Ostra Boy

I just returned from my preparation camp for Science Orientation Week. It's been a year since I was a freshie going in for my orientation camp and being a senior this time brings in a lot more responsibilities. I'm joining this camp together with the people from my orientation group the last time round. Although we do not see each other often in school, we still keep in contact every now and then. It is really important to join orientation camps in school, it is just about the only way to make friends. The preparation camp wasn't much fun and we were pretty much hated because we formed a separate entity from the rest. We caused the groupings to be disrupted because we wanted to stick together and we missed out on a lot of activities which we do not consider to be fun. Also, we slept in while the rest of the groups slept in the LTs. As a result, we were pretty much left out and did not know what was going on most of the time. However, it was quite fun going against the rest. Having a siege mentality feels strangely good. We do still recognise that it's important to integrate back into the mainstream and resolve to be more enthusiastic next week when the actual camp starts. Our group name is Astro Boy and it's really a big chore just painting the banner. I drew out the picture and it looks like an overweight Astro Boy with a trunk of an elephant for a hand. There were many mistakes made during the painting and it made the whole process more tedious. Nevertheless, with the company of friends, the whole process was very fun. We had resolved to become the best OG for the actual camp with Lois constantly saying motivational stuff. I'm sure if we really wanted it, all of us can become very enthusiastic and morph from ninjas to astro boys. Astro Boy will be able to soar to the sky if we all ignite the fire within us. 100 000 horsepower with a heart of gold. Here comes...............ASTRO BOY!!!!

Asian Cup

The Asian Cup is now on and I've caught a few matches. It's a pity that Singapore chose not to host the Cup. I'm sure we can give the Asian giants a run for their money. The Australians came into the tournament as favourites and proclaimed that it will be a failure if they do not win the tournament. Their arrogance proved to be their downfall as they only managed to win once in the tournament. Their attitude was lousy and they thought they could come to Asia and whip every single team with their physical prowess. They understimated the standard of Asian football. I've always thought that football is a very fair game. Every kind of player will have their own individual strengths and weaknesses. The Asian players are smaller in size but they have superior agility and speed. I think this Asian Cup taught the Caucasians a lesson in humility. Maybe it's because I'm biased against Caucasians. I think, judging from their history, that they are not a good race. They are the ones that went all over the world to colonise other people, exploiting them for their own benefit. The Indians in America were killed by European settlers, the Africans were also exploited for their resources, we Asians were exploited as well. They believed that they were the superior race but I think a superior race will treat other people with more respect and conduct themselves in a better manner than what they have done so far.

Copa America

The Copa America is coming to an end and there is only one team deserving to be champions. Argentina, by far, has been the best team in the tournament. They won all their matches and they did it playing beautiful football. I've supported them during the World Cup and I'm rooting for them again this time. They are a team brimming with talent but one man stands out from the rest. His name is Juan Roman Riquelme. He is a magician on the ball and his playmaking is second to none now that Zizou is gone. He doesn't possess searing pace but he has a footballing brain powered by superprocessors. He is living proof that brain will win over brawn. It has been an honour watching him play. For his sake, Argentina must win ths time. Argentina....Argentina....Argentina....Argentina!

Yin Yang fish

I am not an animal-rights advocate but a news report I saw yesterday left me totally disgusted with humanity. The above picture shows a dish that is introduced in Taiwan recently and which is pretty popular among customers. It is a half-alive, half-dead fish draped in sweet and sour sauce. The body of the fish is cooked while the head of the fish is still alive. Customers eat the flesh of the body while the fish's head is still moving around. The fish is cooked in this way so that it can be shown to be fresh. The way that they cook the fish is very cruel. The chef takes out a live fish and then, holding the head of the fish, puts the body into hot cooking oil. The fish can be alive for up to half an hour after cooking. Right now, the Taiwanese government is trying to persuade the restaurant owner to stopserving this dish. This cruel dish is introduced into Taiwan from China where it has been a popular dish. It is that country again. Sometimes I wonder: " Just what the hell is wrong with that country? "

Surveying

I am currently doing surveys for the Ministry of Manpower. It isn't an easy job and I am actually a replacement for soeone who quitted. The job involves calling people up or visiting them at home to do interviews on their economic status. The response rate is very low and there are a few instances when I have been scolded by irritated respondents. I've met friendly people as well as rude people. So far, I think the most rude people are the Caucasians and the educated high-income Singaporeans. On the other end are the Taiwanese and the Japanese as well as the retired Singaporeans. The retirees are a pleasure to interview as they are very friendly towards me. I have always been invited into their houses and they have always treated me very kindly, offering me drinks and such. Just yesterday, I visited an elderly cople and what was a routine 10 minute interview turned out to last over an hour. They were telling me stories of their past as well as complaining about the government. They were talking to me in Hokkien and I can catch most of what they are saying. Two decades of listening to my relatives conversing in Teochew definitely helps. Through the interviews, I realised that Singapore is not the utopia that we are led to believe. There are people living in dilipidated one room flats who are struggling to survive in a First World country with one of the highest per capita GDP in the world. Money is really a big issue for a significant proportion of the population. There are people who are earning only a few hundred a month and they have to support themselves as well as their family. I feel for these people but there is nothig much I can do about the situation. It is up to the government to help them out more than what they are currently doing. At a time when there are a record number of millionaires, the widening income gap is a really big issue we have to overcome. The neighbourhoods I covered have posh condominiums situated beside HDB flats that look neglected. I hope that as much as we try to move forward in the global economy, we do not leave the lowly-educated and the elderly behind. They are as much a part of Singapore as we are and we should not forget them.

Saying goodbye to the Old Lady

I went for the closing ceremony of the National Stadium on Saturday. THere was an exhibition match between Singapore and Australia and we lost 3-0. There's too much a gap between us and a World Cup team and it showed on the pitch. No doubt we had our chances, but the Australians were so much better in their movement, passing and finishing. The closing ceremony was quite stupid and the events they organise do not evoke any emotions at all. The fireworks seemed like they were the discarded ones from NDP. The after-the-ceremony party was poorly attended and I did not take part in it.

However bad the ceremony was, it served the function of reminding me of the memories I had in that concrete bowl. It looks dull and ugly but it holds such colourful memories for me. I never attended a single match in that stadium during the Malaysian Cup days. The first time I watched a match in the stadium was when Singapore played Myanmar. Till now, I think that was the finest matc I ever watched. Singapore came from behind to win the match and it was full of drama. There was fighting both on and off the pitch and I feared for my life on that night. It was so much fun hearing all the insults thrown at the Myanmar fans as well as seeing all the various objects being thrown. Umbrellas, confetti and bottles containing suspicious liquids were seen flying through the air. Since that match, I was hooked on watching matches in the stadium. Although it's more clear to watch on TV, the atmosphere at the stadium makes going there all worth it. There's always some funny commentator around, be it the Ah Beng shouting vulgarities or the Malay Uncle describing the warm-up of the Malaysian players. Then there is the Kallang Wave, the Butoh cheer, the die-hard fans with their S-I-N-G-A-P-O-R-E cheer, the passionate fan running around the stadium with the flag and the shouts of Referee Kayu. The stadium holds so much good memories for me as my group of friends have managed to make it into a fortress. Before the Australian match, Singapore had never lost a match in the stadium when we were watching. We had our own special spot in the stadium, the area behind the goalpost in the North stand, I think. It was there where we celebrated winning the Asean Cup for the second time in a row. It is our very own special corner in the National Stadium.

The Old Lady will be pulled down to make way for a young hot babe and I'm certainly looking forward to it. It's time our country has a state of the art stadium. Retractable roof, all seater and a great looking exterior, it's a tantalising prospect. I just hope the atmosphere will match up to it.