~~ Irony Indeed ~~

Ever had the feeling of expecting something to happen but everything just came to naught at the end? Then when you decide not to ponder over it and least expect it, it just happened effortlessly? Irony at work again. But I seriously do not mind it. :p
That's enough nonsense for now....had an event-filled weekend I must say
Met up with Nat and Jeremy for the past 3 days consecutively....haha. Buey sian meh!!

FRIDAY

Went to Sitex at Singapore Expo on Friday evening. Its damn huge!! But..nothing much to see...haha. However it seems like the whole world was there because within the 2hrs I was there, I had the good fortune of meeting 4 friends from different cliques. Clarence from sec sch days, Sharon from my poly days, Junren from my BMT...haven't seen him for like 2-3yrs and Beatrice an ex colleague.

Anyway, back to Sitex, it seems like almost every booths are selling similar products and it really does not help in capturing the interest of people like me who are typical laymen in IT products. Certain parts of the exhibition even appeared to look like a mini Sim Lim Square to me...haha. Actually had in mind of getting a multi-function printer(print-fax-scan in one) but pondered over it for awhile. Didn't want to make a hasty decision. Blessing in disguise indeed since the model I wanted to get was a Brother new range that cost $200+. A check with Daping made me realise that I could actually get a cheaper one from Epson and the quality could be better still.

Its also interesting to find out that Jeremy was actually known by his internet and gaming friends by his online namesake Bluecoral rather than his REAL name. Haha...had a good time laughing about it with Nat.

After Sitex, we adjourned to good old Simpang Bedok for dinner. Was tempted by the steak that lotsa people ordered so we settle down at Spize. I had bullet steak while Nat and Jeremy ordered a Roti John each. I think one of the reason why Spize's business is better than the other few outlets there is because they took extra effort to make their food look appetizing. Appearance does matter, and if your food looks good, you'll probably feel it tastes good even before you start on it. Of course the food must be nice to start with. Haha...

SATURDAY

Arranged to meet up at a coffeeshop in Bedok South to watch soccer. Purpose of meeting was to meet Dicky Sam who came back from Australia for his term break. But too bad he still gotta serve time in the prison we call army because he still owed them 50 days of service....wahahaha!!

It was nice of Daping to drop by along with his girlfriend and pick me up in his new Lancer. As usual, the rest were late. Basically, we caught a boring game and much of the time was spent more on catching up with each other rather than watching Peter Crouch TRYING to score for the 22nd games in a row.

SUNDAY

Met up with them yet again on Sunday at Singapore Expo.(yet again :p) This time round, it was for the Big-Boyz-Toyz Exhibition. Jeremy had complimentary tickets for us so why not man...haha. I was expecting to see lotsa flashy cars but it turned out to be disappointing though. The Ferraris and Porsches from AutoBahn were all old models which were previously displayed in car shows last year. Same goes for some of the other Japanese made racing cars. Nothing spectacular.

Headed to Katong for steamboat after that. Hidden in one corner of the basement of Roxy Square, the stall offers the same varieties as the one in the foodcourt of Parkway Parade. Was told by Vic that it actually originated from the Parkway outlet. That explains why it taste as good.

After dinner, we had a few games of pool over at PoolClassic. Its been a long time I played pool. Same goes for the rest of them. I am glad I have not lost touch with it despite having not touched a pool cue for months.

Headed down to GrapeVine at Kovan to watch the match between West Ham and ManU. Edwin was already there when we reached and so we had seats ready for us...haha. To my horror, the score read West Ham 1 ManU 0. Apparently, West Ham scored within the first minute of the game. Not a good way to start a game man. It stayed that way until halftime leaving me frustrated with ManU's typical sloppy play. The only saving grace was the Grilled Sotong that tasted really nice.

Had another round of pool during the interim and somehow my luck amazed even myself as the balls sort of queued up in line for me to pot one by one. Winner again!! Haha....
As we settled down again for the 2nd half, it was obvious that ManU decided to step up a gear and it was not long before Rooney finally brought ManU level. A good goal by Rooney and ManU is back on track again. The goal must have been a real good confidence booster as ManU went from stride to stride wrecking havoc in West Ham's half. They finally got their break when John O'Shea headed in a powerful header of a corner from Rooney. Of all people it had to be John O'Shea...haha.

Edwin and I were commenting that the players Roy Keane singled out to criticise had all scored crucial goals for ManU in the past few EPL matches. Fletcher with the winner against Chelsea, Alan Smith with the first goal that set the game for ManU against Charlton and now O'Shea with the winner against West Ham. So...any takers for Rio Ferdinand to score next weekend? Haha...

Anyway, the game stayed that way till full time despite both teams having good chances to add to the tally. Great comeback by ManU and certainly a deserving tribute to legend George Best. Bestie would have been proud of Rooney's performance too. Perhaps we should never speak of replicating Bestie at his prime but if there is anyone that comes close in Britian, it has gotta be Rooney. Sharing similar traits, a good football brain, fast thinking feet and the immense passion for the game, who is to say Rooney would not be held in regard like Bestie is now come 30 yrs down the road. Let's just hope he keeps it up for ManU.

~~ Life goes on... ~~

Received a call from Kingmeng on Friday night while playing mahjong. Was told that Roy Keane had officially left Manchester United after 12 long years of service. It was said that the decision was agreed upon mutual consent.

Well, this incident had been one of the hotly debated topics between me and some of my online friends. Basically over different points of view. I see the departure of Roy Keane as a neccesity the day he decided to go public on his criticisms of so many of his teammates. Majority of friends see it as an act of ingrate on the management's part. After all, this is a guy who have slogged for ManU for 12 long years and have basically won anything that is to be won on club level. I fully agree with that. I never once undermined his ability and his contributions to the team. However, I see his latest outburst as a wrong that cannot be written off for all the rights he has done.

Whilst his comments are true to an extent, the implication of going to the media with your criticisms only means one thing. You have a serious lack of respect for the authority above you. In this instance, Sir Alex Ferguson or the new board if they do care. Sir Alex is going through a rough patch himself leading the team to nowhere at the moment. The last thing he needs is his most experienced player commiting an act like this that could really be detrimental to the belief and morale which is already lacking in the team.

Thus my verdict, he has to go. Its either him or Sir Alex. I do not think its too hard a decision to make. Washing dirty linen in public is a big taboo in any team effort so its only right that he got punished for it. Call me a realist if you want but if you could just understand that I had never once doubted Keane's ability as a player, perhaps it would really help.

Anyway, like the title says, life goes on. And it goes on indeed with ManU claiming 3 points from Charlton in emphatic fashion. A brilliant performance by new captain Van Nistelrooy made Keane's absence seems insignificant suddenly. I hope RVN would continue from here and be a real leader and bring ManU to greater heights. Sincerely hope so.

~~ My Jigsaw Puzzle ~~

I think that life is somewhat like a game of jigsaw puzzle sometimes. At least for me, all the things I do seems just like pieces of jigsaw you piece together one at a time and after awhile, the picture gets clearer after you "acquire" more pieces of the jigsaw. My very own puzzle is still at its infant stage, there are still many pieces of jigsaw missing at the moment. But it feels damn good to slowly work towards completing the puzzle though. Regardless of the speed taken to achieve that.

I am sure alot of people will not really understand what I am blabbering about. That is not important to me actually. I am sure when the puzzle is completed finally, they will be able to see and understand what I have been doing all along. I am still far from that but at least its making headways and I know I am definitely on the right track. I am sure the completed puzzle will be a beautiful one. :)

Enough about all these nonsense though, its been sort of a hectic week for me workwise. So much so that even weekends do not make a difference to me already. Anyway, a weekend without EPL actions is just "another weekend" Borrinngg!!~

~~ Bedok Reservoir ~~

I came to realise that the reservoir in front of my house had been expecting alot of visitors the past few weekends. Its like events after events. World wakeboarding competition....Visits from the Prime Minister etc. Name of big shots that visited the reservoir the past few weeks....ME....and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Minister George Yeo and Mah Bow Tan and several other MPs that I doubt I have seen before. Are they sure they are my nominated representatives in parliament? Haha....

Its been quite awhile since Bedok Reservoir has been made a headline news material. Sure, it did made the headlines a few times prior to this. The occasional suicide or drowning cases...but that's about all. At least this is something positive that we as residents here can relate to. I hope the property prices here will rise soon...hahaha....any takers for a 4 room flat??? Irony here though, while people from all around the places are coming here to enjoy the facilities, me living a stone throw away have never learnt how to appreciate its presence. Haha.

Really, it does seem rather weird for me to see people wakeboarding or dragon-boating in the water that were supposed to be catered to our drinking and everyday usage. I think the water taste abit different now....heh. Major plans are also in the way to convert the reservoir into a more vibrant attraction to residents in the vicinity. If I am not wrong, kayaking might be made available, and food and entertainment outlets will be available in the future too. Sounds interesting huh. Imagine a smaller scale Fishermen Village right at my doorstep....hmmm.

I sort of look forward to the developments promised but at the same time, I think some friends would have heard me mentioning before that I would really love a change of environment if given an opportunity. The stance has not changed much though. Let's see if all these "attractions" will make me change my mind....haha.

A Mighty Relief

MANCHESTER UNITED 1

CHELSEA 0

Frankly speaking, this result provided me with a mighty relief more than anything. The thrill and estacy were there as well but it was rather insignificant. I am more relieved about ManU taking 3 points rather than Chelsea losing it. Though it sure made a tiny dent in Chelsea's title hopes, but the effects will not be as significant as ManU claiming the 3 points to restore themselves with the top 3. The fact that they are still 10 points off Chelsea says everything. A battle won but the war is still hanging in the balance. Let's just hope ManU will take pride in this performance and sustain a run that even Mourinho would have been proud of.

Seriously, the players should be proud of their performance today. Not exceptionally impressive, but all could tell that they played with their hearts and souls and truly deserves to win. If only they could have played like that all season. Its like every players played for each other. Something that was sorely lacking in recent performances. The defence held on to the slender lead with a disciplined performance. Thank god Ferdinand and O'Shea kept their stunts in check for this match. But with all that said, the performance tonight would be redundant as well if ManU fails to get 3 points against Charlton next week. Though no pushover, but if ManU were to play like they did today, I do not see a problem in that.