Elections

So far, I've attended two rallies this election. The first was the SDA's at Potong Pasir and the second was the Worker's Party's at Hougang which just ended. Even though I'm not eligible to vote this year, i still attended the rallies to hear what the opposition parties have to say. Watching the news on tv just doesn't give you the full picture. Therefore, i attended both rallies with my dad on Friday and Sunday. The SDA rally was a bit of a disappointment. The speakers were not really convincing and not too fluent. Only Chiam See Tong spoke well. Even so, he spoke only for a short while and his voice wasn't too good. The rally ended prematurely at 930. I went back home feeling a little shortchanged. The standard wasn't as good as the 2001 rally i attended at Kallang. On Sunday, after i learnt that the Worker's Party was having a rally at Hougang, i approached my dad and he agreed to go with me to the rally. It was to be my first Worker's Party rally. We reached the rally site at 715. At that time, a substantial number of people have already gathered at the site. Definitely more than the SDA rally. I was pleasantly surprised. The crowd started to grow in numbers as we waited for the rally to start. I was getting a little impatient as time goes by. Finally, the first speaker spoke at 730. He was an Indian. Pretty humourous. It was a good start. As he spoke, I couldn't help wondering what it was like in the old days when JBJ was still contesting. He was a good speaker as far as i know. The atmosphere must have been electrifying. The Indian speaker switched to Tamil after his English speech. It was quite funny hearing the Indian crowd cheering everytime he raised his voice when the rest of us have no idea what is going on. Even some of the Chinese present also began to cheer. After that Indian speaker, 6 more speakers went up to speak in various languages. They touched mainly on the healthcare issue. The speakers who spoke in Hokkien were generally more funny even though i couldn't catch everything that they said. Speeches given in English or Chinese tended to be more serious. I just felt that it was harder to make funny speeches in these languages compared to dialects. Mr Low Thia Khiang was the 8th speaker. Frankly, he's the reason why i wanted to go all the way to Hougang for the rally. I was impressed by him on tv. By his humour and wit. Especially in his replies to the questions posed by the PAP. He was sarcastic without being malicious. His comments were funny but touched at serious issues. He was greeted with loud applause as he took the stage. He began his speech in Teochew. And he didn't disappoint. It was the funniest speech I ever heard. I do not know how to translate his speech here but I can assure you that it was really good. He poked fun at the government and also spoke about upgrading and healthcare. And he also warned about giving the PAP a clean slate. Thunderous applause followed when he finished. The crowd was electrified. He handed over to Slyvia Lim for her speech in English. He then took over for the ending speeches in Chinese and English. But they weren't as good as the Teochew speech. The rally ended punctually at 10. As I made my way back to the MRT, i saw the entire magnitude of the crowd. It was almost unbelievable. Thousands of people squeezed onto a muddy field. You have to be there to see the numbers. I do not know if all of them who came are going to vote for the WP, but judging by the numbers who came, i felt the WP might have a chance this year. The candidates are not too bad and they have a charismatic leader in Mr Low. They might just give the PAP a good run for their money.

Midfield solutions

Manchester United has done well this year to push Chelsea all the way for the title. However, it is a case of too little, too late. Chelsea are set to win the title this season. A big factor for United's failure to win the title this year is down to their indifferent form in mid season. Much of it is due to United's weakness in central midfield. With the walking out of Roy Keane and the injury to Scholes, United lost 2 of their first choice midfielders. Alan Smith, a striker forced to play in midfield for the United cause, showed plenty of heart but his inexperience in midfield showed as United failed to dominate matches like they once did. United were left with even fewer options when Smith got injured during the Liverpool match. The only options left were Fletcher and Richardson. Both definitely do not have the ability to play for United though both of them are internationals. Fletcher is the captain of Scotland(which says a lot about the Scottish team) and Richardson has a few caps for England(which is reflective of Eriksson's team selection). Only when Ferguson converted John O'Shea (a defender) and Ryan Giggs (a left winger) as central midfielders and played them as first choice, Man Utd began playing like potential title contenders. O'Shea and Giggs have done well but, as Ferguson and most of us know, they are only stop-gap solutions. United need world class midfielders. However, to sign top players, Manchester United need top money and Glazer is in debt( and who knows when he might die of a stroke). Also, United no longer have the influence to attract top players. And Chelsea, bankrolled by Abramovich, will attempt to jeopardise any move by outbidding United. In the face of these difficulties, United will find it hard to buy any top-class midfielders(though i hope they really do get Riquelme). As a self-respecting Man Utd fan, I shall propose a few solutions.

Convert existing players to midfielders.

United have a surplus of players in other positions. Might as well convert them to midfielders. Doesn't cost a single penny as well.

Gary Neville - He's the captain of Man Utd. And many previous captains were central midfielders(Ince, Robson, Keane). It's in that position where captains can exert greater influence on their teammates. As a captain, Neville can better motivate his players playing in midfield rather than at right back. His lung-bursting runs down the flank can be better utilised in the middle. He can be a box-to box midfielder. Wow. Not since Keano have we had a box-to-box player. And Neville can cut down on his mistakes by playing there. Surely, he won't be playing opposing strikers onside in central midfield.

Ferdinand - He's the classiest defender in Man Utd. Too classy, in fact, to play as a defender. His assured touch on the ball, his dribbling and his flair can be better utilised as a midfielder. Not a defensive midfielder( where he played so well that Ince said he can play for England as a DM) but as a offensive midfielder, a playmaker. His ball control and vision can rival Riquelme. Think of all the times he brought the ball out of his own penalty box to the opposing side's penalty box. It's a waste of talent for him to play in the safety-first position of central defender. And he has a flair for doing the unexpected, an ability all great playmakers have. Flashback to all his bloopers, heading back towards his keeper when the keeper is out of position, losing the ball in his own box etc. Lastly, he got something even Riquelme doesn't have. He got guts. Who dares to dribble in his own box except Ferdinand? You need guys like Ferdinand to keep their cool ender pressure. Imagine if it was Ferdinand instead of Riquelme taking the penalty for Villarreal. Ferdinand definitely would have chipped the ball into the middle of the net. Such is his class.

Evra - He's second choice behind Silvestre in the left back position, which says a lot about him. With Heinze returning from injury, he would be third choice. His chances of playing then will be as great as Singapore making the World Cup by 2010. He is already warming the bench now. So well, in fact, that he even managed to sleep on the bench while Manchester United were playing. So Ferguson should kick his ass out of the bench and deploy him in midfield. I know he does nothing but so does Fletcher. If Fletcher can play in central mid, so can Evra. After all, you sometimes do need stealth bombers in your team.

Howard - He can forget about being the goalie as long as Van der Sar is around. So why not give him a try in midfield. We all know about his Tourette's Syndrome. The sudden movements that he can't control. Imagine him then being deployed as a combative midfielder. He can then hack opponents down at will. He can claim that it's his Tourette's syndrome acting up thereby avoiding yellows and reds. Howard the Horror.

Recruit from Kolam Ayer CC

Kolam Ayer CC is a place where the football is played fast and furious. Players there play under Premier league like conditons. Therefore, players recruited from there can assimilate quickly into the team.

Ken Ang Wei Yu - He's the best defensive midfielder in Kolam Ayer. He's been dubbed the new Claude Makelele. Uncompromising in the tackle, he protects the back four like a boy scout protecting the fire he had painstakingly sparked by rubbing stones together. Ankle snapping tackles, career ending double footed tackles, he can do them all. A good defensive midfielder frustrates the hell out of an opponent. He not only frustrates, he drives people crazy with his endless talk on the pitch, most of which is indecipherable. He can also assimilate well into the English culture where booze is indispensable. We've seen great players ruin their careers under the influence of alcohol(Gascoigne, Best), but we all can rest assured that that will never happen to Ken. Alcohol is like plain water to him. He's got a liver made of steel. Even 99.9% alcohol can't seem to hurt him. Ferguson can be assured of a good buy.

Back from JB and relieved

I've just gotten back from JB after a one day trip. The day started with us meeting at Woodlands interchange at 11. None of us, at that time, anticipated that it would be an adrenaline-filled day. We were more concerned about getting past the inefficient JB checkpoint.

Our past experience hasn't been exactly pleasant. We took about 30 to 40 mins getting past customs the last time round. Therefore, we were pleasantly surprised when we got past the customs in just 20 mins. We headed straight to City Square afterwards. There had been a robbery case in City Square a few weeks back. Naturally, we were on high alert as we roamed the mall. I remember a spokesman for City Square saying that there were 10+ security guards deployed at the mall. I didn't see a single security guard around for the 4 hours that I was there. I think they were plain-clothes security guards. We lunched at Hasheed's Restaurant. The fish head curry was great. And it was cheap. In fact, almost everything in JB is cheap. Even the fines are cheap. After lunch was shopping. Wai San and I were interested in some shoes. The shoes looked great. Of course, they were also cheap. 50-80 ringgit. Works out to 22-30plus S$. It sounds like a good deal. But we soon discovered that the largest size they've got was 9.5. That's the thing about buying things in JB. Things are often too good to be true. Like the shirt i bought the last time round that shrank from M to XS. It's supposedly Billabong but it's more like Billabonk. Shahid was the only one who managed to buy something there, 2 shirts. After that frustrating shopping, we made our way to another shopping centre besides City Square. I forgot the name of that building. It's not worth remembering. There's only one reason we went there. Only one shop there that we were interested in. The shop that we went the last time. The shop we affectionately call "The sports shop" because none of us can remember its name. We bought 2 shirts there. We attempted to bargain. But the shop owner was a tough bargainer. Our persistence paid off. He relented. Discount of 90 cents for each shirt(from 49.90 to 49). Good for a cup of coffee, he says. Without milk or sugar, he added. Disappointed and also amused by his discounts, we searched for a taxi to bring us to Pelangi, our last destination. We tried to look for a honest taxi driver. We really did. Walked down the whole row of cabs and scrutinised all their faces. None looked decent. We took a chance with the first cab in the queue. It was a mistake we would all come to regret. A mistake that we had no chance to avoid. For the cabbie took off straight after we got in and charged us 6 ringgit. The driver doesn't believe in meters. Our previous ride with the meter on registered a fare of 4 ringgit for the same journey. We were taken aback but we couldn't do anything. The taxi was already cruising as we tried to absorb the shock of that impact. Naturally, we cursed amongst ourselves. Our anger led to a plan. A plan to get back at the driver. A counterattack. He was like Bayern Munich in the 99 champions' league final. Throwing all his might at us, believing we would crumble under his pressure and give in. We were Manchester United. Shocked by his lead. But never surrendering. As the taxi stopped in front of Pelangi Plaza, the driver, Govindasamy, as we later learnt, felt victorious. Like leading 1-0 with only a minute of extra time left. It must be all over. Victory was in his hands. As we all knew, Sheringham popped up with a goal for Man Utd in that extra minute. Wai San did a Sheringham as he handed over a stack of 1 ringgit notes to Govindasamy. As he counted the notes, we got out of the cab. He then realised that we only gave him 4 ringgit. 1-1! What a blow! All of us then did a Solskjaer when we walked straight into the Plaza. 2-1! We've won it. Unbelievable. It has always been a case of JBians cheating Singaporeans, never the other way round. We had beaten all odds. Govindasamy's reaction was like Kuffour after the final whistle. Letting out a cry of frustration in an attempt to turn back time. But like Kuffour, deep in his heart, he knew. He knew nothing he did can change the result. However, unlike Manchester United, we felt fear after winning. We were scared of reprisals. Afraid that Govindasamy would activate his army of taxi drivers to take revenge. We steered clear of the first storey and went straight to the highest storey. We took cover there for some time before creeping back to the first floor after checking that there's no sign of Govin. We shopped around for a while before walking to a nearby food centre for our dinner. We were not going to take any more chances with taxis. What if Govin was our driver again? We hadagood dinner. Too good, in fact. So good that we felt guilty. Guilty for jeopardising our health with all that sinful food. Of course, needless to say, it was cheap as well. Trudging along with our expanded waistlines, we made our way back to the Plaza before taking a taxi back to the checkpoint. The taxi drove through many dark alleys. For moments, I felt I was going to get kidnapped. Luckily, that didn't happen. And thankfully, we didn't see Govin again. We crossed over safely. Except for a minor incident where i got caught with 2 sticks of chewing gum. I was caught but I wasn't scared. I was just glad to be back. Back in Singapore. Where everything is not cheap but at least the cabbies are honest.