Singapore VS Malaysia

Tomorrow's the Tiger FC Causeway Challenge - Singapore vs Malaysia! Many people feel that such country vs country rivalry is much more exciting than what the S.League has to offer...hmmm...so everyone onz for a revitalisation of the Malaysia Cup days?

Seriously, it's not the first time friends around me have been talking about how there should be an Asean or S.E.A league instead of just S.League. Singaporeans, being the pathetically apathetic folks we are (ok, except during general elections), already find it hard sometimes to summon up that feelings of pride we have for our country, what more when it's at the level of local clubs. The questions pop up: How to have loyalty in say, Tampines? Geylang? Balestier? What if I don't stay in any of the districts that those 11 or 12 S.League clubs are located??

Anyway, the solution is: don't think so much. Haha. Just know inside that heart of yours that it's time to stand up for Singapore. Will we beat our neighbours across the Causeway? I'm crossing my fingers we do - I belive our Lions are capable of victory. :)

On another non-football note, I'm going to PopAgenda! Woohoo! At17! Chet Lam! Once in a lifetime chance to see them LIVE!




If the above names are greek to you, then obviously you're no canto-indie pop fan. But if you're jumping up and down like I am, yeah, I'll see you there.

French Open 2006

Yeah, the Roland Garros 2006 is here!

With Rafael Nadal currently at his peak, I think the man will be unstoppable. Watch out, he's going to beat the socks out of Roger Federer.

On the woman's end, with Mary Pierce out of the competition due to injury and Sharapova losing steam lately, my fingers are crossed that it'll be a Amelie Mauresmo vs Justine Henin-Hardenne showdown. My two fave players...hehe.



Anyway, this is such a cool pic.


And how in the world did Mauresmo break her chair at a...press conference??

Let the games begin!

Rock n Roll as we count the days down...to World Cup

Was at Muddy Murphy's last night (that Irish pub opposite Devils Bar, very near the infamous Orchard Towers) and was plesantly surprised to see The UnXpected playing there.

For those of you who don't know, The UnXpected are one of the best bands doing the pub circuit in Singapore now. Fronted by a superb female vocalist, the whole band's really tight and boy, they sure have the groove. Last night, they did a string of Beatles stuff and totally made it their own. Anyway, the band normally plays at Wala Wala (@ Holland Village) and Balaclava (@ Suntec), so check them out if you haven't.

On another note, just read in the papers that you can catch most of the World Cup matches at Muddy Murphy's! Other nightspots are also cashing in on the football fever, but for me, it'll definitely be MM's (or maybe The Balcony) should I desire some live footballing action with non-stop beer consumption. The other places are too...far. Heh.

I'm rooting for all the underdog teams in the World Cup. Go Japan, go Korea, go Australia, go Mexico! :)

There seems to be more and more contests giving away World Cup tickets and packages. This one's giving you a chance to head to the FINAL - just turn up at the local S.League matches.

The Guitar Shop Gal

Last night, I bumped into The Guitar Shop Gal on the mrt train.

I call her The Guitar Shop Gal cos' that's where my brother and I first met her. She was an employee of that shop and we happened to be there on a hunt for a new guitar. Like all rock star wannabes, my brother suffers from GAS (Guitar Acquisition Syndrome) and loves looking at Fenders and Gibsons.

Anyway, The Guitar Shop Gal is one hot chick. She's the kind you simply cannot resist taking a second look at. A little pan-asian, plus a combination of wide-eyed innocence and nonchalant aloofness; it's THAT sort of allure. Very hard to describe, but I guess my brother's reaction said it best: his face turned from pink to red within mere seconds, and a silly grin crept up the corner of his lips and for a whole 10 minutes or so while he browsed through the guitars (or rather, pretended to browse while he tried to steal multiple looks at TGSG), that silly grin just plastered itself there. Heh.

Attractiveness is something really hard to grasp, and even harder to react to when you're hit by its arrows. Grinning uncontrollably, stammering, trying to avert the other party's eyes...come on, don't shy don't shy, we've all been there.

Yes, beauty is hard to resist, and seriously, we shouldn't resist it. You don't need to have the balls to take it on face to face, but do appreciate it while you can. Like The Guitar Shop Gal, she must have gotten used to all forms of friendly glances by now, perhaps even more used to the sight of cheeks turning rosy in her presence.

I wonder if she caught me stealing a glance at her last night. I wonder if she remembered the day we stumbled into the shop.

She alighted one station before me.

Accept it, some beauty is meant to be appreciated from afar.

Tat Chuan and his shoes

In the spirit of football fever, I'm going to catch a S.League game LIVE tonight! Woodlands Wellington plays host to Balestier Khalsa @ Woodlands Stadium.

Actually, in all honesty, I dig both teams with equal fondness. There are really outstanding players on each side; Akihiro Nakamura from the Tigers is always a fan favourite, and of course, there's 'bad boy' Goh Tat Chuan playing for the Rams.

Now, I don't even know how that tag came about. He looks like such a nice boy-next-door, doesn't he? The sort aunties would like most. Hehe. Shi Nai Sha Shou.

Have a Game of Pool

One of the nights when we were in Phuket, me and TSO bar-hopped and landed up in a quaint little restaurant-pub owned by a Japanese guy. (Phuket is as cosmo as you can get - blindfold yourself and pick out 10 people from the streets and you'll probably get a mini United Nations)

That pub was really nice as it serves cheap ice cold beer and you could play pool the whole night FREE of charge. Now, where in the world can you find something like that in Singapore??

Anyway, both TSO and I are lousy pool players, but you know lah, being in a foreign land where no one knows you and there's no need to look cool and fear of being publicly embarrassed, we jumped at the opportunity, grabbed those pool sticks and played two rounds. (Two long rounds, for it took us forever to finish one)

When I think of pool these days, one of the the first things that come to my mind, is a particular scene in Hou Hsiao Hsien's Three Times, where Shu Qi and Chang Chen linger over a pool table and make eyes at each other. Aahh. It's a really romantic sequence, accompanied by the lovely song "Rain and Tears" by Aphrodite's Child. Believe me, it's so romantic it sticks in your memory.

And...Shu Qi is stunning in that film. (Gosh, I could go on and on about the great stuff that Taiwanese cinema is producing in recent years, but I shall save it for another time.)

Art house fan or not, do yourself a favour and watch it.

Staying Together

OK...that must have been one of the quickest hiatuses in the world. Hahaa. Was in the midst of a cold war with TSO over the weekend and I was all out of sorts and expecting worse come to worse, that this 'war' would drag on till god knows when...but, we cleared it up last night and everything's fine. So, hee, guess I'm sticking around in blogging land!

When it comes to relationships, it's never easy. Especially when both of you know you're in this for the long run (and not some puppy's love you-stick-me-i-stick-you honeymoon that goes kaput after two months...), a relationship takes much more than just mere fondness to be maintained. It's tolerance, companionship, patience, compromising, some giving in, some sharing...and of course, committment, all thrown into the package.

The arena of sports have produced golden couples who have successfully stuck together all these years, against all odds. Bets might not be high on them sticking together at first - think tennis duo Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf. While Graf always appeared serious with her feet firmly planted on the ground, Agassi used to be the wild rebel of the courts (he had long hair, a slack attitude and...dated Brooke Shields).

But hey, since his marriage to Graf in 2001, the two have survived and certainly are going strong.

Closer to home, there's Fandi Ahmad and Wendy Jacobs of course. Whoever thought their differing backgrounds (Fandi is Singapore's most-loved kampung boy turned professional footballer and now, coach of the Young Lions; while wife Wendy is a model from South Africa) would be an obstacle in their way couldn't be more wrong. Turns out the stars in the skies had plans to build a mini football team for the couple - they have five children.

Hiatus

GWB is going through emotional turmoil.

She has no wishes of this blog degenerating into an outlet for depression and disillusionment, so she will stop blogging - for now.

It will be sometime, but she promises to return, when the storms are over, when the dark clouds have cleared, and when finally, she can see the road ahead.

Till then.

Greatness comes with patience

Was flipping this old issue of Men's Health and came across this feature piece on basketball beefcake Ben Wallace, who plays defense for the NBA Detroit Pistons.

There are a few quotes by Wallace that I felt were pretty good -

"1. A star team usually beats a team of stars."

"2. Don't stress if it takes you longer than your peers to get to your goal - life is not a race."

"3. You can't cut corners if you want to be great. Natural skills are fine, but work makes you a champion."

Anyone with a logical train of thought and frame of mind could come up with these, but it's nice to see that behind that rough, edgy demeanour and pumped up chunks of muscle, it's not just all brawns. Nice words of wisdom from Wallace to go around.

Our Young Lions sure could use some of his inspiration. Though they crashed out of the Malaysian FA Cup semis to Perlis, I bet they are all raring to bounce back. They face Woodlands Wellington tomorrow night, who have you placed your bets on?

Going by their excellent turns in both local and regional matches this year, the Young Lions have displayed that they are gradually evolving into a star team. (pt1) What they need to do next is to work harder (pt3) and not be impatient for success (pt2) as after all, all of them are so young! Yes, yes, chotto matte.

Greatness doesn't come overnight, just like boys don't simply turn into men with a blink of the eye. (Of course, there are definitely those amongst us who will argue that boys never turn into men; they were boys, are boys now and will continue to be boys.)

MEXICO - Dark Horse of the World Cup

Mexico's been grouped along with Iran, Angola and Portugal in Group D of the FIFA World Cup 2006 and I seriously think the amigos have a shot at making the next round for the first time. (So far, they've never gone past the quarterfinals in World Cup history)

Too bad 'El Matador' Luis Hernandez won't be playing. I remember watching him in action back in 1998 and 2002...he was an electrifying bullet on the pitch, especially with his mane of streaked, striking blond hair!

For those of you who are harbouring desires of catching the World Cup LIVE in Germany and basking in the atmosphere firsthand, I just realised there are quite a number of contests going on, giving away World Cup packages. Sleague.com is doing one too...heh...guess it pays to support local football eh. : )

P-H-U-K-E-T

Phuket, Thailand.

I know, I can be a real arty-farty tart.

5 Things about Phuket you should know:

1) The infamous 'Tiger Show' is severely overrated. (Those of you who think I'm talking about real tigers at this point, whack yourself first, then go check wikipedia)

2) You can see everything though...I marvel at how the guys and gals have no qualms about taking it all off, when so many pairs of hum sup eyes are leering at their privates.

3) What shows like these do is play on our innermost fantasies and turn them into realities on stage. Take the bathtub sequence right at the end, when the performers start soaping themselves and frolicking in bubbles and water (to the tune of Lao Shu Ai Da Mi, that's the aghast part). You don't need a pro-dancer or genius actor to do that; showering is natural an act as you can get. Yet, we still lap it up.

4) Don't see why female members of the audience aren't invited on stage when the guys are. The guys get to eat from the 'human sushi table', shan't us girls be invited to be at least closer when the male performer is hitting the drum with his...thing? So far, how to see...

5) I realise I've used up my four points to talk about the Tiger Show. Phuket, of course, is more than just that. Sun, sand, sea, bikinis, bars, pubs, cheap beer, pasar malam selling fake Diesel and Rip Curl, seafood, motorcycles, tuk tuks, muay thai, expats with thai girls...and the list goes on.

Taking a Break

GWB is taking a short break! Just a few days lah...going to the land of the thousands smiles. Yes, I'm all geared up to hit the beaches, drink to my heart's content, paint the town red, rendezvous all night...! Hahahaa.

To quote Workers' Party Sylvia Lim - I will be back.

In no time at all.

Aesthetically Yours

Hmmm...I'm beginning to think I have quite a dysfunctional sense of aesthetic appreciation.

I realise that what often equates 'attractive' to me, as in - what type of guy or gal who'll catch my eye instantaneously - is pretty unorthodox.

Somehow, it'll be the pretty boys who'll grab my attention. Long hair, dimples, cute smile. Not exactly the most manly type. Someone like...Selangor footballer Liew Kit Kong.

Ahh...doesn't he look like one of those charming Native Americans in Dances with Wolves? Hee. Of course, he's not in reality. The guy has a Chinese name but it's not hard to tell he's of mixed parentage - Chinese-Indian.

Yours truly here was lucky enough to get to see him live in person before, but you can too! Kit Kong will be playing for the Selangor Selection team tomorrow against our very own S.League Selection tomorrow at the National Stadium. Apparently, the old Msia Cup days players will be playing in some veterans game before that. But aiyo, not my generation lah, so I'll much rather look at Kit Kong and co. Wahaha.

Anyway, back to the topic, yes, conversely, I find gals who do not fall into the typical feminine, demure, petite category prettier. They don't necessarily have to have short hair lah, but the 'cool' factor is what that's most appealing. Hmm, so hard to describe in words.

Someone...like Jordana Brewster. :)

Beautiful People

Pretty shagged tonight, so I shall just let beautiful people entice your eyes...



This is beach volleyballer Rachel Wacholder, voted Best Defensive player in the AVP (the Pro Beach Volleyaball circuit) Women's last year. If you agree she's HOT beyond words, check her out at the AVP official site.

This scruffy-looking handsome is footballer Suguru Hashimoto. Good news for the ladies. The japanese lad's currently playing in the S.League club Albirex Niigata, which simply means - can be sighted at stadiums near you.

Good Old Days of Playing Hockey

Back in my university days, I stayed a semester in the school hostel, and for some strange reason, I was roped by some hall mates to join the Inter-Block Hockey Competition.

In retrospect, it was really an embarrassing affair, because...in the end, we actually won.

Don't get me wrong; winning is definitely a nice feeling. But at the same time, it was kinda embarrassing because our whole team was made up of amateurs who had never held a hockey stick in their entire lives before that (yours truly included). Prior to competition day, we had one crappy 'training session' (I can't see how it can even qualify as an official training, as there was no coach) and that's basically it.

Oh, I played goalkeeper, so the interesting bit was getting to wear that cool looking get-up - especially that protective headgear - though after a while, I was sweating like mad.

Anyway, yes, after one 'training session' which we spent more time chatting than twirling our hockey sticks, we gungho gals plunged in. Unexpectedly, like that also can win. Champion some more.

Of course, not to exaggerate things too much, it was an Inter-Block Competition (that means, within the hall), so it's a really mini affair lah. My hall had only 4 blocks.

I don't know why I talked about this...it suddenly popped up in the corner of my mind I guess. Haha. Perhaps, I was thinking whether it's possible for us to learn any kind of sport should we put our hearts to it?

Eagles - You've Found your Wings!

So happy to hear that Geylang United have finally won their S.League match after a string of disappointing letdowns! They beat Gombak United 1-0 last night in an away game...I'm sure their diehard fans must be exhilarated. Though not amongst the frontrunners for the league title, Geylang, in my opinion, has one of the most tight, cohesive fan clubs in the S.League.

Their numbers might not be massive (referring to the fans here), but they somehow always manage to stay positive & keep those spirits up even when their team is lagging behind. Now that Geylang's back in form and tasting victory once more, their fans, I feel, deserve a rousing bout of applause for sticking with the team through ups and downs (especially over the past month, it's mostly 'downs').

Anyway, last night's scorer was Nam Woung Ki, Geylang's new Korean signing this season.

Here he is, in another game - against Albirex Niigata - (he's the one in green. Looks-wise, no Lee Byung Heon obviously, but still pretty decent-looking lah)...

He and fellow Japanese teammate Ryuji Seoka make a solid, tag-team strikeforce for the Eagles.

Ryuji, however, is the cuter one. of course. :)

Fantastico Campos

One of my favourite football players as a kid and watching the World Cup back in 1994, was none other than...goalkeeper Jorge Campos.

The Mexican former international (of cos now retired...so old liao) was best known for his bright, multi-coloured neon, flamboyant, unorthodox outfits, as well as his tendency to move 'outwards' as the game progresses - He'd start out the match as a keeper, then gradually move out from his box to join his teammates upfront, sometimes even taking shots at goal!

I bet he probably made the 'Fashion Police' pages in his homeland papers all the time. Haha.

Anyway, I love the wackiness he displays. If all goalkeepers are like Barthez, Schmeichel or Seaman, alamak, so boring.

Cast away Homophobia, Labels, Stereotypes!

When I came across this article, the first thought that crossed my mind was: Aiyoh, they should have just dismissed the woman instead of merely slapping her with a fine!!

For those of you too lazy to pore through the entire wordy stuff, basically, the news story revolves about this obnoxious female college basketball coach Rene Portland who turned offensive and hostile towards one of her players whom she perceived as a 'lesbian' (in fact, the player isn't) -- because of the player's tomboyish appearance.

First, it's really ridiculous, how in this modern day & age, some people can still be so homophobic! (And this happened in the U.S some more, the supposedly home ground of all things liberal) Does it even matter if a player is straight or gay? What difference does her sexual inclination make? Will being more feminine make her a better, more competent competitor on court?

Second, it's all these shallow, stereotyped perceptions of how a male or female should look like. Ok, I guess a major part of why I'm irked, is cos' this is something pretty close to my heart. Personally, I embrace androgyny and dislike societal conventions of gender appearances. Who says a girl must have long hair, wear skirt, high heels, put on makeup, adorn jewellery? Why can't she wear comfy jerseys, berms, sport shoes, cut her hair short or spiky? Does it make her less a woman?

Come on, admit it, standing next to Kenji Arai (Note: he's japanese and a footballer for S.League club SAF Warriors...ahh, the people you meet on streets :P ), faceless, andro-looking me could be a guy for all you know. But, that's my point - do guys only go 'Wah, Sui!' if they see a long-haired, slim (slimmer than me) silhouette? If that's the measurement of female attractiveness, then any bimbo/ah lian on the street = pretty lor. Brains and personality don't need to count liao lah.

Similarly, metrosexuality is such a in-word now, but cast aside the hip terminology and I can bet with you - there are still some standoffish folks who will, at the sight of a man wearing bright pink and speaking in a high-pitched voice, immediately take one glance at him, then secretly snigger "confirm gay".

If such is a society we are living in, it's pathetic. For goodness sake, it's the 21st century, why still hide ourselves under so many stereotypes, so many cliches? If one's not straight, then he or she is crooked? Then, if bi how? What label to label the 'in-betweens'...wavy?? Haiz.

Why conform and fit into age-old boxes when you, as an individual, have the right to be free, to design your image the way you desire it to be?

In this age, when boundaries are diluted, when sexuality is more fluid than ever, it's time to cast homophobia and labels out of the window!

No more politics here...and UP's the way for Young Lions

Aiyoh...what is that James Gomez doing?! This is not going to do any good to the Workers' Party election campaign!

Anyway, I'm in quite a 'policital discourse mood' these days (blame it on the GE), but I've decided not to blog anymore about it liao...everything is just bound to end up in circles and circles anyway.

So, I shall just end off all these party talk by saying that I'm really impressed with Vivian B.'s flair of the hokkien dialect. I was listening to an mp3 of a PAP rally, where he spoke out at SDA's Chiam See Tong.

An excerpt: "Li gong, ai zou zin zui tian tui, wu gao lui bo?" (Tell me, you want to make lifts - referring to upgrading - but do you have enough $$?)

The Young Lions have won their first leg of the Msia FA Cup semi-final! And yes, I was at the stadium (Jalan Besar). It was truly one emotional ride for all of us watching...the cubs went 2-0 up in the first half, but then they got overconfident or something, and Perlis scored two goals within minutes in the 2nd half to draw even.

Luckily, defender Juma'at Jantan put in one more to make it three for us, and just when everyone though YIPPEES...it's over, victory's in the bag...the Young Lions conceded a penalty! Gosh...you could literally hear the whole stadium exploding in frustration and indignation (roars of 'Referee Kayu!' were to no avail). BUT, proving that miracles do happen -- goalkeeper Fadhil Salim saved the day by predicting correctly the direction of the kick. It's one incredible, mighty save! You can't imagine how wild and ecstatic everyone around me went...as for me? Of cos I yelled lah. Hee.

Toothy-grinning hero Fadhil shouldn't be surprised if his act of bravado just won him legions of admirers!