It’s one of those things last year when the Los Angles Lakers won the NBA title last year. It was inevitable. Even discounting the fact that no one thought the Orlando Magic had a chance of upsetting the Lakers, you just know Kobe Bryant was going to win a ring without Shaquille O’Neal sooner or later.
Will the Magic and Lakers meet again this season? I doubt it.
In the East, I don’t think the surprising Magic will be able to match their run last year. The Cleveland Cavaliers may have taken Shaq to deal with Dwight Howard but I think the finalist from the East will be the Boston Celtics. They were the favorites entering the playoffs last year till Kevin Garnett got injured. Garnett is okay now and with Rajon Rondo, Ray Allan and Paul Pierce all in the last year of their contracts, it’s now or never for the Celtics. That desperation will see them to the finals this season.
In the West, I just have to go with the San Antonio Spurs. They have Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker, Michael Finley, Antonio McDyess, Theo Ratliff, and Richard Jefferson. That’s 7 current or former All-Stars on their team. As good as Kobe is, I just can’t see anyone beating against the Spurs this year.
A Celtics-Spurs finals this year with the Spurs winning.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Monday, October 26, 2009
Crazy Sport Fans
Sport fans can be crazy at times. Soccer fans are in general crazier than others.
We can now add to that; Liverpool FC fans are crazier than most soccer fans. Last week Liverpool lost a game to Sunderland 1-0 by one of the oddest goals in football history. In the 5th minute of the match, Sunderland striker Darren Bent fired a shot on goal, the ball hit a beach ball that was lying on the field, took a big deflection off the beach ball and went into the goal.
A 16 year old fan has been fingered as the culprit who threw the beach ball onto the field and has received death threats on the matter. I'm sorry but those fans are crazy. I saw the game and while I found the goal funny, I failed to see how this fan was the reason for Liverpool’s defeat. The goal was scored in the 5th min, Liverpool had 85mins to claw back the score and frankly I can’t remember the Sunderland keeper having a hard save to make.
Liverpool was poor, Sunderland rightfully won the game and I dared anyone who saw the game to tell me otherwise. Not only that, I didn’t remember the Liverpool players complaining too bitterly about the beach ball being a “foreign object” and that the goal shouldn’t be allowed to stand. Liverpool lost the game, and they deserved to lose the game. The fan was unlucky, but he wasn’t the reason Liverpool lost the game.
The ironic thing in all this; the teenager was a Liverpool fan and the beach ball had the Liverpool-brand on it. Sometimes it’s just fate.
We can now add to that; Liverpool FC fans are crazier than most soccer fans. Last week Liverpool lost a game to Sunderland 1-0 by one of the oddest goals in football history. In the 5th minute of the match, Sunderland striker Darren Bent fired a shot on goal, the ball hit a beach ball that was lying on the field, took a big deflection off the beach ball and went into the goal.
A 16 year old fan has been fingered as the culprit who threw the beach ball onto the field and has received death threats on the matter. I'm sorry but those fans are crazy. I saw the game and while I found the goal funny, I failed to see how this fan was the reason for Liverpool’s defeat. The goal was scored in the 5th min, Liverpool had 85mins to claw back the score and frankly I can’t remember the Sunderland keeper having a hard save to make.
Liverpool was poor, Sunderland rightfully won the game and I dared anyone who saw the game to tell me otherwise. Not only that, I didn’t remember the Liverpool players complaining too bitterly about the beach ball being a “foreign object” and that the goal shouldn’t be allowed to stand. Liverpool lost the game, and they deserved to lose the game. The fan was unlucky, but he wasn’t the reason Liverpool lost the game.
The ironic thing in all this; the teenager was a Liverpool fan and the beach ball had the Liverpool-brand on it. Sometimes it’s just fate.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Activate Laughter
In the fight against pirated games, game developers have come out with some pretty crazy nonsensical scheme but this one takes the cake!
IGN had just reported that legitimate early owners of the PC version of Borderlands can’t play the game. Reason is because Borderlands PC requires online activation…and that would work until its official release date!
I was laughing my guts out right now. Never a fan of online activation to begin with, this is just beautiful to me. To sell a game people can’t use because your online activation service is not working…where’s my pirated copy of Borderlands?
IGN had just reported that legitimate early owners of the PC version of Borderlands can’t play the game. Reason is because Borderlands PC requires online activation…and that would work until its official release date!
I was laughing my guts out right now. Never a fan of online activation to begin with, this is just beautiful to me. To sell a game people can’t use because your online activation service is not working…where’s my pirated copy of Borderlands?
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Who is my MP?
Now everyone knows that the People’s Action Party (PAP) has crafted policies to better suit the ruling government in elections. A majority of Singaporeans accept that if you live in an opposition ward, then your facilities will not be as good as those in government wards.
However the official reply from the Ministry of National Development (MND) to justify why opposition Members of Parliament (MPs) should not manage the Government's lift upgrading program (LUP) in their wards had brought verbal jiu-jitsu to a whole new level.
In a confusing reply to a question by opposition MP Low Thia Khiang, MND press secretary Lim Yuin Chien argue that the MND should not work with opposition Members of Parliament on the LUP because 'The will of the people expressed in general elections is to elect a government for the country as a whole; and not to elect separate local governments for each constituency.'
Really?
If that’s case, why are there different constituencies then? I could have sworn that when people vote for their MP in Hougang, they are…you know, voting for their MP in Hougang! Is Mr. Lim arguing that Mr. Low Thia Khiang who won the seat of Hougang is NOT the MP of Hougang? Is Mr. Lim arguing that Mr. Low Thia Khiang is instead the MP of…Sembawang? Who is the MP of Hougang then if the will of the people expressed in general elections is NOT to elect their representative for each constituency?
I live in the Tanjong Pagar GRC, a GRC won by the PAP in the last election in a walkover. However if what Mr. Lim said is correct, then the PAP is NOT the representative of my constituency because we are not voting for our MPS! And yes, it’s a walkover to boot! Who is my MP then?
Note: The Tanjong Pagar GRC team is led by MM Lee Kuan Yew
However the official reply from the Ministry of National Development (MND) to justify why opposition Members of Parliament (MPs) should not manage the Government's lift upgrading program (LUP) in their wards had brought verbal jiu-jitsu to a whole new level.
In a confusing reply to a question by opposition MP Low Thia Khiang, MND press secretary Lim Yuin Chien argue that the MND should not work with opposition Members of Parliament on the LUP because 'The will of the people expressed in general elections is to elect a government for the country as a whole; and not to elect separate local governments for each constituency.'
Really?
If that’s case, why are there different constituencies then? I could have sworn that when people vote for their MP in Hougang, they are…you know, voting for their MP in Hougang! Is Mr. Lim arguing that Mr. Low Thia Khiang who won the seat of Hougang is NOT the MP of Hougang? Is Mr. Lim arguing that Mr. Low Thia Khiang is instead the MP of…Sembawang? Who is the MP of Hougang then if the will of the people expressed in general elections is NOT to elect their representative for each constituency?
I live in the Tanjong Pagar GRC, a GRC won by the PAP in the last election in a walkover. However if what Mr. Lim said is correct, then the PAP is NOT the representative of my constituency because we are not voting for our MPS! And yes, it’s a walkover to boot! Who is my MP then?
Note: The Tanjong Pagar GRC team is led by MM Lee Kuan Yew
Who is Ms. Singapore World?
Singapore has a reputation of being a nanny state. A country where the people will only do what the government tells them to do and expect the government to have a hand in everything.
Frankly, there is some truth in that. And frankly, Singaporeans can’t really blame the Singapore government for this. I mean which county in the world would exactly have a Member of Parliament (MP) suggest government supervision and regulation of beauty contests? For oversea readers, this year’s Miss Singapore World winner, Ms. Ris Low, was stripped of her title after it was revealed that she had a past conviction for credit card fraud. It was then revealed that the second runner-up will represent Singapore at the Miss World pageant as the first runner-up in the contest has a bad relationship with the contest organizers.
Now Mr. Baey Yam Keng, the MP in question, did not suggest this out of the blue. Ever since the beauty contest scandal broke, there had been public suggestion that the Singapore government has some regulations of beauty contests as the winners are representing Singaporeans.
My attitude to all this is, “Who cares?”
I mean this is a beauty contest and this is Singapore. We are not like say, Venezuela where beauty pageants are big businesses. Who care who the Miss Singapore World or Miss Singapore Universe is? Not only do I say that there is no need for the Singapore government to regulate pageants is not enough, I think there is no need for it to be a question in Parliament.
Frankly, there is some truth in that. And frankly, Singaporeans can’t really blame the Singapore government for this. I mean which county in the world would exactly have a Member of Parliament (MP) suggest government supervision and regulation of beauty contests? For oversea readers, this year’s Miss Singapore World winner, Ms. Ris Low, was stripped of her title after it was revealed that she had a past conviction for credit card fraud. It was then revealed that the second runner-up will represent Singapore at the Miss World pageant as the first runner-up in the contest has a bad relationship with the contest organizers.
Now Mr. Baey Yam Keng, the MP in question, did not suggest this out of the blue. Ever since the beauty contest scandal broke, there had been public suggestion that the Singapore government has some regulations of beauty contests as the winners are representing Singaporeans.
My attitude to all this is, “Who cares?”
I mean this is a beauty contest and this is Singapore. We are not like say, Venezuela where beauty pageants are big businesses. Who care who the Miss Singapore World or Miss Singapore Universe is? Not only do I say that there is no need for the Singapore government to regulate pageants is not enough, I think there is no need for it to be a question in Parliament.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Guinness Stupid Records
I know there are stupid world records for all sorts of things, but a world record for playing a video game non-stop?
In India, a 26-year-old man is now the Guinness World Record holder for…the longest play session of Grand Theft Auto IV. The Indian man played GTA IV for over 40 hours straight, with only 4 10-minute breaks during the record attempt.
Since Singapore is always desperate for world recognition, quick let’s have a world record attempt on every video game in history and we will break all the old records for longest play time of each and every game. I mean play GTA IV for over 40 hours straight? Hell, I can beat that.
In India, a 26-year-old man is now the Guinness World Record holder for…the longest play session of Grand Theft Auto IV. The Indian man played GTA IV for over 40 hours straight, with only 4 10-minute breaks during the record attempt.
Since Singapore is always desperate for world recognition, quick let’s have a world record attempt on every video game in history and we will break all the old records for longest play time of each and every game. I mean play GTA IV for over 40 hours straight? Hell, I can beat that.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Speak Singlish
Occasionally Singapore would go into a “Speak Proper English” campaign. Usually I ignored these campaigns as an absolute waste of time and money. I mean in Malaysia, I’m expecting the locals to speak Malay; in China, I’m expecting the locals to Mandarin; in Japan, I’m expecting the locals to speak Japanese; in Singapore, I’m expected to speak not only English but “proper English”.
It’s stupid but not my problem because I ignored these stupid campaigns. However the nit-picking of these “Speak Proper English” people has went to another level this year. Just yesterday there was an article in the newspaper which shows some wrong signs in Singapore. One of them is a “Wash Hand” sign at a sink and the sign was wrong because…the sign never said which hand to wash? The sign should read “Wash Hands” and without the “S”, the sign is wrong because it is not proper English.
I don’t know if I should laugh or cry at the stupidity of it all. You want to spend a few hundred dollars just to paint a “S” at all the signs in Singapore? I have a better suggestion; this is Singapore, so let everyone in Singapore speak the Singapore language: Singlish.
It’s stupid but not my problem because I ignored these stupid campaigns. However the nit-picking of these “Speak Proper English” people has went to another level this year. Just yesterday there was an article in the newspaper which shows some wrong signs in Singapore. One of them is a “Wash Hand” sign at a sink and the sign was wrong because…the sign never said which hand to wash? The sign should read “Wash Hands” and without the “S”, the sign is wrong because it is not proper English.
I don’t know if I should laugh or cry at the stupidity of it all. You want to spend a few hundred dollars just to paint a “S” at all the signs in Singapore? I have a better suggestion; this is Singapore, so let everyone in Singapore speak the Singapore language: Singlish.
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