愛

The Taiwan drama, Love (愛), will be broadcasted seven days per week on Channel 8 starting from 19th July. I can bravely say that this would be a start of Mediacorp's downfall. Two years later, you can return to this blog to look for this post and agree with what I had just said. 愛 has 800 episodes and it is into its 300-something one now

Of course, the main reason behind this decision is to save money. Yes, Mediacorp can definitely save a considerable amount with less productions. However, will it be able to save itself? With the emergence of the Internet, more and more youngsters from Gen Y are choosing to sit in front of their computers than the TV. The TV is slow and static. On the other hand, a computer allows you to pause, stop, replay videos and do multiple things at a time

愛's main audience are middle-aged and above uncles and aunties. Broadcasting this drama every night on weekdays will only encourage youngsters to abandon TV-watching. The older generation will be pleased with this arrangement but it is still a win-lose situation in a whole

Now, stop nagging us for sticking to the computer. You old hags are sticked to the TV!

ecfa

 Taken from www.cnn.com

Taiwan and China have finally signed ECFA (Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement) today

There has been much debate over the effectiveness of ECFA. Taiwan's opposition party DPP believe that ECFA is nothing but just a nice-looking cover

ECFA is not an FTA (Free Trade Agreement). There are also concerns that more China workers will flock to Taiwan and compete directly with the locals for jobs like what is hapenning in Singapore currently

It is claimed that ECFA will be more advantageous to Taiwan than China. The former can reap up to more than US$13 billion while China's benefits are about US$2.8 billion

In my perspective, ECFA would be a long-term disadvantage to the Taiwanese. They have to rely on the mainland anyway and it is China who gets to control the game in the end

The game has just begun

epic school reopening

Today is the epic school reopening day

Everybody looked forward to it with dismay

The only thing which we've got to say

Is that school ain't a place for fun and play

Raymond

World Cup team

This is my preferred team after watching the performances of players in the World Cup group matches. I have decided to go with a 4-4-1-1 formation

Goalkeeper: Julio Cesar (Brazil)
Cesar was just second-choice custodian in the national team at the previous tournament. This time, after gaining the trust of the coach, he has been tasked as Brazil's number one shot-stopper and boy, did he excelled in it. Never mind that an extremely lousy team like North Korea managed to score against him. He was pivotal in numerous defensive clearances. Ceasr also hardly moves himself when saving balls. Fabio Capello should hire him to teach Robert Green a thing or two

Left-Back: Gabriel Heinze (Argentina)
An experienced player with good technique. Heinze's performances have been impressive so far which include the heading in the winning goal against Nigeria. The Argentinian expertly operates up and down the left flank with ease and is always in the right place at the right time

Right-Back: Maicon (Brazil)
Without a doubt, Maicon is the obvious choice for this position. His goal against North Korea, from an impossible angle, was simply classic and reminiscent to Roberto Carlos's one years ago. He has beaten Dani Alves for the right-back position in the Brazil squad and has been doing a good job to deny the latter a chance to play

Centre-Backs: Craig Moore (Australia) Paulo da Silva (Paraguay)
Both are solid in defence. Moore might have endured a hard time while playing Germany but he still made a wonderful performance overall. da Silva was also rock solid for his country making timely tackles every now and then to stop opponents. Both would form an incredible partnership at the back

Left Wing: Dennis Rommedahl
I had a little problem here when picking the player. I had Park Ji Sung in mind but considering the fact that he runs around to different areas of the pitch every minute, I think Rommedahl would fit more as a winger. An outstanding display against Cameroon has won him this place

Right Wing: Jesus Navas (Spain)
Another difficult choice to make. I chose Navas because he was brave enough to constantly dribble past opponents. Even Cristiano Ronaldo opts to pass the ball when being cornered by opponents. His substitution in the Switzerland match revived the right wing. What a nice name he's got to make himself so heavenly

Centre Midfield: Tiago and Raul Mireles (Portugal)
Both were important to the Portuguese's midfield power in the group matches. Tiago should have played so well when he was a fews years younger, it is a little late now though. Mireles has proven himself to be the next big thing from Portugal after Ronaldo. Both are versatile in both attack and defence and can also spread wide when necessary

Right Centre-Forward: Mesut Ozil (Germany)
A rare (and the only one so far) German who plays with so much flair. An excellent playmaker who crafts attacks with precision. He destroyed Australia with all the attacking moves his mind could think of. By the way, he is only 21 years old and still the unfinished product

Main Striker: Fabiano (Brazil)
He looked so clinical against North Korea, threatening to bomb the keeper anytime. He can hold the ball really well and make timely runs to receive passes. Cannot think off a better finisher than this guy so far

World Cup tips 8

At last, the final four group matches will take place today but most people will only be interested in one particular match. Find it out yourself. It is rather obvious

North Korea vs Ivory Coast

Tip: North Korea 1.5 ball (Match No.: 0745, Bet Type: 02, Selection No.: 01, $1.70)

Ivory Coast have proven that they are no good team. Didier Drogba alone is not enough. The North Koreans will be eager to win back some "face" after getting thrashed by Portugal on Monday. Ivory Coast to win this match by a single goal

Portugal vs Brazil
Tip: Goaless Stalemate (Match No.: 0746, Bet Type: 05, Selection No.: 00, $7)

When it is the clash of the titans, a win is hardly the eventual score for either side. Brazil will make a couple of changes to their line-up while Portugal could play a more offensive game this time. Too bad Kaka will be unable to cross swords with his Real Madrid colleague C.Ronaldo on the pitch

Chile vs Spain

Tip: Both teams to draw on the 1x2 (Match No.: 0747, Bet Type: 01, Selection No.: 02, $4.30)

Finishing first or second in their group doesn't really make a big difference for both teams. That is because Brazil or Portugal will be awaiting in the last 16. Chile might make life easy for their opponents by fielding the reserves. The Spanish strikers need to be in top form


Switzerland vs Honduras

Tip: Both teams to draw on the 1X2 (Match No.: 0748, Bet Type: 01, Selection No.: 02, $3.90)

Two words to describe. Boring match. Watching these two teams play would be a waste of your time unless you want to make full use of your subscription fee. Honduras doesn't look threatening up front. The Swiss are no good squad either

World Cup tips 7

Today's matches will see England and Germany playing must-win games. Will they be able to make it to the last 16? Destiny is in their hands for you to predict

Paraguay vs New Zealand
Tip: New Zealand 1.5 ball(Match No.: 0741, Bet Type: 02 Selection No.: 02, $1.55)

New Zealand have proved that they are no pushovers with draws against Slovakia and Italy. Psychologically, the Kiwis have accomplished their mission at this World Cup so they will be less tense in the final group match. Paraguay desperately want to finish first to avoid a potential last 16 clash with Holland. Maybe a win for New Zealand, maybe


Slovakia vs Italy

Tip: Slovakia to win on the 1x2 (Match No.: 0742, Bet Type: 01, Selection No.: 01, $5.30)

A similar match to the South Africa-France one. Another giant will be humbled, another underdog will gain glory. Slovakia have nothing lose, an all-out attack strategy is probably what they will have. Italy look rusty currently but at least they have 1 more point then poor France


Denmark v Japan

Tip: Japan to win on the 1X2 (Match No.: 0743, Bet Type: 01, Selection No.: 03, $3.40)

Japan should be able to take down the Danes while playing with discipline and wisdom. Denmark's good players are ageing while the newbies have yet to ripe. Japan need to score an early goal to boost their last 16 chances


Cameroon vs Holland

Tip: Total goals = 2 (Match No.: 0744, Bet Type: 05, Selection No.: 02, $3.20)

If Holland scores first, they will win. If the Africans find the net before their opponents, it will be a draw. So the score will either be 2:0 or 1:1. Two goals is a safe bet. W.Sneijder will score in this game

World Cup tips 6

Today's matches will see England and Germany play must-win games. Will the big teams be able to make it to the last 16? Destiny lies in their hands and is for you to predict

Slovenia vs England
Tip: Draw-Away (Match No.: 0733, Bet Type: 03 Selection No.: 06, $3.90)

England need to win this match and it will be their only win among their three group matches. Slovenia exposed their flaw for being unable to keep a two-goal lead against USA. If England get their tactics right, Peter Crouch can launch a late aerial assault on the weary Slovenian defenders


USA vs Algeria
Tip: Both teams to draw on the 1X2 (Match No.: 0738, Bet Type: 01, Selection No.: 02, $3.60)

Betting a draw for this match is the safest bet. Algeria's unexpected draw with England was only because of luck. USA should be able to finish off Algeria but the Desert Foxes will be doing some desperate defending to nullify the attacks


Australia vs Serbia
Tip: Australia to win 1:0 (Match No.: 0739, Bet Type: 04, Selection No.: 10, $9)

It is Australia's turn to win and Group D would look really interesting as everything boils down to goal difference. It has been unlucky for the Aussies so far, with two players getting red cards in their two previous games. 1:0 is just nice. Serbia are still overjoyed with their win against Germany


Ghana vs Germany
Tip: Ghana 1.5 ball (Match No.: 0740, Bet Type: 02, Selection No.: 01, $1.60)

Quite a reliable bet. Actually, Germany have an edge over all the other countries in this tournament. That is because the Jabulaini ball was used in German leagues earlier this year so many German players are already used to this ball. The crucial part here is how are they going to control the ball. Do it well when against Australia or do it badly when playing Serbia. Most probably the latter will occur

World Cup tips 5

Here are the tips of the last round of the World Cup group matches. There will be four matches in one day for the first time today

Mexico vs Uruguay
Tip: Uruguay to win on the 1X2 (Match No.: 0733, Bet Type: 01, Selection No.: 02, $3.85)

The strange thing about this match is that Singapore Pools thinks neither team are the favourites. Draw only pays out $1.75 while a Mexico win is $3.50. Uruguay should be "sportsman" enough to play for a win. Mexico, on the other hand, are more relaxed so expect them to concede a goal


South Africa vs France
Tip: France -1.5 ball (Match No.: 0734, Bet Type: 02, Selection No.: 02, $3.60)

Never mind that the french players did not want to train to protest against Nicolas Anelka's punishment. It is make or break for France whose World Cup dreams are hanging by a thread. I predict that they can qualify for the second round by putting five past the hosts and go above Mexico on goal difference


Nigeria vs South Korea
Tip: Away-Away (Match No.: 0735, Bet Type: 03, Selection No: 09, $4.30)

This is the kind of match which one should avoid betting especially if one is a rookie. Nigeria having virtually nothing else to fight for, South Korea will be eager to finish their group matches with a win. Expect to see a fully-charged Park Ji Sung running around like a mad dog


Greece vs Argentina
Tip: First scorer = C.Tevez (Match No.: 0736, Bet Type: 06, Selection No.: 04, $6.50)

Not trying to boast but I have a knack for predicting the first scorer in Argentina matches. When they played with Korea, I had a strong feeling that G.Higuain would score and only he would score. In the end, he scored a hat-trick and is the only Argentinian who scored in that game. Instead of Messi, why not look at Tevez who runs around more often chasing balls? Surely he has a higher chance of scoring

Give way to YOG

Come this August, Singaporeans will have to give way to Youth Olypmic vehicles on the roads. Seems that it will be an offence if one does not "siam" away when driving on the designated YOG lanes which have the five Olympic rings as a symbol

Now, even foreigners who are just plain foreigners with nothing to do with Singapore are kings on our roads. So what if they are late? It's those youth atheletes' problem. Their mothers are not there to wake them up or they are in a state of shock as this is their first time in a city far away from their village home

Why must Singapore carry ball for the whole world? It is not the Olympics, it is not some APEC meeting, it is just a tiny puny YOG. So should Express buses give way to those Olympic vehicles or vice versa? Singaporeans should be the ones at the top of the priority list and not some bunch of youngsters who are not even professionals

Instead of urging Singaporeans to be gracious and give way,Teo Ser Luck should ensure that PUB clear drains to prevent an unexpected flood like what happened to our Orchard Road. Also, a rule should be implemented to ban vuvuzelas in stadiums

Saving Gaia

If you have been watching television recently, you should notice that there is a Saving Gaia commercial by Mediacorp featuring a few people asking some incredibly weird questions

If I were a blah blah blah, would you save me? My answer would be a straight no. I can understand what the director is trying to convey through the filming but it is done in an absolutely dull way with no feelings

The actors were more like trying to portray themselves as arrogant people who think that they are indispensible than an endangering part of mother nature

Double thumbs down for this terrible commercial. Mediacorp makes lousy dramas, now even their commercials are equally lousy

Kelong? Cup?

Higuain (No. 9): "You small little Asians, I don't even need to move my body to score a goal!"

I watched Argentina vs. South Korea last night. The Asian team was a disappointment. I trusted them and invested in them but it was all fated to be a win for the Argentinians. The only thing that I saw on TV during the first half was blue-white striped players passing around and running at atrocious speeds. The Tigers were tamed and devoured

This World Cup is starting to look more and more like a fixed competition, making people lose money every now and then with unexpected results. Maybe the S League looks like a better bet for now if you need to cover your losses. Tonight's first match will see Germany take on Serbia. I hope Germany lose because I don't like them

16 June

No World Cup tips for the next 16 matches. I shall save up my brain cells and energy for the last 32 matches. Anyway, here's a photo in case you are complaining that there are too many words on this blog

World Cup tips 4

I admit I am a bit late this time so yeah, cut the crap. Here are the next four games

Ivory Coast vs Portugal

Tip: Draw-Home (Match No.: 0713, Bet Type: 03, Selection No.: 04, $9)

If Didier Drogba plays, Ivory Coast stand a high chance of winning. But even without him, the Portuguese would still have to endure a hard fight. If you are brave enough, take Ivory Coast to win


Brazil vs North Korea
Tip: Anything related to Brazil winning (Match No.:0714, Bet Type: 01, Selection No.:01, $1.07)

I don't know what to recommend so I'll just say 1X2. If you have enough cash, just throw in a thousand dollars and you will win yourself $70, enough to pay for Singtel/Starhub's subscription fees. Only a nuclear rocket can beat the Brazilian defence


Honduras vs Chile

Tip: Chile -1.5 ball (Match No.: 0715, Bet Type: 02, Selection No.: 02, $2.35)

I admit that this is a biased prediction because I am supporting Chile at this World Cup. However, Chile are really a strong team, they finished higher than Argentina in their continent's qualifiers. They may not have the best players but they have history. Honduras means "depths" in Spanish, so they will sink deep I guess


Spain vs Switzerland

Tip: Three goals in total (Match No.: 0716, Bet Type: 05, Selection No.: 03, $3.50)

Looking at how the Netherlands crush Denmark by two goals and Germany destroying Australia by four, I am confident that Spain, the hot favourites, can put three past Switzerland. The Swiss won't get to enjoy the fresh air their country has in South Africa. Spain will use this match for shooting practice

14 June

There are many things to do during the two-week holiday which officially starts today

I had five books in my room which I had borrowed from the school library, none of them was read for more than ten pages in a row as I keep jumping from one book to another. I think I will read more pages for the Creative Writing for Dummies book as I need it for this blog

I also have the Men in White book about PAP which I had not touched for months. Would be a good time to explore Singapore's history during the holidays although I'm not sure if it's one-sided story. It is even thicker than my Times Chambers dictionary. There are also a bunch of financial and computer magazines in the drawers waiting for me to read them

I also have a project on hand which I believe I should do it during the holidays to maximise my time. FYP still looks stagnant due to the poor management of the "on top". Anyone who ever has real working experience should understand what does "on top" refer to. I am just a "below" who take orders and cannot interfere

Oh yeah, there's World Cup but I don't have cable TV. Who still relies on a TV when the world wide web is always there for you although it is not reliable. I just treat myself as a female or non-football fan soaking into the action and fun for a month, becoming an overnight football know-how person

And there is one thing which I had wanted to do during June since two years ago but did not had the chance and forgot to do it in 2008 and 2009 respectively. Blogging about the durian season

I think that it is an interesting topic and it will be challenging trying to take photos of those durian sellers at work. just like a reporter doing his job in Bangkok during the protests. Risky but fulfilling

Last but not least, holidays are for one to sleep longer than usual. How nice but it is only temporary

World Cup tips 3

It's not easy predicting scores especially when most of your previous predictions didn't turn out the way you expected they would. This has been the case for me for the past three days. Nevertheless, I will not give up so easily so here are the next four matches

Holland vs Denmark

Tip: Home-Home (Match No.: 0709, Bet Type: 03, Selection No.: 01, $2.10)

Holland to win this game 2:1 with Denmark scoring in between the two Dutch goals. If you are planning to bet on anything related to Holland winning, I suggest you do it as soon as possible as the prices will drop. The Dutch simply have too much class for the land of fairy tales


Japan vs Cameroon

Tip: Both teams to draw 1:1 (Match No.: 0710, Bet Type: 04, Selection No.: 11, $6.50)

A very hard match to predict. Considering that Cameroon have a world-class striker named Samuel Eto'o, Japan should be "able" to let in a goal. But the Japanese are Hekotareruna so it should be all fair and square at the end


Italy vs Paraguay

Tip: Paraguay to win (Match No.: 0711, Bet Type: 01, Selection No.: 03, $3.80)

If you are looking for some excitement, why not consider taking Paraguay to defeat the defending champions? Italy are old and slow, they will rely more on defence than attack. Santa Cruz will be the Santa Claus of his country by delivering the killer blow


New Zealand vs Slovakia

Tip: New Zealand 1.5 ball (Match No.: 0712, Bet Type: 02, Selection No.: 01, $1.60)

Betting Slovakia to win on the 1X2 will return you with pathetically low profit. However, the Central Europeans don't look capable of beating the All Whites by two goals. Taking a +1.5 is a safe bet and can also mean New Zealand creating an upset

World Cup Preview 4

This is the fourth and final of the four-part special on this year's World Cup. Today, I shall talk about how I think the semi-finals and final will look like from my opinion. Hopefully, in exactly a month's time, reality would be similar to what I had guessed

Semi Final 1: England vs Brazil

A rematch of the 2002 quarter-final when David Beckham, Ronaldhino, Michael Owen and Fat Ronaldo were still in the teams. England, under the guidance of Fabio Capello, should be able rise to the occasion. Brazil, on the other hand, have been favourites in every match since fifty years ago. It will be tense, pulsating, filled with heart-stopping moments and flooded with yellow cards

The final score after normal time would be 1:1. Most likely it would be either Wayne Rooney or another striker bagging the goal for the Three Lions. Brazil have a whole lot of players who are goalscorers. No goals during extra-time. The English would be worn out by Brazil's high-tempo sambal football

Capello would make his third and final substitution during near the end of extra-time for the shoot-out. Most probably a full-back or winger who is more used to operating on his natural foot. Brazil will suddenly play all-out-attack football in the closing stages with England doing some desperate defending

On to the shoot-out, England's takers are quite predictable, namely Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, Jermaine Defoe and Rooney. Brazil will surely start with a left-footer for the first kick

And England will win it 4:3 on penalties courtesy of some lady luck and inaccuracy from the Brazilians


Semi-final 2: Argentina vs Spain

Let's keep this one simple. Spain will turn Argentina inside out with all their talents and technique but only manage to score one goal eventually. Maradona will make some weird substitutions that will affect his team's performance. Don't be surprised to see Lionel Messi being taken off

Spain's goal should be a combination of a Xavi Hernandez's extraordinary through pass and a clinical finish by either Fernando Torres or David Villa. Iker Casillas, the Spanish goalkeeper, will make a spectacular world-class save in the dying minutes to break every Argentina fan's heart


Final: England vs Spain

The media will brand Spain as the hot favourites to clinch the title. Beckham and Rio Ferdinand must be cursing themselves for being injured during that period. The Spanish players will feel confident entering the game

Both teams will battle out a draw after ninety minutes with Spain gaining the upper hand for most of the time. Sergio Ramos will get into a quarrel with Rooney but neither will get sent off. David Silva will be badly injured from a hard tackle by Jamie Carragher. John Terry would be reprimanded by the referee for strong challenges on the Spanish strikers

England will shockingly score an unexpected long-range goal in extra-time thanks to the technology implemented in the Jabulaini ball. The remaining time after that goal will see England doing last-ditch tackles and trying to stop their opponents in whatever way they can never mind if it will cost them a red card

The final whistle is blown and I will be celebrating because I had won money from bets

World Cup tips 2

Ok, more tips coming up, hope some of them will be accurate enough to win you some money. By the way, in case if you are thinking that I am trying to "act" like some pro football pundit, I would like to clarify that it is done upon requests from readers

Let me say a stupid old-school statement that many retarded people like to have on their retarded blogs. "If you don't like my blog, please click here (some javascript code to close the browser) or please click the red cross at the top" Retarded right?

Anyway, here are the next four matches for your reference in date order

England vs USA

Tip: Draw-Home (Match No.: 0705, Bet Type: 03, Selection No.: 04, $4.10)

This is my favourite match among the first sixteen matches of the tournament. English speaking nation vs. English speaking nation. The only difference is the slang and their football standards, of course. No sweat for England in this match. USA will fight but they can only last for the first-half


Algeria vs Slovenia

Tip: Algeria to win on the 1X2 (Match No.: 0706, Bet Type: 01, Selection No.: 01, $3.15)

I don't know why Singapore Pools have picked Slovenia as the favourites but I think the Algerians are better and they are playing in their own continent as well. Slovenia is a weak team. Their population is less than half of Singapore's 5 million. All their players are unknown to me. Finally, the name doesn't sound auspicious for sports competitions. Slo, slo, sounds more like slow-venia


Serbia vs Ghana

Tip: Draw-Away (Match No.: 0707, Bet Type: 03, Selection No.: 06, $6.50)

Two equally strong teams. Ghana will be significantly weakened by the absence of their best player, Michael Essien or else they will stand a higher chance of winning. Serbia have a strong defence to boast but that's all they've got. Their strikers are unproven at international level. Expect Ghana to finish it off with a late goal


Germany vs Australia

Tip: Australia 1.5 ball (Match No.: 0708, Bet Type: 02, Selection No.: 02, $1.53)

This will be the first big upset of the tournament. Australia holding powerhouses Germany to a draw. The Aussies have experienced players to give the Germans a tough time. $1.53 might be a bit little but it is quite a stable bet if you can pool in a lot of money. Also, there is the assurance of winning money in case Germany win by a single goal

Please bet at your own discretion and financial ability with the legal operator

World Cup tips

If you need some cash to spend for the current Great Singapore Sale (GSS), there is a great opportunity for you to earn (or win) some now. What better time than now can the World Cup arrive? There are 64 matches for one to choose from. You don't have to put your money on every single game, just analyse and pick a few worthy ones

However, for the sake of choice and variety, I have done some research and here are some tips for you to consider for the first four matches. The matches listed below are in date order

South Africa vs Mexico

Tip: South Africa to beat Mexico 2: 0 (Match No.: 0701, Bet Type: 04, Selection No.: 20, $9)

South Africa are the hosts and this is the first game of the tournament. Even the non-football fan like your girlfriend, wife or mother will agree that South Africa will win it for the sake of "face". Mexico are no strong team so scoring two goals in front of the home crowd shouldn't be an issue for the hosts


France vs Uruguay

Tip: Goalless Stalemate (Match No.: 0702, Bet Type: 04, Selection No.: 00, $8.50)

Two of the most boring teams at this World Cup playing each other equals boring score. Anyway, both also drew 0:0 when they last met eight years ago, coincidentally in a World Cup Group A match as well. History willshould repeat itself


South Korea vs Greece

Tip: Neither team will clear handicap (Match No.: 0703, Bet Type: 02, Selection No.: 01, $1.14)

$1.14 for South Korea not losing by two goals is acceptable but ridiculously low if you are hoping to win some money. Why not bet with your friends for this match? The odds would definitely be better. You can take 0.5 ball for Greece if your friend happens to be a Kpop fan


Argentina vs Nigeria

Tip: Argentina to score three goals (Match No.: 0704, Bet Type: 05, Selection No.: 03, $3.50)

Argentina have fine players with good technique so scoring two or three goals as a warm-up for their World Cup campaign shouldn't be a problem. The main thing is that if Nigeria happens to score first or equalize. There will be more or less some impact on the Argentinians but they will still win it with a second goal. And 2:1 means 3 goals in total as well

More tips coming up soon

My hair looks like Robert Downey Jr. in Iron Man now

Anyway, I will be on leave for three days so this blog will not be updated in the meantime. I will be back earliest on Wednesday

Here's a video on animals before I go

World Cup Preview 3

This is the third of the four-part special on this year's World Cup. There was much debate on the cost of watching this sporting event when the two local telcos unveiled their packages last month

Actually, other than the players, referees and erm, the quality of the players and referees, the commentator also plays a crucial part in determining how exciting/nice is it to watch a game. However, these are some things which you will never hear a commentator say during the World Cup and maybe the next few

1. This Jabulaini ball has just made Gianluigi Buffon concede a third straight goal against New Zealand. It's 3:0 to the All Whites...Oh wait, he's complaining to the referee!

2. It seems that the Spain-Switzerland match has to be delayed because none of the Spanish keepers are willing to play unless the ball is changed

3. Omg, I can run faster than Peter Crouch!

4. Look at those Brazllian fans! Wow!

5. Hmmm, is this Slovakia or Slovenia?

6. The Greece team has pulled out of the tournament due to their domestic financial problems.

7. Portugal looks like they are going to follow Greece as well. Cristiano Ronaldo is going to cry.

8. In the starting line-up of the United States team are Landon Donnovan, hey is this correct? (background voice: "Yes") Kobe Bryant, Tyson Gay, Tiger Woods and John Cena! Huh? (background voice: anything wrong?)

9. Lionel Messi has just scored with his hand! The referee didn't see it! And Maradona is jumping like mad on the bench!

10. This is Brazil's number 10, Ricardo Izecson dos San...ahh !@#$%, it's just Kaka ok?

11. It's Jose Mourinho! He's running onto the pitch towards the ref because Portugal had conceded an offside goal from Côte d'Ivoire's Didier Drogba!

12. Shouting from the stands of the Brazil-North Korea match is Barack Obama who seems to be booing the North Koreans!

13. The Netherlands are playing good defensive football here.

14. France are into the final again! Well done.

15. And coming onto the pitch is the Singapore team.

Oil Spill

East Coast Beach and Changi Beach have been cleared of oil since the oil spill incident from a collision at sea last week. I was wondering what else might it have affected other than swimming and the poor seafood. So in the absence of proof, I did some speculating

1. Perfect obstacle for illegal immigrants trying to enter Singapore. Well, it might not affect them if they were wearing oxygen masks

2. Good excuse for kids to stay at home and play Wii instead of a boring weekend outing

3. Valid reason for people living in the west to ask their friends to have a barbeque at West Coast Park hence saving on transportation

4. Another wonderful choice to punish litterbugs under the Corrective Work Order (CWO)

5. And to exploit innocent school students to do useless Community Involvement Programme (CIP)

6. Kiasu people camping at/running to the beach to pick up "free" seafood, if any

7. Might be Dr. M's plan to "disturb" Singapore because Nahjeep allowed the train station to shift locations

8. The drivers of the boats were not concentrating as they were sad that they could not attend GKS' funeral because they were at sea

9. No more building of sandcastles. Nah, who still plays this in year 2010?

This blog also did an informal poll with a number of people to see what are their thoughts on this incident. The results are stated below

Don't care lah, I also don't go East Coast one -60%

Huh? Who make one? Must be Malaysia is it? -25%

I don't know, I only care about whether should I subscribe to the World Cup package -10%

Luckily not spill at Sentosa or Marina Bay there -4%

Where is Chek Jawa? -1%

World Champion China

So the biggest news that rocked the country for the last 48 hours is none other than our made-in-china-bought-by-Singapore women's table tennis team. They defeated the authentic China players in the World Table Tennis Championships. These women are the only China-born people living in Singapore who are worthy of citizenship for the glory they have brought to the nation

Yes, Feng Tianwei makes screaming noises when playing like China people talking in public places. The difference is that one makes noise for a good reason while the others contribute greatly to noise pollution only. The government should learn to recruit more of the former instead of blindly mass importing the latter

To me, the only thing from the table tennis team which is Singapore is the flag sewn on their jerseys. Everything else in Chinese. Players from China, coach from China, sparring partners from China. Even the ball, racket and table are all from China!

No wonder Westerners think that Singapore is part of China