has been no contact between Glazer and Cubic since the Irish broke off discussions in October, although that situation is bound to change once Glazer launches his formal bid.

Fans groups who have lobbied so hard against the 78-year-old are on a war footing too, with further protests likely prior to the forthcoming Premiership clashes with West Brom and Chelsea.

'The danger has not passed,' warned SU spokesman Oliver Houston.

'Glazer could still submit a bid within the deadline and other predators could be out there waiting to pick up Glazer's shares which could well now be available at a price below his proposed offer price.

'We urge United fans to continue to show their opposition to Glazer and other potential bidders and to join the large and growing number who are prepared to do something positive to protect our clubs' heritage and its future.'

No more worries!

Yeh! My MOE officer emailed me this morning to tell us that she had received our application forms (refer to post below). Phew. Damn relieved. Now can concentrate on revision again!!

Sorry to those who think they had eliminated a rival for the sponsorship. Hahahahahaha

Hmm wonder who is my lucky charm.... ^_^

God of Sueyness! Avoid TosH at all costs.

TosH is going to whine again.

Fucking kan ni na be chao jibye.

I sent my MOE Masters' Sponsorship application form with 2 of my friends' forms too on the 12th April.

And it hasn't arrived yet. Might be lost already :S

Fucking jibye!!!! Why am I so suey?????????

Spent a bit of time today trying to find out where the package is. Apparently it had been delivered out of UK on 13th April already. So I had to fill in a form to ask them to trace it for me from the Singapore side. And it would probably take a week to do so. But the deadline is 30th April!

I could reproduce my own form no problem, but would have to ask the lecturers to write the reference letters again. And how am I going to get it delivered by the deadline on 30th April?

I couldn't care less if I screwed up myself and cannot apply. I am slowly getting prepared to memorise kekana pusing instead of Lerner symmetry.

BUT I don't want to screw up my other 2 friends as well! AArghhhhh. it was me who was the smart aleck who suggested sending together then can save on postage. Sigh, now drag the 2 of them down. AArghhhhhhhhhhh, I hate the feeling of screwing up other people. Why did I act so smart aleck? I ought to be shot. So that my sueyness does not spread to other people.

Don't come near me. You have been warned.

Am I stupid?

And so casinos it is then...

To be honest, I don't exactly have strong views on this subject. I am neither deeply religious, nor too rich and flamboyant to imagine being able to visit those integrated resorts and have fun. But it does feel mildly exciting to have a "mini Las Vegas" in Singapore don't you all think so? Think theme parks and wild rides...hmmm....

But yet I also understand the fears about broken families, criminal syndicates blah blah. But perhaps I have been revising too much for my own good, I do feel that Singapore is in dire need of reinventing itself. In my Economics of Growth course, some articles had estimated that almost the entire growth of Singapore in the past few decades had come via factor accumulation (i.e increase in capital and education and skills of labour) and very little had come from technological growth, as compared to say Hong Kong which had grown more from TFP. I guess it might have been exaggerated but the main message remains stark: that the growth strategies pursued thus far is unlikely to bring us any further.

In other words, we need to pursue new areas. In fact, any area is worth looking at. Competition is THAT tough. Even Creative, that shining beacon of Singapore entrepreneurship, is finding competition with Apple tough. Even though sales of mp3 players had gone up, profits had dropped by a huge percentage (can't remember the exact figures, it was in the news a few days ago). We can't afford to let Singapore fall behind...

And one of the most ridiculous arguments that I had read sometimes was that 'you can't put a value on broken families" blah blah. To be honest, that is just total rubbish. If that is the correct attitude to take, then we should just shut down all the Economics departments in the world. You HAVE TO put a value on such things so as to properly evaluate costs and benefits. If you do not attempt to quantify such things and hide behind the excuse of losses being unquantifiable, then you will never get anything done. Road accidents happen everyday, so do we ban motor vehicles? No! Like it or not, we have to attempt to put values on such things. That's how society deals with unlimited wants and limited resources.

Nagging doubt in my mind:

Sometimes I really wonder whether Government polices are really so good that I support them, or I have been totally brain washed into believing so, or I am totally ignorant and stupid. :S :S :S

I hate idiots

Yeah so United lost 1-0 to Everton.

And the first nickname that I saw on MSN was "We need a new manager".

Kan ni na be chao jibye. Fucking muppets.

Yeah so United are going to finish third for the second year running.

SO FUCKING WHAT?

United had indulged Sir Alex with nearly 50 million pounds last summer with nothing to show for it.

SO FUCKING WHAT?

How many teams can claim to have an FA Cup final to look forward to in a disappointing season?

How many supporters can claim to have seen their favourite team lift the Champions League trophy in their lifetimes? How many supporters can claim to have seen their team won 3 league titles consecutively? How many teams had won double doubles?

Fucking ingrateful bastards. Sir Alex is a legend and he had earned his right to decide when he should go.

When he does go, these very same people will be the ones to lament that he should never have left in the first place.

I hate ingrateful muppets.

FA Cup Semi Cardiff Millenium Stadium 170405

Instead of revising for my exams, I found myself in Cardiff yesterday for the Cup semi. But well worth the money and time spent, even though the weather was utter crap. Just osme pictures, might talk more about the whole day if I have time (or maybe I am just humji that someone will say that I waste tax payers' money on football matches :S)

The weather started off well enough as shown by this picture. London St Pancras train station, just outside where I live.



What do you get when you have a square outside a stdium before a match? English football fans drinking beer, and singing and kicking footballs into the air! (The point could have been better substantiated if I had told you all about Milan, but will do it after exams :P)



Proof of my revision: The picture belows demonstrates the principle of minimum differentiation in Hoteling's linear city model.



Oh and the Welsh actually have their own language. Not too sure why though...



This year is supposed to be Cardiff's centenary year. Hmm does that mean when Singapore was founded by Raffles Cardiff had not appeared yet?



I think I do not need to explain why Newcastle has the nickname the Barcodes : They're here...



They're there...



They're everywhere!



River Taff and the Millenium Stadium. My third pilgrimage now...



Helicopter in the air



Welcome to the Millenium Stadium...



and the match today is between Newcastle United and Manchester United.



Here we see the lads from Manchester warming up...



and the Newcastle fans trying their best to imitate Anfield.



The Millenium Stadium really is quite an impressive arena, even if the acoustics is not too good. Oh dear my stadium fetish is kicking in again...



Kickoff!



And Scholes scores the crucial second goal just before halftime:



Celebrating Ruud's second goal. Really glad to see him score again. Players who just want to play for United are just that bit more special...



United players applauding their fans after the game.

Warning: Blog is imperfect substitute for diary

Jia lat lah, so scary! Imagine walking down Orchard Road and then suddenly got a random guy point to you and say "eh are you the racist scholar?" :S And by the way I know who this guy is.

And those of you reading my blog maybe can tell me next time if I wrote anything which may cause an uproar. Can't afford to be sent to jail or something :S Or maybe I should just stop this blog.

From The Straits Times:

April 17, 2005
Scholar under fire for racist blog entries

PSC scholarship holder studying in US removes offending remarks and says sorry; his shocked family here also apologises. PSC investigating issue

By Jeremy Au Yong

THE Public Service Commission (PSC) is investigating one of its scholarship holders for putting racist remarks on his Internet site.

Maths major Chua Cheng Zhan, 21, has since taken the material off his website and replaced it with a profuse apology. His shocked family has also apologised on his behalf.

Mr Chua, a third-year student at Northwestern University in Illinois, made disparaging remarks about other races on his personal online journal or weblog.

Since then, at least two forums have been discussing his comments and one angry Net user even e-mailed the PSC to complain.

When contacted, the commission would only say that it was investigating the issue.

Much of the flak Mr Chua is receiving seems to stem from three errant posts among the hundreds on his weblog.

He used words like 'repulsive' to describe some races, and talked about their 'irksome features'.

This issue has come just a few weeks after a Nanyang Technological University student sparked debates when he remarked at a public forum that watching a man hold the hand of a woman with a different skin colour 'made his skin crawl'.

Those who know Mr Chua, who has a younger brother and sister, said it was out of character of him. By all accounts, he is an accomplished scholar.

The former Raffles Institution and Hwa Chong Junior College student has a spotless academic record. He scored full distinctions for his A levels and is now maintaining a 3.8 grade-point average at university.

He is also heavily involved in student leadership positions at Northwestern University and has been very active in volunteer work.

So what got into him?

He said: 'I guess I was not myself when I wrote those things. I don't use my own persona when I write on my blog. I realise they were in very poor taste and I deeply regret my actions. I am not like that.'

The weblog, he added, was never meant to be read by anyone but his closest friends. He had locked the site with a password but now admits it may have been too easy to crack.

He added: 'I don't know who cracked it, or who would even want to.'

Somebody did, and spread the word about it on Net forums.

Many Internet users have posted angry messages calling him names. Some have even asked that his scholarship be revoked. One, calling himself thesaint888, said: 'The thought that a racist is using public money frivolously while casting his racial slurs around absolutely makes my blood boil.'

Another, Juliet Chan, actually compiled a dossier of the posts and e-mailed them to the PSC and the media. In her e-mail, she wrote: 'His utter disdain for minority races here in Singapore is worrying and completely unacceptable for a potential civil servant.'

The Sunday Times tried to contact Juliet several times but she did not reply to the e-mail.

Not all Net users, though, are calling for his head.

One, called jane, wrote: 'They (racist comments) certainly weren't meant to perpetuate racial hatred, neither were they a real reflection on what the writer really feels.

'In fact, any sane person reading it would know they were just made in jest, and were meant to be read by people who would know and put his comments in their proper context.'

Mr Chua's friends and family say the comments were completely unlike him.

His father, 51-year-old Larry Chua, managing director of an investment company, said: 'He's a racist? He volunteered for three months, teaching English in Nepal at his own expense. He volunteered to teach English to Vietnamese and Hispanic immigrants in the United States. You can draw your own conclusions.'

Mr Daniel Quek, 22, who attended Hwa Chong with Mr Chua and who is now studying in the University of Illinois, said: 'I never once thought of him as racist. He's always been a nice, cheerful guy.'

Now, Mr Chua and his family just want to put the matter behind them. He said: 'I really regret posting what I did. I admit I did something wrong and I am very, very sorry.'

Game book

Do you all still remember those game books last time? You flipped the first page, read the scenario and chose from one of the 2 options. Then according to your option you flipped to the relevant page and repeated the process until you won or were killed. Some options get you to the same place in the end, but other options lead you to a different outcome.

Sometimes life is like a gamebook. At each juncture you are presented with options, and you chose the one that you thought was the best and moved on. At the end of the day, when you look back and flipped back a few steps, you realise that maybe if you had chose the alternative option 3 steps back, you would have won. But you chose the wrong one, and you are left to regret it. And almost inevitably, the wrong option you chose was to NOT DO something.

But alas, life isn't like a gamebook, you can't cheat and flip back the pages. What can you do when the more steps you take, the futher away you get from winning the game, just because of that wrong turn you took 2 steps ago? Is there anyway to get back?

Sometimes you can second guess yourself too much.

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

Ok so Elvin pointed out to me the LMTBs are for next season. Damn so I do have a decision to make. Damn damn damn. Why am I not rich?

I want to run and cycle

What I miss right now:



I miss the 4 km East Coast run from VJ to Bedok jetty. How I need to run along the jetty, feeling the sea breeze in my hair and watching people having fun fishing or just camping. I must admit I hated it when cross country training was in full swing, but once the Nationals ended, it became a great stress reliever for me. There were no timings to meet, and I could just sit down at the jetty for as long as I like, until I felt sufficiently refreshed. Sometimes I ran with Tong Leng, sometimes I ran with Sylvester. And I also remember the shorter runs with Elvin. This I guess is one of the demerits of being in a concrete jungle like London.

You never know what you have until you have lost them.

And while looking for pictures of East Coast Park. I found this website:

Singapore Cycling

I wanted to cycle to Kranji last summer but never got down to doing it. To think there were actually proper routes! I want to do the Reservoir and Kranji routes!

When will they ever learn?

Something tells me I should feel very lucky to come back from San Siro in one piece....



Read the report here

But looking back, if I had the chance, I would still go again.

You never regret what you had done, you only regret what you did not do.

I hate uncertainty!!

AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! I am god damn fucking sure I qualify! Can somebody tell me I will do Masters next year so that I can apply for it now?!?!? 456 pounds is too big a sum to just apply first and see how!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! Another headache!!!

From Manutd.com :

NEW LEAGUE MATCH TICKET BOOKS - SEASON 2005/2006

Further to research undertaken about One united membership this season in which members stated that they wanted their loyalty to be recognised and in advance of the proposed stadium development due to be completed by August 2006, we are pleased to announce that we are offering 2,500 new League Match Ticket Books to One United Members who meet a qualifying criteria. This will guarantee you a ticket for every Premier League Home game from the start of season 2005/6 but will not carry any ticket rights to Manchester United away games, including semi and/or final ties.

Members who have applied for at least 25 of the last 50 home games (Premier League, Domestic and European) from the last 2 seasons, (from Bolton wanderers on Saturday 16th August 2003 through to Fulham on Saturday 19th March 2005) are invited to register an application by telephoning the Ticket Order Line on 0870 442 1999 from 9am on Wednesday 20th April through to 9am on Monday 25th April. This is a 24 hour service and new books will not be allocated on a first come first served basis. In the event of being oversubscribed an automated ballot would take place with successful applicants being notified in writing and forwarded an application form and terms & conditions for completion.

All registrations must include a debit/credit card (no administration fee added to booking), however you will have the opportunity to select an alternative method of card type if you are successful.

All books will be situated in North Stand Tier 3 priced £456.00 (with a half price concession available to over 65s) these books may not be suitable for persons who have difficulty climbing or suffering from vertigo.

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

Edit: Ok got all riled up for nothing. No decision to make actually. Even if I do Masters I will only be here until Sep 2006. Still what a bummer....

Song and Gif

Found the above interesting gif somewhere on livejournal. It can be found here. Hope the owner doesn't sue me.

And nice song eh? One of my favourites now...

I just want to rest...

I really don't need the exams to be just around the corner. I really need some time when I can just lie in bed and do NOTHING. I need a breather....

From Manutd.com :

I'll End My Career At United - Ruud

Ruud Wants To Finish Career At United

Reds striker Ruud van Nistelrooy wants to end his playing career at Manchester United.

The 28-year-old Dutchman began full training this week after a two-and-a-half month injury lay-off, and hopes to remain at Old Trafford for the rest of his playing days.

In January 2004, van Nistelrooy extended his current contract until June 2008, a deal that expires a day before his 32nd birthday. In an in-depth interview with Soccer Digest: Best 50 Strikers Magazine, Ruud highlighted his devotion to United.

"I feel at home in a place with such strong traditions," he said. "I don’t see why I shouldn’t spend the rest of my playing days here.

"The moment I had signed my five-year contract at Manchester United," Ruud recalls of the day he signed, "the chairman at the time, Martin Edwards, took me to the boardroom where a directors' meeting was in progress."'Gentlemen', he said when he opened the door, 'may I present to you our new centre-forward, Ruud van Nistelrooy'. They all stood and congratulated me. I shook hands with all of them, Sir Bobby Charlton last of all. When he said: 'Glad you're finally here, son', I got goose bumps all over my body."

The loyalty of United's supporters and the rich history of former players and past trophy successes makes the club feel like home for van Nistelrooy.

"I drive down the A56 straight to Old Trafford," he says. "Between two church towers in the distance, I can already see the two biggest stands. When I close my eyes, I can recall that mental picture no matter where I am.

"I turn into Sir Matt Busby Way and cross the square full of fans. Whenever a player's car passes, the square bubbles with excitement. Through a crowd of thousands of people I make it to the players' car park. Every match the people are there again. And they were already there when George Best and Bobby Charlton were playing for the club."

Van Nistelrooy, who is 29 this summer, is approaching the peak of his playing career. Although he has failed to top the phenomenal 44 goals he scored during his second season – the title-winning campaign of 2002/03 – he is yet to fall below the 30-goal barrier.

It will prove a tall order to continue that record this term. Twelve goals in 14 games this season is as exemplary as you would expect from the prolific forward. But, having missed the first month of the season and another 12 weeks recently, breaking the 20-goal mark is an achievable, yet still incredible, target.The Dutchman believes his ruthlessness in front of goal stems partly from a lesson early on in his career from Ruud Gullit.

"When I was younger, I tended to want to score beautiful goals, you know. The esthetics seemed more important than the result."A funny thing happened once. Ruud Gullit did his coaching apprenticeship at one of my former clubs, Heerenveen, when I was playing there. I remember lobbing a shot that hit the crossbar and proudly looked at Gullit: 'Nice one, eh?' "

All he said was: 'It certainly was nice, but it should have gone in.' Although it was simple, he was right - he was absolutely right." Van Nistelrooy took Gullit's advice - "If you want to be a striker who performs at the highest level, every chance that can go in, should go in." – and remembers it to this day.

The striker's belief in his own ability could not be described as an arrogance, especially at the modesty he displays in showing why is considered among the world's top strikers.

"I never for a minute think things will happen naturally. Nothing comes naturally to me," he says. "I do not belong in that exceptional class of player that can operate occasionally at less than 100 per cent. I know I would not get away with that.

"I have that same drive every time. Giving less then 100 per cent is not really an option for me. As the years have gone by, I have started to take football more and more seriously. "I try to do the maximum for every match. I work hard, I train hard and I prepare myself in detail for every game. I do everything to create the perfect circumstances to perform as well as possible."

The sooner the intimidating shouts of "Ruud, Ruud, Ruud" can be heard reverberating around Old Trafford the better, and with a last 16 Champions League tie with AC Milan looming, his return is a necessity.

Ruud van Nistelrooy was speaking in an interview with Soccer Digest: Best 50 Strikers Magazine which is on sale from 3 March.Report by Ben Hibbs.

Give up? Or stay the course?

And so it's all over. Aristotle Toh wins yet again! And the Russian club from West London are going to be champions for the first time in 50 years.

FUCK.

Perhaps it really is true, they have given up giving their best now since they can't motivate themselves to fight for second place. Of course as supporters, one would feel pissed off if any player comes out with that line, but isn't that what always happens in real life?

When you have no realistic chance at the big prize (though still mathematically possible), would you still go all out JUST to see if you could make a difference? To see if the winds of luck suddenly change and you will get the big prize at the end of the day?

Would you expend all your energy to find out?

Perhaps its the economist in me, but I don't think I will. Once the marginal costs exceed the marginal benefits, I stop, even if there is still positive marginal benefit.

Do you give up before the end?

As for Man United, what can I say? I am still going to Cardiff next Sunday full of hope. I am still to the (originally supposed to be last but the Chelsea game is now after that) league game against West Brom on 7th May, 2 days before I have 2 papers on 9th May. I don't fucking give a damn about glory, loving something is forever. United are still third, much luckier than some other teams...

We'll keep the Red flag flying high, cos Man United will never die...

Fly kite

A wise man said this to me 2 days ago:

kite flying theory is when jioing a ber....it is like flying a kite.....cannot alwiz pull hard hard...the kite will fall.....sometimes muz let go then the kite can fly high high...but then muz noe when to pull back again....or else will lose sight of the kite

*nods in agreement while stroking my chin*

And it certainly doesn't apply just to kaoing girls. It also applies to all other relationships I guess. Everybody needs their own space and if you are overly enthu, some people might just freak out. But if you let go too much, then you enter the vicious cycle of drifting further and further and feeling it harder and harder to maintain contact.

I must admit, after 22 years on Planet earth, I am no closer to finding the optimum effort to put into maintaining a relationship. It's always either too enthu, or too bo chup.

And sometimes things aren't as clear cut. Have you ever spared a thought for the kite? Does the kite really want to be connected to you by a string? Would it be happier if it was just drifting high up in the sky with no constraints? If it was happier that way, then perhaps you should just cut off the string and let it go? Even if it hurts like mad when you do so?

What would you do?

Rules

You know what they are, they are everywhere. And as Singaporeans, we certainly know a thing or two about rules. Cannot spit, cannot litter, cannot paste notices on bus stops etc.

There's nothing wrong with rules, generally they make for a better place to live in if everybody follows them. I certainly don't like to break rules. In fact, I can't break rules, for I seem to have a CCTV right above my head. Whenever I break rules, *poof* suddenly all the punishments start to be meted out. A lot of people had done the same thing last week and gotten away with it. Just when TosH tries it, the punishments start to be given out. And then after TosH gets punished, and he stays on the straight and narrow, other people start to get away with it again.

Don't believe me? Just ask Elvin and Tong Leng. Everybody copies or don't do homework in VS and get away with it. Just when TosH doesn't hand in ONE freaking piece of homework, the teacher suddenly checks who did not hand in and scolds him. Everybody pon tang school to study for exams, and just the day when TosH pon tangs, the form teacher decided to get pissed off with the situationand marks attendance and scolds those who skipped school. When kenna turn out in NS, everybody has no time to tie the boot laces and just tuck it underneath the gutter. But guess who will be the only one caught? TosH again. Everybody tries 101 ways to not pay the full bus fare, but when TosH does it, you can bet your iPod (again) that he will be the first to be caught and fined.

And so poor TosH has no choice but to follow whatever rules there are. He can't break them, for he will be punished, and no good will come out of it. But yet, he has to watch others flout every single rule there is and go unpunished. Not only do they go unpunished, the one up there seems to like them too and confers upon them a GOD DAMN FUCKING UNFAIR ADVANTAGE. The honest hard working fella tries to do the correct thing all the time, but who fucking cares? Others are able to break the rules and shit on his head and run off with the prize, leaving TosH to eat dust.

Should I return to the days of breaking rules? Has the CCTV above me disappeared?

It might all be too late...

My favourite song...

Was suddenly reminded of my favourite song just now. Haven't heard it in ages, at least not since my laptop broke down. So which is the song that has the honour of being TosH's favourite?

*Drum rolls*

It's the Hokkien classic ....... Ai Piah Jia Eh Yia!!!

*Applause*

I can still remember humming the song in the back seat of my dad's Mitsubishi Gallant, with the PIE wind blowing through my hair (got Beach Boys feeling or not? :P) Every weekend we were brought to Tampines to visit my grandparents and we had to take the PIE from Toa Payoh. And along the way I always listened to such golden oldies. So much so that I could hum along despite not knowing the exact words.

One particular paragraph of the song goes like this:

Life is,
like the waves on the sea.
Sometimes go up,
sometimes go down.
Good luck,
bad luck,
still must carry on and go to work.
30% is fated,
70% is hard work.
Ai Piah....Jia Eh Yia....

Such simple lyrics, but so not simple meaning. Perfect advice that I should give to myself everyday during this exam period...

Happy mugging everyone!

Warning: Controversial post in second half

Further proof that proactive kbkb works...

MOE initially gave us 330 pounds for a one way ticket back to Singapore in the summer, and it was even supposed to cover excess baggage allowance. WTF? 330 pounds is not enough for even the air ticket itself unless you take ulu ulu airlines like Qatar Airways lor....

And so Miss Guo wrote a formal complaint letter and a few of us signed it and off it was sent to MOE and PSC and wahey! this was the reply we got today:

Dear all,

Thanks for your feedback with regard to the high airfare rates for travelin June/July 05.

We have reviewed the 1-way travel allowance, and is pleased to inform you that the travel allowance from London-Singapore will be increased from 330pounds to 400 pounds. The raise is proposed based on the research onairfares for travel during the June/July period, as well as research onairfare charges provided by MOE/PSC scholars. We hope this helps you in making your ticketing arrangements.

As we have already credited the 330 pounds into your overseas bank account,we will credit the additional 70 pounds into your account in the next 2-3weeks. For your info, please :)Do let me know if you have any other questions!

Hmm...maybe it really is important to give feedback so that changes can be made. I am certainly glad that I wasn't like the typical apathetic Singaporean this time, just whining away without doing anything constructive and pouring cold water all over the effort. Thanks Miss Guo!

Anyway before you guys in Singapore think that I am a greedy blood sucker for tax payers' money, I am not ok. Because 330 pounds is really not enough. I complained when my allowance was cut by 2 months because our courses had ended by then but I never did anything because I fully understood the rationale and felt that the reasons were reasonable. However, this time the amount is really not enough and certainly can't expect everyone to be able to stretch out their hands to their parents to ask for money to top up right?

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Religious people you can stop reading this now, because what I am going to write below is not going to be pleasant. Anyway there is this radio station in London called Capital FM and there is this late night show called Capital confessions where callers call in to tell the DJ (and the world) their secrets and ask the DJ for advice or just a listening ear. Yesterday I heard this caller which seemed to have a link to various events that happened in my life recently. This female caller had to leave her family at 18 to live with the guy she loved because her family would not accept the guy due to religious reasons. And now the woman has a kid and still is happily married but the family still would not accept her back. Despite the husband (on seeing his wife suffering from postnatal depression(correct term?)) bringing the newborn to her family's doorstep, the family still would not accept her back. I couldn't help but agree with the DJ when he said that he felt it was a bit sad that the parents could not for once let go of their beliefs and welcome the daughter back. The newborn don't have grandparents as a result, the grandparents can't have their grand son as a result, the wife don't have her parents and the parents don't have their child. How sad is that? Isn't your child one of your most important thing in this world? What can possibly be so powerful to stop you from wanting your own flesh and blood back? I find it really sad that religion (which is supposed to help people find direction, which is supposed to encourage people to do good, well at least all good religions do anyway..) can make some people suffer like this.

Another case in point, my friend had liked this girl for 3 years before now when he finally had the chance to tell her and the girl also liked him. How sweet is that? But guess what the friends of the girl (who is of same religion as her) said?

"Oh, you can't be with him, He is not a . You will sin!"

WHAT THE FUCK???

My friend is true to the girl, he will treat her well, and what's more the girl actually likes him. Why do these people have to play the religion card and attempt to destroy something that is so sweet and innocent? I don't understand it at all. When is loving someone ever a sin? Love makes the world go round!

If people can be fined for making racist comments, perhaps these people should be fined too for being religion-ist.

I am a Buddhist (though not a very good one) and I firmly believe in the principle that you reap what you sow. But if ever one day I had to choose between love for a living human being and religion, you can bet your iPod (with complimentary white ear phones) that I will choose the former anytime. I just do not believe that when I die, the one up there who is going to judge me (whoever he is) is going to say that I will go to Hell, get whipped, get my tongue cut, whatever, just because I LOVED someone.

And this doesn't apply just to religious beliefs, it applies to all sorts of other beliefs as well. If you care more about your own beliefs and make your loved ones suffer in the process, then it is truly a very sad day...

Love makes the world go round, love your fellow human beings, not some obscure being or belief which at the end of the day might turn out to be irrelevant....

P.S. I am not looking to argue with anyone, this is my own bloody blog so I will say what I will. I did not shaft this down your throat and I included a warning in front. So if you want to argue, get lost.