I wonder if its just me that is greatly inconvenienced by the whole
National Day dress rehearsal thingy. Just yesterday, was caught in yet
another jam enroute home from Old Airport Road and was "treated" to
another display of well-oiled SAF machinery while the traffic came to a
complete standstill. Not to mention for the past couple of weekends, I
had to make a big detour along ECP to get to favourite haunt Suntec
City.
Did anyone tell the National Day parade planners that petrol prices are now at an all time high of $1.7 per liter (or $1.9 if you are using Shell Synergy)? What the fuckerdos are they trying to do stopping the traffic just so that the tanks and APCs can steamroll through empty roads? Aren' t they made to crash and burn in jungle tracks? Can someone feed these monkeys more peanuts please!
No wonder the entire human species is expected to guzzle 1 trillion barrels of oil in 30 years instead of the 125 years it took us to vapourise the first trillion! (This comparison reminds me that NKF reserves can only last 3 years instead of the actual 30 years. In legal jargon, is this "reverse passing" in its most perverse form?)
I confess that I've never been to a National Day Parade and I never intend to unless they revive the Singapore Wave and the cursing that is normally associated with the Malaysia League days. I will also admit that I feel a sense of pride every year watching the same program year in year old in the comfort of my home. It never came across my mind to ask why we have the parade every year until yesterday when it occurred to me that all this is just one big wayang show we could do without.
I mean, it took me an extra 30 minutes just to get from Old Airport Road to home. Not counting my charge out rate as a professional, the amount of petrol that was wasted collectively by fellow monkeys stuck in the monkey race (not rat race anymore) surely begs asking why have the National Waste Parade?
My thoughts:
- Why put out the SAF machines for show only once a year? Who's watching but the Malaysian spies? Are all the weaponry well oiled and shiny like those on show or are they more like the one Signal tonner I saw in camp which huffed and puffed just to make 10 meters?
- Anyone keeping count of the youth wasted by our poor National Servicemen? One look at their faces and you know they are all thinking "Why the fuck am I wasting my time here?"
- Anyone keeping track of the opportunity cost of deploying entire traffic police force for traffic control while they endanger their lives trying to stop our maniacal road rage drivers at the traffic lights? Wouldn't they be better deployed issuing tickets to errant drivers and contributing to our government reserves (which incidentally is not publicly disclosed)?
Did anyone tell the National Day parade planners that petrol prices are now at an all time high of $1.7 per liter (or $1.9 if you are using Shell Synergy)? What the fuckerdos are they trying to do stopping the traffic just so that the tanks and APCs can steamroll through empty roads? Aren' t they made to crash and burn in jungle tracks? Can someone feed these monkeys more peanuts please!
No wonder the entire human species is expected to guzzle 1 trillion barrels of oil in 30 years instead of the 125 years it took us to vapourise the first trillion! (This comparison reminds me that NKF reserves can only last 3 years instead of the actual 30 years. In legal jargon, is this "reverse passing" in its most perverse form?)
I confess that I've never been to a National Day Parade and I never intend to unless they revive the Singapore Wave and the cursing that is normally associated with the Malaysia League days. I will also admit that I feel a sense of pride every year watching the same program year in year old in the comfort of my home. It never came across my mind to ask why we have the parade every year until yesterday when it occurred to me that all this is just one big wayang show we could do without.
I mean, it took me an extra 30 minutes just to get from Old Airport Road to home. Not counting my charge out rate as a professional, the amount of petrol that was wasted collectively by fellow monkeys stuck in the monkey race (not rat race anymore) surely begs asking why have the National Waste Parade?
My thoughts:
- Why put out the SAF machines for show only once a year? Who's watching but the Malaysian spies? Are all the weaponry well oiled and shiny like those on show or are they more like the one Signal tonner I saw in camp which huffed and puffed just to make 10 meters?
- Anyone keeping count of the youth wasted by our poor National Servicemen? One look at their faces and you know they are all thinking "Why the fuck am I wasting my time here?"
- Anyone keeping track of the opportunity cost of deploying entire traffic police force for traffic control while they endanger their lives trying to stop our maniacal road rage drivers at the traffic lights? Wouldn't they be better deployed issuing tickets to errant drivers and contributing to our government reserves (which incidentally is not publicly disclosed)?
Monday, 16 June 2014
Poise and Temperament.
Temperament is what separates the great from the good.
Instead of felling triumphant yesterday after our CPA games final victory, there was a sense of hollowness and disappointment. Hollow because instead of responding positively to PWC’s aggressive play, I reacted with my elbows and let my mouth do most of the talking. My elbows never connected with any part of anybody but I am ashamed because I was never a dirty player. It was only when Rex muttered “fucked up” when I swung my elbow to protect the ball that it hit me. Those guys didn’t play rough, they didn’t play dirty, they were just out to do their best. Despite all our taunting, they remained calm, in control and gave a good account of themselves. That is poise.
Disappointment because once again, I have performed badly in a big game. Instead of converting all those easy lay ups and shots, I fumbled time and again. One split second of doubt was enough to cause the shots to go astray time and again.
Scene 1
Me: Laying up. Mind: Rex is going to foul me. Me: Doh! Miss lay up but ref blew the foul even though Rex was backing off. Maybe the ref's read my mind.
Scene 2
Me: Below the ring for easy basket after getting into good position. Mind: I may miss the shot. Me: Doh again! I messed it up again!
By the time I was substituted mid-way in the third quarter, I never felt like going back into the game again because not only was I not playing my normal game, Ken was stepping up and playing much better than I am. By the time I committed that last foul I had to give, I was glad it was all over for me. It was a stupid foul to give away and was the perfect ending to a miserable performance.
It is amazing how I can do no wrong in the eyes of the elders. Toh was extolling how well I can shoot the ball and why I should take more shots the whole of last night. (For the record, I made just one pathetic shot the entire game from outside the zone.) Everything I did, Teng Cheong lapped onto and praised. David played me time and again even though Ken is more than a capable substitute. There are so many players on the team who can contribute it makes me feel guilty to know I am depriving someone more worthy of a chance to sweat it out for the team.
I was glad we won. The team has grown from strength to strength and it gets more and more enjoyable to play each year. The old hands like Harry, Toh, David, Billy and Teng Cheong gave us stability. The core group of younger players gel very well and with big time players like It Phong and Chin Whay and a centre that is the Yao Ming equivalent in Singapore, our victory was never in doubt though it did worry me when they raced to a 14-7 lead in the first quarter.
The elders are an amazing group of people. Thought their playing time was restricted, they remained passionate and when called upon, went about their task in their usual understated way. Like Harry when he made four or five consecutive shots against Deloitte in Game 1. Toh and Teng Cheong both played excellent defense whenever they played. David and Billy ran and ran despite their age. For the most part, their playing time was all of ten minutes per game on average?
Yet they came tirelessly for every match, they soaked in the atmosphere and had a ball of a time. Like Tiong said last week, maybe that’s just the meaning of life. Living from moment to moment.
The in-camp training is proving to be a very good break and so much fun. More on that next week perhaps. I am tired. Was back to camp for the morning 5km run followed by boxercise. Couple that with four competitive basketball games in five days, two bruised knees and a knocked up knee cap, I think I better stop here and rest.
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