Last Minute Winner at Newcastle 2018 season ; Matt Doherty Seals the Win

 

Savor Your Victories Quietly

One thing I have learnt in life, late perhaps but never too late. Savour my victories, enjoy the moment, do it with a certain style or panache. Never over the top or proving to people how difficult it was, or how great it is to stand there looking like a buffoon, but just doing it and relishing the moment - quietly. Yes, take some shots for posterity, but in all reality, do you ever go back and see your holiday pix, wedding pix or earlier stuff ?

90% of my readers would sheepishly say to themselves  "No".  

I know many people want the "look at me, how wonderful life I have" to show to the whole world how fabulous their life is. If you stop and think about it, when you are out savouring the view say from a mountaintop, why not just take it all in ? There are millions who have "been there and done that' way before you. So how great are you at taking that selfie with the gorgeous mountain view in the background ? 

What you would actually do, is to create envy amongst those who have not been there.

And the point is that, you would actually be so engrossed taking the perfect picture to enjoy or savor the moment.

Now, that would be truly pathetic wouldn't it ? 

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Every Traore and Jiminez Goal - the most lethal combination in the Premier League

 

The Drone Operator - Omeleto

Very suspenseful short film. Watch it till its end and decide for yourself whether the UFO had good or bad intentions ? 

There are no heroes in this short film, everyone is doing as they are told to do so, except for the Operator who does the right thing. This act of heroism can only be encountered and people find their true Ikigai only after the culminating event. As a result many people remember them for this remarkable deed when all their lives they had been doing just menial jobs.

Heroes are made and not born ? 

Who decides who becomes are hero ? 

Must heroes always die first and whilst they are young ? 

 

Athletic Test Chamber from QRA International ; Athlete Performance Enhanced through training in Altitude Chamber

 

This is the first athletic chamber sold by QRA in the Asia Pacific region in the University of Canberra Sports Research Institute. The controlled temperature range is from 0 to 50 C and humidity at 25 to 95% rH.

It can test 2 athletes at various environmental hot and cold temperature extremes together with humidity so it is very versatile for heat conditioning of elite athletes together with heat studies on recovering athletes from sports related injuries.

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Wolves 1 Leeds 0 - finally Wolves living up to their massive potential

 

Southampton 1 Wolves 2 - a game of 2 halves

A Brilliant second half sees Wolves edge Southampton 2 - 1 away. They are finally finding their form afetr being so inconsistent all season.

Pedro Neto is developing into a fine striker, stepping  up into the shoes of Raul Jiminez and Diogo Jota.

Willian Jose is also proving to be too much for many Premier League teams - although he hasn't scored he shows plenty of bite up front.

On the face Leeds United this coming Saturday, a Wolves full of confidence !   

The Folly of Youth

Dec 10th 2016 in Paris Rue Cler District 

Today marks the second day of the Year of the Ox. It started tragically when Singaporeans received news that 5 young men died at Panjong Pagar  in the wee hours of the morning, a souped up BMW had crashed into the shophouse and all 5 had died, either from smoke inhalation, injuries sustained in the crash or being burnt to death. 

A video has been shared multiple times on social media showing the last moments of the young men, but the long standing pain of their loved ones will only be just starting. The "why's" , "they were so young" and the whole refrain of trying to make any sense of the accident.

I put it as the folly of youth. Young adults do not have a sense of mortality, having grown up entitled and only seeing the hardships of many war torn countries from afar, so they think at this point in time, they are 'indestuctible' or 'immortal' like some kind of god.

They could not be farther wrong.

We all die. Many die before their time, because of the folly of our youth, taking our lives so lightly that death happens to the old and infirm that some youth live their lives with careless abandon. I recall my father putting his foot down, when I was learning driving and insisted to not get a second hand sports car (a Porsche 944) for my Mum. The advice of my late father was so prescient.

My heart goes out to the fiance of the driver, she tried her best to save him. My condolences go to the families and friends affected. Remember this, the folly of youth strikes at the times when we least expect it - such as this morning on the 2nd day of the Lunar New Year.

Do we ban supercars ? No.

Do we ban drinking ? No.

Do we ban excitement ? No.

How to prevent people to make better decisions for their lives ?  My answer :

Their parents or their mentors need to step in, many a times and guide the young adults. Excessive consumption though not necesarily a bad thing if one can afford it, is a double edged sword. It opens up a can of worms. Of course the bourguise and the marketing people bandying the 'lifestyle' - you only live once will shoot me down and say, if he / she can afford it and wants to fly first class, or buy a sports car, let him. It is good for the economy. 

Many questions I can ask myself :

a) If for example, I earn a lot of money, do I need to buy a Rolex or a Patek Philippe ? 

b) A car is a luxury in Singapore, so why do people want to buy sports cars ? 

Are the consumable products the problem ? Not necessarily so, but the misuse of any product leading to death of innocent people always leads to this kind of soul searching.

I remember in 2012, we had the Ferrari crash which killed 3 people and caused a furor in Singapore for its 'open door' policy to rich people who not only flaunt their wealth but cause major social upheavals and envy amongst the local population for their blatant disregard of the law and the safety of others - especially hard working Singaporeans (the taxi driver who died was a hard working father) who fall victim to these entitled class bullies.

Perhaps the best comment I can make is that, every driver of a sportscar needs special training and regular (perhaps every 2 years) remedial / updating of their skills to be mindful that they are indeed driving something which is actually needless in our cramped roads. 

Impose harsh laws to jail all those who take part in illegal racing on our roads. 

The Folly of Youth will always be there. 

The irresponsibility of the adults in not guiding them to make better choices in their lives is the biggest offence. 

  

Niccolo Macchiaveli - The Prince

 The Prince, a book which has been read and re-read by numerous leaders and people in power to reinforce the belief that there are people who want to believe in the total fabrications - all in the name of faith. I am not religion bashing here, but the main takeaway from Macchivelli's book written some 500 odd years ago by this statesman wannabe, Niccolo M, to the Medici family in the hope of finding favor with them. A 'gift' as he put it, but in the end, he was cast aside, left to slowly fade into insignificance.

The key takeaway is this below :

1.For there is a distance between how one lives and how one ought to live. Anyone who abandons what is done for what ought to be done achieves his downfall rather than his preservation.

2.It is thus necessary for a prince who wishes to maintain himself to learn how not to be good, and to use this knowledge or not to use it according to necessity.

3.Chapter 17 : Of cruelty and mercy, and whether it is better to be loved than to be feared or the contrary. 

Man are so simple minded and so controlled by their immediate needs that he who deceives will find someone who will let himself be deceived.

Something to think about on this 2nd Day of the Lunar New Year.

Happy 'Niu' Year Everyone ! 

Singapore Swimming Club circa 1974,

From left : John, Yours Truly, cousins Angela and Wendy

Thoughts at 35 km Nassim Road - A Repost of my 2008 May 8 Post - A Reflection with Edits

A funny thing happened to me at the 35 km mark of my 36 km run several Sundays ago.Yes,this happened and I thought there would be some people "out there" who have similar experiences and can share your views with me.

I am out running at 5.15am at Nassim Road,alternating with Dalvey Road,White House Lane and Dalvey Estate Road,readying for my upcoming marathon (end 2008). I have been training for the past 6 months with my route all mapped out,as this was the last "serious" training before the upcoming marathon. My planned route was to take me for 3 circuits of Dalvey-Dalvey Estate- White House Lane (5km long each)and 5 circuits of Nassim (4 km long each) through the picturescue part of  Singapore. I love the wide dual carriageway roads and the huge trees plus massive bungalows and the High Commissions of Russia,Japan,Philippines  with their wide frontage beside Nassim Road. I can't find anything similar to this in Singapore with the exception of perhaps Namly area in Upper Bukit Timah.

I am armed with my Gatorade bottles (hidden at strategic sports every 5km or so),Power Gels,and had my Running Belt on to simulate the Real Run ie. the weight of the water which I was going to carry with me during my marathon at the end of the year.

Things were going smoothly,and I managed the first 18km in about  2 hours or 9km per hour. Definitely not my marathon pace what with no cheerleaders,other runners and supporters to give me that extra 'push'. Nonetheless,I was in a state of "no-mindedness" (from Bruce Lee's  Jeet Koon Do) and sleep-running is well and good,because you shut out all pain and boredom.I was using my "hot-stretching "technique which is stretching every 5 km or so to prevent cramps or so I thought.

"Hot stretching" - after exercising mid way, I stop to do some leg stretches as the tendons are already warmed up and more pliant and stretchable.

At the 23 km mark,I felt a tightening in my left thigh,"Oh,Oh!"my left leg was not lifting much and I could feel the effort.Not good,but I carried on. "Its way too early to cramp out", and reminded myself to drink those Gatorades the night before to stock up on the sodium. 

At the 28km mark, I popped in my 2nd Power Gel (first was at the 18 km mark) and was just trying to keep going.I had the 4 hr 30 minute timing in sight.The leg did not feel too good but I kept pushing myself 'Come on man, Just 2 more Rounds" and kept going.

Its always good to have a goal, a target as far as distance or preferred timing when you start your marathon adventure.

Its about 8.15am, on a bright Sunday morning,here I am the crazy guy who's been up 3 hours ago punishing himself,sweat himself buckets, dried out and sweated again and its going to be lovely day. My leg was stiff and hurting every few strides as I hobble past the big  houses with the maids washing their Boss's cars, or walking the dog and some other like-minded mad people like me, just putting it together and running in the early Sunday morning  (2008 !) 

At the 32km mark,I was hit like a bolt from the sky  :  "Why ??",

the "Why ??" imponderable question every runner asks. Another common phrase is called "Hitting the Wall" where you are questioning everything everything from your sanity,your place in the World, your faith,your very existence.

"Why..am I doing this stupid thing and punishing myself ?"

"The real thing is only 1 week away,why torture yourself,

" Your'e a a dumb ass to be doing this ! You could be waking up slowly and having a lovely bacon sandwich by the patio."   (I've since given up eating bacon) 

(C'mon admit it, we have all been there before !!)

Anyway, I couldn't answer the "Why" question,neither could I figure out the Meaning of Life so I decided to rant and rave  at every father,mother,son who had done me wrong (rightly or not)  in the last 5 years of my life.So there I was cursing and swearing at 8.15 am on a lovely Sunday morning at :

> The gutless ex-Sales Manager who refused to join me  Yap, you know who you are.  He opted for the easy way out when I left my previous company and started QRA all alone.

> It turned out to be a blessing in disguise  A pivotal decision actually. 

> My ex-partner who basically was a pain in the ass (well Don, here we are in 2021) 

> My ex-running partner who often overslept and made me run all alone at times. He is now a successful musician/actor/ IT specialist Brisbane Australia.Good for you Suresh !

It was really funny when you look at it.

A cleansing  of the mind and spirit of sorts !

So, at 35km mark, I am smiling and trying to make my mind  wander and dull out the pain, fatigue, sweaty discomfort and there is this bunch of runners, in the opposite direction, happily running and waving to me.

There I was, running on empty, alternating on testosterone, spewing my bile, cursing and what else. 

Finally, at the last 500 m, I can see the end, I am yelling in my head as I reach the end point.

"TO HELL WITH IT !, NOTHING  OF  THIS HERE MATTERS,THIS IS MY MARATHON, MY PAIN AND MY VICTORY !"

IT DOSEN'T GET ANY BETTER THAN THIS.

at the finish line after 42.195 km Words cannot aptly describe my emotions 

I'm Back to Running after a 2 and half week break due to injury

At start of 10 K run with Running Kaki Filipe Cunha at B1 carpark ECP (31 Dec 2020)

 

10 K Done and Dusted 

I'm very pleased to report that I have resumed running after an almost 3 week break, after I strained my Illiotibial Band Tendon on the outer part of my left knee. I was doing a hard 10 K run (mid January) on  Saturday at around 10.30 am and after I had reached the Ski360 waterski park, 5km mid point, I decided to turn back.

Shortly around the 6 km mark (between the Ski360 and the Bikestation), I felt a sharp pain on the outer left  part of my knee. It had pulled, and I ground to a stop. The pain while not excruciating, was enough for me to stop my complete run, and even putting some weight on the left leg was a challenge. Later, I found out that I had strained my Illiotibial Band, a tendon running on the side of each leg and the pain is felt on the outer rim of either knee.

The next few nights were a strain as my knee was hurting, alternately throbbing and receding in pain - ranked at a scale of 5 upon 10 ; 10 being eyes tearing pain, 0 being practically no pain.

I can ignore pain levels of 0 to 4 I estimate. But from 5 onwards, its best I use ice or some Counterpain gel to numb the affected part.

Well I can pat myself on the back for an achievement of sorts. Getting back to my running routine with a new lease of life.

Chinatown in New York is Hurting

This video is heartbreaking, yet so heartwarming. People are coming together to help each other when they themselves are at the brink of despair.

Partick Mock is a 3rd Generation Chinese young man, who is an example of what a Hero is like in these tough times. A fighter who shows love and care for his community. 

Amazing what we can do when we stand up and be counted. 

To make a difference in the society we live in

The spirit of survival will see us through even the toughest of days.

What can't kill us will eventually make us stronger.

Keep Going Patrick ! A hero in our midst of despair. 

Carpe Diem my readers.

Tough Times bring out the Best in Teams. Go Wolves !!!

 

In an extraordinary season, No Fans, Injuries Aplenty, Nuno's Dream is severely Tested

The EPL season 20 - 21 is a really 'blah' one for me. Two of my favorite players have been sold ; Diogo Jota to Liverpool, and Matt Doherty to Tottenham. There have been injuries aplenty to many key players. They are :

a) Raul Jiminez (head injury)

b) Jonny Otto (Ankle injury)

c) Michael Podence (Adductor injury)

d) Ryan Ait Nouri

e) Leander Dendonker (Thigh)

Several are also underperforming :

a) Conor Coady 

b) Reuben Neves

c) Adama Traore 

We really need the new strikers like Jose and the established ones like Neto, Traore to step up their games. The youngster Fabio Silva is a flop. 

Tonight they face 3rd place Leicester in a MUST WIN game. 

Go the Wolves ! 

 

The Social Place ; 6 Feb 2021 Forum Shopping Centre

Crispy Crackling Seafood Soup with Rice 

Yesterday we went to try out this new 'Fusion' Dim Dum restaurant at Forum Shopping Center. Called the Social Place, it originated in Hong Kong 2 Floor, Queens Road. It did so well they opened an outlet in Singapore at the Forum Shopping Mall. Here are some of the dishes we tried, and my review is below.

Top 3 dishes  

1. DouFu with Century Egg and Sesame Sauce Seasoning. The DouFu is cold, smooth, thin in slice, with the fusion of Century Egg, and a dash of spring onions. Its an excellent 'cold dish' and great for starters.  

2. Crackling Mala Chicken with Mango PuddingAnother superb twist to the tale, the chicken is fragrant, fried to a crisp like Popcorn Chicken. The mango pudding looks exactly like an egg yolk, the viscosity, the texture,the color everything. Amazing taste.

Chinese Vegetable with Wine 

3. Crackling Seafood Soup

For comfort food, this is a must eat. I will bet my last Ren Ming Bi, this will taste even better in the cold climates up in North Asia. However, as it is in sultry humid Singapore, this dish is 98% out of 100% comforting and tasty. The crackling taste of the shallots / small carckers gives it a unique twist to the seafood rice soup. 

Service 

Pefunctory, nothing to write home and tell Grandma about how warm and friendly the place is.  The wait staff are rather curt, like in Hong Kong, and it is best to reserve the restaurant at least a couple of days in advance.

Price 

Pricey for Chinese food. Most dishes are above S$25 and the soft drinks (we had Pear Juice) are $3 to $4 

Review 

Social Place Singapore

FORUM The Shopping Mall

#01-22. 583 Orchard Road

Singapore 238884 

Food : 4.8 out of 5 

Ambience : 3.5 out of 5 (chop chop eat and go ; no cosy dining)

Service     : 3.5 out of 5

Price         : Above Average 

Total : 11.8 out of 15. 

            3.9  * out of 5 *

Good for : Company 'goodbye' dinners ; casual friends gatherings, ex-

                  colleagues  

Debates '86 - My teammates

 

from left : Me,Richard Pereira, Philip Lim, Reserve Sukhdeep, Jaspal Sidhu 

This is the victorious NTI debating team which garnered 1st Runner Up at the 1986 Tertiary Institutions Televised Debates (on SBC channel 12) . We had triumphed in the QuaterFinals, beating the National Institute of Education (NIE, now the teachers faculty of NUS). In the Semi-Finals, we beat the NUS Team 1 debating team (comprising of 4 law undergraduates) and we faced the NUS Team 2, the 'star' team of the National University of Singapore - again featuring 4 star undergraduate lawyers.

Our team comprised of yours truly, Richard Pereira, Philip Lim Feng, and Jaspal Singh Sidhu.

For the record, we were the First Runner Up in the entire series, and Philip Lim was the Best Speaker of the Night and Jaspal Singh, the best speaker of the entire series !. 

Recently I had a check on how my ex-team mates were doing and I was pleasantly surprised that they are all very successful in their own spheres. I am considered the 'underperformer" !

Richard Pereira - he was an SAF Air Force Scholar, who rose to the rank of Brigadier General and now runs a vibrant consultancy firm advising the aerospace industry.     

Philip Lim Feng - he also was an SAF scholar, rose to the rank of Brigadier General, became the head of Singapore Foods Industry and is now CEO of Exploit Teachnologies, an AStar company dedicated to commercialising AStar developed pantented products.

Jaspal Singh Sidhu - he is currently the CEO of SIS International School in Jakarta, and the largest private International School in whole of Indonesia.

My heartiest congratulations to my ex-debating mates !

I am so motivated to make a name for myself too ! I hope I am not too late.