It is an inescapable fact that everyone, at some point in time, has been subjected to various adversities in their lives. Some of these difficulties are easily overcome, others require the aid of several people before they can be solved. But there is one common thread linking through these trials, the undeniable fact that these problems can only be solved if one makes an effort to do so.
One can rely on other people if their trials are too big in magnitude to resolve easily, but if there is no willpower to conquer their problem, then it is unlikely that such adversities would be resolved.
Running away from, or ignoring such difficulties is an even worse idea, for they do not go away if ignored.
For me, I tend to face my problems head on, grasping the nettle as it were, ie, taking action immediately in order to deal with these adversities.
Of course, not all problems can be tackled this way, and sometimes taking action immediately may result in a worsening of the situation.
Major Mountjoy-Standfast knew what would happen if he sent a message to the palace. “What do I do now, sir?” was not something his lordship wanted to hear. It was not the sort of question a major was supposed to ask, given that the original orders had been very clear. Barricades were to be torn down, rebels were to be repelled. Grasp the nettle firmly and all that. He had, as a child, grasped nettles firmly, and had sometimes had a hand the size of a small pig.
Excerpt from ‘Night Watch’, by Terry Pratchett
But generally, I find that with sufficient common sense, and enough courage to tackle the problems facing me, they just melt and disappear away.
One lesson I learnt in dealing with such difficulties is to go immediately to the source of them, instead of whining and/or complaining about it to other people.
True, sometimes going to the source may not solve such problems, and hence other solutions or intervention is required, but I estimate that 80% of the time it works.
For example, I remember back in my early NS days, I had a heavy work load, and I did not know what to do. Back then, I had the impression that the regulars in my unit were scary people and hence I did not approach them for help. But when I did, my problems were alleviated.
Yet another example, now at University, I had a supervisor who I felt dissatisfied with, as he kept on giving me constant grades. *Some explanation needed, I am assessed 80% on my work, and 20% on clarity, on a total mark of 25. So I had near constant marks of 20/25 for all my assignments. If I had performed extraordinarily well, say 19.85/20, my clarity marks would be 0.15/5. If I had made careless mistakes and achieved 18/20, my clarity marks would jump suddenly to 2/5. Hence I felt that no matter how well I tried to do my assignment, I would always get the same grade, and that I shouldn’t even bother to ensure everything was perfect, if this situation continued.
Instead of making a fuss and throwing hell all over the place, I gathered my courage and told my supervisor about how I felt. We came to an understanding, and his style of marking changed.
Perhaps a last example. Sometimes, I can be the cause of my own problems, either by being too idealistic, or having extremely high expectations of people. Then, I just see myself as the source of the difficulty, and I gauge if I should change my viewpoints, and come to a conclusion which satisfies me personally.
Therefore, I personally feel that whatever the difficulty may be, always view it with a balanced eye, and then act to resolve it, rather than just avoiding the issue. The result may just surprise you.
Posted by Narev on 11/30 at 12:53 AM
The FIFA World Player of the Year Award 2008
December is a few days aways and therefore the FIFA World Player of the Year award is one of the most anticipated event of the year. Come January, the world player of 2008 would be revealed. Here are the short listed nominee list I got from FIFA.com
The following 23 men (in alphabetical order) are in contention for the title of FIFA World Player 2008
Emmanuel Adebayor (Togo), Sergio Agüero (Argentina), Andrei Arshavin (Russia), Michael Ballack (Germany), Gianluigi Buffon (Italy), Iker Casillas (Spain), Deco (Portugal), Didier Drogba (Côte d’Ivoire), Samuel Eto’o (Cameroon), Cesc Fabregas (Spain), Steven Gerrard (England), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Sweden), Andrés Iniesta (Spain), Kaká (Brazil), Frank Lampard (England), Lionel Messi (Argentina), Franck Ribéry (France), Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal), John Terry (England), Fernando Torres (Spain), Ruud van Nistelrooy (Netherlands), David Villa (Spain) and Xavi (Spain).
This is an absolutely crazy list…. Now let me show you why…
If you break down the list to individual player’s playing position, this is how it looks like.
Midfielders:
Cesc Fabregas (Spain / Arsenal)
Steven Gerard (England / Liverpool)
Andrei Arshavin (Russia / Zenit St. Petersburg)
Michael Ballack (Germany / Chelsea)
Deco (Portugal / Chelsea)
Andres Iniesta (Spain / Barcelona)
Kaka (Brazil / AC Milan)
Frank Lampard (England / Chelsea)
Xavi (Spain / Barcelona)
Forwards:
Emmanuel Adebayor (Togo / Arsenal)
Sergio Aguero (Argentina / Atletico Madrid)
Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast / Chelsea)
Samuel Eto’o (Cameroon / Barcelona)
Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Sweden / Inter Milan)
Lionel Messi (Argentina / Barcelona)
Franck Ribery (France / Bayern Munich)
Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal / Manchester United)
Fernando Torres (Spain / Liverpool)
Ruud Van Nistelrooy (Netherlands / Real Madrid)
David Villa (Spain / Valencia)
No prizes for guessing who the defender of the year would be. I don’t understand this at all. Where is Rio Ferdinand? Where is Nemanja Vidic? Where is Fabio Cannavaro? Sergio Ramos? Carles Puyol? FYI, Ramos won the Euro 2008 with Spain and the La Liga with Real Madrid. This list is totally biased.
If looked closely, there is only one Manchester United player in the list. Well, understandably, Man United only won the UEFA Champions League and English Premier League double last campaign…
Now let’s look on the brighter side. Cristiano Ronaldo is a sure winner. His 42 goals last season with Manchester United not only broke all time record of goals scored for a midfielder for Manchester United, it smashed it. If only he could display this form at international level for Portugal. Is he the permanent replacement for Luis Figo? Many of us wonder. The question now is who will take second and third place? Lionel Messi’s form for Barcelona and Argentina has been nothing but electrifying. Even when Josep Guardiola play him as a second half substitute, he scores important goals all the time. The next candidate would be someone from Spain, the European Champions of 2008. Xavi was named “Player of the Competition” in Euro 2008, making him the best bet for any Spanish players to win it. His passes and through balls for strikers at club and international level has been world class. Another possible Spaniard to take the award would be Fernando Torres, the person who scored the winning goal in Euro 2008 against Germany after a massive through pass by Xavi. His impressive first season at Liverpool has finally made Liverpool look like a team to fear in Europe. Spain national team captain Iker Casillas would be there for contention as well. He has not lost wearing a Spanish shirt for almost 30 games now. Moreover, Real Madrid is the Spanish Champions.
My guess would be…
1st: Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal / Portugal)
2nd: Iker Casillas (Spain / Real Madrid)
3rd: Xavi (Spain / Barcelona)
Let me know what you think.
Cristiano Ronaldo
Iker Casillas
Xavi
Cristiano Ronaldo – showing his usual humble side, has said “I am the first, the second and the third best player in the world. But there are other good candidates like Kaká, Messi and Fernando Torres. I think I did everything that is necessary to win and I want to continue doing even more. My aim is to win everything that is in front of me.”
Well, one of the awards he is most likely not to win is the FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year 2008.That will be one of these…
Nadine Angerer (Germany), Shannon Boxx (USA), Cristiane (Brazil), Daniela (Brazil), Marta (Brazil), Birgit Prinz (Germany), Christine Sinclair (Canada), Kelly Smith (England), Hope Solo (USA) and Ingvild Stensland (Norway).
Looks like Marta or Hope will be the front runners this time round.
Posted by Shane S-picks on 11/28 at 04:40 AM
My UEFA Champions League Picks this midweek - The Outcome
My UEFA Champions League Picks this midweek - The Outcome
Home Team vs Away Team (my prediction) (actual prediction)
Zenit St. Petersburg vs Juventus (0-1) (0-0) - wrong (0 points)
Aalborg vs Celtic (0-2) (2-1) - wrong (0 points)
Arsenal vs Dynamo Kiev (3-1) (1-0) - half (1 point)
BATE Borisov vs Real Madrid (0-4) (0-1) - half (1 point)
Atl. Madrid vs PSV (2-1) (2-1) - Spot On (3 points)
Bordeaux vs Chelsea (1-1) (1-1) - Spot On (3 points)
CFR Cluj vs Roma (0-1) (1-3) - half (1 point)
Inter Milan vs Panathinaikos (0-1) (0-1) - Spot On (3 points)
Liverpool vs Marseille (3-2) - half (1 point)
Shaktar Donetsk vs Basel (3-2) (5-0) - half (1 point)
Sporting Lisabon vs Barcelona (0-3) (2-5) - half (1 point)
A total of 19 points out of 48. Pretty good for the first time.
Posted by Shane S-picks on 11/28 at 04:31 AM
Memories of Asian Financial Crisis
Everybody’s been talking about the recession recently, even while the economy downturn is still a theoretical one. The real one’s coming next year, and people are already tightening their grip on their Yusof Ishaks; although the first salvos of layoffs have already beagan. At the very least, everyone around me has been keeping a close watch on their finances.
I still remember the 1997 financial crisis, though not quite as clearly as I would have. As a primary six student, I was reading The Straits Times with an interest unusual for somebody of my age. (Book nerds are usually obsessive about words, even if it isn’t the ones they personally write.) Remembering the stories about sky-high real estate prices, and the ever upwardly-mobile middle class, the world appeared to be unstoppable to me.
Then it happened. Seemingly overnight, the deck of cards fell, like juggernauts with their Archilles’ heels expertly severed. I didn’t know the specifics of why the crisis happened, but many people reported to work, only to face pink slips all around. Amidst the sudden gloom, only carton boxes and liquor were in high demand.
There was even a spate of suicides. Once, while I was going back home after school, my mother and I found the neighbours crowding around at the base of my block. My mum sensed that something was wrong, and herded me back home as soon as possible. Only very much later would I find out that somebody had jumped to his death on that fateful day. At that time, the 12-year-old me couldn’t understand why people decide to take their own lives.
Fast-forward to 2008. The house of cards fell, but this time, the domino didn’t start from South-east Asia. The technical recession is like watching an earthquake ripple in slow-motion from a far-away land, feeling the apprehension as the shock-wave moves inevitabily towards Singapore.
Sure, jobs are going to be lost; fortunes are being wiped out right now, and there would certainly be more and more people who are going to need aid for their finances. It’s a set-back, but one that which I am optimistic about.
That is because the capitalist world as a globalised mish-mash of economies is a relatively young entity. The many intricate connections between industries make it hard for any one to stand unaffected by another’s downfall. Even bankers struggle to make sense of how this crisis came about. The world as a collective whole makes these mistakes. What we need to do is to pick up the pieces, and learn from these mistakes, just as we have done with our past wars. We may lose every physical possession, but we still have our minds; and minds are really powerful things, capable of creating ideas, and pushing ourselves to the limit.
So, even if the going seems tough, remember: set-backs are a routine part of life. If not anything else, they are hard-knocking opportunities for us to learn more about what we do, and challenge us to push ourselves beyond our comfort zone. I dare say that to grow through these challenges is a trait of being human, and everybody can do it with the same aplomb as many others have in the past.
After all, aren’t we all human? If a college-dropout can become a billionaire, surely nothing is impossible?
Posted by Roy on 11/27 at 12:08 AM
My UEFA Champions League Picks this midweek
My UEFA Champions League Picks this midweek
Zenit St. Petersburg vs Juventus (0-1)
Aalborg vs Celtic (0-2)
Arsenal vs Dynamo Kiev (3-1)
BATE Borisov vs Real Madrid (0-4)
Bayern Munchen vs Steaua Bucharest (2-1)
Fenerbahce vs Porto (0-1)
Fiorentina vs Lyon (0-2)
Villarreal vs Manchester Utd (0-1)
Anorthosis Famagusta vs Werder Bremen (0-0)
Atl. Madrid vs PSV (2-1)
Bordeaux vs Chelsea (1-1)
CFR Cluj vs Roma (0-1)
Inter Milan vs Panathinaikos (0-1)
Liverpool vs Marseille (3-2)
Shaktar Donetsk vs Basel (3-2)
Sporting Lisabon vs Barcelona (0-3)
Lets see how many of the matches I chose is correct.
Cheers
Posted by Shane S-picks on 11/26 at 02:57 AM
Can Arsenal even win a UEFA Champions League slot next season?
Arsenal slumbers to fifth defeat of the season in the hands of Manchester City in a weekend of crazy goal lacking football in the English Premier League. All top four teams scored a total of ZERO goals this weekend against their supposed weaker teams. Fulham Football club stopped Liverpool FC well in the game, and many think it’s the absence of captain Steven Gerard that allowed Fulham to steal a point at Anfield. Chelsea’s goal scoring form came to an end when they were too held by Newcastle united: seems like Joe Kinnear can truly deserve a permanent contract after this result. Manchester United FC, whom played a later game than the other three teams, failed to capitalize on the point difference they lack behind, by drawing 0 – 0 with Aston Villa. Many argue that Manchester United have the tougher opponents, but I totally disagree with that. Aston Villa played like Helm’s Deep Warriors and United just couldn’t break them down. As a United fan, I almost went crazy watching the game. Martin O Neil’s side will surely be in great contention to take over one of the top four in the next few seasons. We shall see.
Arsene Wenger
The worst of the big four was Arsenal FC. They were smashed 3-0 by an odd defying Manchester City. Arsenal even fielded a squad that I think the Singapore National Team can challenge. Its quite obvious that the Arsenal team is affected by two big reasons for their failure. Firstly, the suspension of midfield maestro Cesc Fabregas made Arsenal’s midfield look like Nazri Nasir and Lee Man Hom trying to conquer the Malaysia Cup (which of course they failed). The second reason to Arsenal’s disgraceful performance lies with their then captain, French International defender, William Gallas.
William Gallas
A captain of a football club is supposed to inspire the team, and make a big difference when the team is not doing too well. But William Gallas, the ex club captain of Arsenal Football Club, did the total opposite. He must know that he is not Roy Keane. When Roy Keane hit out on Manchester United a season before his mutual consent move away from United to Celtic, his words actually made United work harder, although it took them two seasons to recover. But look what has Man United achieve in the last two season? Gallas is NO Keane. His dumb words made his team very uncomfortable, and that is what will be the downfall of Arsenal.
The trio (The Good, The Bad and The Ugly)
Arsenal’s season so far has been abysmal to their standards. A nightmare if I was a fan. Crippled with injuries all round, and a poor defend captain, Arsene Wenger must do something soon! Moreover, the healthy ones are not performing at all! Moreover, Aston Villa and Chelsea awaits them in their next two Premier League fixtures. Its do or die for Arsenal.
Arsenal fans however, should look on the bright side of things. Wenger has appointed 21 year old Cesc Fabregas as Arsenal’s new captain, and Manuel Almunia as the vice captain. That, to me, is by far the best decision in terms of Wenger’s recent decisions. Both have a nationality of Spanish origin, and both have been playing so regularly for Arsenal, with no injuries whatsoever. Although being a Man United fan, I certainly hope Arsenal will recover from this slump they are in, and at least now, fight for a Champions League spot next year.
Posted by Shane S-picks on 11/26 at 02:31 AM
Life Skills
As a NS man, you certainly need to know how to survive during times of war. Let me ask you then: in times of peace, how good are you at surviving? Do you merely scrap through, or do you score big time and achieve all the goals you set out for yourself?
Like it or not, know it or not, we all need to be equipped with certain life skills so that we’ll not only survive in the real world, we’ll be happy and successful. Of course, success is defined according to your own expectations and standards. And you know I’m not referring to those “live chicken-killing” skills. I was really appalled when my friends told me how they were taught to kill chickens by swinging them by their necks until they breathed their last. Gosh! Those were hair-standing moments.
So, what are life skills? I don’t think we can draw a boundary to what is considered as a life skill to what is not. Of course, there will be some that are absolutely essential to one’s survival like decision-making, while there are those that are very good to have but not critical, like
I found this list from the Unicef website, and I thought it sums up most of the life skills that I’m planning to talk about.
Communication and Interpersonal Skills
Interpersonal communication skills
Verbal/Nonverbal communication
Active listening
Expressing feelings; giving feedback (without blaming) and receiving feedback
Negotiation/refusal skills
Negotiation and conflict management
Assertiveness skills
Refusal skills
Empathy
Ability to listen and understand another’s needs and circumstances and express that understanding
Cooperation and Teamwork
Expressing respect for others’ contributions and different styles
Assessing one’s own abilities and contributing to the group
Advocacy Skills
Influencing skills & persuasion
Networking and motivation skills
Decision-Making and Critical Thinking Skills
Decision making / problem solving skills
Information gathering skills
Evaluating future consequences of present actions for self and others
Determining alternative solutions to problems
Analysis skills regarding the influence of values and attitudes of self and others on motivation
Critical thinking skills
Analyzing peer and media influences
Analyzing attitudes, values, social norms and beliefs and factors affecting these
Identifying relevant information and information sources
Coping and Self-Management Skills
Skills for increasing internal locus of control
Self esteem/confidence building skills
Self awareness skills including awareness of rights, influences, values, attitudes, rights, strengths and weaknesses
Goal setting skills
Self evaluation / Self assessment / Self-monitoring skills
Skills for managing feelings
Anger management
Dealing with grief and anxiety
Coping skills for dealing with loss, abuse, trauma
Skills for managing stress
Time management
Positive thinking
Relaxation techniques
I know for a fact that some people grossly lack in the department of Communication and Interpersonal Skills while scoring aces for the Decision-making and Critical Thinking Skills. In the relationship course that we teach, we term them as EQ versus IQ.
To have a high EQ is extremely important, yet until now, people are putting it on the backburner. I have observed that parents are still rushing to plan their children’s schedules so that their time is maximised to boost their IQ. Sadly, relatively speaking, not much attention is paid to developing their emotional skills, like the ability to communicate effectively or to be able to empathise.
In my opinion, there is so much more to do to develop a child’s EQ than what has been done already.
More on life skills coming up in later posts…
Watch out for this space.
Posted by Kloudiia on 11/26 at 12:42 AM
Disgaea DS
I love spoofs, but good spoofs are hard to find. I love video games too but, although there’re certainly many good ones, it’s hard to find one I really like. Spoof video games (which, it has to be said, are different from video game spoofs) are even harder to find, much less good ones. Disgaea DS, though, is one of those rare finds.
Adapted almost directly from the most excellent Disgaea: Hour Of Darkness for the PS2 (which was also adapted into Disgaea: Afternoon Of Darkness on the PSP), Disgaea DS is, thanks to a few certain extras, arguably the definitive version of a spoof about strategy RPGs (roleplaying games) and roleplaying games that is perhaps, ironically, one of the best in the genre.
Due to its satrical nature, Disgaea’s story is lighthearted and the game doesn’t take itself too seriously at any point in time. Prince Laharl, heir to the throne of the underworld, wakes up after a two year nap to find his father long gone and that he has to fight his way back to the throne.
While the story might seem pretty standard, it has all the prerequisite twists and turns that marks a RPG while having a bevy of unbelievably likeable characters (ranging from the punky back-stabbing assistant Etna to her crew of decidedly awesome penguin warriors) and a deeply humorous script that pokes fun at everything from the characters (especially when they’re stereotyped) to the game itself to the genre.
While the witty story and delivery already sets it apart from its brothers in the genre (most of which are overwrought exercises in drama or have reed-thin cliche plotlines that any five year old could write), the gameplay, which is after all the focal point of any strategy RPG, is what truly makes the game stand out.
To cut it short, if you’ve played any SRPG before (Final Fantasy Tactics, Tactics Ogre etc.), you’d know what to expect. Whlie the gameplay might not be as immediately accessible as, say, Final Fantasy Tactics A2 (which is the premiere SRPG on a system that has a pretty decent range of these games) and the learning curve is slightly steep at the beginning thanks to the overwhelming load of options a gamer is presented with, the basic square-grid chess-like battling system should be pretty easy to pick up, even for beginners.
The standard SRPG battling elements are solid in this game but what makes it stand out amongst the rest is the addition of geo panels and colouring. Basically, geo panels are objects on the battlefield that add certain effects (at times good, at others terrible) and, if destroyed when on a grid that is of a different colour, sends a damage wave every grid of that same colour on the whole map. Manipulating, moving and destroying the geo panels is an initially daunting and overwhelming prospect that nevertheless adds an immense amount of strategic value to experienced gamers.
In terms of production values the game is pretty top par. While it might not have the beautiful 2D art of FFTA2 and the visuals might not stand up to the PS2 and PSP versions (naturally), the semi-3D graphic style of the game is definitely pleasing to the eye and some of the flashier spells and effects are decidedly breath-taking. The score and special effects, while not outstanding, are not distracting and at times even kooky in a cool way.
If all that the multiple hours of gameplay are not enough (the main story alone is worth up to about 40 hours of solid gaming), the game also throws in several extras that are exclusive to the DS version.
A side-splitting running commentary is kept up by a prinny (one of the fighting penguins) for the whole game, extra characters are open for unlocking, there’s a Dark Assembly where you can petition for better items and stuff (and in case of failure, get it by force) and, in case you still want more, every single item in the game has an item world, which is a series of randomised battlefields that get increasingly more difficult but which upon successful completion gives more items, experience and make the item itself more powerful.
From start to finish, Disgaea DS is a fun-filled, challenging strategy gem that, despite not having the immense visual polish of FFTA2, serves up a crap load of unbelievably indepth gameplay (even more so than the above-mentioned) and laughs too.
Definitely a must for any SRPG fan, DS owner or even gamer in general.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Posted by Gabriel on 11/23 at 05:50 PM
Words of Wisdom from the SAF
There are many things one hears when serving in the SAF. They can be funny, they can be not even fit for innocent young ears to listen to. Then there are those gems of advice and wise words given at times. Some were given in jest, others in the course of daily activities and work, while some were given in earnest. But all of these words of wisdom listed below still hold true out of the army, even when studying overseas, as well as in normal, daily life.
CQMS in Tekong: All of you will take this bucket along with your other stores, like FAD, Rifle Cleaning Kit, ET stick, and blade. The bucket is a very useful piece of equipment, for you will wash your clothes in it. All of you who never wash clothes before better learn now. In future if you kena confine and cannot go home at least got something to do.
Recruit (sitting on bucket): What is confine?
CQMS: Benedict, go tell your PS you sit on your bucket and ask him to let you take one. He will explain what confine is.
S4 Branch Finance Clerk: See, you change the printer toner like this, and you can configure your printer settings like this. Maybe you run out of toner, then you go other branch swap toner without them knowing. This is how you also change the photocopier toner, and how to change the settings as well. Sometimes may need password, but usually people don’t bother with these things. Maybe after army you won’t need to know this, but it is still useful to know la. Later one day you work you need to do this sort of thing, how?
Platoon Sergeant: “If the e-mart donch sell fork and spoon, and you can’t buy it before outfield next week, you all know what to do at the cookhouse.”
Platoon: “Yes Sergeant!”
Platoon Commander: “If the tank breaks down, you all get out and walk. Armour infantry can walk through vegetation, knee deep mud, puddles of water. Don’t be kuniang and try to siam. Your goretex boots won’t so easily spoil. Even if Singapore snows, your boots also can tahan, but you all won’t be so lucky to see snow one. You, Wong, give me twenty for jumping over that puddle.
Company Sergeant Major: If you want to f*** your own men, do it in private, but not in public. But they must know what went wrong, and you must explain to them. Never do it in public, for it reflects badly on yourself and your men.
HQCQ and other storemen: You must go out to the cookhouse and eat at regular times, and cannot be too absorbed in your work. Now, we can go and outration for you, also can help you buy food at canteen, but not every time. Out of army, you must know when to go and eat as we won’t be there.
S1 Branch Registry Clerk: You cannot be too obliging, later people pass all their jobs and tasks to you. Must learn how to say no. Give you simple example, friend ask you go out for lunch, you say YES. Friend ask you copy during test, you say NO. Then now you try to apply this to army work. Do you want to be selfish to them, or to yourself?
S1: If you need help or feel that something is wrong, you can always ask me or any other officers / specialists for help. Just because we are regulars doesn’t mean we will scold you, so don’t be shy. Must learn how to open mouth as for help if cannot tahan.
S2 Branch Admin Clerk: Stationery doesn’t just consist of paper, pen, toners, staplers, and pencils. Other things like blu-tak, paper cutter, map pins, clips, post it notes are important as well. Maybe you don’t see it when you in JC or poly, but very important now. Know how to use them, will be very organized one la.
RSM PA: You cannot be too high-profile in army and put an arrow or target on your back. I know sometimes you don’t do it on purpose, and try to help other people, but think of yourself. You can deal with the extra workload stress now, but what about in the future? Must use brain think one.
Commanding Officer - You will find that during the next two years, all of you will develop a bond with each other, one forged through many hardships and adversities. Cherish the friends that you make during this period. Even after you all ORD, you will still be in close contact with each other, and support one another during difficult times, and through thick and thin. I foresee that many of you will keep in touch with each other even until after your training cycle ends. The Cutting Edge!
Posted by Narev on 11/22 at 07:58 PM
To Kill A Mosquito
I swore I would kill it the next time it passed by my line of sight. Nothing happened for the next second.
I put my legs down and raised them up at 45 degrees away from the ground, and I knew I must not move. Hence, I held my awkward position for as long as my untrained and “non-exercised” thighs could sustain me, which was for about 1 minute. I fixed my stare on my legs, and I forbade myself from even making a wink. Nothing happened either.
Frustrated, I decided to continue with my work.
Then it launched another attack.
That’s it! I’ve had enough. Since I couldn’t lure it to come out from its hiding place, I’ve decided to do what was within my own control.
I began kicking my legs furiously as I worked on my computer. My grandmother turned around, found me a funny sight to look at, and laughed.
“Your flesh is sweet,” she chuckled.
“Yeah, this mosquito is a very hungry one,” I added.
Within a span of about 15 minutes, I had collected an impressive number of bites - 9 in total. Since I couldn’t “get hold” of it, I decided to leave the place and I swore I’d smack the life out of that mosquito if I were to see it.
I really would kill it.
I know, anyone would kill a mosquito when they see one. But, what comes as a natural thing wasn’t so for me. In the past, I wouldn’t have done that.
I didn’t dare to kill a mosquito. The thought of their blood smearing on my palms that came from their dead bodies, also stuck onto my palms was gross enough to make me do the unthinkable to many, but to me was the natural thing to do – I avoided the mosquitoes. Yes they bit me, but I “blew” them away from me.
No amount of scolding from my mother and sister would make me change my mind about killing a mosquito. In hindsight, I must have been a really stubborn girl back then, with no reasons or logic in wanting to do certain things and not wanting to do other things.
What happened over the years that gave me the courage to kill a mosquito? I really don’t know, and I didn’t know when the transformation happened. But it did.
Just like many other transformations that occurred unconsciously over the years. I’ve noticed many changes about myself that I wouldn’t have thought they would happen 10 years ago. The amazing part of these changes is I didn’t do anything to make them happen.
It wasn’t as if I was on a self-conscious journey toward change, or I had attended a course to effect that. I didn’t! Or maybe I did, and I didn’t realise it.
I used to abhor the idea of eating alone. That stuck with me throughout my growing up days, and I was still the I’d-rather-starve-than-to-go-canteen-and-eat-alone gal when I was in NUS. What I’d do was I’d just grab a bun and go to a location (some empty tutorial rooms) where I would have the least chance of bumping into someone I knew and letting them see me eating alone. That was a very scary thought.
And when there was no choice I had to eat alone (not in school though) I somehow had this vivid imagination that the whole world was staring at this poor girl sitting at a table and eating her lunch with no companion, and they are pitying me as I was eating my bowl of fishball noodles with my head down.
Did the whole world stare at me, really?
Of course not. But I didn’t think so at that time.
Now, I enjoy sitting at a café, eating my lunch or dinner or just tea break and read a book, work on my computer or just simply, gazing on as the world passes by. I’m that comfortable with having just me as my companion.
What a world of difference this change has made.
Circumstances change a person. How is this of any importance in our lives? Plenty.
A close buddy of yours may suddenly find you a total stranger because the two of you are speaking different languages. A big change in your mindset toward something may cause the ire of your parents, who have seen you through your diaper changing days to you donning your graduate robe to your business suit.
Positive or negative, change is inevitable in our lives. How we embrace the positive changes and work on the negative ones requires not just effort, but in my opinion, some bits of wisdom too.
Which brings me to the born of this new great idea – I should write a new book.
Maybe 100 years later when I’m gone forever, it can be used as a school text book to teach our young generation about identity. I’ve already nailed down the title of the book. It is “To Kill A Mosquito”
P.S In case you aren’t aware yet, “To Kill A Mockingbird” has been my favourite book since I studied it for Literature in Secondary school. It’s a book that talks about racial prejudice and a man’s courage and determination to install change in the tight-fisted culture in where he stays. Hence, “To Kill A Mosquito” might then be an excellent title to mark my personal change haha
Posted by Kloudiia on 11/19 at 02:12 PM
Goalscoring legend Andy Cole finally hangs his boots
Goalscoring legend Andy Cole finally hangs his boots
Starting his illustrious soccer career at a tender age of eighteen, Andrew Alexander Cole has finally decided to retire from soccer at his home land Nottingham. Started off as a rookie at Arsenal, he went on to produce a superb goal scoring form in Newcastle United, scoring a record of 55 goals in only 70 games! Sir Alex Ferguson then stole him away from Newcastle United at a then record transfer fee of 7 million pounds, breaking his previous record when Newcastle paid 1.75 million pounds to Arsenal for his services. He currently holds the record in the most goal scored in a single Premier League match, scoring five goals for Manchester United in their 9-0 thrashing of Ipswich Town, who never actually recovered from it till today. His amazing goal scoring abilities has given him a nick name of “Goal King Cole” by even rival fans. Not forgetting that only Alan Shearer has scored more goals than him (260) in the Premier League, with Cole collecting 187 goals in total. Looking at his career achievements, he has won a total of nine top league trophies, five Premier League titles, two FA Cups, a Champions League trophy, and a League Cup medal. Very few can match this incredible status.
Andew Cole in Manchester United colours
Andrew Cole in Manchester City colours
Andrew Cole’s partnership with Trinidad and Tobago striker Dwight Yorke in the 1998/1999 season for Manchester United remain the most feared striking partnership in Premier League history till today. Their understanding with each other, together with David Beckham’s pin point assists, brought home the famous treble under Sir Alex Ferguson. It’s a mystery that no other top European clubs have tried to lure him away. Most have stated that Andy Cole is one that can only perform in the English Premier League, and not other top European Leagues. Well now, there is no chance that we will be able to witness that.
Andrew Cole with Dwight Yorke
Andrew Cole in Sunderland colours
After enjoying so much success with the Red Devils, Andy Cole went on to play for numerous clubs in England, including Blackburn Rovers, Fulham, Manchester City, Portsmouth, Sunderland, Burnley (loan), and finally his home land Nottingham Forest. Sadly, his domestic success could not be replicated at international level, where he only scored once in fifteen appearances. There is only one man to blame, the idiot called Glenn Hoddle, who refuses to choose Cole, and criticizing his finishing in front of goal. He scored 289 times for goodness sake!!! Sigh…
Andrew Cole in Blackburn Rovers colours
Thank you Andrew Cole, for giving football fans all over the world a vision of what a perfect goal scoring machine is. No one will ever forget Cole. He will be always be remembered as a proper and outstanding footballer.
Oh guess what, he is a singer as well! In 1999, Cole released the unsuccessful single “Outstanding”, a cover of a 1982 song. The single peaked below the UK Top 40. In August 2008 Nottingham Forest fans set up a campaign on Facebook to get the single into the UK top 40. What a fact!
Andrew Cole : Outstanding (Go order it on Ebay NOW!!!)
Nonetheless, thank you Andrew Cole.
Posted by Shane S-picks on 11/18 at 03:28 AM
German Bundasliga is getting fun!
A look at the German Bundasliga
To most Singaporeans, when it comes to the German Bundasliga (Germany’s top league soccer competition), most can only think of a few teams. Bayern Munich will definitely be the first to come to mind, followed by Werder Bremen, Schalke 04 and Hamburg (well, for most it is because it sounds like junk food).
Look who’re on top of the table now:
Top 5 (17 Nov 2008)
1. Bayern Leverkusen
2. TSG Hoffenheim
3. Bayern Munich
4. Hertha Berlin
5. Hamburg
Okay, perhaps some of you know Bayern Leverkusen, but I bet it is because of the Bayern in front of the team name. But who is TSG Hoffen-what? Let me tell you something about Hoffenheim. I don’t know too! What I know is that they are a counter-attacking team, which only means they possess a mean defence and a clinical finishers, and plenty of luck! And they only fell to second place this week on merely goal difference. Are they looking like the Greece of Euro competitions? No doubt, they are a fearless team.
Bayern Leverkusen
Hoffenheim
While the fearless Hoffenheim makes Bayern Munich look ordinary, a classy Bayern Leverkusen is leading the pack early on. With players like German international Simon Rofles, Patrick Helmes and Henrique, Leverkusen will make Munich sweat for the season. Perhaps Klinsmann is not the right man for the job after all.
Hoffenheim’s Demba Ba, is currently on red hot form for his club
Well, it looks like the Bundesliga is coming to an exciting Christmas month. A star-studded Bayern Munich, having won their last four league games, was only enough to make them look slightly respectable behind the leaders. Hoffenheim, who won five league games in a row before they weekend loss to Hertha Berlin, have scored seventeen goals in the process! That is outstanding for a team like them. I have officially labeled them as the Hull City of the German Bundasliga. Leaders Leverkusen have accounted four successive 2-0 victories in the league, followed by a draw and a narrow win over Schalke 04 lately, collecting a total of a massive sixteen points from a possible eighteen. Absolutely outstanding!
Klinsmann: wrong manager?
Now where is Schalke 04 and Werder Bremen? They are both number 7th and 8th in the league, a massive eight points behind the leaders! There is a long way more to go before the end of the season, but it looks like Leverkusen and Hofferheim could mount serious challenges for their first Bundasliga titles. Though I think they will fail, it will be nice to watch them threatening teams like Munich and upsetting the establish order. I don’t know about you, but I will definitely be catching the German Bundasliga this coming December. I am sure there will be surprises coming up, and I will be there to capitalize on it, if you get what I mean.
Posted by Shane S-picks on 11/18 at 02:45 AM
Nottingham Games
Ever thought you were good enough to compete in sports or games? You just might be and surprise yourself.
Once every year, the MSS (Malaysian and Singaporean Society) of Nottingham University in the UK organize the “Nottingham Games”, fondly dubbed the “Singapore Olympics” by many. It is a day where the Singapore Societies of all the UK universities send their best players and compete in a fun-filled day of games at Nottingham. Or perhaps, players who just want a day off and want to explore the surroundings of Nottingham sign up for these games, and take the opportunity to wander and roam free.
The Singapore Society of Warwick University was no exception, and sent in a cadre of players proficient in their chosen sport or game, competing with the rest of the other universities for the top prizes. All of us gathered on the Warwick campus in the early hours of the morning, and suffered (slept through) a stifling bus ride to Nottingham, which did not dampen our spirits at all. For while we had an hour to endure, we were luckier than Universities further away from Nottingham, where students had to wake up at the crack of dawn, and take a three to four hour journey instead.
Once we arrived at Nottingham, we were given a short speech by our extremely charismatic Singapore Society President, who asked us to do our best, and made our motto for the day : “Yes we can!”, reminiscent of the US elections, before we set off to play our respective games.
Journeying round the Nottingham campus, almost everyone was seen actively participating and jostling for the top places.
From a game of floorball,
to a game of badminton.
Yet there were those free enough to pose for a picture, like these two players from our Singapore Society’s bridge team.
It was an exhilarating day, and when each of us finished our respective games, we congregated together and cheered our teammates who have not finished playing their respective games yet.
It was also a day for friends, classmates, and army mates in the different UK universities to catch up as well, as it was a massive Singaporean gathering.
Eventually, at the end of the day, we ended up achieving the following.
Adventure Race - 3rd place
Badminton - 4th place
Bridge - 2nd and 3rd place
Floorball - 1st place
Netball - 2nd place
Ping Pong - 1st and 3rd place
Soccer - 4th place
Each position from 3rd place onwards came with certificates, but more importantly, with sweets/chocolates along with a bottle of alcohol. The higher the position, the grander the alcohol. So after collecting these prizes, we were all in good spirits.
*And after we went back, these good spirits were in us instead.
But when the organizers of the Nottingham Games gave out the last trophy for the overall winner of the games, based on the total number of achievements, no one was more surprised than we all. For it was awarded to us.
Which really goes to show, that if everyone puts in enough effort and tries their best, the unexpected may totally happen.
*And of course, this is provided that there is a large number of OTHER people as well for this to happen. But we were luckier than them today
Posted by Narev on 11/16 at 08:39 AM
Quantum Of Solace
Some people watch Bond movies for the riveting action sequences; some for the Bond girls; some for the Bond guys themselves (although the latest James might not necessarily be the hugest draw ever - roguish charm not withstanding). Me? I always watch it for the kooky gadgets and dreamy cars.
Which is why I was sad to learn that the latest film in the franchise, Quantum Of Solace would have no gadgets and that the only apperance of an Aston Martin would be in the opening requisite car chase scene, where it would then proceed to get as banged up as a car can possibly be. Still, despite the lack of my favourite Bond factors, I was surprised to find myself enjoying the movie pretty much.
Unlike other Bond films which usually stand alone pretty well, QoS is a direct continuation of the previous film, series prequel Casino Royale. Still bitter from the death of his lover, Bond seeks revenge on her killer and on the way finds himself embroiled in an international conspiracy involving a supposed philanthropist aiding a cookie-cutter villainous general overthrow the Bolivian government in exchange for an apparently useless piece of Bolivian desert (which, of course, isn’t all that useless).
With double-crossing and backstabs galore, the movie’s plot is thin yet convoluted and unbelievably unintelligible, with new characters constantly joining the mix, snatches of mystifying dialogue making things all the worse, and a distinct lack of cohesion. But, of course, expecting a Bond film to make sense is like expecting a Meg Ryan film to be a horror flick revolving around zombies and chainsaw killers.
Bond films have always been known for its adrenaline pumping action scenes and here, QoS delivers in spades. From the afore-mentioned opening scene all the way through right to the final, explosion-packed hero-villain showdown, the action is nonstop and the great pacing keeps audiences glued to their seats. Taking it up several notches from the decidedly action-free Casino Royale, QoS features boat chases, car chases, a pistol duel, an airborne battle and an shockingly high body count.
The acting, too, is top notch. Following its predecessor and departing from the campy,non-too-serious feel of previous Bond films, QoS is decidedly edgier, grittier and more realistic (although not as gritty as Casino Royale) and it shows in the lead. Daniel Craig is a stoic, harsh, jaded spy, although he does start to exhibit some of the suave debonair of the Bond that the character ends up being.
Olga Kurylenko, as the main Bond girl Camille, a Bolivian seeking revenge on the above-mentioned general for murdering her family, is equally gritty and tough and more than a match for ol’ Jimmy. Hot yet not utterly useless (as some Bond girls have proven to be), Camille more than holds up her end of the fight, even getting to finish off her own big villain in the climatic finale.
The supporting cast is competent, too, with Dame Judi Dench shining as strict, no-nonsense M, Bond’s boss.
While QoS won’t be wowing audiences looking for their intellectual fix but for fans of the series or action movie aficianados, the movie won’t disappoint. It’s not the best in the series but it’s definitely far from the worst.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Posted by Gabriel on 11/15 at 11:52 PM
Run, ride, drive across Singapore in the great mobiHunt race
The annual mobiHunt orienteering event was held on Saturday Nov 8, 2008, by NCS Portal City for readers of www.ns.sg NSmen portal. 45 teams, equipped with MeSH-enabled cellphones, raced through eight rendezvous checkpoints, from Holland Village to Vivocity shopping mall, looking for clues to answer questions at each location. The questions were beamed to their phone, the moment they reached the vicinity of each checkpoint.
Lots of cash prizes were won, and lots of goodies were given out to all participants, including vouchers for yummy Dippin Donuts. The overall winners were Linus and wife Joye, who received $1,500 cash.
General manager Ng See Sing promises even more exciting happenings at mobiHunt 2009!
MeSH technology is a location-based application developed by NCS engineers. It deploys an online platform to beam promotions, vouchers, ads and other useful stuff to your cellphone when you reach a specific location.
Before the hunt: checking the map for the best route of advance to the checkpoints
Members of the Singapore Youth Flying Club running from checkpoint to checkpoint
Many contestants use their car but at busy streets, precious time is lost looking for parking or a kerbside place to stop
Most of the rendezvous stops are in shopping malls such as Marina Square (seen here), Tangs and Vivocity
At the close of the event, goodie bags are given out to contestants
Posted by Flightstick on 11/14 at 02:35 PM
Dealing with the world: on apathy
5 years ago, during a GP lesson around half a year before we were about to take the GCE A Levels, my tutor spoke at length about the state of the world, and how many of his peers used to have the same rose-tinted world-view as we had at that time, but largely became bitter with the world as the days went past. Attrition from the daily battles with the seemingly rigid and unfair system, back-stabbing friends and co-workers, as well as anger with what they were doing had a strong influence in causing their apathy towards the world.
“I hope that as you get older and gain more experiences in life, you will not become cynical about this world. Giving up is a way of telling the world ‘Ok, you’ve won. I’m not going to care about what’s going on from now onwards. Woe to you, world!’”
I almost became a cynic. In order to forge camaraderie, the army regimentation is always the harshest on individualistic people. The humiliation you feel the first time you forget to bring an item down when falling in stings, even more so when you find your platoon on all fours around you paying for your mistake.
Thankfully, since everybody was cursing the instructors for being bastardly evil nit-pickers (they even counted the stray lint that blew in the doors during one inspection), I was spared the daggers. And the blanket party, which is basically covering you in a blanket and whacking you with an assortment of stuff (My favourite weapon is the pillow; I can get it fluffed up nicely at the same time). But seriously, if curses could kill, we won’t really have any instructors left after a week.
That’s besides the point. What I’ve realised is that this world is too huge to be always be able to take care of the little stuff. To put it in an analogy, it’s like rain falling on the ground. It just happens. Sometimes we gain as a result of the activity; sometimes we find ourselves on the wrong side of luck, but that’s just the nature of things. Yet what we forget is that our circumstances are only one-half of the consequences; our reaction to adversary shapes the outcome too. If we were to just slice everything loose immediately after a disadvantaging event, that would be a huge waste of everything we’ve done so far. It’s like throwing out the baby with the bath-water after it peed into the warm water you carefully prepared. Why not make Newater out of the mini-disaster? You could earn a tidy sum while you’re about it!
Apathy means you stop caring for the things going on around you. But by not caring, you lose the only steering wheel to influence what happens to you - and many times, these things do affect us severely, regardless of whether we influence its formation or not.
So stop being apathetic today: You too, can shape your own world. Take action: write to the newspaper forum pages, or pester your Member of Parliament at Meet the People’s sessions. Most importantly, blog about it to let the world know that you care!
Posted by Roy on 11/12 at 01:13 AM
Guardian Angels
I remember this game I once played in my early secondary school years. It was a simple multi-player RPG game, but featured many different character types to choose from. While surprisingly addictive, I gradually stopped playing during my JC years, deciding to focus on my studies instead.
What I still recall from the times spent playing and replaying that game was its guardian angel feature. While you were a low level, each time your health dropped below a critical value, an angel would appear and restore your health. Some players would abuse this and try to power level the first few levels by taking on enemies way stronger than them, relying on this angel to continually heal their wounds.
In life, wouldn’t it be great to have a guardian angel? Whenever you are on the brink of doing something entirely reckless or dangerous, someone would just pop out of thin air and warn you away, saving you a lot of heartache and hardships. Family members and friends can only do so much, and they can never be around you 24/7 to look out for you.
Whilst I was serving my two years of NS, I wanted a ‘guardian angel’, who would look out for me, and prevent me from doing anything stupid (and perhaps preventing me from signing extras). So, I tried to be a guardian angel myself to some of the guys in my company, helping them out whenever I could.
I told a lot of white lies, faking ignorance when people were sleeping in the bunks during office hours. When there were mistakes in administrative files, I corrected them before any conducted inspections by regulars. When certain people procrastinated and could not finish certain jobs on time, I would inevitably be the one to help them complete their tasks. I suppose I was hoping they would reciprocate and help me out when I was needed it.
And strangely enough, when the time came when I was in trouble, these people didn’t come to my rescue. In fact, one of them latched onto a simple (admin) mistake I made and reported the fact to the superiors. But then my guardian angels came. The CQ personnel, who I have had a good relationship with, helped me out in my deluge of paperwork, despite their heavy workload. A signaller in my branch helped me reason with my CSM, saving me from a sticky predicament.
So what did I learn from this experience?
It is extremely idealistic and naive to wish for a guardian angel to appear and help you out when you are in trouble. It is instead better to have a healthy work life balance, such that there will be very few occasions in which you will need assistance. And in these situations, you can only count on your friends.
You can occasionally try to be a guardian angel, but you must ensure that your work life balance is in tip top shape, lest you flounder and need a guardian angel instead.
It is better just to be a good friend helping people in need, rather than a ‘guardian angel’. People can easily take advantage of you if you portray the image of the “always eager to help”.
True friends are much better than guardian angels.
University life now is extremely hectic, and while I am still able to cope with it, I wonder if in the event I flounder, will a guardian angel come and help me out? Or will it be my friends?
Posted by Narev on 11/08 at 08:29 PM
Champions League Four Round Rubbish
Absolutely rubbish! I really hate it when I sacrifice my sleep to watch the UEFA Champions League and have the crap referee to screw the game up, especially when two top teams are playing for a place in the knock out round.
I am a Manchester United fan, not a Liverpool fan. But when The Kop starts to sign quality Spanish players to their team, Liverpool is slowly but surely getting into my good books (I’m a Spain fan). However, do they deserve the one point they got against a spirited Atletico Madrid side? I do not think so. So many handballs (three to be exact) were not called for by the dumb referee throughout the match, and when it comes to the closing stages of the game, he offers Liverpool the point they needed by giving them a undeserving penalty. The final score was 1-1, and I think the score should have stand at 3-1 to Liverpool, if the referee is doing his job right.
Oh guess what, Liverpool have more Spanish players playing than Atletico Madrid. Ha!
Two teams to catch in this season’s Champions League would definitely be the Italians. Roma’s performance is outstanding! So exciting, so tireless. Chelsea was totally no match for the Italians (whom of course were tortured by Manchester United a couple of seasons back 7-1). Scolari’s men is going down!!!
Alessandro Del Piero
Juventus’s double triumph over Champions League record holder and Spanish La Liga Champions Real Madrid is one to take notice. Alessandro Del Piero’s double strike, coupled with his one awesome goal the last round the two teams met, proves that age is not a matter at all! All the goal scorers (apart from Lionel Messi’s beautiful goal) are scored by veterans. Ryan Giggs’s late rebound goal against Celtic proves vital for Man United’s chance in advancing into the knock out rounds, and Del Piero’s double confirmed Juventus’s place in the second round.
Ryan Giggs
Lets all hope the proper teams go through, though I really like Cypriots Anorthesis and Danish Champions Basel.
Posted by Shane S-picks on 11/07 at 04:09 AM
Make Goals, Not War
Make Goals, Not War
Finally, a proper film about soccer, the world’s most famous sport. It’s a documentary to be precise. After some time on the international film festival circuit, “Make Goals, Not War” can now be viewed on youtube.com. Well, some parts of it can be viewed. The soccer movies most of us watched are “One Leg Kicking”, “Goal”, Goal 2”. Its time we get a chance to view something artistic and moving, something worth the couple of hours in our lives.
Make Goals, Not War Promotional Poster
Here is the storyline of the great film. It shows Maty Campeonisimo’s journey to end all violence and war related conflicts using nothing but his video camera. And using only soccer matches as his idea, Maty won the support of thousands of soccer fans, players, FIFA and even the United Nations. He traveled to many places with his portable camera, including the FIFA World Cup.
Every now and then I come across interesting football stories. Here is a good one.
We all know the African Nations are not the wealthiest countries in the world. So poor that they found a substitute for soccer socks. Some Cape Town football players are wearing condoms on their feet during long football matches. The reason? So that the socks can stay up when they are kicking the ball. Poor? Or creative? You decide.
Isn’t rubber bands cheaper than condoms? Unless they are used condoms, or that the rubber quality of the bands in Cape Town is made in China. Let me quote what the African Football Association says.
Football Condoms?
Sivuyile Nqawe of the Lingelethu Football Association in Khayelitsha said that the footballers are not extremely poor or starving. He said it was to “ease matters for those who cannot afford expensive brands of football kit on their mission to sharpen their skills to become future soccer stars”.
“It is just a creative method and it works to alleviate the situation. You just break a condom packet, grab and stretch it. Then you put it on your leg,” Nqawe said.
“You will find that in most instances players bring a box of condoms to a match and share them among teammates for the same purpose.”
He said many township soccer players were unable to afford good quality football socks that had an elastic band for support.
“The types (of socks) they usually buy lose their effectiveness quicker, causing them to easily fall around the ankles.”
Bandile Nginingini, 20, of the Young Cosmos Football Club, said he always visits a convenient shop to grab four condoms before weekend soccer matches.
“I wish that we could get proper soccer kit support so that we can stop this and let the condoms be used for its real purpose,” he said.
hmm…
Posted by Shane S-picks on 11/07 at 04:05 AM
Ji De Chi Desserts
Desserts have always been one of my favourite parts of the meal. Be it as a light, refreshing compliment to a heavy main course, a sweet-tooth satisfying end to a meal or even as a chill-out snack by itself, I think desserts, especially of the Chinese variety, are a quintessential part of Singaporean food culture.
A few weeks ago, I was at Shaw Towers for a birthday party at Creation Cafe (which I reviewed two entries back) and, on the way out, my friends and I passed by a Chinese dessert shop in Liang Seah Street. Enticed by their exciting menu (which included amazingly attractive photos of durian- and mango-centric desserts), we headed right in for a sweet fix.
Styled with an old-school, 1950s Chinatown coffeeshop look which only adds to its authentic, traditional feel (they even serve their desserts in blue-patterned white china!), Ji De Chi (or Remember To Eat, in English) serves up a whole of range of desserts, ranging from popular oldies like sesame paste and ice kachang to new-fangled dishes like durian puree and mango/grass jelly mixes.
Apparently, the restaurant is known for their ginger soups, of which one of my friends ordered a variation of in the form of tang yuan (glutinous balls) with a ginger soup base. According to her, the tang yuan were pretty good, cloying and slightly chewy, with a thick peanut filling. The ginger soup, though, was rather overwhelming, with the smell wafting to our table the moment it came out of their cooker.
I went for the afore-mentioned mango/grass jelly mix, which had a sago base and also had pomelo bits in it. While the grass jelly was bland and didn’t add anything to the concoction, the slightly sour pomelo bits were a perfect compliment to the very sweet, ripe mango slices.
I also shared a durian roll with a friend. With a hefty durian filling wrapped in a glutinous skin, the dish was suitably heavy and overwhelming on the taste buds, although the glutinous wrap did nothing to enhance either taste or texture.
The star of the table, though, had to be the durian puree, a thick, luscious bowl of pure, unadulterated mashed durians with a smattering of pomelo bits on top. The taste of the dish was intense and packed a gastronomical punch, every spoonful eliciting a declaration of love from the eater. Here, though, the pomelo bits tasted a tad mismatched, although the overwhelming taste of the puree pretty much rendered it negligible anyway.
While the desserts are priced slightly higher than the usual coffeeshop fare (each dish cost around S$5 or so), the quality is also better than the usual. True, some of the dishes are decidedly hit-or-miss but the durian puree alone is enough to warrant a visit here.
Posted by Gabriel on 11/03 at 12:02 PM
A stately visitor
What would you do if you were informed that a Senior Minister of State would visit your University during a certain time, but that time clashed with your lecture? I would absent myself from that lecture, and then head over to see him visiting, for lectures occur almost everyday. Senior Minister of State visits occur once in a blue moon.
And I did just that, when the Senior Minister of State, Mr Zainul Abidin stopped over briefly at Warwick for an informal meeting with the members of the Singapore society.
Sharing a few anecdotes with us, he gave a short address, before starting to talk to each of us individually.
As it was snowing that day (Yes, snow in October!), he was telling us how as a Singaporean, he gets excited when it starts snowing, and related a tale when he was in Turkey, and it started to snow. He wanted the snow to continue so he could revel in it, but was disappointed when the next day brought about clear weather and the melting of snow. However, his Turkish host was extremely happy, saying that he brought the sun from Singapore to remove the infernal snow.
This is a marvelous view of snow from the window.
Yet on the ground, snow is synonymous with infernality.
The lunch spread, where Mr Zainul Abidin was the first to enjoy feasting on the buffet-like array.
Most Singaporeans gleamed gems of information from his chats, about needing balance in our lives, and that we should enjoy and get the most out of University experience in an overseas country. And of course, to enjoy the snow while it lasted.
At the end of the the visit, he was presented with a small token of our appreciation.
As an informal visit went, it was quite heartening to see him come to Warwick University to give a talk to the Singaporeans studying there, taking time off his busy schedule to do so.
