New Year, New You?

People wish one another a Happy and Prosperous New Year every year as we cross over from 31 December into 1 January. It is the time of the year where there are great festivities as it is just after Christmas and then following it the Lunar New Year. It is also a special time of the year because whatever you have been doing for the year, you have worked hard and deserve a good closure especially with a handsome bonus. Whatever it is, do not forget your acquaintance. Here's Auld Lang Syne.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rId95N2teUc

However, in recent times, things have become difficult and more complex. Because things are more costly or venues more difficult to get, some companies actually host their D and D way ahead of Christmas and as early as July or August but at this time of the year you are still struggling with work and you are robbed of the festive spirit or mood. Why don't they keep it closer to Christmas but change the venues to possibly cheaper ones or those that you can secure? All you need is a little creativity. 

The worst thing for a new year is that even before it's curtains for the old year, you knew well before the new one is a tough one to negotiate. Worse, some say it is the end of the world in 2012! The Mayans' calendar may have ended the cycle but the Mayans were wrong or perhaps it is not the Mayan's fault but that of those who claimed that was what the Mayans meant that the world will end on 23 December 2012. The world will not end in 2012 even though it looks quite like it if you piece together all that has been happening. 

Giant tsunamis, super earthquakes, great floods, nuclear disasters, diseases, financial crises, wars, moral decadence, broken ice bergs, global warming have come or are coming our way. What's happening to the world around us? Europe is crumbling and this is just the beginning as their default risks are increasing. The USA is not out of the woods yet even as the election year looms large. Japan will face more woes and are considering to target foreign workers to boost their economy - a rare occurrence. China will go slower and go soft. Pray they do not falter with any social-economic divide. Greater income inequality is the order of the day and politics become less certain. They have an Arab Spring that seemed to have turned to winter and thousands in China protested land seizures. The last thing you need is a China in any kind of trouble as the world has become over reliant on them. 

Then come the politics of picking new leaders in several countries from Myanmar to Taiwan, most prominent being the succession from Dear Leader to the Great Successor from Kim Jong Il (two) to Kim Jong three. If the USA, Europe and Japan are facing difficult times, how will the rest cope? We must hope for China to defy gravity. I can't help you with all these but I think we can re-engineer ourselves to meet whatever challenges that lie ahead or at least make you better, suffer less and enjoy more.

Stress


It is common to hear "I am very stressed" wherever you go. When you do not hear it, you can see it - in the faces of people say in the train. This was during a good year and you'll be thinking that you were in North Korea where Dear Leader has died and folks in the train are in mourning. How will things look in our trains during a bad year and after it has broken down several times? Can we ever learn how to relax? If you go to the beach or visit another country and you expect things to be quick then you would have missed the point. Life is like your golf swing speed, it has to be a natural swing speed and you can't force it otherwise, the timing goes off and you lose you balance. It is strange that people always put so much strain and stress on themselves. Some stress may be necessary to propel your backside out of your chair but too much of it?

Diet

Let's face it. We all eat too much even for those who are conservative. Except for the exceptionally well-heeled, where there may be no recession, there should be parties all year round to celebrate. This is a good thing but watch it. Not just the quantity. Focus on quality and eating right ones but it is difficult. You feed a fish with smaller live feeder fish and they may not go back to pellets. What the fish!

Sleep 

Sleep is your weapon even as some of us regard it as a waste of time. It is a form of recuperation, much needed rest and when your body got rid of toxins not and repairs tissues. There is no other way where your rest is complete. Please see a previous article: http://gforce-guru.blogspot.com/search/label/Sleep.

Prisoners Of Own Device

Whether we like it or not, we are prisoners of our own device. In the old days, transmission of communication takes a few days as we have to draft a message for your manager to vet then dispatch and then for the reverse to happen at the other end. The good point is for some people who needed more supervision they got to learn more whilst today's people may have used too much in sms, twitter and short cuts. Fortunately, they have spell-check in your computer which I never used as it makes your brain stop thinking. 


Some friends asked me if they should get a Blackberry. My answer: It depends if you are going to be the master or the slave. Today, they got their Blackberry and they have since become slaves. It does not mean you are doing less if you are not a slave. It is the same as TV, the Internet and Online Games. More of these, means less sleep. No wonder they say ignorance is bliss. Remember that we are living in a time compressed world. It's about give and take. It's like fixing table legs. Tightened on one side and the other side becomes a problem and the table gets wobbly.

Exercise

It takes great discipline and commitment to do your workouts. If only we could do our required exercises no matter how small like the way we take to food or how we plunge onto a sofa. God gave us two ends, the head and the butt. What we become depends on which end we use most. Move about even in the office do not just sit down. When your chair fit your butt perfectly, you are in trouble because you have been sitting too long the chair took to your shape. May be creepers may grow on you or spiders will spin web and you become part of the world wide web.

Food

The good food we have in hawker fare here will deteriorate in 5-10 years time as everything goes commercialized and once the older hawkers phased out, they will go bad unless something is done. If we eat out all the time, it is like over reliance on domestic workers to do things. Time to have more home cooked food? More vegetables and fruits. Prepare yourself for poorer quality of food which looks nice only in packaging but not in taste.   

Gratitude

It is easy to forget how to be or feel grateful. Most people will take things for granted. If only we can be thankful and be grateful for many things we have, we will immediately feel happier. So, be grateful and thankful for all things big and small and think of the many less fortunate people than you and to those of you who in your business and work have been earning so much - more than enough for you to live a most comfortable life in every sense of the word, do your bit for others in whatever way. It is an easing of burden. It would also be good if only more people wish others happiness and success then the world would be a better place. A lot of us are so much better than others and yet do not realise it.Wouldn't it be good to be in your shoes? Watch Nik Kershaw:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIBzbdo2LjU

At the other end of the spectre, because the problems you face is known to you, it always seems so big but when you mixed with more people, when you have a chance to see, hear and understand other people's problems you will soon realize that yours are pretty small stuffs. Friends don't always tell you their problems and that does not mean they have none. Go to the hospital, old folks home and the children's home and you will have a real sense and perspective of it all.


Golf


Play more golf. You have always said you haven't enough time. When you can't have a game then go to a range. Whatever it is, it is not true that you haven't got enough time. It is just that you have not given it priority. It is not just golf. Life is all about priority isn't it?

24 Hours

There is no such thing as "no time". It has always been there. Time immemorial. Life is about time and space. Everyone has 24 hours - not a minute more, not a minute less. The burning issue is what is your priority? There is a price to pay for everything.

Slow Down

There's a reason why tortoises live many years. Ha ha. Because they can't rush to their graves. There were friends who asked me if they should get a Blackberry. I replied that it depends on whether one would end up as master or slave. They have since got their Blackberry and they are all slaves. I believe some can't get to sleep before looking through the device and the reason is that they feel more peaceful after doing that but to me that means there is no peace. Peace is calm and rest and not dependent on habits.


Do not believe that longer hours at work means more productivity or being efficient. Naturally, when you have more work then you have to work longer but long hours everyday could mean you are not productive. Being efficient could mean you have been very efficient doing the wrong things.

Better to be effective. Give 100% during official hours without wavering, find the most effective ways to deal with problems or seek solutions, then rest. Your mental and physical powers cannot be sustained without rest. Don't fool yourself and believe otherwise. You will become more effective when you have rest and balance. I give you a simple task of watching TV for hours in a day and ask you which advertisements capture your imagination and is stored in your memory, you will probably only name a few. That's because you will remember the most effective ones as your mind suffers from overload. You will not be at your optimum.

The highly skilled practitioner of martial arts sees commotion in slow motion as his mind is calm. Just like your golf swing, a hurried and forceful swing may not yield desired results. Slow down. Let me give you an example. If you drive your car everyday, you may not notice many things unless you take a walk on the same stretch of streets then you realize what you have been missing - the people, things and buildings along the way. Imagine yourself playing soccer or hockey and you run around and all over non-stop. How do you conserve energy. I know many are good in energy saving mode. Rush is not an option. 

Do Something Different

Go some places you have never been, do something you have never done before or meet some one you have never met. Or at least haven't been, done or met for awhile. I swim but not in the cold waters of the morning lacking sunshine since a long time.

The cold morning waters of December sent a shot up my spine. A tingling sensation. When you swim slowly and focus on senses, you will feel a floating sensation surrounding you. Clear your mind as you absorb the soundscape beneath the water. You will feel alive. For those of you who still can't swim, watch the news and make sure our "ponding" does not grow. Why did Moses build an ark? No, no my friend Moses didn't build an ark! It was Noah. Noah with his family, escaped the flood and not the pond. In that sense, ponding is acceptable? No?

Well the sun is coming up soon. Otherwise nights will last forever. Listen to England Dan and John Ford Coley:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rR45JW9buOo



Here comes the sun:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6tV11acSRk

And I Love Her: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96YQdiMV-Jc

Even the birds. You know I love getting up in the morning when the sun first strikes the trees. All the morning birds that sing above  will bring back memories. IOIO the year is over lo.

Stay calm.

Stay cheerful and stay bright!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBR2G-iI3-I

A Happy New Year to all friends and readers!

When it's too hot, take cover. Like the Bee Gees sang: Aiyoh! Aiyoh! Another bad year is coming they say. I'll survive. Join me in surviving. Learn from Gloria Gaynor:

Titleist 910 D2 Driver

This is exciting. I'm falling in love again. We are on honeymoon now. She has presence. The Titleist 910 D2 golf driver, I mean.

Titleist has always been known or said to be the "better players" club. It was quite true. Their 905 series was hugely popular and it took a dip after that when they attempted building a more forgiving driver in the 907 and the 909. I played with a couple of Malaysian friends in KL some time back and they were both very good golfers using Titleist drivers. No matter how straight and far I hit, they were straighter and longer. May be they are just better and can handle it I thought. I researched and found that Titleist clubs are always among the top and highly rated but there were some mention that they are for better players.

Before TaylorMade's R11 was introduced, the 910 was one of the hottest but Titleist has loyal fans and you can say that all better players who played Titleist are staunch followers. They seldom gravitate to other brands, yet their strongest point is their weakest link as high or average handicappers shun it. It should no longer be the case. This is why.....

Titleist claimed that the 910 is their most technologically advanced driver they have ever made. It comes in a 460 cc head which is the maximum size allowed under USGA regulations and a 0.5 degree open face as standard, has a 15% larger sweet spot and a traditional pear-shaped head with a black PVD finish. (PVD stands for Physical Vapour Deposition, a process that creates a very durable finish which looks highly polished but is highly tarnish-resistant).

I like my drivers with a traditional look, not the square or triangular shaped types. It has to look good and inspire confidence. At 460 cc, it does not look big at all. In fact, I can say it is one of the best looking drivers in the market or in play in the circuit today. Most people would probably rate it a 9 or 10 for looks alone and it looks and feels good at address.

It has a dark face, nothing sinister, just serious. It has one of the most springy face I know as upon impact you could almost feel the ball being sucked in bounced off in a hurry in a mid-high trajectory such that your ball experience a phenomenal rapture. I have played great drivers from Nickent's first Genex, Taylormade r5, Burner (twice), R9 (460), Ping G5, G10, G15, Cleveland Launcher and more and this rates among the best if not the best in terms of feel. Now feel is often equated to sound. It is sweet and powerful without being loud. This has been acoustically engineered to create a hot and solid sound.

To me, its accuracy level is top notch. Often, when you hit your driver and it landed on the fairways, many thought they were hitting straight. If a measuring device is there to capture data, you would realize it may not have been straight but just that the fairway is big and oblivious to the naked eye, it looked straight when it landed safely.

How forgiving is this driver? It is one of the most important things ain't it? If you wish for a forgiving boss then you need a forgiving driver for the driver is your boss on a golf course. No clubs can give you an auto-pilot kind of shot. Golf clubs are not push-button Jackpot machines and you still need a decent swing. It is not the most forgiving but after five rounds with it, I have not gone out of bounds or sent any balls to their watery grave. It means the dispersion is indeed very good, therefore, forgiving enough for many others.

I am not in pursuit of hitting longer shots by using a longer driver with a lighter shaft to promote distance. I always felt that I prefer it to be shorter than the norm in the market place. I have plundered some shots into places on the fairway that I have never been before from where to play the second shot. While some drivers are as long as 46.5 inches and the standard being 45.75 inches today, this is only 45 inches. Refreshing! And truer to my philosophy. I like that. This is probably the shortest driver in the market now.

The shorter shaft is not a hindrance to distance at all. On the contrary, I found it better and you will hit the sweet spot more often resulting in more consistency and longer drives. This is what I have always advocated. Oh yes, this club looks great at address. The alignment aid is subjective. Some may hate it others love it. It is just like the cursor of your computer mouse. The crown is chemically milled and is 17% thinner than the previous model.

This is a very good option for better players but amazingly, I can tell you that high handicappers should not run away from this club. It is easy to keep the ball in play. It is still early days and I am on honeymoon but this is probably the most consistent driver I have played and I am well pleased.  

Though advanced, it is traditional in shape. Modern yet very much functional. Other than a shorter shaft, I like very much that it is adjustable. The way it can be adjusted is different from other clubs. This is Titleist's first attempt and I think they have aced it. They called it the "SureFit" system. Unlike others, "SureFit" allows the loft and lie angle to be adjusted independently. In other words, one can adjust lie angle without affecting the loft and vice versa. If you like to tinker, you can purchase an optional weight kit to swap weight in the sole to adjust to your favourite swing weight or to match the shaft.

Theoretically, if you play at a windy course or on a certain day, you can adjust it to a lower loft. I do not need this, I just wanted to experiment and discover the best results meaning - consistent, straight and long all day. Aesthetically, you can see that the adjustment ring and sleeves are nicely built-in like part of the hosel with the complete absence of a dog collar. Rory McIlroy, Ross Fisher, Adam Scott and Geoff Ogilvy have all put the 910 in play. This club should be flying off the shelves in my humble opinion.

Grip is the Titleist Tour Velvet 360 rubber. TaylorMade usually has loops on the grip to gives you a guide on different grip position while Ping's comes in arrows. Titleist has nothing on it for design or for guide. If you don't know your grip, you can't play Titleist. Ha ha.

The 910 D2 I have came in a Fujikura Motore F3 shaft. While I used to fancy heavier shaft and overall club weight, I decided this time to go a 55g shaft which is still much heavier than today's many lighter shafts at just slightly above 40g. The swing weight at D3 is just nice and is suitable for me. No issue. I do not need to tell you about Fujikura shaft though or the Motore. 

Wait, let me let you into the driver cover. This one has socks to protect the shaft. Not only that, it comes with a useful strap which is nicely designed so that when popping up this cannon you do not have to fight with it. Just hold on to the strap and pull. Clever.

They know this one is precious so they have to get the head well padded. It looks like a crash helmet to protect that titanium club head.

If you look at the chart below, you will see the two types of settings A to D and 1 to 4 giving you a combination of 16 settings. If you bought a 10.5 degrees you can add up to 1.5 degrees more in loft to bring it up to 12 degrees or subtract by up to 0.75 degrees thus lowering loft so that you can play a range up to a maximum of 12 degrees or a minimum or 9.75 degrees. You may not know it but most social golfers are playing with the wrong loft. It may look macho wielding a 9.5 degrees driver but not everyone can handle this. It all boils down to your individual swing speed.

There is no shame to play with a 12 degrees driver if your swing calls for one. If you want a driver that shows 9.5 but you adjust it to 11 degrees you can do it with this driver. This club is not here to cure your hooks and slices but to offer you launch optimization. Just be aware that changing a club's loft will also change its spin rate. Research shows that 90% of all golfers may need to adjust their loft or lie angle by one setting from standard. It is easy to set up for your swing. If you want your shots higher and to the left then go one up the grid and to the left by merely matching the ring and the sleeve.

The standard setting by default is a A-1 which means neutral with a slight fade (remember 0.5 degrees open face) at 10.5 degrees loft. I have since tried and experimented with B-2 (10.5 degrees with a slight draw), A-3 (12 degrees with most draw),C-3 (11.25 degrees with a slight draw). My last test was at C-2 (9.75 degrees with a slight draw). I seemed to like C-2 best due to its penetrating trajectory. Just use the standard issue wrench to unlock, adjust and lock.

The Titleist 910 D2 seems to have everything in the package all in a neat bundle. Good looks that inspire confidence. Easy to set up. Very useful independent adjustability for loft and lie angle. Solid sound and feel. Straight and long. Great performance is the order of the day! The ball explodes off the face and it has good workability. This will surely be a top driver and top contender in the 2011/2012 golf driver market. As manufacturers face limits to build a better driver each year, engineers at Titleist has made that right step ahead. This is a fabulous and fantastic driver = fantabulous! This one is a winner! Bring me out for a test run. Bring the game on! Simply awesome!

http://www.milesofgolf.com/blog/golf-reviews/titleist-910-driver-review/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tY6JuIE7QbQ

If you are in the market for a driver, be sure to check this one out or you may regret it. You hear all these from the Guru. Fear not the weapon but the hands that wields it. 

Golf as in life, play as it lies.



EPL Game Week 19

The Boxing Day curse hath cometh. Manchester City was held to a goalless away draw by WBA. Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal were all held 1-1 at home by Blackburn, Fulham and Wolves respectively. From Christmas, we are heading into the New Year of 2012. Can Manchester City fend off their United namesake? Can Tottenham win the League? Who will be number 4? Liverpool, Chelsea or Arsenal? Or maybe the others currently in the top three. Will you stand up and say: "I am Number Four!" This is what happens when you are number four. You will have to live dangerously, watch:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVs6eg8V-AE

Liverpool v Newcastle - Liverpool lost precious points to Blackburn at home. Their first crime was allowing Blackburn to score first and they clawed their way back but it was not enough. If you do not skin Blackburn at home at this point in time, others will. Liverpool was dismal. If they continue in this fashion, they will miss Europe. Newcastle returned to winning ways and of course Ba scored again. Ba! Both Liverpool and Newcastle have decent defence but do not score tonnes of goals. A low scoring 1-1 draw I say. Suarez (if playing) and Ba to score.

Manchester United v Blackburn - The old fox SAF (Sir Alex Ferguson) knows what he is doing. A 5-0 away thrashing of Fulham followed by another 5-0 massacre of Wigan at the Theatre of Dreams have put them back in contention and level on points with their noisy blue neighbour. United always peak during Christmas. It is a crucial period. This is where United excels where the likes of Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal failed. Arsenal must learn from United how to tear apart defensive teams. If better teams than Blackburn like Fulham and Wigan can fall into the 5-0 zone, how will Blackburn survive? 5-0 again at Old Trafford? SAF will go all out to secure a solid victory to put the brakes on City, put the pressure on them when they look over the shoulders. 3-0.

Arsenal v QPR - Arsenal could not have hope for a better start when Gervinho scored in the 8th minute with a clever goal but the Gunners do sometimes frustrate themselves with too much intricate passing when a simple and more direct approach will do - like shoot! They must have dominated with some 70% possession against Wolves but their first failing was failing to defend a corner. The second half was played in the Wolves den but the visitors defended resolutely. It's time Wenger drop Song who gave away the ball on numerous occasions causing Arsenal's attack to break down and getting yellow carded unnecessary.


Countless shots were blocked by defenders, saved by the woodwork but mainly it was the outstanding man-of-the-match superlative performance of Wolves goalie Wayne Hennessy who saved with his hand, body, legs and toes. Arsenal can walk all over QPR but this is a London Derby and Arsenal has just been held by a team like QPR in Wolves. So QPR looks like sheep in Wolves clothing. Be careful. 3-1. RVP could have scored a couple against Wolves but the burden of Shearer's record must have weighed on him as he missed a few gilt edge chances. Robbie van Persie to score and equalise or exceed Alan Shearer's record.

Bolton v Wolves - We will always love underdogs. For example watching Rocky being punched to smithereens. Whenever people asked me for my favourite EPL team, I always tell them the bottom team and that I'll buy their jersey. Wolves are just 4 points above Bolton who is second from last and just 4 points behind Fulham and Swansea in 13th and 14th places. Wolves may have a chance to survive if they keep playing like their last 2 matches. Bolton has more serious problems. Wolves will shock Bolton. 1-2. 

Chelsea v Aston Villa - Chelsea drew their last 3 matches an identical 1-1. Away to Wigan, Tottenham and then at home to Fulham. Hardly inspiring. When you see Anelka going to China and may be soon Drogba will be going there too, it means the team has grown old. Although Chelsea is still stronger than Villa, the visitors can frustrate them to a 1-1 draw. 1-1.

Norwich v Fulham - Fulham is the more experienced team but being away, it is always a bit more difficult. Like when you are drinking at home, you can just crawl to bed to sleep. 2-2 with Clinton Dempsey to score for Fulham.

Stoke v Wigan - Wigan was improving till they got crushed by Man U. Stoke must fancy their chances. Stoke was WWWWLD while Wigan was DWLWDDL. It could be a tight game by Stoke should prevail. 3-2.  

Swansea v Tottenham - THis will be a good game to watch as both play open attacking football. Swansea was LDLWDLD while Tottenham was WWWLWDW. They are in 3rd place and 7 points behind the joint leaders with a game in hand and playing with a swagger. 1-2. Gareth to score another or at least an assist.

WBA v Everton - WBA is in 9th position and has shown that they can compete against all including the best holding City to a goalless draw. Everton is in 10th and they haven't been that good or consistent and yet are better than 10 others. This may end a draw but WBA is quite on song and could edge this one. 2-1.

Sunderland v Manchester City - Martin O'Neill has lifted the Black Cats out of their voodoo curse. Their last 4 matches were WLWD. They must be thinking if WBA could hold City so can they. Can O'Neill mastermind this one? Especially when City know their more successful neighbour are level on points. Mancini should unleash 3 strikers in Aguero, Dzeko and Balotelli together. 0-2. Listen to stories about black cats, watch:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=px7ilisAGj0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p47fEXGabaY&ob=av3e



Reviving Singapore Soccer.

Liverpool FC was once in the lower division and Leeds United, a mighty force under Don Revie is now languishing in a lower division. Singapore squash was once number six in the world and in waterpolo, we have won every gold medal at the SEA Games. Why the contrasting fortunes? What about Singapore soccer? Whereto from here?

There was a time where a local game between two top league teams that can bring in a crowd of 20,000 and regularly at Kallang, we have crowds of 50-60,000 packing the stadiums for a Malaysia Cup match. Why?

There were rivalry, stars and legends, there was success, therefore there was huge interest and there was euphoria. Young people started picking up the sports as they wanted to play soccer like Quah Kim Song and Mohamed Noh or play squash like Zainal Abideen. Squash courts were opening up everywhere from Kampong Java to Kallang and they were always packed. In soccer, we had the golden and crazy years when the late and legendary Uncle Choo Seng Quee brought home the Malaysia Cup after 12 long years. Besides the Lions we had the Cubs, the under-21 and we have even started the Merlion Cup and Lion City Cup where the under-16 tournament became officially taken up by FIFA as the under-16 World Cup today.

We won the Malaysia Cup again under Jita Singh in 1980 (Leong Kok Fann scored, Mokhtar Dahari equalized and Fandi Ahmed got the winner) and then later in 1994 with our Dream Team where Fandi Ahmed, V. Sundramoorthy and Abbas Saad gave the biggest victory over Pahang and then it seemed we walked in the desert for 40 years. What happened? Let us explore.

Current Team

Douglas Moore brought us success in the Malaysia Cup before we pulled out then Barry Whitbread got us the Tiger Cup in 1998 at Hanoi. Raddy Avramovic got us further at the international stage where we got into the later round or Pre-World Cup qualifiers and we became Asean Champions in 2005. In 2007, we won the Asean Cup again and were unbeaten for 15 matches in the series since 2004. We could now beat Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand. We could even draw with Australia and beat Kuwait 2-0. We advance to the third round or pre-World Cup for the first time. Raddy is a miracle worker if you see our limited talent pool. We do have some good players like Khairul Amri and Noh Alam Shah. We have a few talented young players like Izwan Mahbud and Sufawan Baharuddin. We have a few localised foreign help like Daniel Bennett (33), Shi Jiaya (28), Mustafic (30), Qiu Li (30) and Aleksandar Duric (41).    

This team and players did well but in the recently almost concluded qualifiers, what I have seen left much to be desired. We have certainly dropped several notches. Our performances were pathetic. It certainly was not easy. We need bold thinking, bold ideas and bold decisions. Every fraternity involved in soccer has to pay a part.

Passionate Leaders

We had great and passionate leaders when N. Ganesan (1974-1981) was the FAS Chairman, the late Uncle Choo Seng Quee was the coach and then later when Patrick Ang was Team Manager. 

Youngsters

Today's youngsters are a different kettle of fish. In the old days soccer was still a relatively cheaper sports to play. Today, there are many more sports, games and lifestyle that young people can choose from. How do we get them interested in playing soccer? Even when they do, they may give it up to choose books unless they and their parents know soccer can provide a future. With a shorter life span with a career in sport, what can they do after their playing days are over or when they break a leg? Like in all sports, we have to start young. We don't even know their talents when they do not participate. 

Chinese Players

Unfortunately, the Chinese population at large are only betting and watching soccer some times. Too few are playing the game. Few Chinese parents wish for their sons to be a footballer. Yet, more than 70% of our population is Chinese. This talent pool remains largely untapped. It is nothing racial about it. I believe many Chinese parents have dissuaded their children from it. In the past, we have our many Chinese players such as: 

Lee Bee Seng, Lim Chiew Peng, David Lee, Edmund Lee, Patrick Wee, Lee Kok Seng, Matthew Chin, Quah Kim Siak, Lim Teng Sai, Robert Sim, Lim Tien Jit, Lim Tang Boon, Au-Yeong Pak Kuan, Lim Tong Hai, Seak Poh Leong, Leong Kok Fann, Lee Man Hon, 

Quah Kim Swee, Quah Kim Lye, Quah Kim Song, Ho Kwang Hock, Don Ang, Toh Choon Ming, Tay Peng Kee, Wong Kok Choy, Steven Tan and even Eurasian players - Eric Paine, Brian Rozario, Brian Batchelor, Jeffrey and Lazaroo.

Even Fandi Ahmad has made the same observation.

Icons And Stars


Farrer Park was iconic as it was the birth place of Singapore soccer just as the KK Hospital saw many babies delivered. While Jalan Besar is also as historical, it is more an official place for matches unlike Farrer Park. To be successful and to attract more fans, you will need to have stars. Players who are really very good and those with great personality and skills. Young players will have their favourite stars to emulate.

Build on success

When we achieve success with a team that won the Malaysia Cup or the Tiger Cup or Asean Championship, we need to build on that success and create an euphoria. Get folks interested and create a buzz from school boys playing soccer to the fans. We need to keep core teams at each eage group as feeder squads.

Philosophy

We need to decide what is our soccer philosophy. Soccer is a team game and a contact sport. Can we match with the Europeans playing to their style? Can we match the Koreans, the Arabs, the Chinese in speed and physique even within Asia? Or what should we do? I say let's go Latin. Latin teams and players has guile, are smaller in built but quick to turn and can create space even in tight situation and they are skillful. Look at Brazil, Argentina and even Uruguay. Uruguay has a small population of only 3.5 million and they were in the semi-finals of the last World Cup. Look at Argentina's Higuain, Aguero, Messi. Look at the Spanish - Xavi, Iniesta and Villa. Barcelona took a long time to come to where they are now. Mind you, Santos are the Brazilian and Latin Champions. Neymar hardly had a look at the ball. Watch:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xk-EvJ1dFM4

Lion City Cup

Our Lion City Cubs gave the big boys of Juventus, Newcastle, Flamenco and Everton a run for their money. Why can't we do the same as we grow up? Too much distraction. Keep the team together.

Competition 

Obviously some players think they are stars when they are not. That is due of lack of competition. When a player of Cesc Fabregas when playing for Spain can only sit on the bench, you know the quality of the squad.

Ex Players

Get ex players involved. If I talked to people about Quah Kim Lye, Kim Song or Mat Noh and Zainal Abideen, Lim Teng Sai, Robert Sim, S. Rajagopal or Syed Mutalib today nobody knew them especially when they are younger than me. We know Steven Gerrard, John Terry, Frank Lampard, Wayne Rooney better. When players are popular they should get involved with the community.

S-League

Without promotion and relegation, it is difficult for teams to fight harder to stay alive. May be we are a small nation but it may be essential. Foreign players must be outstanding and of higher quality. S-League teams should bond with the community. In Europe, they have their soccer teams of players visiting hospitals and doing charitable works and to connect with the people. In the old days, younger players like Paul Gascoigne has to polish the boots of Kevin Keegan at Newcastle. They also gave away apprenticeship to youngsters. Matches played on dates and timing that clashed with EPL live games will be a problem. How to avoid it?

Fighting Spirit

Of course it is about winning. Everybody loves a winning team but more than winning, everybody loves a fighting team. Your team can go down 3-0 to a much stronger team but when they fought till the end and to the final whistle, that is when your fans will applaud you. It is never over till the fat lady sings. Remember, it is not the size of the dogs in the fight but it is all about the size of the fight in the dogs. Inculcate this in all the teams and I assure you that you will never let your fans down.

Malaysia Cup

Come January, we are returning to the Malaysia Cup. Lions XII will be our team name. The Malaysia Cup provides natural rivalry like no other. It is like a derby with every team. Even the travelling gets real. Can the profile be raised after such a long time? It can only get better and very much depends on the team's exploits. Show the fans your mettle and they shall return. May be even snowball in the future and what a great spectacle it will be when the new stadium is ready and it becomes the home of the Lion again. Kallang will roar again!

Coaches

We will definitely need to groom local coaches. We used to have more of them - Choo Seng Quee, Jita Singh, Seak Poh Leong, Robin Chan. At the end of the day, you have to look at England today. Spain, Italy, France and Germany seem to have more than England where even the national coach is foreign.


Players


Players mustn't think they are stars. If there is serious competition for places they may not even be selected. You are as good as your last game. David Beckham despite his fame and riches is always the first to arrive for training and the last to leave. Learn the right habits and get the basics right. Players must take responsibility and always ask for the ball . They are often too static - passing the ball then standing still. There must be greater movement - pass and move into another position to receive again. Singapore's play is too one dimensional.


I have seen national players running back to the centre circle in the direction of their own goal without looking at the ball and also when defending corner kicks running back to the penalty box. Your eyes must always be on the ball. Run backwards facing the ball if you must.


I wish Singapore Soccer all the best and hope that one day soon we will return to our true greatness! For this to happen, all fraternity must pull together as one. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbxPnq8OZqs&feature=results_video&playnext=1&list=PL333F9B9FAE250F8F

Christmas - Before And After

Christmas, so what did I do? We had a small family celebration at Costa Sands @ Pasir Ris. This one is better than the Downtown East in my humble opinion. When having a little break, we walked down to e-hub Downtown East to visit the lovely pond with big fish like Pacu.

There was this huge tent and it looked like was in the Arabian or Mongolian desserts or some kind of mother ship to take you away. Big departmental stores held their sales there.

We did the turkey on the eve of Christmas eve.

Then we hammed it in. Fabulous!

I tried to be conservative.

Then I added beef to my plate.

Certain food has to be consumed with some fats.

We did dancing like para para, volleyball, javelin, long jump and various other sports using the X-Box Kinetics. Young and old can do it.

On the actual Christmas Eve, I visited the House of Red Rock. I had - one beer. Ahem.

And collected some bottle caps.

On Christmas Day, I was invited to the Indoor Stadium for a special service. It was packed to the brim. It harks back to the old days: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God"- John 1:1. 

The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of The One and Only, who came from the Father, full of Grace and Truth. John 1: 14.

Luke 2: 8-14:

⁸ Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹ And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. ¹⁰ Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. ¹¹ For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. ¹² And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.” ¹³ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: ¹⁴ “ Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpgaWm2pnNs

There was great teaching. Leviticus 17: 14:

"For it is the life of all flesh. Its blood sustains its life. Therefore I said to the children of Israel, ‘You shall not eat the blood of any flesh, for the life of all flesh is its blood. Whoever eats it shall be cut off." 

This reminds me and is easily accepted that all men are sinners. It is common for example for people to tell small lies. Simple white lies. Then in order to cover up the simple small lies, they have to create more and bigger lies to cover those smaller ones and so on. Another simple reason is that all children lie no matter and you do not need to teach them to. It comes naturally. It is human nature. I know sometimes you lie to me too when I ask you for golf and then lie to the wife when playing golf.

Then there are many of us who are unhappy because we feel unfairly dealt with. I am quite sure Adam would be trouble if we do get to heaven. Because of him, we suffer but we do not see the redemption in Christ like we always cry over spilled milk or the double bogey at the last hole. So why are we liable? It is in the blood! The DNA. Just the same as how your children will take after you. If your business HQ fails, the rest falters even if you are currently making money elsewhere. If our grandfathers died at the age of 10, we wouldn't be here. Now, is that fair too? Drain a man of his blood and he is gone. It's all in the blood.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzayuZuKP7E

I enjoyed the very good drama too. It was touching. I prayed and asked for His blessings. For you and me because in the hustle and bustle of our daily lives, there are people out there who are feeling lonely, empty and lost. Others may be searching for answers or seeking to find the meaning of life.

In the evening, we have another family celebration at the lovely home of the host with the most. Merry Christmas!

Mistletoe and Christmas pine.

The famous Christmas flowers "Poinsettias"

Log cake anyone? But the chocolate and banana cakes baked by the host was awesome.

Local Christmas parties has a East meets West flavour which is lovely.

Presents everywhere. Sometimes, it is a headache choosing gifts for loved ones and friends.

Here is the Guru at his altar where folks pay homage with gifts. Haha, the truth be told. I was simply lazing like what a python would do after swallowing a goat and since there was a photo opportunity, might as well pose.

.....and just mucking around.

This was the greatest joy on Boxing Day when we visited a friend and his family welcoming the bundle of joy. Children are the wonders of life and a testimony to the miracle of life. A gift from God for our temporary care. Those who abuse children also abuse me and the rest of humanity.

It made my day sharing the joy of a friend and his family!