Posts

Showing posts from 2008

HANDICAP, COURSE AND SLOPE RATING

Handicap It is not about ordering frog legs then watching the frogs being pushed out from the kitchens in wheel chairs. Golf is the only game in the world where you play without an umpire. It has to be honest. It is also the only game where you can ind ulge in with competitors bigger, taller, stronger and more skilful than you that's where the handicap comes in. It is totally and is the most equitable sport. Have a tennis game with Roger Federer, a race with Lewis Hamilton, a race in the pool with Michael Phelps, etc. and you get the picture. A golf handicap is important as first and foremost, in anything that one can indulge in, what is of paramount importance is always safety. Even if you consider other sports like fishing, rock clumbing or bungee jumping. The handicap is also a kind of licence to play the game and at some golf courses determine whether you could just play on a weekday only or including a weekend. It can also help you to get some extra helpings i...

World's Best Soccer Players

Mirror, mirror on the wall. Who is the one with the Golden Ball? Once in awhile, comes a genius of a soccer player who whenever a ball is at his feet, you expect something special to happen. I was indoctrinated and soccer crazy when I was at Victoria School since the school A, B and C teams are usually in some kind of semi-finals and finals. We watched our teams played in our very good school field where even the National Team used to train where we watched our famous 1977 Malaysia Cup winning team trained under the eagle-eyed late and legendary Uncle Choo. Then the highlights of the 1970 World Cup "The World at Their Feet" captured my imagination at the time they were ushering the 1974 World Cup. That was where I embarked on a journey of acquiring soccer knowledge with dosiers of Eusebio the Portuguese Black Panther, the world's best goalie Gordon Banks, the great Bobby Moore, the unstoppable and thundering shots of Bobby Charlton, the first and ever world cup h...

Movie Review - 300 & Red Cliff

300 (M18) Ratings***** 300 starring Gerard Butler is a spectacular movie with stunning visuals and must not to be missed. The epic graphic novel by Frank Miller spills your screen with the blood, thunder and awe of its ferocious battle violence and a very intense blend of action sequence retelling the ancient Battle of Thermopylae depicting the titanic clash in whcih King Leonidas and 300 Spartans fought to the death against King Xerxes and his massive Persian army.  Rated M-18, it is a battle still being told today of the Spartans fighting abilities, bravery, tactics and how they overcame great odds. All people who aspire to overcome great odds and in need of inspiration for victory and courageneed to watch this movie. While before this historical event, all nations would meekly surrender, they were later inspired by the Spartans and fought the Persians. Such a good movie can be had for only S$6.95 and can be found at Laser Flair outlets if you have not already seen...

Let Children Be Children

Teaching & Education Less teaching and more learning. In the western world, children ask plenty of questions and teachers engaged them as an interaction. Here, teachers ask you to shut up and don't ask so many questions. In our time, many students got slapped on their faces and knocked on their heads and even pinched at the waist umpteen times so much so that we may have lost our original look and mind and if you go home and tell your parents, you get another dosage of the same.  Many could still not recite A-Z in primary one compared to today's children who are literate way before P1. There is no doubt that we have an excellent education system, result-wise churning out students who could ace their exams. But is education just about grades? Or is an overall development into a more than decent human being capable of independent thinking instead of through rote learning? we certainly have the IQ but how about our level of EQ?  Sad to say we score poorly in this ar...

Inner Peace 6 - Revenge of The Sieve

Forgiveness Our human heart and condition are built on unforgiveness. We are sensitive to many things and yet insensitive to others in everything. We only consider our own feelings because our soul residing inside of us could feel the pain when we hear or see something we do not like. It is funny when the other fellow has mud on his face but the fun is different when the mud is on yours. Isn't it true that we offend without even knowing or bother to be careful and feel offended by something that is not even there.  We never remembered when we hurt others, try counting and you wouldn't even recall. Now try to remember who has offended you - Wow!! The names pour out like an internet search with pages of contents. Some of you may even keep a black book to blacklist people. Some organisations has managers who keep a record of wrong doings. How does a staff feel good when it felt like someone is watching to catch you making mistakes or take a wrong step?  What about t...

Inner Peace 5 - Attack of The Clones

If you are vain enough or think highly enough of yourself, would you clone yourself? Your Mind & Wisdom Your world is entirely what you choose to make it, whether one live a life of despair devoid of hope or one that scale heights of success, the choice is entirely yours. When you are positive refusing anything negative to enter your mind, you unleash a powerful force to achieve a fulfilling life - love, friendship, health and victorious life. If you continue to do exactly the same things, you get the same results in life.  When you control your mind, you take charge of your life. You can control your desires, thoughts, emotions and feelings towards a direction you choose. You could channel your energy and time in pursuits of excellence in certain useful things or fritter your time away in fruitless activities. Everyone has 24 hours a day and since your mind belongs to you, you may choose to do things with a constructive purpose or you use it for futile, useless, ...

Inner Peace 4 - The Phantom Menace

T he Phantom Menace - the phantom is a menace. Commitment/Charity/Caring/Giving/Service It is a fact that most of us have tried and failed before we achieve any success. We may even have given the extra miles often only to no avail. But if you quit trying, you will surely miss out on the riches that awaits you at the end of the rainbow. Without commitment one cannot sustain in the long run. Great achievements are as a result of a commitment to do the right things regardless of the consequences.  When you get to the end of a rainbow you will know there's no real glittering gold at the end of a rainbow, not even the pot. That pot of gold will be the arduous journey and struggles along the way that builds and strengthens you and that is the pot of gold. Do you know how important it is to offer service freely to your community or anyone without expecting anything in return?  There are always so much intangible benefits of personal self-respect, inspiration and feel ...

Inner Peace 3 - Return of The Jaded

Make Peace Not War As much as it is possible, be on good terms with everyone but at the same time knowing you can never please everyone. Never hit out at anbody at first for it may be a simple misunderstanding or misinterpretation. In other words, do not hurt anyone unless you are very sure that someone needs to be sent to the cleaners or have their faces re-arranged. Be prepared for some unreasonable remarks or action said or taken against you maybe even a couple of blow and at the right time when the facts are out it is never too late to go for the jugular.  You know exactly what I mean when you watch Rocky usually being portrayed as the underdog and severely punished before he lashed out furiously and victoriously. It's like a good military doctrine which exudes confidence being a able to take at least a blow first before retaliating. After taking this unnecessary and aggressive attacks, retaliation, defence and counter-attacks must be swift and decisive. Take no pri...