LIL

Saturday, May 21, 2011

Nausea

Thursday night was horrible. Halfway through archery training, I started feeling dizzy. It got worse as time went along and the shaking of the MRT caused me to be on the verge of vomitting on my way home. When I laid on the bed, it felt as though the whole world was spinning around me. Luckily my stomach was empty at that time so I didn't vomit. The whole feeling was totally awful. It was just for that night but I wonder why.

Thursday, May 19, 2011

The Cabinet and The Lions: Parallels and the Importance of Self-Renewal

PM Lee announced the Cabinet today. It reminds me uncannily of the decision to disband the national football team earlier this year. Of course, the circumstances in this case are much more jovial, as contrasted to the unceremonious nature of the overhaul of the football team.

The parallels are there, however. The review of the national team came on the back of a disastrous outing in the AFF Championship, whereas the Cabinet reshuffle was after the elections which saw a major drop in vote share and the largest number of opposition MPs in Parliament ever. A strong mandate still in the context of a democratic political system, but a major setback nonetheless given the dominance of the PAP in the post-independence years.

The outcome of the elections further emphasised the need to bring in a new style of governance. Besides that, the grooming of the 4G leadership had also emerged as a pressing issue even before the elections. Same with the football situation. In the aftermath of the AFF Championship disaster, the general sentiment was that, with all due credit to the great work that Avramovic has done, it was time for a breath of fresh air. Avramovic has stayed on, and only time will tell if that was the right decision.

Of course, no transition can be considered smooth if changes are overly radical. Old hands have to be available as guiding lights, and newcomers to be eased into their jobs as much as possible. In the new Cabinet, the overwhelming trend is that many current ministers have swapped portfolios. Such a move is brilliant in marrying a new perspective to a particular portfolio, with considerable experience in governance. At the same time, first-time MPs have been duely appointed to gain experience quickly. Likewise, 14 players from the old guard are expected to be recalled to the national squad in preparation for the 2014 World Cup qualifiers, with the remaining 16 slots given to new faces, in what is a good "young-old mix".

It has to be noted that it will be a "baptism of fire" for the new MPs who have been appointed as full Ministers. There has not been such a move for 27 years and PM himself acknowledged before the elections that these potential office-holders will not have the luxury of time that he once enjoyed. Same goes for the young players to be called up to the national squad. They will be thrown into the deep end very soon, in possibly a derby clash with Malaysia, with a very crucial spot in the Third Round up for grabs. It is a progression that the Lions have to secure, though in this particular respect, national governance is starkingly dissimilar in the level of importance. After all, politics is not "masak-masak".

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

久别重逢

好久没打华文字了,感觉超怪的。因为想在未来的学期修读翻译课程,所以不得不把华文搞好,而想使中文进步,多写是重要的环节,博客也因此成为了有力的器具。

昨天是繁忙的一天。早上和朋友踢球,重拾守门员所应有的自信,着实感到开心。自从受伤了后,我发现了体育活动在我日常生活中是如此的重要。即使无法为国家队或职业球会踢球,但既然已经踏上了守门员的旅途, 就应持之以恒,努力把自己的潜力发挥出来。毕竟,这是我的座右铭之一。

回家休息了一会儿,傍晚又回到学校进行射箭训练。训练前,我把一年级的数学课本转卖给了人。买者竟然是一位SM2的学生。这让我感触良多。试想,若这位同学是海外学生的写照,那也难怪他们的学业成绩普遍上都比本地学生优异。虽然我常听说他们的学术程度本来就比咱们的高,起跑点根本就不同,但我始终相信勤能补拙,若本地学生也能拿出如此的拼劲,成绩一定也不会逊色多少。

当然,学习生涯不只啃书那么死板,虽然假期时阅读一下课本有益无害,但我觉得假期是充实生活其它方面的绝佳机会,学术方面的探索就留给开课后才来努力吧。

回到射箭训练,队长忽略了今天是公定假日,因此除非另有安排,不然体育设施的聚光灯都不会打开。训练时间因此被迫缩短。队长向我们道歉,我想,大家都是从错误中学习,我自己又何尝不是如此呢?

Of Revisiting Blogging and EPL Clubs

I have decided to revisit blogging again. Reason being, I feel that languages are an important life tool and to improve your command of languages, writing plays an important role.

It's the holidays now so I have a lot of free time. On Monday, I spent the morning watching highlights of all Premier League matches. West Ham just got relegated so I have to pick another team to support in EPL. Not that I won't be supporting West Ham and Leeds anymore; I will still be keeping close tabs on them. I shall base my selection on three criteria: pedigree (so that I don't have to go through this every five years), playing style (watching football is all about enjoyment - you have to identify with a particular style before you can enjoy it!) and transfer developments (my friend suggested this). I will make a preliminary decision at the end of this season, then observe the transfer market and decide finally after I observe the shortlisted teams at the start of next season. I know I sound laughingly serious, but as Bill Shankly once said ""Some people think football is a matter of life and death. I assure you, it's much more serious than that." Enough said.