Newfound success

Success. It does not come easy for most of us. When it does we just wanna bask in the spotlight for just a li'l while longer.

Me? I don't win many battles in my life. I do, however, enjoy other peoples' success and am always beaming with pride for them.

My Sis, that lovely rock chick who fronts The UnXpected, is one such person. I'm most times blabbering about her to my friends, colleagues, family, to a point that I think I may have done more bad than good for her reputation. Living apart on opposite ends of this tiny island, we stay in touch through slews of smses, and chat online. When the pocket allows, a quick hop to Wala to catch her in her element, amongst appreciative audiences.

Therefore it is with great pride that I would like to ask you, my peng yous, to go get her album that's going to be released on April 7th.


There's gonna be a launch at the Esplanade Outdoor Theatre, so join me and perhaps get an autographed copy of her new album, titled "Newfound Jealousy".

Come, come. Don't shy, buy lah...

Pondering

It's back.

The itch. The urge. The impulse.

I've worked hard enough. I should reward myself. Why not?

I wanna be mobile. I wanna do more with my idle time. I wanna play.


Still reflecting. Still deciding. Still contemplating.

The vocal minority

Many of us are geared up for Champions League action in the next 2 days.

I cannot vouch for fans of ManYoo, Cheat$ki or Liver-poor, but us Singapore Gooners are definitely staying up to watch this one. Problem is they are screening a delayed telecast.

This has been the bugbear of many Gooners. As someone rightly pointed out...

"b#@%$^ds. so they show a game with a forgone conclusion (Man Utd vs Lille) and a game between two has-been teams (Bayern vs Real), but not the mighty Arse. I'll never watch ESPN again!"

Well, it's not like we have any other legal options. Unless we are allowed satellites here in sunny Singapore, we'll have to put up with screwed up timing, one-sided analysis, biased reporting and TNP proudly featuring turncoats like Raja Edwin(TNP Feb28)

In fact, we see many of them at Liz Pub. They wear the club jersey, find a comfy sofa and just sit there watching their teams play. No shouts, no cheers, no jeers, no passion. Heck they might as well watch at S-11, the drinks are cheaper there!

Give those seats up for real supporters, like the Singapore Gooners.



Come on Arsenal!!

Jade Solid Gold

"There's gonna be food, so come."

So says Mum.

"Great!" I thought, "my dinner is settled for the weekend."

When I did arrive at the dinner organized by Mum's senior citizen club, I was slapping the back of my head. There was 1 disco ball on stage, a 3 piece band, and an average age of 65 amongst the dinner guests.


Yet, it was endearing to see so many seniors enjoying their golden years with friends. Some came as a family unit, with grandchildren in tow, as this was the last day of the CNY celebrations. I found my Mum and took the seat next to her.

The dinner was nothing to shout about, served without much frills. What did drew me was the way these folks were so keen on having a good time. With some of the younger crowd they were cringing at the karaoke, the cha cha dancing and the over-the-top entertainer. I looked on and began to warm up to how the seniors were enjoying their Sunday night out, and appreciate their efforts in staying young at heart.

An uncle at the dinner asked about my age, and remarked that I looked younger than I really was. I told him that if I had my way, I'd be still want to be cha cha-ing when I get to be his age.



Come on let's boogie!!

My Arsenal journey

It was a good trip to London this time. It almost felt like a pilgrimage. I'd planned on watching the FA Cup 5th Round with Blackburn. And I had access to a ticket for the match too, care of a fellow Singapore Gooner. But my poor grasp of local geography made me think that EWood Park was just a tube ride away. I found out in the end that Blackburn was closer to Midlands/Manchester.

I made do by heading to an Arsenal pub near Finsbury Park, and soaked in the atmosphere. This place has wall-to-wall-to-ceiling of Arsenal history and memorabilia. I soaked in the atmosphere of the pub with a pint in my hand while watching Arsenal exit the FA Cup competition care of a late goal...

My tour of the area continued the next day with a visit to the All Arsenal store at the Emirates. I'd just missed the last tour of the day, so spent quite a bit of time going through the Arsenal merchandise in the store. I'd chanced upon a polo shirt that I liked, and saw that it had different buttons to the rest. Upon closer inspection, I realized that it said "Liverpool Football Club" instead!! I pointed this out to a staff in the shop and he went bonkers and made a few frantic calls to the warehouse. They were surprised that I spotted it in the first place. Keen eye for the Singaporean Gooner.

This Singapore Gooner then booked himself on an early morning stadium tour the next day. Being one of the newer stadiums to be build in recent times, it had all the best features. I had to stop several times to take in the huge stadium! Did you know that Arsene's seat at the pit is numbered 13??

After the tour, more shopping, this time at the Armoury. I had to check myself several times and put items back on the rack before I overspent! Got hold of a nice T-shirt in the end.

Last lap around The Emirates, and then soaked up some history in the Museum. Spent another hour here, going through the interactive displays and memorabilia. Snapped more photos before heading back to the hotel.

Will definitely go back, perhaps with other Singapore Gooners to watch a match?!



More photos on my Flickr.