Wishes For 2011
Christmas is quickly over and now we are looking to cross over to a brand New Year in 2011. What has changed and changed for the better? Have you and will you become a better person? What is a better person in your mind after all? I leave you to search yourself and go deeper and not just skim the surface. What are the things to come and how will things pan out in 2011? For a start, some people from Hungary and Slovakia became the 58th and 59th country to have visited. I am clamouring for more. I have received rave reviews from friends and readers so good I might become big-headed for my own good.
War?
Dear Leader is waging war. His 27 year old son has been promoted from nowhere to a four-star general. Cronyism and nepotism at its best? We can criticise but this is prevalent in many societies, countries and organisations. If we practise it, we have no right to criticise.
It's The Economy Stupid!
The US has not fully recovered and is still limping using lots of ink and paper to print money. They will come back no doubt but for how long more? They are still the world's most innovative nation with their substantial influence from culture to politics.
Europe is in crisis. We will be in shock if we read more about the state of their economies and their reserves (European countries). Bubbles have built up and burst in many countries so why didn't anyone learned anything? We had better watch ourselves. Our young are splurging and beyond their means. Property and car prices have skyrocketed beyond belief and so does the unpaid credit from young people. China and India are beckoning. So do Brazil and Russia.
Can we find a cure for cancer, aids, heart attacks? Talking about cancer, it was reported that doctors can now tell if a person is likely to get certain cancer by looking at the length of their fingers particularly the middle one. So next time you visit the good doc, flash him your middle finger. It is legitimate.With people all over deluded by power and money, how can we eradicate poverty?
What about things to be better at home? Should all FBT shorts be banned to the tune of jingle balls? The US has set up a task force to monitor Wikileaks and it is called "WTF" not a very nice abbreviation for Wikileaks Task Force as it can be easily misconstrued as crude language. Cocktail talks, gossips will thrive and rumours continue as long as you have people. Why do people like to gossip? Because they can talk about other people and make themselves feel better but people who talk to you about others will talk to others about you. Don't you think?
Inflation is rearing its ugly head as property and car prices escalate and this will hit our pockets. Should we sell our cars and maybe we can make a decent profit if we had bought at the right time? From a low base in 2009 to the high of 2010 where our sterling economy performed 15% - best in the world, we are headed into uncertainties as this cannot be repeated. Do people know that or do they expect a 10% increase? It's all about the economy and putting money into people's pocket.
It merely started this year and they are making tonnes of money. We are seeing and hearing stories about people burning themselves. Some are working class folks while others that are quite well-heeled are also sucked into it. Some are selling off properties to pay their debts when they could have been so comfortable had they not gambled.
No wonder property transactions have gone up! More cases may be coming up. It's like stories we hear in childhood like the one where the a lion caught a hare in its paws for food and when a deer ran by, the lion let go of the hare and pursued the deer but lost it. In fact, it lost both and ended up with nothing. Just like the old saying - "a bird in hand is worth two in the bush". Golfers listen here, a birdie in hand is worth more than two lost balls in the bush. A friend reported that he saw an old lady win a million dollars and the papers reported another lady won a Lamborghini in Jackpot but nobody reported about the thousands who lost their pants, their pride and their panties.
Talking about panties, a local 19 year old student is making hits on her blog by selling used panties in exchange for sexy video clips, her way of making pocket money. I thought maybe you'll find this in Japan. This is a fetish. How come I never thought of that by selling used golf clubs and showing some videos (of golf not panties).
Of late you are seeing more people just going naked. One young man was even involved in murder. These are people who has gone mental. In the old days they just lock you up at Woodbridge mental hospital. Today, it has been renamed Institute of Mental Health. Maybe there isn't enough space or modern medicine and treatment could allow you to just take your medicine and when you don't you get relapse. No easy solution as you can't just lock everybody up. There are mad people in our midst even at the work place and among your friends.
A young lady who went on a drinking binge with friends and after she returned to the hotel room was probably so high that when her friends fell asleep she went out the window and walk on the ledges, got stuck, fell and clung on to a lamp post and in the process her robe came off and was naked hanging on a lamp post. I heard the Civil Defence sent 2 fire engine to the scene. Everybody wants to be there to rescue her.
Many people do not realise they should not challenge one another when drinking. They also do not know how to pace or control their drinks. Some do not realise that white spirits are slow killers - you don't feel much while drinking because the kick is slow but when it comes - wham! You had it. Maybe exuberance plays a part when a person is too sad or too happy. I just hope I won't see any of you walking around naked. If I do, I'll strip too and join you. What are friends for?
Boat Tragedy
Such things will continue to happen as long as there is human greed to make a little more money at the expense of safety. It can happen anywhere and anytime. I have gone on a night ride on a small motor sampan from Mersing to a kelong before. The kelong stay was fantastic, fishing for a few days with the sea breeze incessant. Food is provided throughout. Cat fish and sting rays were huge. I saw an eagle swooping for big dead cat fish off the sea's surface each morning.
Many of us travel but regrettably we leave our safety to tour agents or the organisers quite often without batting an eyelid what we are going to have to go through. All tour agents and organisers must wake up to take safety as the number thing to do when on trips just like golf. The paramount thing must be safety. Don't think of saving money, think safety. Go for holidays in style or don't go at all. I have seen some of the most gruesome accidents on the Malaysian highways and even Thai roads. Drivers with insufficient sleep or no driving licence. When we will get things right?
S. League
Singapore fared poorly in the Suzuki Cup soccer. Sacking coach Raddy is not the solution. After all, he was the one who brought us glory and got our level up but after the initial euphoria it just proved once again that to achieve something is easier than to sustain it. Raddy must be more daring to bring in new players even if we have a dearth of good players. A Tampines Rovers player was caught drink driving or driving while on suspension and he had the cheek to ask fans to pay for his fine. This really takes the cake and showed how self deluded these players are. There is no remorse or shame.
The FAS and the S League has been doing a good job but it is difficult to sustain interest. Games are best played during the weekends but clashing with the EPL has been a problem but EPL games are now screen live much later. A local Cup Final game once drew more than 20,000 spectators.
The S League needs real quality foreign players and there must be greater outreach to the community and to begin with more activities with neighbourhood schools could be a good start. The Malaysia Cup days could bring crowds of more than 60,000 people and some who could not find car parks even risked getting fine for parking along the roads.Why? There was excitement and great rivalry.
Rivalry
Rivalry in the Malaysia Cup was natural. There are geographical and historical differences. Rivalry in school sports are still there. We used to sing, chant and beat drums but after schools are over there are no more such intense rivalry. Engineer it. Whether you lived in the North or South, East or West Singapore is still too small where people are the same compared to big countries like the UK, the USA, European cities or even in Indonesia or Malaysia where people in each state, province or city are markedly different. We need to create rivalry.
EPL
Chelsea is in decline. Manchester United has not been as flamboyant but nonetheless still quite unbeatable. Liverpool is having the most dismal season and they really should have Peter Lim. Tottenham Hotspurs is having the time of their life and Harry "the wheeling and dealing" Redknapp has done wonders. Arsenal sometimes a little soft or wet behind the ears has just shown they have gone up a notch with that important over Chelski - something they haven't done for a long time. It's Man U's position to lose but Arsenal could give a serious run for the money.
Barcelona
Barcelona is the greatest team of all time some quarters strongly suggested and it would be hard to argue against that. The irony of it all is that Rinus Michel who gave the Dutch "Total Football" was responsible to bring Johann Cruyff to Barcelona and introduced the same there. When he left, his legacy continued through Cruyff who is still at Barcelona today.
In addition to total football, the Catalans added on "tiqui taka" a one touch and movement brand of scintillating soccer. This could have taken some twenty years to come to this level from mostly their youth. Singapore should aspire to learn how to do it the Spanish way as Spanish like the Latin players are mostly smaller in built and physique than their European brethren. It's all about the touches and movement, flow like water.
Wayne Rooney was there to watch Barcelona annihilate arch rival Real Madrid 5-0 under Mourinho at the Nou Camp. When the match ended, he stood to applaud non-stop and when his wife asked him why, he said that he has never seen such fantastic soccer being played before.
New Year Resolution
Another milestone of crossing into a new year offers fresh hopes and perspective. We want to shed our bad habits, the less positive traits, etc. To begin with, be very specific. Don't say I want to be a better person in 2011. Think, say or write down specifically that I want to be unselfish, generous, forgiving, considerate. You can make a resolution every day don't wait till once a year. How many one year or ten years do you have left? You should hone your skills everyday. Sharpen the saw. Beautify the sculpture. If you can't be a more considerate person you can't link up with the universe, see the stars, feel the breeze. Shed your ego and go down to ground zero. If you continue to do things thinking that no one is watching and you can get away with it you didn't get the point. The fact that you have to think that no one is watching is already your conscience speaking to you that you are doing something wrong.
Facebook
Amazingly, it has garnered 500 million users worldwide where epople play games or post pictures. "Hehe, my car wheels got clamped! Haha!" some folks would shamelessly declare. May be the face book folks are more sincere. Still there isn't much more communication than that. Others put a spider or a cartoon as profile and instantly become a keyboard warrior screaming profanities or appear so aggressive but that person could be the holy looking mildest bloke you could find. Faceless book?
Wishes For 2011
If only the Myanmar junta and Dear Leader knew that they do not have to be doing the same things and the good things in life can still be theirs and even more for their people. If only peace is secured in the Middle-East. Terrorism is done with. They find a cure for cancer, a definitive and preventive treatment of heart diseases, aids, etc. If. If only we are all kinder. Imagine - you may say that I am a dreamer but I know I am not alone.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VM0Z75KEd_o
What do you wish for in 2011? Change? Change begins with self. If you want to change the world, change yourself and if all of us go along and change then the world will change.
I wish all friends and readers good health and happiness. That you will find joy in your pursuits. That you will be safe. That you may prosper in all the good things. That God will bless you richly - you and your family and let 2011 be a wonderful year of human happiness!
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