The root of the tragedy at the Std Cht Marathon

If you ran in the just concluded KL Standard Chartered Marathon or if you are a vivid facebook addict, you would have most probably read about a young man named Lim who passed away a couple of km before completing his 10km run.

What happened was Lim collapsed, he was then assisted by the writer of the facebook-note together with some other medically trained runners. While trying to preserve Lim’s life, they screamed for medical help but the Emergency Medical Services (“EMS”) was no where to be found.

And of course, in typical Malaysian style… and I quote the writer…

“… 3 DBKL officers (with big motorcycles) just stood by the road side and just stare…”

The EMS arrived after 15-20 minutes, when Lim barely had any pulse left. And again, in typical Malaysian style, the EMS ambulance had practically nothing in it. Maybe if you need some nasi-lemak or char-kuey-teow, you may find some. But if you want life-saving equipment in a supposedly life-saving ambulance… takde… mei you… don’t have.

You may wish to read full real life account of the incident here.

Comments flowed in to concur with the writer saying the organiser must take responsibilities, there needs to be more awareness, next year people should make health declaration before running, etc.

To me, all these pleas will only remove the symptoms, but will never cure the disease. The KL Stand Chart Marathon was also marred with some aspects of fiasco, and this year, someone died. But how come, the same Stand Chart Marathon that takes place in Singapore every year do not have such problems? After all, same organiser and same sponsors…

DBKL officers not giving a shit… slow EMS arrival… ambulance that cannot function as an ambulance… these are manifestation of a failed system, the result of mediocrity which has since been conveniently accepted by most Malaysians. And if you have been reading news, this is not the first time someone died because of poor ambulance service.

You may say that I am trying to condemn Malaysia again and praising Singapore because I am now residing here. But when I was running the KL SC Marathon and Singapore SC Marathon, I was still residing in Malaysia… same sponsor, same organiser… a whole world of a difference. Why?

Deep down, if we are honest with ourselves, we know the problem is not just poor organising. It’s much deeper than that. If you fail to see that, then you are really intoxicated with nasi-lemak, char-kuey-teow and bak-kut-teh.

Lim – may you rest in peace.


2 years ago… The ‘jip san leong’ act

3 years ago… What’s your answer?… When the ‘if’ turns real

What does Malaysia and England have in common?

Before Thomas Cup, Malaysia talked as though they won it.

Before World Cup, England talked as though they have won it.



England shite...

Me knee update

I have done a MRI and it confirmed that my Anterior Cruciate Ligament (“ACL”) is completely torn. Many people have been asking me what exactly it is and I think this is a good analogy…

Imagine a house supported by a single main pillar. Now, the pillar has completely collapsed and the reason why the house is still standing is because of the walls. Worse, some of the internal and side walls are either damaged or have also collapsed. Imagine the house being my knee.

That’s quite a good explanation, isn’t it? Came up with it myself… hehe…

I am off crutches for now but I can’t really walk normally. I certainly can’t jump and running is out of the question. I can’t imagine myself not running or playing any games for the rest of my life, so I will need an ACL reconstruction surgery. It will take 9 months before I can play again.

Timing has been bad. This injury happened while I am busy preparing to make my brain-drain move down south. But I guess I shouldn’t be complaining after this conversation.

As the surgery can only be done after the swelling is completely gone, I will most probably head down south first and then fly back for my surgery. There will certainly be lots of flying in the next couple of months.

I hope to find a surgeon who I am comfortable with, currently looking at one who came highly recommended.

With a good surgeon, discipline to do proper rehab and God’s grace, I hope to run next year’s KL Standard Chartered Marathon…


1 year ago… Smokers like these are morons… She just couldn’t see it… A thought while terminating

2 years ago… Some things don’t evolve… Ask before you hump?

3 years ago… You are the reason… The 3 laws (recommended)

The injury conversation

I have not seen an orthopaedic surgeon yet. The person treating me for the last 2 days is senior physiotherapist. He used to be with the national football team and he gave the confidence I needed to let him manage my knee for now. He has treated a few of my team-mates and he came highly recommended.

I will be seeing an ortho surgeon tomorrow for further assessment. Thanks for all your prayers.

Anyway… as the therapist was assessing my knee yesterday, I was being a typical patient asking all sorts of questions…

How long before I can walk again?
Can I still run a marathon?
No more football for sure right?
What about badminton?
And golf?
Huh? I might need surgery?
What if I don’t want surgery?
Will my knee be the same again after the surgery?
Etc…

He was very patient with me, I reckon I was not the first to bombard him with all these text-book questions. But something happened along the way…

After answering all my questions, he began to talk about himself as I asked him how long has he been doing this, etc. It was then that he said… “Oh, I have just been diagnosed with 4th stage cancer”.

Oh man… at that moment, I was actually lost for words, which is quite a rare thing. I just do not know what to say besides uttering the usual “Sorry to hear that, hope you’ll recover…”

That man was potentially staring at certain death, but he was all cheerful and patient and so positive about life and was encouraging to me remain positive and think of the good signs. And there I was sitting there with a busted knee asking all sorts of questions as though it’s the end of the world for me.

Oh yeah, no sports for the rest of my life is quite end of the world for me but that’s another point.

At that moment, I was reminded… no matter how low I feel, I should still be thankful…

You should too… because you don’t have a busted knee…


3 years ago… V for virginity, P for purity

Facebook caption from our badminton player

I’ve mentioned before, facebook is extremely dangerous…

I don’t know if this is real... but... if it is real, then we shouldn’t brand the China team as arrogant, because our 1badminton team ain’t that far behind in terms of arrogance as well.

[click to enlarge] - image taken from here.



P/S: Anyone wants to take over Tan Boon Heong? He said he will sponsor racquets if you are good enough…


1 year ago… Am I being overly subtle?… No sea pee please

2 years ago… Speaking from the other side… Your say

3 years ago… With or without a reason… “Sam jiu”… A professional mistake (the original piece!)

Baru aku tahu kenapa ramai orang tengok Piala Thomas

Masa aku tulis ni, bergu pertama negara baru tumbang. Kononnya, bergu nombor 1 dunia. Chong Wei pun pemain nombor 1 dunia. Pemain China tak bakyak masuk tournament saja. Kalau tidak, kau ingat pemain kita boleh jadi pemain nombor 1?

Kau orang tahu tak, kenapa ramai orang sokong pasukan Piala Thomas? Betul ke semangat 1Badminton? Aku bagi tahu kau orang… semua orang yang sokong ni, pasal nak dapat cuti saja. Bagaimana aku tahu… facebook lah, mana lagi.

Tadi bila bergu pertama hampir kalah, semua update kat facebook sama je… “aiyo, can forget about holiday on Monday already”… “Holiday on Monday is officially O.V.E.R.”… “Die lah, no more holiday on Monday lah”… Bukan itu sahaja, ada lagi yang marah… “why our players so stupid wan, now I can't get my holiday on Monday”.

Baru sekarang aku tahu, kenapa semua orang tiba tiba begitu gung-ho pasal Piala Thomas. Rupa-rupanya, pasal nak cuti…

Sekarang, nampaknya Wong Choong Han dah ikut skrip. Tapi, kalah menang, aku tetap respect dia. Dah tua pun kena main. Xia Xuan Xe, lawan dia dari China sudah jadi coach. Kenneth Jonassen, lawan dia dari Denmark pun sudah jadi coach. Hendrawan, lawan dia dari Indonesia… sekarang coach dia! Itulah, negara takde lagi bakat,.
Sekian sahaja lah aksi2 skuad Piala Thomas negara kita… dan memang pun, selamat tinggal cuti hari Isnin.

Lagi pasal Piala Thomas

Kalau orang kata lelaki tak erti multi-task, memang tak merangkumi lelaki Malaysia. Lelaki2 Malaysia, bukan main terrer… masa tengok badminton, boleh juga kecoh kat facebook, sms tak berhenti-henti. Kat facebook, bukan update status saja, komen pun tak berhenti. Itulah dia, lelaki2 Malaysia handal multi-task.

Woaaah… Hafiz yang main lembab semalam kembali jadi penyelamat. Aku rasa, isteri semalam tak beri seks kot, jadi hari ini tenaga sudah kembali. Harap-harap, jangan bagi sampai hari Jumaat. Tunggu ya, Puan Hashim.

Baik aku jangan cakap banyak, kawan aku dah marah sebab aku caci Hafiz. Itu pun, kawan aku marah kat facebook… Hafiz, aku cakap untuk ketawa je… bila main Bao Chun Lai nanti, tolang pastikan dia “bao chun doi” ok?

Mungkin ianya takdir… esok 13 Mei, tarikh hitam dalam sejarah negara. Tapi, malam ini, aku sungguh bangga seluruh rakyat Malaysia yang tak kira kaum, tak kira bangsa, tak kira agama, sama2 menyokong pemain negara yang berbilang kaum. Kalau yang caci pun, main2 saja…

Aku dengar, orang yang tengok kat shopping complex pun jerit gila. Macam mana aku tahu? Dari facebook, mana lagi…

Kononnya, ada NGO yang menganjurkan perjumpaan esok yang bertema Mei 13 “Melayu Bangkit” sempena menyambut ulang-tahun 13 Mei. Kononnya, dah dibatalkan. Semangat perpaduan dari badminton terlalu kuat kot.

Cakap pasal perpaduan, aku rasa slogan 1Malaysia tak terrer lah. Aku ada satu cadangan… tukar 1Malaysia ke 1Badminton… lagi hangat. Pasti semua rakyat suka.

Tumbangkan kubu China Jumaat ini… semangat 1Badminton!


1 year ago… The Jacke story

3 years ago… A tribute and a game for few

Dari stadium kejohanan Piala Thomas

Aku baru balik dari stadium selepas menyaksikan negara mencipta sejarah dalam Piala Thomas. Kalau tak silap, Malaysia tak pernah kalah kepada Jepun dalam Piala Thomas. Akan tetapi, itu sudah berubah…

Malaysia mencipta sejarah setelah tumbang 2-3 kepada Jepun sebentar tadi.

Aku memang tak faham. Kenapa Zakry-Fairuzizuan dipilih dalam skuad Piala Thomas dan bukannya bergu Tan Fook-Wan Wah yang mempunyai taraf dunia yang lebih tinggi. Bukan aku seorang yang cakap begitu sahaja. Bekas pemain negara, Razif Sidek pun berpendapat bahawa Zakry-Fairuz tak sepatutnya dipilih.

Dalam pandangan penonton di stadium, dah sampai kena belasah dari bergu kedua Jepun. Smash pemain Jepun macam lepas tembakan pistol… bunyi “bang bang bang”… smash pemain kita, macam pukul lalat. Kadang-kadang lah ada bunyi juga… “piak”.

Member aku kata, dalam temuduga selepas kekalahan, alasan yang diberi… kononnya “… belum menyesuaikan diri dalam gelanggang..”

Oi! Apa belum menyesuaikan diri. Pemain Malaysia main di Malaysia belum menyesuaikan diri… budak Jepun macam mana? Apa alasan ni?

Oh… lepas temuduga, ada kecoh sikit. Seluruh stadium “boo” mereka dan tiba-tiba aku nampak Fairuz macam nak lawan dengan seorang penonton. Kecoh seluruh stadium. Nasib baik Chong Wei keluar menghalang dia. Itulah, kau orang kat rumah boleh tengok ulang-tayang, tapi aksi sebegini kau orang tak nampak lah.

Lepas tu, pemain perseorangan ketiga, Hafiz. Bagi mereka yang mengenali Manchester United, Hafiz adalah seperti Berbatov. Main macam tak peduli saja. Dan aku tengok banyak ulasan2 di facebook, kenapa dia tak smash.

Kau orang tengok di TV sudah frust. Bayangkan lah, aku yang bayar duit tengok di stadium. Oh, yang lebih marah ialah pak-cik yang duduk sebelah saya dengan 2 orang anaknya. Dia orang datang dari Seremban untuk memberi sokongan. Pak-cik tu marah, katanya “bazir petrol datang tengok orang yang tak tahu smash”.

Sungguhpun begitu, aku rasa Hafiz ada juga main bersungguh-sungguh. Sekurang-kurangnya, sampai 3 game. Tapi, Hafiz akhirnya juga habis.

Mungkin ada orang yang kata… Choong Han pun kalah. Tapi, sekurang-kurangnya, smash dia ada standard sikit, bunyi macam pistol. Ada juga dia mengejar bulu tangkis seluruh gelanggang. Lebih-lebih lagi, bagi face sikit… Choong Han dah tua.

Aku tak tahu lah… suku akhir kena lawan Denmark. Aku malas nak ambil cuti pergi tengok dah. Baik aku tengok kat rumah.



3 years ago… Lessons from death

Just for the class

If you walk into any badminton hall in this country, chances are you will witness badminton game played at a reasonable level. Yes, you do see some people going there just to hit the shuttlecock across the net or totally miss the shot altogether or just merely running around swinging the racquet while giggling.

Nevertheless, you will most probably be able to witness at some courts where proper technical badminton with smashes, drop shots, etc. are played, even if those are just casual games. Even if you are not a badminton enthusiast, you will somehow realise that there are quality in their games.

The same cannot be said about tennis though, at least to me…

I have been watching people playing tennis quite a bit in the last couple of months. No disrespect to tennis player out there but… really… I haven’t really seen a tennis game played the way tennis should be played, if you know what I mean.

Some, they played as though they were playing pinball. Some just sky the ball to get it over to the other side and the other player will sky the ball back to the original player. Some just keep hitting to each other regardless of whether the ball is in-court or out of court. Most just end up picking up balls more than hitting the balls. Basically, I just have not seen a proper tennis rally being executed.

I am not trying to belittle tennis or make fun of tennis players. I am sure there are people out there who can really play tennis. But the reason why I am writing is because I overheard a conversation between 2 “supposedly” tennis players where they claimed that they play tennis because it is of a “higher class” compared to badminton.

It is an undeniable fact that golf is a game for the rich and tennis tends to skew towards that as well. But to play a game simply just to be of a specific “class” where in actual fact, you can’t really play at all, it is unnecessary pride.

Are we humans so concern about status and class? Sigh… the perils of an affluent society…

Honestly, has anyone seen a proper casual tennis game being played before? As in with proper throw-service with rallies and volleys?


1 year ago… Lost hope

3 years ago… Morons of the same brain park together… Respect for Malaysian drivers

I did it... again!

It has never occurred to me that Putrajaya is that hilly. Up a steep slope… down… then up again… and down… I should really put some gradient when I run on the treadmill.

And I still don’t quite understand why the roads can never be close for an official run. Man and machine on the same road --- 2 lanes for cars, 1 lane for runners. I suppose it sort of added a Malaysian flavour into the run.

Was so afraid that my calf will cramp up like the last time. Thank God for holding my calf muscles together. No cramps at all this time round. I think the Phiten necklace that I tied around my calf helped as well.

Managed to chip 4 minutes off my Singapore Stand Chart Marathon time … Yay!


P/S: The lack of blogging is due to a very screwed up internet connection, it just go down every night during “prime” internet time. It’s like there is a conspiracy to stop me from getting on the net at night…


1 year ago… High what?

2 years ago… The 3 seeks… An enlightening beer-less encounter…

3 years ago… Chinese culture, what’s not and what’s lost

I did it!

1st kilometre…
I could feel the adrenalin rush. Everyone was running; no one talked. All I could here were the sound of shoes hitting the ground; echoing between 2 huge buildings around us.

2nd to 8th kilometre…
Cruising mode, a time when all the runs around the golf club and time spent on the treadmill bear fruits. My lungs and legs went at the rate I want them to go. No sign of other runners walking. This was also when I saw a guy who has got a hilarious message plastered at the back of his outfit. It reads… “No sex for me if I can't finish --- from the wife”. I overtook him and never saw him again.

9th to 10th kilometre…
First sight of people walking, and I was beginning to feel a little of my muscle. I slowed down to load up on packet of chocolate-flavoured power-gel and bottomed-up a few cups of H2O to wash the gel down my throat.

11th to 13th kilometre…
Auto-cruise mode began to show signs of malfunction. Stopped for the first time to do some stretching. Felt a stinging pain in my underarm only to realise that I have suffered from “chaffing” due to constant rubbing against my outfit. Continued running with my arms slightly open (like a chicken) to prevent further damage. It’s not funny.

14th to 15th kilometre…
Quite a number of runners are walking which means, no need to look for empty space to overtake others (even with my arms slightly opened). But then again, who said anything about overtaking now?

16th – 17th kilometre…
Auto-cruise mode completely fried. Stopped a few times to stretch, walk, and load up my second packet of power-gel. Pace was extremely slow. A motivation tip from a seasoned runner friend came to mind… see things that looked nice from behind, pick up pace to overtake in order to check if it the front looks as good, know what I mean.

18th kilometre…
The spirit is willing but the body is weak. Fatigue is the name of the game. Legs do not seem to listen to the brain. Told my ass to get moving but the legs that carry my ass just refused to go. Damn it!

19th kilometre…
Began to feel a slight cramp in my right calf. Stopped to do more stretching. It was here that I saw the most outrages cheering party ever… 1 boy, dressed in florescent yellow and a few girls dressed in florescent pink/green were dancing to loud music blasting from 2 big speakers. Trust me when I say they were dancing… they were realllllly dancing! At the same time, there were chanting… “You can do it”… “You can do it”… “You can do it”… “You can do it”… “You can do it”… Some people stopped to take pictures with them.

20th kilometre…
In trying to preserve my right calf which I felt was about to cramp, I put more weight on my left leg when I ran. Bad idea! Tragedy struck… a sudden massive cramp in my left calf. I have had cramps many times before during my games but this was by far the worst I have ever felt. I couldn’t even stand up.

I would like to thank the 4 guys who stopped to stretch my calf. One guy, with a set of tattoo on his left arm also helped to massage my calf while the other placed a towel behind my head (I was lying on the road) and ask me to keep breathing. Hey guys, I do not know any of you but I am sorry if I have slowed you guys down. Many thanks.

Managed to get up and continue…

21st kilometre…
In my effort to preserve my calf and prevent my chaffing to my underarms, I was literally running like retard. Well, it was more like brisk walking. But I still tried to run, or looked as though I was running. You know why? Too many cameras around at this point… hah!

Final 100 metre…
They said the half marathon is a 21km run. It’s not. It’s 21.1km. That additional 100 metres may seems like nothing, but when you have ran 21km; that extra 100 metres seems to be the distance between heaven and earth.

Nevertheless, when I finally can say… “I did it!”… all the pain was worth it.



1 year ago… Loved vs. Pampered vs. Spoilt… A truly interesting encounter

2 years ago… How is this possible?… Supernatural solutions… Talking to the dead

Why the KL Standard Chartered Marathon is truly a Malaysian marathon

It was the 10km run. As runners reaches Lebuhraya Mahameru, a Perodua Kancil came into the runners’ route. The car should not be there to begin with but the driver got the guts to honk, asking drivers to make way for him. Runners began to jeer at the driver, who has clearly disregarded the road-block. The jeering attracted the attention of a traffic police.

Just as we thought the driver was going to be in trouble, the police whistled and asked the runners to make way for the car… in the middle of a supposedly cordoned-off 10km run route.


1 year ago… Acts for reflection and sincerity of love

2 years ago… Blogging under the influence of alcohol… What’s your answer? … When the ‘if’ turns real… Closure and coffee man

She just couldn’t see it

This incident happened to me in late 2003…

I was playing badminton and I had to take a dive to retrieve a smash. My right ankle gave way and I heard a crack. Being a gung-ho person I am, I got up and continued the game. I was actually surprised that I felt not much pain at my ankle. But as I continued my game, there came a very sharp pain somewhere around the metatarsal area. It was then that I stopped.

I managed to drive home despite the pain and as the day progressed, the pain became quite unbearable. The next day, someone took me to the hospital. It was Sunday and I reckoned most of the private hospitals will either be closed or less doctors so I decided to head to University Hospital in PJ. Part of the reason was also because I wanted to save money, not a very rich person I am.

After doing all the necessary registration and a brief explanation to the nurse, I was told to get an x-ray. I think I waited for an hour before the doctor saw me and it went something like this…

“Kenapa ni? Main bola?”
“Bukan. Main badminton”
She put the x-ray film on the panel and gave it a good stare.
“Ahh, takde apa-apa lah. Semua ok, saya bandage saja lah”
“Ok”

The mere touch of the bandage on my foot intensified the pain and she could see it from my facial expression. And again, she looked at my x-ray film.

“Takde apa-apa pun. Mungkin cedera otot”
“Jadi macam mana?”
“Saya hantar jumpa specialist lah”

She sent me to the orthopaedic department where another doctor greeted me. From the brief information with him, I got to know that he was from Nigeria and is currently doing his Masters in the hospital. So technically speaking, he is not a specialist yet.

He read the diagnosis from the previous doctor and asked me to do certain movement with my foot. He then asked me to show him the x-ray. He looked at the film for 3 seconds and said…

“There is a crack in your bone”
“What? The other doctor said I was ok!”
“No, you have a crack. Look here, a hairline fracture”

It was there. Me who is not a doctor saw it, a good 2 inches fracture of my right metatarsal bone. Sounds like a professional injury eh? The Nigerian doctor saw it in 3 seconds. The other “takde apa-apa pun” doctor stared at the film for more than 1 minute accumulatively and saw nothing.

I am sure some of you would have your own experience or heard of stories of doctors in public hospital. That was my version. And I am glad it was just a misdiagnosed of a tiny fracture.

P/S: Have you voted your best Zewt Laugh yet?

An unexpected apology

As I was hopping through the channels yesterday, I landed myself on Astro Supersport where they were showing a live table tennis match. It was the quarter-final of the world championship between 2 Chinese players. Since I was trying to wait for the heater to do its job before I shower, I reckon I might as well watch it for a while.

Those who play racquet games will know that there are certain lucky shots that can happen which will gain you instant points. In the game of tennis and badminton, it’s when the tennis ball or shuttlecock hit the top of the net and lands just on your opponent’s court, leaving your opponent helpless. In the game of squash, it’s when the ball hits the corner of the wall where it will almost certainly not bounce for your opponent to return a shot.

In the game of table tennis, it’s when the ball hit the top of the net or when the ball lands itself at the edge of the able. In the latter, the opponent will not able to judge the awkward bounce thus unable to return the shot most of the time.

When lady luck is smiling at you during such shots, a player exhibiting sportsmanship will usually offer his/her apology to the opponent.

Back to the table tennis game I was watching… there was a shot by defending champion Wang LiQin of China which landed at the edge of the table of Chen Qi (also of China). Naturally, Chen Qi was unable to return the shot due to the awkward bounce of the ball. Just then, Wang LiQin shouted across the table…
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“Sorry! Sorry!”

Gee… isn’t it supposed to be “dui bu chi”? What’s wrong with these Cina-s?


1 year ago… Saving the environment?

2 years ago… A kid at 6 and what is 5?

A truly interesting encounter

Well, well, well… Ya’ know what? I had a very interesting encounter 2 days ago which is very in-line with what AZAIG readers have been debating for this whole week. Wanted to pen down the experience immediately but never got the time to do it.

Anyway, I was supposed to go for my badminton training at 4pm on Wednesday as I was on leave but I spent more time than expected at the hospital visiting baby Z. Oh yes, baby Z is doing well right now. He seems alert and responding well to the surgery. Let’s continue to pray that his vision is at 100%.

Coming back to the story…

Because I was late, the 5pm training session was a joint-version with another person, a 12-year-old kid. The coach remarked… “Zewt, this boy is crazy about badminton”, and left me to warm up with him.

“Hello, I’m Zewt”
“My name is Mohd Afiq” (name has been modified)

I must say this boy is quite confident about his ability, quite talented too. Guess that’s why he will be competing in a local tournament middle of this month.

Long story cut short, it was a fun training session which included the coach asking me to have a single match between me and Afiq where I have to give him a 10-point handicap plus him having only half-court to be in-play while mine will be full single-playing court. I know… I know… you all want to know won right? If I lost, do you think I will be telling you this part of the story? Hehehe…

And so, the training was over and both of us were sitting down to cool down.

“Want to play another game?” he asked, obviously not satisfied
“No, think I’m too tired”
“Anyway, where do you stay Afiq?”
“I stay in name-of-a-very-rich-community”

It was then his phone rang and he took out a very sophisticated looking phone. Right, that shouldn’t be a surprise right?

“My driver is going to be late” he said after hanging up his phone.

It was then he did something which I never thought will ever happen to me in my lifetime…

He took out his wallet and upon withdrawing 50 bucks…

“Hey Zewt, you want any drink? Come, I’ll buy you a drink”

Now tell me, how often do you get a 12-year old offering to buy you a drink? I was so stunned that I was left speechless for a while. I politely declined. Perhaps I should have asked for a whiskey coke instead.

Anyway, his ambition is to be a national player. Well, if he does make it, at least we know money will not be his motivating factor.

P/S: No, I am not going to tell you what car came and pick him up. You have to guess.

Is it possible?

Update: Fair enough. As I do not have facts, some part of this entry has been removed.

Do you know how it feels when something that you feel strongly about, something you are passionate about, something that you fight for, might end up to be nothing but a façade?

It was June 1998, and it was the World Cup Final 1998 in Paris between the defending champion Brazil and the host France, a team which failed to qualify for world cup in 1994. The score was 3-0 to France, 2 goals from Zidane who rose unmarked to head the ball from corners.

For those who watched the match, you would noticed that standing next to Zidane was Dunga, the ferocious Brazilian captain who looks as though he will bite off your head on the pitch. But all he did during those 2 fated corners were to turn his head and stare as Zidane headed 2 goals into his net. I don’t recall Zidane ever scored any headers there-after in his career.

My neighbour told me that ‘an agreement has been reached’. I was just a hot-blooded teenage football fan. I don’t know any such ‘agreement’.

Along the years, I still hear a bit here and there about such ‘agreements’ and how things can be fixed with money. But I still never buy any of it. At least not until June 2004, also a world cup year.

15 minutes before the game, this friend of mine called me and told me…

“Zewt, put your money on xxx, eat half ball. Then extra time, xxx will give ball, take yyy instead. In penalty shoot out, take yyy”

That match changed my perception on football forever.

From then on, I always remember my friend’s motto --- don’t let your passion damage your wallet. The bookmakers rule the game, he said.

A fitting end to a brilliant season

The Chelsea fans are saying that Man Utd was lucky to win. Excuseeee me! The equalising goal from Lampard was like lady lucky flashing her entire body to him! Fair enough, 2 shots hit the post. But Tevez missed a sitter and Terry cleared off the line too!
In all fairness though, I think a penalty decider doesn’t really portray the true picture of any match. Well, that’s football I guess.
When I sarcastically asked an Arsenal fan “Who is playing in the Champions League final?”, his answer was there Arsenal is sending a representative from London. I have to say that was a good comeback line. But then again, too bad… London representative just not good enough.
Of course, how can we forget about those historians aka Liverfools. Immediately after the match, I got a sms from a historian telling me that Man Utd need 2 more to match them. Sigh… these people really leave me speechless sometimes.

To the next season!!! Man Utd rulezzzzzz!

Ways of life from an idiots’ game

20 idiot men chasing a ball, that’s the usual manner a girl will normally describe the world most beautiful game. Well, who would blame them? Ask any ordinary guys and most will in turn find a barrage of females rushing to a MNG sale a total waste of time. It’s a balanced world after all.

But is it all just about 20 men chasing a ball while the balance 2 hope the ball will never reach them? Certainly not, football is more than that. It’s about passion, it’s about pride, it’s about verbal battle when I wrote this, it’s about money and… while some may disagree, it may also teach us a thing or two about life. Impossible? Well, let us just focus our thoughts to the recently ended English Premier League season, and see what we can pick up from this idiot game.

I would like to start by talking about READING. They started the season as one of the favourite to be relegated (it means demoted to a lower league). They were a team without any superstar and what did they achieve towards the end? They missed UEFA Cup qualification by only just 1 point. What I said may not make any sense to some. But what I am trying to say is that… while the world looked down on you and think you’re doom… the ultimate fate is in your hand. If you believe in what you do and have confident in your own ability, you may just surprise a few souls.

Let’s shift our attention to WEST HAM UNITED. They were the finalists of the 2005/2006 FA Cup and one pundit branded their football as “a display of entertaining attacking football”. They seemed to be heading for higher grounds this season but what happened to them? Not only did they fail to live up to expectations but the club was fighting for survival early in the season. That’s when the press and most idiots football fans around the world wrote them off. But what happened in the end? They beat Man Utd twice in the season and avoided relegation. What can we learn here? The world may have good words on you but as soon as you screw up, everyone else is just going to step on you. But don’t fret, victory is not about winning, victory can be sweet as well when you prove your critics wrong. Never give up!

Next, the once great LIVERFOOL LIVERPOOL. Having enjoyed a glorious past and recently tasted Champions League victory, they always think they can conquer the world. Of course, they failed to win the Premier League… again, and local fans were quick to brand the FA Cup final as Champions League 3rd/4th play-off having qualified for the final. But what can we learn from Liverpool? Just because you have been good in the past, doesn’t mean you will be good forever. Statistics doesn’t guarantee success and in life, there’s no point living in past successes. Also, in life, don’t be too quick to brag about glorious history. Telling people you were very successful 20 years ago simply means you have not been successful in the last 20 years.

When we talk about CHELSEA, 2 things that will come to mind… A Russian who spent a lot of money… A manager who wasted a lot of money. When Chelsea bought Shevchenko and Ballack early in the season, everyone though the title has been won even without kicking a ball. I was one of them. I mean, looking at what they’ve achieved and you add that with Shevchenko and Ballack… no need to play already. But what happened in the end? They didn’t win… and what we can learn from here is that money may buy you initial happiness, it may stretches it for a year or two, but it doesn’t last forever. While money is important… CHELSEA is a testimony that money is NOT everything.

Finally, MANCHESTER UNITED. Yeah, some of you already know that I am a Man Utd Fan. Many will say that I am a glory hunter but I remember I started supporting them when they lost the league in the last day of the season and lost the FA Cup final to Everton in 1994. Anyway, that’s not the notion today. I am here to say, as a fan, I wrote them off before the season started. They were slow in the transfer market and the fact that Chelsea bought Shevchenko and Ballack while Man Utd bought only Carrick AND kept Fletcher, I thought the season was doomed. Of course, I was proven wrong. This is another classic example of not underestimating anyone or anything just because that person or thing has not lived up to your expectation. Always have faith in whatever you believe in, and support the cause that you said you will.

So who said football is just about 20 men chasing for a ball for 90 minutes? If you would only not watch the match but see things from a different angle… there’s much to learn from this idiots’ game.

Hello LiverFools

This is going to be my most personal entry ever, depending on who you are of course.

To all those liverfools out there who thought you all have conquered the world when you qualify for the Champions League final… to those liverfools who made fun of Man Utd supporters last Sunday… I am now laughing my ass off at your sorry liverfools’ face! You’ve just got yourself another empty handed season.

Oh yeah oh yeah… now all the liverfools are going to turn historians once again. This is the time when they are going to brag about how many league titles and how many European cups they’ve won in the last dunno how many donkey years. Speaking of which, please note that liverfool has not won the league in the last 10 15 17 years? Also, which is the team who calls themselves a big club but is WITHOUT an English Premier League title?

All together now… LI--VER--FOOL!!

P/S: This is for all the countless sms-es I got last Sunday... Hmmm... wonder if all Liverpool supporters going to stop reading my blog now?

The right motivation

Tuesday evening, Wednesday evening, Thursday evening and Saturday afternoon, 4 days a week, that’s how often I go to the gym. Consider that the gym is just at the ground floor of my office, I can’t really find any excuse not to go regularly… or can I?

You know, the post-gym feeling is refreshingly good. After a good work-out, a short roasting in the sauna and then a nice warm shower, you come out of the gym feeling as though you can conquer the world. And of course, it also gives you the peace of mind that all the char-siew or siew-yok or bak kut teh in the tummy has all been burnt. Of course, that’s not true, but what the heck, it’s all about perception.

So yeah, the after effect is really cool, but you know what? The challenge is to drag your sorry ass to the gym through the glass door. Believe me, it’s not easy. It’s quite a mental challenge. The temptation to head for the building exit instead of the gym entrance can be quite strong, particularly if your day has been stressful.


My colleague, PUY, who knows I am gunning for 6-pack before I turn 30 said I should put up some kinda motivation in front of me. Naturally, a picture with of a guy with a nice body comes into mind. I’ll be damned! Imagine if I have this picture as my screen saver or wall paper! WTF! People will think I am bloody gay! You know, gay and gym kinda goes hand in hand. Anyway, I think his chest is a bit too big.

So what should be the right kinda motivation? I can’t have picture of topless muscular men around my workstation or in my computer. Gee, topless muscular men… even typing it brings me shivers!!

With the help of a friend, I came up with a… well, a more decent picture. I hope one day I can really have that body with that face on but for now, I guess I can only look and fantasise… err, I mean, be motivated! Heck, what was I thinking!!!

You think I can do it? By the way, I have never missed gym since I started working at my current work place.