Back in black

What a game, ladies and gentlemen, what a game.

Last night's Man Utd - Barcelona match was truly the embodiment of a European Night. More than that, it was one of the most intense semi-finals ever (well, for me at least)! The only other semi-final on the top of my head that I remember was this intense was the one against Arsenal in the Treble Season of 98/99, in the FA Cup. The elements were all there. Two of the greatest teams in Europe, some of the best players the world has ever seen, including the recently crowned PFA player of the year, a stellar 75,000 Old Trafford Faithful and a picturesque sunset to top it all off.

For me, when all was said and done, it all came down to one man.



Paul Scholes, one of the last few survivors of that fateful night at Nou Camp, along with Ryan Giggs and Wes Brown (With Roy Keane and Solskjaer still in the scene), fittingly blasted the ball into the top right of the goal to send United into the Final. He seemed to be a man on a mission, a man desperate to extinguish the ghosts of his past and to sort a personal vendetta.

Headlines on Soccernet:
Fergie: Scholes first name on Moscow team sheet

It's for times like these that you watch the beautiful game.

When Scholes scored I was like this:



After the match I was like this:

Hip Hop Hooray

Hello people I was right lah!!!!!

Look look look! Where Vietnam, Cambodia and Myanmar are!

Inevitable

The past sounds an echo.











Come on you devils!

It is getting louder.

Lights out for darker skies

Due to "feedback" that my blog is "too emo", this post shall be filled with 'hahas' and smiley faces (:

1) I still am refusing to read the kids' blogs, even though some of them have left their links, because i don't think i can handle the truth. (: I have a frail and fragile heart (please handle with care). (:

2) An away draw is SO MUCH BETTER than a home draw!! :p haha

3) I have been trying very hard to go home late for the last 9 days or so because my maid went back to Philippines, and I didn't want to do the housework (namely laundry + ironing), so I always waited for my 2 brothers to go home and do the stuff first before I made my way. haha so mean right. but yeah I believe I'm actually helping them inculcate a sense of responsibility from a young age. (: in conclusion, I am a caring brother. (: But now that my maid's back......

4) Harold and Kumar 2 opens tomorrow!!! (: (: (: It's one of my top anticipated movies of the year, right alongside The Dark Night. (: Little known fact about me: I have a Batman Belt...which I wear...very often...haha!

5) Napoleon Dynamite is overrated and I feel so cheated!! (:

6) 'Welcome to the suck' is apparently my new catch phrase. haha.

7) With the amount of packets of Lays I have bought over the past 6 weeks, I could have exchanged the combined wrappers for 9 '1 piece chicken' kfc meals. haha!

8) This is probably one of my most retarded posts. haha.

Holiday

Probably one of the movies of our time.



Every war is different. Every war is the same.

We are still in the desert.

A heavy hearted work of stagge

Last night, I dreamt of Manderley again...

I remember, back in my JC days, Mrs Teo made a comment in lit class one day. She said, " You all are the best, because I believe in you all." She was proud of us. It was never a pride of a boastful or arrogant nature, but a quiet pride. It was silent, yet you somehow knew it was there, you somehow knew that it was from a sincere and believing heart, and you somehow knew that it was true, and maybe, just maybe, it was enough to see you through.

Last night, I had only one emotion that filled my heart; Pride.

I was immensely proud of Chiang Lin, as a father to his daughter. I can't really explain the full nature of it, but I guess I finally understand and appreciate why Miss Kwok still calls us her 'Kids'. To be honest, I was pleasantly surprised. She delivered her lines so confidently, so eloquently, and so articulately that I was left smiling to myself everytime she had finished. I was captivated and really impressed. At the end of her play, I applauded. There were 7 or so people on stage, but I suppose for me, there was only one person I was clapping for. More than that, I was also very happy to see the class support for Chiang Lin, kind of a reminiscent of 04A1A. Tiak Hui and Sutsia were there, as well as Denise and Jessica the night before (from what they told me), and I guess I'm touched when I see such support because I remember how important it was for us back then, and even now. My class had seen me through lots of shit, and hell and high water couldn't touch me as long as they were there. I am also reminded of A1A when I see them celebrating each other's birthdays, teasing each other(leonard) in class and stuff like that. It's still early in their journey, but I'm glad that they've found their way in each other. So yes, I hope that you guys, my 'kids', will know that I am extremely proud of you all, for what it's worth.

As Miss Kwok made her way up to stage for her speech, I stole a quick glance at the class guys seated next to me. They were applauding, eyes trained on Miss Kwok walking up the stage. I think it was at that moment I wanted to cry. I was proud of them. I was proud of who we have grown to be, but more than that, I was proud of what we chose to hold on to. Put the 7 of us into a NYJC classroom setting any day today, and we would act exactly how we would have 2 years ago. We have grown up, yes definitely, but in my eyes, when I stole that glance at them in the theatre, all I saw was a younger us donned in our brown uniforms. Proud, damned proud that we did good afterall, and maybe, just maybe, what we did, what we chose to hold on to, would see through the rest of our lives. I don't say it often enough, but guys, we did good, and I love each and every stinking one of you.

Sometimes a moment hovered, and lingered, and stayed, for much, much more than a moment. And then that moment was gone. I blinked, and we were out of our uniforms. The sound of the applause returned and by then, Miss Kwok was already on stage. Then, a silence. Everything faded into a dullness. Miss Kwok began, and her words were as clear as crystals, each with a shiny resonating effect. As she choked back tears, so did we. And I began to wonder; how did this crazy, hyper active, eccentric, queer woman manage to take up such a special place in our hearts? I was left without answers or confirmations, but a firm knowing, that whoever we had become today, was carefully and dedicatedly moulded by her significantly. I was just so proud to have Miss Kwok as my teacher, my friend, my captain. I took a look at the guys again and smiled to myself. We are, and will always be, her 'kids'.

I blinked, and when my eyes were opened, I saw us in our ny uniforms again.

I don't think I have ever left Nanyang JC.

Do you like rock music?

For some reason, perhaps because I was watching Live 8 and Glastonbury videos again on Sunday, there was a musical revival in me during the weekend. I downloaded some new tracks and uploaded previously downloaded ones into my itunes (trust me, this doesn’t get more exciting).

Some of the music that spun its way into my head:

Anberlin - Lost Songs (Sarah, are you seeing this?!)


British Sea Power - Do You Like Rock Music?


The Kills - Midnight Boom


Travis - The Boy With No Name


Enjoy!

Waving Flags

Contrary to what you will see below,
this is a happy post. (:

Bands that have made me cry in the last 7 days

The Killers - All these things that I have done


Coldplay - Fix You & The Scientist


The Arcade Fire - Wake Up


If anyone's interested in any of these songs, you should check out their Glastonbury videos on youtube. Simply awesome, the stuff of legends.

One great rock show can change the world.

Yellow

Nobody said it'd be easy,
No one ever said that it would be this hard.
Oh, take me back to the start.

How does one begin to go when he hasn't yet truly stayed?

Polaris

It is a painful nostalgia.

Last night, I went back for the council camp campfire night. There was something different, going back this time. I saw the school in a light I hadn't seen since my council camp when I was in J1. There was fear, one which I can't quite describe even now. There's something about the school at night, with all its calmness and serenity, that allows the imagination to run rampant. In my mind, all hell breaks lose, and beyond the corporeal, all hope abandon, ye who enters there. It is a whirlwind of memories and sights; ghosts of the past walking along the hallways, as though it is 2005 again. They call out to me, and I try to answer. They cannot hear me. I shout back. They cannot hear me.

The ghosts start to fade into a greenish nothingness.

Then all is quiet.

I am left sitting down in a black hole of sound. Tears stream down my face. My friends, out of their uniforms, return back to my side. The gradual sound of chatter brings me back to reality. I see their faces. I look into their eyes. I see exactly the same thing.

We know that those 2 years will never come back.

But sometimes, nostalgia is all the more beautiful. Painful yes, but nonetheless beautiful.

If this is tragedy, then give me tragedy.

Love will come through

I almost cried in class today. It might have been so, but the time is not yet.

It's hard to stand up in front of them, knowing at the back of my head that the countdown has already started. It's painful to look at their faces, the faces I have come to love and grow fond of, and think about the day I have to leave. I need to know, I desperately need to know, need to believe, that an idealist can survive in this world.

Lord, empower me with love, wisdom and strength, that as I set forth my remaining days, I may not let them down.

Oh captain, my captain.