Johnson Fernandez's column in Sunday Mail today has a good point: Let's bring back Singapore to compete in Malaysia. I could not but agree with him. If we were to reflect back, Malaysian socer fortune did begin to take the tumble since Singapore and Brunei's exit from the Malaysian soccer scene. The intense rivalry created Singapore's presence seemed to exude the best not only for Selangor, but also all the other teams then; each bent on wanting to scalp Singapore (and Selangor) for the glory it brings.
I am certain that there'll be arguments about bringing Singapore back. For one, the matter of Malaysia Cup honours should stay within the boundary of Malaysia. Agreed! Back then, the only honours available WAS the Malaysia Cup. All teams compete in a single league format where the top eight then qualify for the Malaysia Cup play-offs. That was then. Now, we have 4 honours: League Champion, Charith Shield, The FA Cup, and the presigeous Malaysia Cup!
If the above argument does stand true, then let Singapore and Brunei compete in the Premier and Super League only. To spice things further, let there be another honours: The Champions Cup. Here, the winner of each honours battle it out against each other.
On an off-note, I sure would like to do something stupid one of these days, and this is for all the MU fans out there: if God give me the foresight to the rare defeat MU suffer, I would like to be sitting amongst them screaming and yelling "Yes!, Yes!, Yes!" Except that, I'll need to purchase a Medical and Hospitalisation Insurance beforehand :)
Sunday, September 25, 2005
FA Cup Final
Saw the FA Cup Final between Selangor and Perak. I must say, though the game was patch at times, it nevertheless was an exciting match and perhaps one of the best local soccer games I've watched in a long time.
As a Selangorian, off course I am happy. But I would be happier had the scorers of both Selangor and Perak, had been a local player. I have nothing against the imports for their presence certainly helped lift the local games. But I also believe that the imports should serve as a support for the locals and not the other way around. It is only in that manner would our locals shine.
As a Selangorian, off course I am happy. But I would be happier had the scorers of both Selangor and Perak, had been a local player. I have nothing against the imports for their presence certainly helped lift the local games. But I also believe that the imports should serve as a support for the locals and not the other way around. It is only in that manner would our locals shine.
Friday, September 23, 2005
An Uncommon Sense
Just prior to stepping into this CC, I had, in my mind, planned several things to write about. But soon as I stepped in, whoosh!, everthing disapeared like smoke and I am now left wondering what to write. But write, I must, for my soul is screaming like a bald eagle. Only, the eagle does that when he's soaring high while I'm on an all-week low. Maybe I should just join the 'Screaming Eagles' of 101st Airborne. Afterall, any fool would be screaming their lungs out when they're forced to jump out of a plane several thousand feet in the air! Then again, as much as I admire anyone who's able to do that, no thank you; a steeplejack even with a parachute I am not. At my age now, I need the feel of solid ground under my feet. Now, this brings us to...
Hey Annonymous and Rhumbaaddict! Glad to see you both dropped in and thank you for the comments. I must admit though, when I first read them, I did not know how to reply and almost withdrew myself. To be honest, I very seldom ever received kind words. Verbal abuses however, are aplenty as Totally Depleted would testify. And, Annonymous, don't mind him, he's just trying to help me along here. By the way, do people write as I did in this para on their blog?
Had a lunch meeting with several people the other day somewhere near KLCC. One of them, a young non-practicing medical doctor, presented a vision he has. What the vision and the business associated with it, I am unable to disclose here out of respect and privacy for the doctor. However, what he mentioned afterwards is what I would like to share.
"The world is changing too rapidly" the Dr said.
"Though this may pretty much be a cliche, not many realise the effect of the statement" he added.
Now, what happened next may not be savoury to some, so please be warned.
With the hot sun and a heavy lunch settling in nicely in my tummy, I was prepared to be serenaded to a nice afternoon nap by his talk. This however did not come true when he asked me how I relieve myself in the toilet. Seem a pretty stupid question, I thought. However I replied I do it like anyone else, sitting on the bowl. Er, that is the norm, is it not? Apparently no.
Sitting on the bowl, it seems, is only the norm when you are trained to do so and within the confines of the environment that avails itself. A man raised in the modern environment of an urban area may grow up thinking that such is the norm and should only therefore be common sense. But he forget or could not conciously remember that he was trained for such environment. The situation would be different were he brought up in a rural area, say 20 years ago.
Then, many rural communities were still using the 'squat'. A boy from the rural area sent for secondary schooling in an urban area would face this question: How on Earth do you use the sitting bowl? As though to strengthen his story, he admits to having had to face this dilema when he was 13 and came to a decision which made perfect sense to him: he squatted on the sitting bowl!
Ok, I was begining to wonder, what's his point?
A country, in reaching for development, should teach its people what the development is and how to use them. People - the mass, he means - are largely an ignorant lot. They need to and want to be taught how to use even the simplest of items at times. To emphasise on this he mentioned the humble mobile phone.
Mobile Service providers have been running countless promotion especially on the television, trying to teach and encourage the public on ways which they can use their mobile phone even if it is just for the short-messaging (sms). The fact that there is a financial gain is not the matter here. There matter is, people began to understand that one can do more than just talk on their mobile phone.
Hmm...sounds like a real advertisement already :)
Likewise with simple trust, love, courtesy and respect. All religion and beliefs share a common ground on these. Yet youth of today seem to misplace their trust, love the wrong thing and have no courtesy nor respect. If a child is left to grow in the street environment of today, he would grow up thinking that profanities and other undesirable elements are a common thing; an uncommon thing becomes common when the society allow it.
Phew! Heavy stuff, I thought to myself. Where are we heading to?
A man in part of the community. The community part of the society. It is the society that makes the nation. Therefore it is the duty of the man to help steer his community, the community its society, and the society their country to the desired direction.
When you encounter an unruly behaviour, do the uncommon thing: befriend the poor soul. If he gives you the rebuff, well, that would be a common thing, wouldn't it? If we do it to the point of it being a common thing, chances are the rebuffs would slowly become uncommon.
Let's change, bring back the society to what is commonly good for all and not for individuals only.
Yeah, sure...along with a common black eye! But, he does have a point. For too long I've heard my friends lament about the youths of today. Day in day out the media report moral decay and what not. Yet, who or what have had the galls of, not telling these very youths of their so called misdeed, but showing them how to do what is morally right? In a world where common sense is limited to a particular environment, the Dr's uncommon sense does relate. Problem is, where do we begin?
Here and now!
Hey Annonymous and Rhumbaaddict! Glad to see you both dropped in and thank you for the comments. I must admit though, when I first read them, I did not know how to reply and almost withdrew myself. To be honest, I very seldom ever received kind words. Verbal abuses however, are aplenty as Totally Depleted would testify. And, Annonymous, don't mind him, he's just trying to help me along here. By the way, do people write as I did in this para on their blog?
Had a lunch meeting with several people the other day somewhere near KLCC. One of them, a young non-practicing medical doctor, presented a vision he has. What the vision and the business associated with it, I am unable to disclose here out of respect and privacy for the doctor. However, what he mentioned afterwards is what I would like to share.
"The world is changing too rapidly" the Dr said.
"Though this may pretty much be a cliche, not many realise the effect of the statement" he added.
Now, what happened next may not be savoury to some, so please be warned.
With the hot sun and a heavy lunch settling in nicely in my tummy, I was prepared to be serenaded to a nice afternoon nap by his talk. This however did not come true when he asked me how I relieve myself in the toilet. Seem a pretty stupid question, I thought. However I replied I do it like anyone else, sitting on the bowl. Er, that is the norm, is it not? Apparently no.
Sitting on the bowl, it seems, is only the norm when you are trained to do so and within the confines of the environment that avails itself. A man raised in the modern environment of an urban area may grow up thinking that such is the norm and should only therefore be common sense. But he forget or could not conciously remember that he was trained for such environment. The situation would be different were he brought up in a rural area, say 20 years ago.
Then, many rural communities were still using the 'squat'. A boy from the rural area sent for secondary schooling in an urban area would face this question: How on Earth do you use the sitting bowl? As though to strengthen his story, he admits to having had to face this dilema when he was 13 and came to a decision which made perfect sense to him: he squatted on the sitting bowl!
Ok, I was begining to wonder, what's his point?
A country, in reaching for development, should teach its people what the development is and how to use them. People - the mass, he means - are largely an ignorant lot. They need to and want to be taught how to use even the simplest of items at times. To emphasise on this he mentioned the humble mobile phone.
Mobile Service providers have been running countless promotion especially on the television, trying to teach and encourage the public on ways which they can use their mobile phone even if it is just for the short-messaging (sms). The fact that there is a financial gain is not the matter here. There matter is, people began to understand that one can do more than just talk on their mobile phone.
Hmm...sounds like a real advertisement already :)
Likewise with simple trust, love, courtesy and respect. All religion and beliefs share a common ground on these. Yet youth of today seem to misplace their trust, love the wrong thing and have no courtesy nor respect. If a child is left to grow in the street environment of today, he would grow up thinking that profanities and other undesirable elements are a common thing; an uncommon thing becomes common when the society allow it.
Phew! Heavy stuff, I thought to myself. Where are we heading to?
A man in part of the community. The community part of the society. It is the society that makes the nation. Therefore it is the duty of the man to help steer his community, the community its society, and the society their country to the desired direction.
When you encounter an unruly behaviour, do the uncommon thing: befriend the poor soul. If he gives you the rebuff, well, that would be a common thing, wouldn't it? If we do it to the point of it being a common thing, chances are the rebuffs would slowly become uncommon.
Let's change, bring back the society to what is commonly good for all and not for individuals only.
Yeah, sure...along with a common black eye! But, he does have a point. For too long I've heard my friends lament about the youths of today. Day in day out the media report moral decay and what not. Yet, who or what have had the galls of, not telling these very youths of their so called misdeed, but showing them how to do what is morally right? In a world where common sense is limited to a particular environment, the Dr's uncommon sense does relate. Problem is, where do we begin?
Here and now!
Tuesday, September 20, 2005
Two of A Kind?
I'm still trying to put things in perspective here. When Totally Depleted persuaded me to get my own blog, I thought he's as crazy as they come. I mean, who the heck would want to read from a nobody? I wouldn't! Well, truth is, I'm just to lazy to be searching for any nobody out there. Most especially from a nobody who has not written anything decent for the past 3 years.
Not that it was excellent or even near it, but my English has deteriorated way beyond salvage. At the time when I need it most, I am now constantly lost for the correct words to use. So, here I am, like a scuba diver trying to rescue the (uuurgh!) Titanic and getting sucked into deeper water every single second.
But hey! I do love writing, if anything just to be able to pour my soul out onto the paper...er, screen, keyboard...whatever. Just that, for the present moment till - hopefully - sometime in November 2005, I have to do my pouring in the voluminious and sometimes horrifying din of a cybercafe. For a guy who's used to being cocooned in the solitude of what Totally Depleted would call 'a cell in an assylum', this cc is proving to be more than a culture shock for me. In fact, its damn irritating and downright maddening here.
This CC has about 30 consoles or so. Now, imagine yourself immersed deep in blissful thoughts of er, whatever :), with the screen and keyboard infront of you at your dispose, the Sprite can in your left hand and the index finger of your right hand sms-ing away to friends who somehow pick this exact time to be bugging you. All of a sudden, boom! The nearly empty cc burst to life with, now, let's count: 1) Some form of music - Malay, Chinese, Japanese and English, in a cacophony of Malaysian culture? 2) Some very loud sound effects eminating from some 7 consoles 3) Laughters of several kids as they battle out in a make-believe world they desperately want to believe its real 4) Shouting and screaming of profanities and abuse by the very same kids thinking that such language is a portrayal of their close bonding. 5) The welcome sound of Yahoo Messenger (just because I was a Chatter in it bring back memories).
You put all those in a single sheet of A4 paper and hand it to Leo Burnett or some reputable advertising advertising agencies and voila!, they'll turn it into an excellent masterpiece of an advertisement. Only thing is, they've got to find a cc with RM1,000,000 to spend! Good luck to them, me, I'd rather my cocoon anytime. Except, I can't :(
Just like Rhumbaaddict, my mum and I have just moved into a new area. Don't get me wrong, I really do not have any complaints at all about this new area. In fact, I would rate it close to an excellent neighbourhood minus several notches. My main setback here is that there is no ficed-line yet! Hence, there's no Streamyx or any other internet service providers at all! Sitting in this cc, I cannot even hear myself think at all!
Rhumbaddict, wherever you're shifting to, I pray you'll have internet access there. Otherwise, we're really two of a kind :)
Not that it was excellent or even near it, but my English has deteriorated way beyond salvage. At the time when I need it most, I am now constantly lost for the correct words to use. So, here I am, like a scuba diver trying to rescue the (uuurgh!) Titanic and getting sucked into deeper water every single second.
But hey! I do love writing, if anything just to be able to pour my soul out onto the paper...er, screen, keyboard...whatever. Just that, for the present moment till - hopefully - sometime in November 2005, I have to do my pouring in the voluminious and sometimes horrifying din of a cybercafe. For a guy who's used to being cocooned in the solitude of what Totally Depleted would call 'a cell in an assylum', this cc is proving to be more than a culture shock for me. In fact, its damn irritating and downright maddening here.
This CC has about 30 consoles or so. Now, imagine yourself immersed deep in blissful thoughts of er, whatever :), with the screen and keyboard infront of you at your dispose, the Sprite can in your left hand and the index finger of your right hand sms-ing away to friends who somehow pick this exact time to be bugging you. All of a sudden, boom! The nearly empty cc burst to life with, now, let's count: 1) Some form of music - Malay, Chinese, Japanese and English, in a cacophony of Malaysian culture? 2) Some very loud sound effects eminating from some 7 consoles 3) Laughters of several kids as they battle out in a make-believe world they desperately want to believe its real 4) Shouting and screaming of profanities and abuse by the very same kids thinking that such language is a portrayal of their close bonding. 5) The welcome sound of Yahoo Messenger (just because I was a Chatter in it bring back memories).
You put all those in a single sheet of A4 paper and hand it to Leo Burnett or some reputable advertising advertising agencies and voila!, they'll turn it into an excellent masterpiece of an advertisement. Only thing is, they've got to find a cc with RM1,000,000 to spend! Good luck to them, me, I'd rather my cocoon anytime. Except, I can't :(
Just like Rhumbaaddict, my mum and I have just moved into a new area. Don't get me wrong, I really do not have any complaints at all about this new area. In fact, I would rate it close to an excellent neighbourhood minus several notches. My main setback here is that there is no ficed-line yet! Hence, there's no Streamyx or any other internet service providers at all! Sitting in this cc, I cannot even hear myself think at all!
Rhumbaddict, wherever you're shifting to, I pray you'll have internet access there. Otherwise, we're really two of a kind :)
Hmmm...another Dawn?
Hmm...this seem to be another begining for me, of sorts. Here I am, infront of the screen, I must add yet again, in another attempt at relieving my tormented soul of the small displeasures of life. Hey, right or wrong, it is my point of view. And, like those many other tormented souls out there with a blog of their own, we write what we feel...or think!
I used to be a copywriter; then I thought I was in heaven, happily tapping the keyboard to try and fit into the customers' brief. That too, had the suits - those Account Executives - got it right. But that's an old story. Now, a friend has inflenced me to put my own blog, for whatever its worth. I'm quietly hoping that it will be a new start for me. Dawn, are you there?
I used to be a copywriter; then I thought I was in heaven, happily tapping the keyboard to try and fit into the customers' brief. That too, had the suits - those Account Executives - got it right. But that's an old story. Now, a friend has inflenced me to put my own blog, for whatever its worth. I'm quietly hoping that it will be a new start for me. Dawn, are you there?
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