Tuesday, March 31, 2009
The time of the semester...
Yup, it's the time again. Exams, exams, exams! The stress that boils and boils, simmering just under the surface, awaiting the perfect opportunity to erupt into a crimson flame. Before we all get eaten by the 'stress monster', pleases remember that it's also important to relax. Studying is definitely important. But it's equally important to know when it's time to let loose. The incentive to studying so hard is so we can party once exams are over! Let's work hard to overcome this hurdle! Together, we are invincible!!
Friday, March 20, 2009
An update!
Just a short update. Carrom training ended yesterday with a bang! It was a record-setting attendance as for once the TV lounge at Blk 40 was filled almost to the brim. There was a special guest which I will not elaborate for fear or backlash. It was a very fun practice as I played doubles all the way. It's not everytime that I get to practice doubles due to the lack of people. I also received a congratulatory certificate and a nice pat on the back from Francis for being the manager. Must say I'm mighty proud of the team since we have improved from last year. Another point to note is that I finally received my subcomm shirt! Quite cool design! Will wear it soon.
Various other smaller things have happened which are not worth putting it down. Lots of worries too! Hope my roomie gets well soon! :-)
Various other smaller things have happened which are not worth putting it down. Lots of worries too! Hope my roomie gets well soon! :-)
Sunday, March 15, 2009
The 4-1 drubbing
Well, the big match just ended. The battlefield was strewn with casualties. (Actually only 1 failed to make it to the end of the game) As a supporter, the result was a fantastic one. I'm sure it was also a sumptuous match for the neutrals. First, a brief description of the epic game.
The Theatre of Dreams has one of the most intimidating atmosphere in the premiership. There is no mercy for the weak-willed and the weak-minded. Pitted against the league champions, Liverpool was really up against it. It did not matter that they took Real Madrid to the sword during the mid-week Champions League 2nd round. Looking at the depth of squad of the opposition: Van der Sar, Vidic, Ferdinand, Evra, O'Shea, Ronaldo, Park, Carrick, Anderson, Rooney and Tevez, it was up to Gerrard and Co. to get a result.
It was the home side who struck first with Park beating Hyypia for speed and Reina had to come out, bringing Park to the ground. Penalty was the call and up step the Portuguese wizard to slam the ball to Reina's right with such ferocity that there was no way Reina could save it despite guessing the correct direction. The ensuing minutes were an ebb and flow kind of thing with Man Utd obviously having the upper hand. The next turning point was a hopeful long ball which caught Vidic out as he elected to let it run. Up stepped 'El Nino' as he out-muscled Vidic took the ball calmly into the penalty box and chipped it past the despairing reach of Van der Sar. It was a clinical kind of finishing that led our beloved Kop hero to finish his first season with more than 30 goals. The Kop was delirious. More joy was to come as some quick thinking from Gerrard led to him being brought down in the box by Evra. Penalty! Stevie G took on his responsibilities like the Captain Marvel he is, firing it in the bottom right-hand corner of the net. 2-1 and it remained like that till half-time.
Second half was littered with onslaught after onslaught of United attacks and it seemed it was a matter of time before the siege will lead to results. Ferguson became a little impatient on the 70 minute mark, opting for a gamble of a triple substitution, with Giggs, Schole and Berbatov taking to the field. Unfortunately, the gamble failed as it severely disrupted the flow of United's game. Gerrard was put through again and Vidic cynically brought him down. While it was debatable whether he was the last man since Ferdinand seem to be the last man, he deprived Gerrard of a genuine goal-scoring opportunity and on that count, fully deserved the sending off. Free-kick and Aurelio was the man to take it. Liverpool has lacked a dead-ball specialist for a long time and it was even more glaring with our usual free-kick taker Alonso missing through injury. Aurelio put his name into the frame with a glorious, curling free-kick which soared past the wall and flew inches away from the upright, nestling in the net. The Liverpool supporters were in dreamland! 3-1 at the Theatre of Dreams was beyond our wildest dreams since Man Utd has a proud record at their hallowed ground. 10-men United were looking despondent and so were their fans. Dossena put the icing on the cake with a glorious first time chip which beat the stranded Van der Sar after being put through by a wonderful long kick from Reina. 4-1 it finished at Old Trafford!
A magnificent performance from LFC! Though winning the league seem far away at the moment, one never knows until it's mathematically impossible to win the league!
The Theatre of Dreams has one of the most intimidating atmosphere in the premiership. There is no mercy for the weak-willed and the weak-minded. Pitted against the league champions, Liverpool was really up against it. It did not matter that they took Real Madrid to the sword during the mid-week Champions League 2nd round. Looking at the depth of squad of the opposition: Van der Sar, Vidic, Ferdinand, Evra, O'Shea, Ronaldo, Park, Carrick, Anderson, Rooney and Tevez, it was up to Gerrard and Co. to get a result.
It was the home side who struck first with Park beating Hyypia for speed and Reina had to come out, bringing Park to the ground. Penalty was the call and up step the Portuguese wizard to slam the ball to Reina's right with such ferocity that there was no way Reina could save it despite guessing the correct direction. The ensuing minutes were an ebb and flow kind of thing with Man Utd obviously having the upper hand. The next turning point was a hopeful long ball which caught Vidic out as he elected to let it run. Up stepped 'El Nino' as he out-muscled Vidic took the ball calmly into the penalty box and chipped it past the despairing reach of Van der Sar. It was a clinical kind of finishing that led our beloved Kop hero to finish his first season with more than 30 goals. The Kop was delirious. More joy was to come as some quick thinking from Gerrard led to him being brought down in the box by Evra. Penalty! Stevie G took on his responsibilities like the Captain Marvel he is, firing it in the bottom right-hand corner of the net. 2-1 and it remained like that till half-time.
Second half was littered with onslaught after onslaught of United attacks and it seemed it was a matter of time before the siege will lead to results. Ferguson became a little impatient on the 70 minute mark, opting for a gamble of a triple substitution, with Giggs, Schole and Berbatov taking to the field. Unfortunately, the gamble failed as it severely disrupted the flow of United's game. Gerrard was put through again and Vidic cynically brought him down. While it was debatable whether he was the last man since Ferdinand seem to be the last man, he deprived Gerrard of a genuine goal-scoring opportunity and on that count, fully deserved the sending off. Free-kick and Aurelio was the man to take it. Liverpool has lacked a dead-ball specialist for a long time and it was even more glaring with our usual free-kick taker Alonso missing through injury. Aurelio put his name into the frame with a glorious, curling free-kick which soared past the wall and flew inches away from the upright, nestling in the net. The Liverpool supporters were in dreamland! 3-1 at the Theatre of Dreams was beyond our wildest dreams since Man Utd has a proud record at their hallowed ground. 10-men United were looking despondent and so were their fans. Dossena put the icing on the cake with a glorious first time chip which beat the stranded Van der Sar after being put through by a wonderful long kick from Reina. 4-1 it finished at Old Trafford!
A magnificent performance from LFC! Though winning the league seem far away at the moment, one never knows until it's mathematically impossible to win the league!
Sunday, March 8, 2009
214 on Friday
Nope, the numbers are not some magical numbers nor are they any lucky numbers. I'll leave it to you to find out what they represent.
Anyway, attended the NTU choir concert with the maths gang as well as the air force gang. Amidst the secret mission I was tasked to do, (I was told that to fail would amount to being decapitated :p ) I slogged my way towards VCH with the help of my reliable friends. The first obstacle was to smuggle the package in but it was to no avail. Relying on quick wits, I relayed a message to a friendly usher who passed on the message to my boss. Saw Mr Yong and I must say it's been a while since I've seen him in the flesh. My boss relieved me off my package and our next mission was to find good places. We blended into the shadows and ended up in the circle seats. After a tactical move to reserve seats for the rest of the gang, we settled down and proceeded to enjoy the concert. The first half was pure choral with a wide variety of songs from Japanese, English and even a Hungarian composer. The alumni was here too, adding to the beautiful layered music. It was thoroughly enjoyable and I was taken back to the past where it was actually compulsory for VS choir members to attend a certain number of concerts per year. It struck me that I actually missed listening to choral music.
The second half was a mix of musical and retro hits. It was entertaining surely, but in my humble opinion, the quality of the choir was evident in the first half and the second half was about having fun. Actually, this is quite a normal scene in choir concert with the second half decidedly more light-hearted than the first half but I must say that the first half was the highlight for me. Listened to my boss's instruction to shout encore at the correct time (he better thank me...or else...lol), and the gang proceeded to Raffles City Shopping Centre for supper. It was BK but at least it provided us a time and place to catch up with friends.
That was my Saturday! Quite interesting, don't you think? Gets me thinking if I might rejoin choral singing...Beginning to miss it...But I really hate the stress!
Anyway, attended the NTU choir concert with the maths gang as well as the air force gang. Amidst the secret mission I was tasked to do, (I was told that to fail would amount to being decapitated :p ) I slogged my way towards VCH with the help of my reliable friends. The first obstacle was to smuggle the package in but it was to no avail. Relying on quick wits, I relayed a message to a friendly usher who passed on the message to my boss. Saw Mr Yong and I must say it's been a while since I've seen him in the flesh. My boss relieved me off my package and our next mission was to find good places. We blended into the shadows and ended up in the circle seats. After a tactical move to reserve seats for the rest of the gang, we settled down and proceeded to enjoy the concert. The first half was pure choral with a wide variety of songs from Japanese, English and even a Hungarian composer. The alumni was here too, adding to the beautiful layered music. It was thoroughly enjoyable and I was taken back to the past where it was actually compulsory for VS choir members to attend a certain number of concerts per year. It struck me that I actually missed listening to choral music.
The second half was a mix of musical and retro hits. It was entertaining surely, but in my humble opinion, the quality of the choir was evident in the first half and the second half was about having fun. Actually, this is quite a normal scene in choir concert with the second half decidedly more light-hearted than the first half but I must say that the first half was the highlight for me. Listened to my boss's instruction to shout encore at the correct time (he better thank me...or else...lol), and the gang proceeded to Raffles City Shopping Centre for supper. It was BK but at least it provided us a time and place to catch up with friends.
That was my Saturday! Quite interesting, don't you think? Gets me thinking if I might rejoin choral singing...Beginning to miss it...But I really hate the stress!
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