A Nou Camp GY

Leicester Square Exit 2

ie a French GY in London

The shiny dude, the mime and the dipshit

On the rare occasion that I have some time to blog, here are some great videos that you should all check out!

The shiny dude reminds me of a certain pal who's into baby wipes.



This is a really cool live performance of a familiar tune.



To round things up, here's a pretty kickass commercial

Dont't Miss This

No introduction needed. Part II of a trilogy on South Park. Enjoy Imaginationland! Catch it while the video is still there.

League Round Up

Welcome sports fans! It's been an exciting two rounds of Champions League action. Apparently we can't get enough of fantasy soccer and JT acting as commissioner has started a score prediction CL fantasy league. Response was luke-warm during round 1 but has since heated up with everyone from the fantasy experts to the couch pundits taking part. Rules are simple, predict the scores of CL games and get points based on accuracy. All points are decided by the commissioner and there is no impartial referee. Points will never be double-checked and the commissioner cannot be questioned. Points deduction and tabulation is subjected to anything the commissioner decides. All fantasy players have to do is submit their predictions via OPEN email to the GY mailing group before kickoff of each night of CL action.

Let's get done to the action. Round 1 saw little surprises as the big guns came out blazing. Plucky performances by the underdogs did see Rosenborg draw Chelski at Stamford Bridge and Fernerbahce hand Inter Milan an opening night defeat at the Sukru Saracoglu. Results as follows:

Group A
FC Porto 1-1 Liverpool
Marseille 2-0 Besiktas

Group B
Chelsea 1-1 Rosenborg
Schalke 0-1 Valencia

Group C
Olympiakos 1-1 Lazio
Real Madrid 2-1 Werder Bremen

Group D
AC Milan 2-1 Benfica
Shakhtar Donetsk 2-0 Celtic

Group E
Barcelona 3-0 Lyon
Rangers 2-1 Stuttgart

Group F
Roma 2-0 Dynamo Kiev
Sporting Lisbon 0-1 Manchester Utd

Group G
Fenerbahce 1-0 Inter Milan
PSV Eindhoven 2-1 CSKA Moscow

Group H
Arsenal 3-0 Sevilla
Slavia Prague 2-1 Steaua Bucuresti

The first round of fantasy picks saw the commissioner race off to a good start. Surprises included usual fantasy stud Kok at the bottom of the table and fantasy dud Rui coming in a close second. Round 1 standing as follows:

1. KT 36 pts
2. Rui 34 pts
3. Gor 30 pts
4. Beng 25 pts
5. Poh 24 pts
6. Kok 23 pts

* top spot to be crowned World Champion.

Round 2 of CL action provided some surprises with European finalists Liverpool crashing to Marseille at Anfield and plucky Celtic pulling a fast one over defending champions AC. Chelski got their campaign back on track as English teams dominated with the exception of Liverpool. Results and standings as follows:

Group A

Besiktas 0-1 FC Porto
Liverpool 0-1 Marseille

Marseille 6 pts
FC Porto 4 pts
Liverpool 1 pts
Besiktas 0 pts

Group B

Rosenborg 0-2 Schalke 04
Valencia 1-2 Chelsea

Chelsea 4 pts
Valencia 3 pts
Schalke 04 3 pts
Rosenborg 1 pts

Group C

Lazio 2-2 Real Madrid
Werder Bremen 1-3 Olympiakos

Olympiakos 4 pts
Real Madrid 4 pts
Lazio 2 pts
Werder Bremen 0 pts

Group D

Benfica 0-1 Shakhtar Donetsk
Celtic 2-1 AC Milan

Shakhtar Donetsk 6 pts
Celtic 3 pts
AC Milan 3 pts
Benfica 0 pts

Group E

Lyon 0-3 Rangers
Stuttgart 0-2 Barcelona

Barcelona 6 pts
Rangers 6 pts
Stuttgart 0pts
Lyong 0pts

Group F

Dynamo Kiev 1-2 Sporting
Man Utd 1-0 Roma

Man Utd 6 pts
Roma 3 pts
Sporting 3 pts
Dynamo Kiev 0 pts

Group G

CSKA 2-2 Fenerbahce
Inter Milan 2-0 PSV

Fenerbahce 4 pts
Inter Milan 3 pts
PSV 3 pts
CSKA Moscow 1 pts

Group H

Sevilla 4-2 Slavia Prague
Steaua Buacharest 0-1 Arsenal

Arsenal 6 pts
Sevilla 3 pts
Slavia Prague 3 pts
Steaua Buacharest 0 pts

The second round also saw the start of the Championship League. Latecomers to the fantasy game were given a reprieve by the commissioner with their points counting for 1.5 times as much. Promotion and relegation will take place after each CL round. Standings after round two as follows:

Premier League

1. KT 55 pts
2. Beng 52 pts
3. Poh 49 pts
4. Gor 49 pts
5. Rui 49 pts
6. Kok 40 pts (relegated)

Championship

1. Roy 31.5 pts (promoted)
2. JW 25.5 pts
3. Alvin 22.5 pts
4. Des 21 pts
5. Meng 21 pts

* top spot to be crowned World Champion.

A tight race at the top with fantasy stud Kok taking the plunge for after 2 rounds. The race continues. Remember to submit latest predictions by October 23rd. Till the next update, good luck punters!

Catch it while you can

Some video links for everyone out there. Watch them soon, I suspect the videos will be taken down pretty soon.

Family Guy, season 6 premiere. Hilarious spoof of Star Wars. Should appeal to anyone who is into senseless humour... In cast the embedded video doesn't work, here's the link: http://www.veoh.com/videos/v1200863eQcqYEE6?confirmed=1


Online Videos by Veoh.com

A little gem that I discovered while mucking around the net. Vinnie Jones latest work! In case you were thinking that it's another senseless film showing casing Vinnie as a thug, I'm sorry to disappoint. Vinnie actually shows his acting chops in The Riddle. Brothers in UK may have already caught this as the DVD was given out free in The Sunday Mail. Not exactly Oscar material, but well worth a look. Enjoy.



Lastly, I know some of you are huge fans of Heros, so here's my gift to you. Season premiere of season 2 hot off the grill. Don't know how long the video will stay up, so again, catch it while you can. Enjoy.

The curse is finally broken

Sunny Singapore greeted the return of Beng with a sunday morning shower.... And yes, the curse of the Teo brothers is finally broken.. we did not lose... then again, we did not play together... Sensing a need for a workout (check the stomachs below), GYFC decided to have a indoor training session at Jurong West new indoor soccer pitch. 1 solid hour of running, gasping for air, poking through the "hole" and _!_ each other. I had the chance to witness the infamous Tyco Poh's Toe Pohke, well worth the $4 spent for booking the court. Random pictures below.....

Gearing up to be the first 10 on pitch

ExXiang looks on...

Random Pics during the game

Parting quiz : Whose shapely figure is this?

Mocca.com

Haka 2

Another haka.

The Haka

Something to check out to help u blend into the rugby world cup mood.

Video Video....

Support Roy's fellow country man.... Taiwanese babes in the first video and nice song in the second and he sang about singapore, though it was not good comments...

Inspiration

if you ever were to lose your arms one of these days.

Character

Date: 19thAug 07


Time : 0915hrs


Venue: Tanglin Sec













Squad:
Zhanwei - GK
Kok - LB
Zhanyao - RB
Meng - CB
Junwei - CB
Andy - DM
Ian - ML
Weixiang - AM
Vincent - SC
Poh - Late




As Claudio Raneiri used to say "I liked the way we played today, we played with alot of character".

Well, we certainly had alot of it in today's game. I'm sure even Raneiri would have been proud of us.

At the beginning of the game, we would have gladly settled for a 3-3 draw if offered. At the end of the game, we went out proud of the eventual scoreline and the way we played. I can safely say that we have never really played better than today, never ever played with the kind of discipline that is comparable with Chelski.





This was how it went.....





It was a bright and sunny sunday morning.
We started off the morning with only 12 players scheduled to turn up.
1st to arrive was Weixiang at 8.30am
As he was early, he earned himself a berth in the starting lineup.


Or so he thought. In the end, he realised tt his starting berth was actually guaranteed cos we only had 9 players.
As it turned out, Hubert called Vincent and complained of a fever.
GY no.1
Next, Vincent called Weihao only to find out that he had told Hubert that he was not coming.
GY no.2
Last on the GY list was Poh.
As it turned out, he was still in bed at 9.15
But he did turn up towards the end of the 1st half so we should only take him as a half-GY then.


On top of that, Zhanyao started to develop some kind of alcohol addiction by drinking till 6am.
Meng was injured in his right foot.
Andy was having his 1st game since his ACL injury 8 months back.
Kok had a stubbed toe and a strained thigh.
Vincent had a knock in his heel which was giving him problems.


Things did not look any better when we saw that our opponents had 1/2 a team of malays. We looked like we were in for a thrashing.

So as it turns out, we started the game with 9 men, against our opponents with 10.
Only 1 man short, yeah right.
Their re-inforcements came in no longer than 10 mins.
So the game went on with 9 vs 11.
But we showed that we still managed to play well with 2 men less.

It was then to everyone's surprise when we drew 1st blood.
A few pinpoint long passes over the top had already signalled our intention early on. Weixiang have already had a good chance saved by the GK when bearing down on goal.


Then a long ball to the left had Vincent running after it.
As he cut back in and released a shot, the ball was blocked and it fell to Zhanyao. As Zhanyao tried to shoot again, the ball was flicked up and it hit a defender's arm. The referee blew for a penalty and Junwei duly dispatched it. 1-0 to the GYs!!!



Not long after, our opponents managed to pull one back, taking opportunity of some confusion in our penalty box.
Their tall malay striker with a weird hairstyle that looked to have come out from the 80s scored from within the penalty box. 1-1

But we refused to give it up and pressed on, but still defended cautiously.
Precise through-passes from Junwei and Vincent were giving up numerous opportunities to get the lead back. One such opportunity fell to Weixiang and he shrugged off the attention of a defender before putting the ball past the GK. 2-1 to GYs!!!



There was also a moment of worry for the GYs as an opponent looked to have broken the offside trap and was through on goal. The GYs had Kok to thank for running after the striker and using all dirty tricks to pull him back in order for the defence to recover. It was a close one as the referee might have considered sending Kok off he had made a tackle on him. The GYs would have been really down to 10 men then.

Half-time.

We were very reluctant to go out onto the field at HT and even contemplated running off with the score at 2-1. But we eventually did not as we decided that we were too tired to actually do so. Walking around on the pitch still seemed like a less tiring option.



As the 2nd half got underway, we begun the way we did in the 1st half. We had good possession of the ball and were rarely threatened by the opponents. But a long way up from their defence caught us out on one occasion. As luck conspired against us, Meng had a slip and the striker went past him. Junwei too had a slip so the striker was breeezing through our defence. Meng & Zhanyao tried to recover to stop him but it was too late. He had unleashed a shot that managed to take a wicked bounce and squirm under the body of Zhanwei. 2-2

Not long after, it soon became 3-2 for the opponents.
It was all against the run of play as a long ball was punted upfield by the opponents again. Their striker was offside but the referee decided to turn a blind eye to it and allowed him to run off and score against us. We tried our very best to argue but it was to not avail as the referee was also a Malay.

There was still time for Poh to miss a free header right in front of goal from a Zhanyao cross from the right. Luck was not with us as the ball would have dropped to Kok in front of an open goal if Poh had manged to flick the ball back or missed it completely. In the end, he decided to head the ball out of play. Kok rued the missed opportunity to score his 1st goal for GYFC.



It was thought that all was lost but with just the last kick of the game, Zhanyao took a ball from a corner from Vincent, shrugged off a defender and unleashed a powerful shot with his right foot and it went right into the top corner. It was later argued that the ball had rolled from the outside of his foot to the inside and back out again, thus resulting in the wonder strike. 3-3!!!

Man of the match was given to Zhanyao for his great play down the whole of the right wing and for his brilliant equalizer.

As a sub topic, at full-time, a comment was made saying that we played better when we had only 9 than when Poh came into the fray. Poh defended himself by arguing that we could have all collapsed on the field if we had played the whole game with 9.

GYFC 6 Oranges 1

GYFC came back from a goal down to record a restounding 6-1 victory over the Oranges in a game played at Westwood Sec.

The journey to the West for the GYs was a fruitful one eventually, though it certainly did not look like so after just 20mins. Substitute goalkeeper Kok Song Ling was only on the pitch for less than a minute before a long ball over the defence caught the back four out.

The GYs recovered almost immediately. Yi-xiang received a cross just outside the six-yard box to score with a shot of the post ala Takahara.

Before half-time, Weihao netted a scorching left-footed shot from a well-worked throw in from the right.

Despite sitting on a 2-1 lead, the GYs came into the second half in attacking mood. Mingjing, in a rare foray up front, scored from a tight angle. Zhaoyao added another to make it 4-1.

Minutes before the end, Poh took a brace with two simple tap-ins to seal the game for the GYs.

In a post-match interview, two-goal hero Poh had much heart-wrenching comments to make to the press over the recent developments of the team. He said, "I think our form has been good only after Rui was out injured. I won't say it's because of him, but I think the statistics is for all to see."

The GYs then packed their bags to go for lunch, knowing that they have to return to Tanglin Sec the following week, the very ground where Lie Wei Xiang was brutally assaulted not too very long ago.

Team GY Loan Returnee Jiate with the custodian, KokKok in action (no pun intended)

Fulltime looms as Lie decides if he wants to return to Tanglin Sec

Westwood Sec. The Theater of (GY) Dreams

Some Videos

Just some videos to add on to GYeo's previous post. 881 is a movie that I definitely will be watching. Big fan of local movies ever since the days of Forever Fever (rent it if you haven't seen it). Right, first up is a sneak peek video that came out before the film:



Next is just a couple of MVs that were produced for the show:





Anyone knows if the OST is available for sale? This seems like a decent one to buy.

P.S. GYeo please send me the pictures from Sunday so I can do a posting. Or would you prefer to do it?

My five minute take

The blog's been a bit on the slow side of late, thus I have decided to post this entry.

It's about the two films with I have watched over the last month (I watched more than two, but these two sort of stays in my mind)

I CANNOT understand what is it about Transformers. Every single one whom I have spoken to have told me that they like the film.

Fine. The CGI are cool. The soundtrack is respectable.

But the story does not make sense! Why would they want to go the city in the last major fight scene??? So that MORE lives will be lost?? Can't they do it in the desert??

"More than meets the eye" was spoken so many a times that it was CHEESY. Argh!

1 star out of 5



In stark contrast, I felt 881 by Royston Tan was a masterpiece.

It is almost like a Hokkien musical with some really good songs written for the film. Mindee Ong and Yeo Yann Yann are flawless as a double act. Royston has proven that you don't need a huge budget and fancy CGI (read: Transformer) to tell a compelling story.

Go catch 881 - support local, for if not no one will.

GY test

Test your GY-ness.
Looks like I'll have to buck up at being a GY.


"Almost Angelic"


Good vs Evil

Good for you, you're just a little evil. All of us have bad thoughts, and you may have acted on a few of yours, but you're probably safe traveling through Buffy's turf. Or maybe you're an aspiring evil person and you've never given yourself a real chance. Go ahead and forgive yourself for the mean-spirited — but ultimately harmless — pranks you pulled in grade school. Whispering behind your co-workers' backs won't flood you with bad karma. And, hey, we've all held out for ourselves in the throes of passion a time or two. So keep listening to that conscience of yours, but don't worry about tuning it out every so often.



not sexually evil vs sexually evil

So, you have a healthy sex drive — good for you! No one likes a prude. In general, you give as well as you get, though everyone can get a little selfish under the covers, so don't beat yourself up about going for the big one on your birthday. And while you're at it, go ahead and admit it — you've probably flashed a big smile to get your way in the bedroom (or to the bedroom!) before. But for the most part, you strike us as a generous lover who's doing pretty good at keeping your raw, sexual power in check. Yeah, baby!



not passive aggressive vs passive aggressive

Okay, admit it — sometimes you'd rather avoid face-to-face conflict. Now, was telling us that to our face so hard? Of course not! Being up-front about any objections or concerns as soon as you have them, rather than letting them build up and turn into, say, a tire-slashing incident, is a good thing. And it sure beats getting a reputation as someone with a taste for revenge. Sure, you probably wouldn't make a very good bouncer, but that's okay. Take comfort from the fact that, overall, we think you're just swell.



not black hearted vs black hearted

Your heart may be a little dark, but your kindness makes up for any evil deeds (except for that stunt you pulled in elementary school — yes, that one — tsk, tsk, shame on you!). But you can forgive yourself for being a meanie, because if you were 100 percent sweet, you just wouldn't be normal. So continue being considerate of others, and remember — when you get cut off in traffic, it really is okay to give the jerk the finger every once in awhile.





You're a Almost Angelic!

Are You Evil?
Brought to you by Tickle

Kids these days

I'm simply amazed at kids these days, they are simply amazing.
Is it cos of the better genes of parents?
Or the milk powder they drink that is so full of DHA and AHA or whatever HA (HA) in it.
We now have kids who can play the drums at 3, learn over 4 languages by 7, have a body builder physique by 9.
Makes me feel like I've been born with inferior genes.
Just to make my point, check out this 9 yr old.
He would have been a great addition to our team if MU had not signed him from right under our noses.

Negara Ku

Sorry Poh for putting ur post behind. but check this out.

My Review

Awake and alone in the middle of the night, it has dawned upon me that doing blog entries when your eyelids are closing can take away alot of one's inspiration and creativity. Nevertheless, I will strive ahead and try to bring the magic of the silverscreen to this entry.

It has been a summer of blockbuster movies. The secret in having a successful movie is a secret no more. There's no need for a good plot, great acting nor originality. All you need to is either a re-make, a sequel or copying the original. Tried and tested methods guaranteed to bring success to the studios. Just look at what bagged Martion Scoresse his Oscar after so long... a REMAKE of Infernal Affairs.

Onto the reviews. First up is one of my favourite franchises, John McClane is back in Die Hard 4.0! Now everyone remembers Bruce Willis and his one-liners in the Die Hard franchise. Well, it's all here in the latest installment, sans the cigarette smoking. Apparently censors in the States are considering giving movies which tout chain-smoking characters an R rating so as not to influence young minds. Oh yeah, it's the smoking that influences young minds and nothing to do with the body count that just piles up in the action movies these days... Anyway, get ready for more one-liners like "yipee-ki-yay, motherfucker!" and "that's enough of this kung-fun shit" in this adrenaline-packed film. In my books, it definitely matches up to Die Hard with a Vengenace, and agruably better. Bruce Willis still excels in the type of role most suited for him; the reluctant hero who happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. The time round the danger is world domination and the weapon of destruction is computers. Thankfully the geek-speak is kept to a minmum and what we appreciate most about the series is hyped up, ie John McClane killing everyone who gets in his way. Special mention to Justin Long, who always seems to play the perenial nerd/geek in every movie that requires one. Fellow geeks might recognise him as the nerd in the Apple commercials. And also Mary Elizabeth Winstead, who plays John McClane's daughter. A fiesty little hotty whom some may have caught as the female lead in Final Destination 3. Needless to say the IT girl of the moment, Maggie Q deserves all the screen time she gets in this movie. The movie wouldn't be as good with this foxy lady. My verdict: This is one not to be missed.

Moving on we have the Micheal Bay summer vehicle, Transformers! Needless to say, everyone and anyone who grew up in the 80's will recall the cartoon who had everyone shouting "Transformers, more than meets the eye!" This re-creation of the timeless classic of the Autobots versus Decepticons tries to stay true to it's form however old-fashion fans may find that the CGI depictions of the Transformers do not look at all like the originals. Optimus Prime retains his original look (minus the red flames on his hood), however the rest of the "robots in disguise" don't look recognisable at all. But bearing in mind that Michael Bay was trying to add in a layer of logic that the original cartoons sometimes missed (haven't you ever wondered where the container that Prime lugs around goes after he transformed?), this is for me a pretty good rendition. The scene is set for the battle between good and evil for the All Sparks, a cube that contains the power to rule the universe. And that pretty much is the whole story line. Lousy plot? Maybe, but the action sequences will leave you wanting more. Another difference I've noticed is that there are considerably more humans than robots in this movie. If I'm not mistaken, there are only like a total of 13 robots in the film whereas the human characters are everywhere. Not that I'm complaining as this must be the break-through film of Megan Fox, who is my summer hottie of the year. For me, this is the must-see show of the summer. Watch this if nothing else! Fans of the original, here's a treat for you.

The latest and final Harry Potter book became the fastest selling book over the weekend with close to 8.6 million copies sold on the first day. And yes, I am one of those 8.6 million that bought the book. And yes I could tell you everyone that dies in this final installment. But I will not, for the sake of those that chance upon this blog who haven't read the book. But it's not the book we're talking about here, it's the fifth installment in the Harry Potter franchise, Order of the Pheonix. Hugely popular among the teens and tweens, all the pre-screening hype had promised a darker and more sinister movie. This the film delivered. However someone must have forgotten to inform the producers that darker doesn't necessary equate better. It was as if David Yates couldn't make up his mind if he wanted to make a serious adult film or a film for kids. The film shuttles between issues of the self-antagonism and internal struggles of Harry and teenage issues of friendship and love. And ends up developing neither. The story line does stay true to the book. Ardent fans may insist that many details were missing, but do note that this is the longest Harry Potter book by far and the director has done justice to the book in my opinion. Whilst I'm impressed by the solid acting of Daniel Radcliffe, the break-out performance must go to Emma Watson. The coming of age of Hermoine has me enthralled in more ways than one. From a young and slightly awkward kid, she has blossomed into a woman that is definitely on her way to great foxiness. Compare:

Conclusion: read the book if you're not a big fan. However if you're a pimple-popping male teen, go watch Emma. Let's end things with a spoof:

This entry took up shit-loads of my time. Everyone please leave a comment saying how awesome my reviews up. I'm thinking of book reviews next. Nominate some books and if I like the title I'll go buy it and review it.

P.S. Did I lend anyone my Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince? It appears to be missing from my collection.

Paper Plane

Check it out from 3:29 onwards

As some of you may or may not know, the NEW list of seven wonders of the world is out. Well... there was a need for the new list as the old one consisted of six which no longer exist.

£1 million Question : Which is the only one from the first list of seven wonders to have survived?

Remember, you have no more life lines left.

Anyway, here is my five pence. A shame to say ... I have never been to any of the new seven before. I am putting it on the list to do before I die.

Taj Mahal.

An Indian Emperor built this for his favourite wife and the marble structure has stood the test of time (and British invasion).

Nothing unfamiliar to many of our brothers here. I am not a hao han.

I heard that ... Maximus once fought there as a slave. Hopefully I can get to visit this soon.

Given the problems Rio de Janiero now faces, maybe this majestic structure can provide solutions.

I have to admit .. there are three things I know about Mayans.

1)They are one of the race in Age of Empire

2) They are poorly portrayed in Acapolypto. Read: Human sacrifice is an Aztec thing, not really Mayan.

3)Their calendar predicts end of the world in 2012.

I have a few mates who have been to Macchu Picchu and have said that it is absolutely amazing. But dont forget, Tevez has already annihilated them.

This is a shame for me. I have not heard of Petra before the results came out.

Conclusion: A good effort, but a real shame Angkor Wat is not on the list. I have been there TWICE.

BBC news Update:


A weekend of furious sports action around the globe had prompted this update.
And of the persistent whining of the man they call poh.

Venus (above) Williams sealed her fourth Wimbledon title in straight sets. She was seeded 23 before the competition but really lifted her game to win the title. Her expression of sheer joy in the picture above reminds us that even sportswoman are human afterall.

Federer won the men's title. No real surprises there, but his record of five in a row matched that of the legendary Bjorn Bork. Let's not forget the man is only still 25.

Kimi Raikkonen eclipsed Lewis Hamilton at Silverstone as Ferrari upped the ante for this year's title race. Next up, German Grand Prix. I fancy Nick Hiedfeld for the victory there.

The man they (I) call the beast is in the headlines much this week. Against Peru in the Copa America, he came in as a 2nd half substitute to annihilate the Peruvians (allusion to next article). I like him as a player and think he is fabulous. Please don't go to United, Tevez. It is Anfield where you can join Mascherano and be Kop legends.

Liverpool has reportedly made a £10m bid for Ryan Babel (above). I have not seen this youngster play before, but I do know that he is highly rated. His pace is what we need. For your information, Liverpool submitted squad numbers yesterday, with Torres getting the number 9 and Voronin the number 10. What surprised me was that only two goalies had numbers - David Martin as our second choice? Oh God ... please...

The Week in Review

I don't really have much of an idea for an entry. But considering the lack of contributions from the rest of the editors, I guess anything will do.




The last week of June started rather uneventfully, nothing exceptional to mention except perhaps the start of Wimbledon 2007, where we see Federer trying to win a record fifth consecutive title. The rest of the week progressed on just like Federer, expectedly and without complications.



A 3-0 loss to Australia signalled the end of an era at the National Stadium. I'm sure many of us have fond memories of the grand old dame, since we grew up in the days of the Malaysian Cup. Despite the praise-laden reports submitted by the local media for the closing ceremony, there was apparently quite a fair bit of critisim about the lack of organisation.



More local news. A new book Australian reporter Rodney King, "The Singapore Miracle - Myth or Reality", casts doubts on our little island's success. A little review of the book here. Chances are no one in Singapore will be getting their hands on the book. I have a strong suspicion that our local bookstores will not be stocking up on this book.



As the last day of June crept slowly upon us, the sinking feeling smokers island-wide felt in their stomachs instensified. At the stroke of midnight on a Saturday night, the ash-trays were faithfully kept away for the last time at pubs and clubs country-wide. The end of an era and the beginning of martial law (at least when it comes to smoking and drinking). I was there to witness it all, enjoying my cigarette both before and after the ban, defiant till death.

The 1st of July brought about much joy for Chinese of the world. The 10th anniversary of the handover of Hong Kong to China was heralded in with much fanfare. Concerts, variety shows and fireworks showcasing the brightest and biggest stars were broadcasted all day long. Here's to another 10 years of progress for Hong Kong.

That wasn't the only reason Chinese had to celebrate. The 1st also saw GYFC grind out another 2-1 win courtesy of goals from Weihao and Poh. GYOM went to Poh who turned up at the match late, half-drunk and reeking of alcohol but still managing to head in the winning goal. Many now suspect being half-drunk actually helps Poh's game.

Onto movies. Two of the biggest summer blockbusters are out in theatres. I've been the biggest fan of the Die Hard series every since John McClane decided to kill everyone in an airport for fun. Hence I will be trying to catch the show this weekend no matter how much the critics say it sucks. Your negativity will not affect me! Next up is the ultimate boyhood cartoon, Transformers. Needless to say, all those growing up in the 80's will definitely be heading to the theatres for this. Here's a light-hearted article to remind you of the good old days where cartoons were still hand drawn.

This One's for Beng

As everyone knows, my "busy" schedule doesn't allow for much time when it comes to editing the blog. But at Beng's persistence in seeing the inconsequential pictures taken during our last GYFC outing, here it goes.

There's nothing much to add except we won the match 2-1 (technically a 2-0 win since the opponents' goal came from an outside recruit, hence technically the first clean sheet for GYFC in 2007) with goals from Yixiang and Yongsheng. First a panoramic shot of Tanglin Pitch 2. It would be amazing if you could actually spot where the ball was. Unfortunately, the zoom function wasn't ultilised hence the "panoramic" view.

Next is the all important picture of the equalising goal, or rather, the corner before the goal. But hey, the photographer ain't perfect. Notice the gaffer topless by the side line, whom later went on to do a Micheal Owen by injuring himself without anyone laying a finger (or leg) on him. The injury has probably ruled out any chance of a proper testimonial match for him before he heads to UK to further his managerial career. Way to go, gaffer/idiot...

Still on the topic of sporting news, fans of wrestler Chris Benoit are in mourning. Apparently, he has committed suicide after taking the lives of his wife and daughter. Never thought of him as someone who would snap just like that. But then again, after recent news of a certain ex-schoolmate commiting several bizarre acts in a certain girls' school (sorry not gonna provide link), one never knows what lies beneath.

Might as well ramble on a little more since I've started. Upcoming activities in July would include another GYFC match at Kranji Secondary this coming Sunday on the 2th. Admission is free for all spectators as part of GYFC's continuing efforts to give back to the community. Also the start of the official smoking ban in all clubs/pubs here in Singapore, which incidentally, also has been listed as the 14th most expensive city in the world, ahead of even New York. Way to go PAP, we're surely on our way to becoming a first world country now... GYFC also welcomes back it's long-serving defender Yeo from his loan spell in UK (club unknown). Sources put his arrival date at the end of July. It is yet unknown if he will be as "popular" as Edge when he returned from his loan spell in Shanghai.

There's no stopping me now. In line with the theme of this entry, which is about absolutely everything that comes to my mind at 3am in the morning, I highly recommend the french movie "Hors de Prix" staring Audrey Tautou. Long the darling of french cinema, this must be her best film to date. The film is good in the sense that it's totally un-french. None of the artistic cinematography or abstractness that characterise all things french. Just a good solid storyline with strong acting.

Right I'm running out of steam, so this shall be it. Beng remember, this is for you.