Only one Tina Turner

This is the Song of the Year 1999 from Tina's award winning album "Steamy Windows". Man you young people don't know what great artistes are until you see the likes of the Stones, Tina Turner, Eric Clapton and Phil Collins.

Long Live Rock and Roll !

Geat New Song from Adam Lambert

This is the first song off his "For your Entertainment" album ; its on its way up the charts.

Take nothing away from the guy, his orientation, his heavily made up, mascara lined eyes. He is an awesome
rocker.

Video Highlights of the Liverpool - Wolves Game

l0-1w

Simão | Myspace Video

Historic win for Wolves never having beaten Liverpool at Anfied for 27 years.

Why I support a no-hope team like Wolves ?

This is the $ 64 million question I think I need to answer. My formative teenage years were in the 1970s and the top entertainment during those times was the colour TV (introduced during the 1974 World Cup Final between Germany and Holland). Oh how, it changed people's lives forever. We could actually see in S.E.Asia what was going on 'live' as it happened halfway around the world. There was no Internet, no Facebook,Twitter, no PCs (first introduced in the early 80s), no mobile phones, no IPhones etc. It was really like living in the Stone Age !

Every week, Singapore would get the English Premier league shown on Channel 5 maybe delayed telecast (2 - 3 weeks later) IN COLOUR. And the games then were played in a very passionate and rough and tumble manner, and of course being part of the Commonwealth, English football took a firm hold in the hearts and minds of many ordinary Singaporeans and Malaysians. The games were less skillful than those today and we had no Serie A, La Liga, Bundesliga etc. to watch.

So, in those days, one of the more unique sounding teams was Wolverhampton Wanderers, or Wolves for short and I kind of fancied myself like their chief striker John Richards, who played once or twice for the English national team. I had no idea where they were or if they were even champions. But I faithfully bought the SHOOT ! magazine every week after school (it was available at the neighbourhood shop for about S$ 1 a copy, a princely sum then) and followed their fortunes. I was kind of naive, not wanting to follow a big name team like Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester United etc. but the uniqueness of supporting an obscure Midlands team had its appeal. So I stuck with them, even though their glory days of winning the league twice in the 1950s to early 60s were long gone, even before I was born.

Since I followed them (say around 1976), they have only won the League Cup ONCE in 1980. That's IT. Andy Gray headed in a solitary goal against Nottingham Forest and it was 1-0. That's the ONLY major silverware they have won in the last 30 years. Very Pathetic YES. They have been relegated several times since the 1980s and their last stay in the lower regions has been almost 15 years. I forgot them altogether, although I visited the stadium Molineux in 1987 (23 years ago) with some University friends. So I am not a true blue die hard supporter. I am just a FAIR WEATHERED SUPPORTER.

Call me a romantic, but the PLUS POINT of supporting a no-hope team is that :

Whenever they win a game against any other Premier league team, its like WINNING THE CUP FINAL .No one expects them to win anything, let alone stay in the top flight of the Premier League, so their being in the top 20 for  2 years (2008 till now) is already a cause for celebration.

They invest a miniscule amount of money on players, have no brand name stars, and have been using their stadium for 30 years with little upgrade. Money is tight. I have been to the town of Wolverhampton and it is woefully sad and run down many factories have closed shop decades ago (it is an industrial town) and the onlyrevenue is from their university and polytechnics which offer decent degrees and diplomas in Engineering.

So when they win a match I celebrate like they have WON THE CUP FINAL  !

Compare that to someone who supports Arsenal, Liverpool,Man U or Chelsea,their supporters expect them to WIN A TROPHY EACH YEAR. When the do, its EXPECTED. When they don't its a massive DISAPPOINTMENT. So the supporters are JADED, winning is like so boring. So when a team like Liverpool loses a match to Wolves, its a MAJOR DISASTER.  So their emotions are OK we won (this week), BOO we lost to XXX.

Life must be quite torturous for those fans, the expectations are always rising each season.

My approach with Wolves is this ; They lost last week (OK) ; This week they won (YEAH, OLE,OLE, OLE !!! )

 So I am a FOREVER OPTIMIST.

 So on 30th Dec 2010,  Liverpool  0    Wolves 1.

 Its TIME TO PARTY !  OLE ! OLE ! OLE !

What goes through the mind of a Skier

                                                                      Chilling in ChunCheon Korea

  I have been to ski resorts a total of 3 times and been skiing for the last 5 years on and off, and I can  say that it is one of the most satisfying sports I have tried. It is also a very terrifying sport, especially when you are on the chairlift or ski-lift on the way up to the top of the hill or mountain as the only way down the hill or mountain is through your skis and one mistaken slip, overly fast downhill or uncontrollable speed can land one crashing and landing awkwardly can cause injuries amounting to broken limbs,or even loss of life.

 Having said that, it is as safe as driving, if one takes lessons from qualified ski instructors and undergo fitness training before attempting the slopes.  My son Andrew fractured his wrist when another snowborder knocked into him and I myself tore some ligaments when I fell awkwardly, in all places, at the ski training centre in Singapore. So it is best to come to the slopes trained and well prepared.

 What goes on in the minds of a skiier. I am going to say these  :

a) a prayer to God to help me ski down that damn mother of all mountains and not break a leg or worse.

b) a self assured mantra (repetitive chanting) that I can conquer the steepest slope because I can swerve
    and stop and control my speed and its not so difficult after all. Looking at all those young kids who ski
   with no fear in their eyes and going at 60 km/h downhill makes my attempt feel quite pedestrian.

    Its true that the older you are, the greater the fear of failure, danger and death. Its called 'KIASU' and 'KIASI' in Singapore.

c) Telling everyone in my group that each day I will attempt a tougher and steeper (bigger objective) hill.
    After that I have no face but to conquer my fears by attempting the bigger objective because I said so.

   That are the 3 things that go through my mind. It works well for those with a big ego, but the true test comes when you have to prove that YOU CAN DO IT !

   When I am skiing down, I am terrified as well as exhilarated at the same time. The rush is quite
unbelieveable.

    I should try sky diving next time, and see whether the adrenalin and endorphin (body's natural feel good chemicals released during high activity sport) high is the same.

  Carpe Diem.

Another Blast from the Past

Rolling Stones and Tina Turner singing

Its Only Rock and Roll"

Boney M - Christmas Mix

Merry Christmas to one and all.

     I have not been putting posts up as I have just returned from a short and thoroughly enjoyable holiday. Down with a bad case of  the 'flu, I decided to put up some happy songs to amuse myself and also to remind us of the true meaning of Christmas, and that it is NOT the following below :

a) OPPORTUNITY TO PARTY AND MAKE A FOOL OF ONESELF. This is really a period of
    reflection for Christians and non-Christians alike. Christians mark this day as the birthday of Jesus Christ
    and and remind themselves of the promise He made to the world. Non-Christians will use this day for a
    number of different things such as catching up with friends and relatives alike to enjoy the fellowship
   of men and women.

b) SPEND LIKE THERE IS NO TOMORROW : This has been a good year for many working people so
    be generous of your bonus to the less privileged but don't splurge on the nice-to-haves too much. For
    every up year there will be equally or more 'down' years. So save that hard earned bonus.

c)  EAT,DRINK AND BE MERRY. Sure go and have fun. Visit friends, family, acquaintences, office
     colleagues. Drink and soak in the atmosphere. Come Monday 27th to Thursday 30th,
    the WEIGHING  SCALE is YOUR ONE HONEST FRIEND. CAN YOU FACE HIM ?

    MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY. ENJOY THIS SONG.

Another video - viewer discretion is advised ; parents this can be harmful to the kids' minds.

Great song with vulgarities for added flavour

This Eminem song has 163 million 'hits' (or views on Youtube) since it came out, earlier this year, making that an average of 16 million hits per month or 500,000 hits per day on average. Wow !

The vulgarities sometimes lend ammunition to the stand by conservationists who think that anti-hero Eminem is poisoning the minds of influential young people. Well yes and no, yes, if the youngsters believe that the images such as Eminem falling off the cliff and flying into the air can be replicated - but then again, every superhero does that, Superman, Astroboy and recently Hancock. Of course, the youngsters should know by now the difference between reality and make believe.

The other aspect of vulgarities. Now we all went through our teenage years, who never uttered a four letter word or swore in his life ? Emimen's lyrics reflect the growing disenfranchisement of society, about his daughter's problems and him trying to reach to her. The rest of the stuff "Fxxx the universe" all add colour.

So, enjoy the song. Understand the message and accept that we live in a multi-coloured multidimensional world, where Eminem, Teletubbies, Chinese xinyao, Bollywood artistes and Hillsong (a Christian band) all  jostle for our attention.

Seize the day and enjoy it.  

Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore 2010

                                              Dedicated to the memory of my late father,
                                                            Geoffrey Abisheganaden
                                                                          1919 - 2010

                                  Someone commented it looks like a Singapore pewter souvenir

Date : Dec 5th 2010
Start Time : 5.00 am

      This is the 5th marathon that I attempted and completed,albeit the slowest one on record. I finished in a time of 5 hours 58 minutes or so (hand timed) today. The race started off late, because of poor baggage  handling management at Anguilla Carpark next to Orchard Road. Queues started forming from 4.10 am but the organisers only opened the stalls from 4.30 am so many of the runners were stuck still trying to send in their bags when the siren call for the first wave of runners started at 5.00 am. I was one of those runners. First Wave runners started at 5.00 am sharp and I managed to get through in the Second Wave of runners at 5.20 am. It was one of the factors which at the later stages of the race, may have added me some additional minutes to my timing.

        Our start was outside Wisma Atria at 5.20 am and although the Orchard Road lights were pretty to look at, as it was approaching Christmas, I was in no mood to really check out the sights. I had a race to run. My previous race times are shown below :

2003 : 5 hr 23 min (Penang Bridge Marathon)
2004 : 4 hr 52 min (SC Singapore)
2005 : 4 hr 59 min (SC Singapore)
2007 : 4 hr 48 min (SC Singapore)
2010 : 5 hr 58 min (SC Singapore)

           The sirens blared and we are OFF ! The first 2 kms take us along Orchard Road, Penang Road and up to Stamford Road. The pace is slow - about 7 min. per km and there were lots of runner bunched in between the balustrades which the traffic marshalls had cordonned off solely for the runners. It was not a nice feeling running next to all these sweaty bodies and moving too slowly for my liking.After Stamford Road, we head towards Hill Street and run all the way to Maxwell Road, again the runners have to keep to within road markers which are zealously controlled by volunteers. I have to add that this year's inspirators, or teams who are encouraging the runners are practically non-existent, I saw perhaps 2 to maximum 3 teams of guys and girls who sang and danced but it was too little and not motivating enough.

           From Maxwell Road, we head down to Telok Ayer Street running parallel to Robinson Road, and then on to Esplanade Drive where we see the start point of the 10K. It is about 7 km and the pace is slow mainly because of the runners all around me and perhaps my insufficient training. So bunched in between alot of slow runners and boxed in by the road dividers, it was very difficult to make my way forward unless there was a 'window' or I nudged someone aside.  We make a right around Raffles Avenue and then on to Nicoll Highway and Mountbatten Road, in the lead up to the East Coast Park stretch. There was a water point around Mountbatten Road, (around 10 km mark) and some of the runners were beginning to tire. I tried to push it, but dared not, as there was over 30 km left to go.

            At East Coast Park, I was familiar with the run routes, so we were able to spread out and I was able to increase my stride length to a faster pace, around 6 minutes per km.I made up for lost time and by the time we reached the half way mark, it was 2 hours and 30 minutes and I was on track for around 5 hr and 30 minutes if the cramps didn't set it. At the half way mark, I popped in the 2nd of my Power Gels and drank up the Accelerade in my handcarry bottle. After some stretching and massaging, I topped up on the water and headed on for the 2nd half. Things seemed to be going according to plan. I was speeding up and I was aiming to try to run a faster 2nd half.

           It was a pipe dream, by the time I hit around 26km, the first twinges of aches started below my left knee, my calves were beginning to pull. I decided to stop and do stretches along the way, so it was from 26 to around 30 km at the end of the ECP, I was taking regular stops every 15 minutes or so to stretch and not be laid up by cramp. I brought out my magic bottle of Salonpas and sprayed onto the problem areas. All around I was surrounded by the wafting almost puking smell of Counterpain, the gel used to massage runners and there were runners whose legs were literally caked in the stuff.

            32km it was getting hot, down went my sunglasses and out came my handkerchief. Ahh, the tricks of the trade of en experienced runner. I stopped at each water station and soaked my kerchief. We ran past the Marina Bay Gardens at around 9 amish and it was scorching hot. Lots or runners were now walking and I was employing a run 500 m, walk 200m strategy. I recognised that I wasn't pushing myself because of lack of training and desire for the timing and the drama of 2005 where I collapsed near the end still played out in my mind.

             35km and 40 km were the worst bits, the body was aching from the waist down. I was now running maybe 300 m and walking and stretching 700m. Many young runners had collapsed or given up along the way, that was how hot and unbearable it got at the later stages. At the 40 km mark, I told myself, Cmon, last 2km, you can run the last 2km, its only 15 minutes to the end !

           So I willed the aching body to run through the many walkers and RAN the last 2km through to the chute.I finished in 5 hours and 58 minutes and managed a smile for the bank of photographers towards the finish line. Some satisfaction that I did not ache that badly, but disappointment that it was the slowest time of my 5 marathons.  I remind myself of the below phrase :

ITS NOT HOW FAST YOU RUN IT, BUT FINISH IT AFTER YOU HAVE GIVEN IT YOUR 100%.

In a nutshell, the marathon was within expectations and below expectations in these aspects :

ABOVE EXPECTATIONS : BEAUTIFUL ROUTE no doubt, the Orchard Road section was nice running under the lights and the Floating Platform gave a beautiful view.

ENOUGH WATER POINTS : Every 3km at the early stages and 2km at the later stages was good.

BELOW EXPECTATIONS : BAGGAGE HANDLING : 1. Anguilla Park carpark started collecting the bags from 4.30 am. Only half hour to the start. Handlers were overwhelmed by the sheer number of bags, and processing was slow. Took me almost 45 minutes to hand in my bag, and had NO PROPER WARMUP. At the finish point, they located the bag collection at the F1 Pit Building some 2 km away.
Imagine running 42.195 km and then having to walk with your aching body another 2km to collect the bag. They screwed it up on this one !!  Race director, please in future have the baggage collection at the PADANG.  We have finished a damn marathon in 4, 5 ,6, 7 and 8 hours so spare a thought for us !

COURSE : I felt it was trying to accomplish too many things all the the same time, a tourist sight seeing jaunt, a race and too spread out start points. It spread the resources very thin as far as I am concerned. See how the bag handling was stretched probably gives me the impression it would be the same for the other  half and 10 K quarter marathons.

INSPIRATORS : Too few and not inspiring enough

ROAD MARSHALLS :Too inexperienced.Let the runners do the running, asking them to stay in lane is impossible when thousands of sweaty individuals are pushing forward and the only way to overtake is to run at the edge or outside the barriers.

LATE START TIME : Again I state this categorically, why start at 5.00 am ? So that the winners which are most likely the Africans can come in at 7.20 am and there are nice photo opportunities ??

START AT 4.00 AM OR EVEN 3.00 AM !! Spare a thought for the thousands who are coming in at 10.00 am to 1.00 pm. Its very hot and blazing at those times. Give the runners a chance to record their PBs or Personal Bests . Many are running for their first or second times.

I don't mean to sound like a complainer but lessen the number of runners, have one central location to start and finish, keep baggage handling under control and within the start and end points,get more inspirators and groups going and you have a perfectly organised marathon.  I did not mention anything about the heat and humidity which is a given in Singapore, that is beyond the organisers' control.

2007 was a great one for me, very well managed and I ran well.   Rate :  9 upon 10.

2003 in Penang was lovely too, early start at 4.00 am and finished at 9 am or so, running over the suspension bridge twice was great with the sea breeze blowing into our faces.   Rate : 8 upon 10.

2010 Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore
Rating Upon 10 based on past marathons experience :  6 - NEEDS IMPROVEMENT, like my timing.