Olympics-- I dont want....

Singapore is a migrant city.. this i cant deny. My granparents are from China. I was born and bred here in Singapore. Literally born in a Singaporean hospital, i was further brought up in the Singapore environment; the education system, the Singlish bug, 'kiasu-isim', HDB unique, man-made 'wonders' (think Esplanade, Ferris Wheel, even Night Safari etc), the various types of food culture, MRT.. blah blah....

There's a bunch of stuff i can note down about Singapore. I underwent the education system and now in the vicious working cycle.

Expats and foreign workers have come in to make up for our shortages in both our upper and lower sectors. This i can understand as either their paper qualifications or otherwise proves their move to take some of our places in Singapore. This move also induces us, the locals, to work harder and learn from them to constantly improve ourselves. We are too small and young a nation to get too comfortable. However, while i see these as steps for locals to leverage on, i dont think we need them for economic boost. Our economic wheel is already spinning, with our very own locals working hard and well-timed and thought out government policies (i wont say i agree with all).

Why should we be represented by foreign talents in major meets like the Olympics? Why should the flag bearer be a converted Singaporean?

They were talents bought over and brought to help the athletes improve. Not to take our places and then to represent our country. The opportunities given to them are different from the locals. At least compare them only when equal chances and incentives are given. Yes, they have potential, thats why they were sought after... Yes, they have the capability, as they were trained since young on their own system. Did we have the same system? I can use the English language simply because the Singapore system made it a must for all of us.. They cant use the English language better than how they use their racquets and swimming skills because they system they were in didnt focus on such things.

Now, they are given more opportunities than their birthplace, yet following a similiar training system, with better equipped stuff (compare using a Mercedes Benz for work and a bicycle), are they supposed to be worse?

Full time highly paid training, full support from our local government, great incentives... hmmm.. Sour grapes? mayb....

They deserve to win... really... it takes alot of effort, time and determination to train.. i know.. temptations vs motivation and preseverence.. but not in our colours..

(footnote: with all the media exposure on how proud we are for their representation, the papers are also not truly into them but yet defensive.. their supporters are equally confused.. read this line quoted from the papers; 'Singapore will play 7th seeds Holland, who are also fortified with former China internationals'--14th August 2008, TODAY
what it means.. if Singapore was to lose, its cause they lost to China-but-gone-to -Holland players. But if they win, its cause they-are-Singaporeans!) GEEE..

Olympics---my coverage

I am a sucker to sports.. OLYMPICS!! the biggest sports arena where the best comes together to slug it out, making sports looks so bloody easy, shattering records, looking fabulous in their speedos, grabbing medals like they were on sale etc etc... This is the period which i become a couch potato and a sofa crtique!! muahahaaa... GO CHINA!

Sexist? on MY Paper

MY PAPER, a free bilingual newspaper that is given out free to all... thats provided you can get that copy if not you'll have to get the Straits Times. I am not too sure behind the logic of free newspapers.. tot it was a gimmick to get people hooked to it and then start charging.. a long fishing line to hook a real fat fish. But i do like the concept of these papers; Today etc; the news are bite-size.

I read an article, 'Women can't take the heat' inside written by Chia Han Keong ........ It was the screaming headline on the 1st page!

Let me summarise what this editor tried to say or rather justify... THAT WOMEN IS MENTALLY WEAKER THAN MEN!! I cant help but feel kinda jabbed real hard in the heart when i read such things.

The example he had pointed out were the lost of Du Li in her first item of shooting--10m air rifle. Yes, she was the defending champion however, she lost out to Czech's EMMONS Katerina, who set a new Olympic record. Li Jiawei lost in her semis... hmmm... It was her 1st Olympics then in 2004. and.. she lost out to a even more determined PRK player. It takes alot of MENTAL power to claw back from 2 sets down.

What he had used to juxtaposed with her failure was the winning of the men's air pistol winner, China's Pang Wei (a new winner) and Michael Phelps (who'll bet against this guy?!! a 6 medal winner gunning for 8 this Beijing 2008!!).

I wonder if this guy knows his stuff, OLYMPIC stuff.. China's MEN havent won the gymnastics Gold and Korea's MEN were never successful in winning the Gold in their individual matches. This despite having World Number one taggings for ages and World Chamionships and other big big titles to their belts. Korea women archers have ruled the game of archery for 24 years (note the pressure they have to handle. They are marked!!)... de Bruijn Inge from the Netherlands have been shattering records en route to defending her titles before retiring. Those winners i have quoted, I believe, change into their skirts after standing on the podium with a GOLD medal on their necks.

Those mentioned were individual sports...

What about the USA's basketball team?? They were known to be the 'Dream Team'. NBA is renowned as the IT place to hone basketball skills and NBA superstars make up the USA team that i guess, with so many to choose from, the Head Coach might just turn to shaking the joss sticks (Chinese prayer style) with their names on it to form a team. The slams and dunks that the Americans show are fantastic!! SO cool that dunk and 3-point-shooting competitions are spurned out. You can find DVD videos of the great dunks compared to finding a decent video on say.. diving.

Did they handle the pressure well? erm.... Today, they are called the 'Redeem Team'. Go figure.

-Brazil Football team?
-Defending champion Taufik Hidayat crashed out of the men's badminton in his first match.
-Boxing's Joe Murray?
-Project 2012--Lee Wung Yew?
The list can go one.. I wont say that the women dont have their failures... but hey.. DO SOME HOMEWORK!! Its a free National paper! Many are reading.

1 loss and he managed to bring down the women... Its into the 8 days into the competition. Singapore's MEN's table tennis is out. Roger Federer is out, holder of the longest no of weeks of being World No 1 in tennis till Rafal takes over the tag on 18th August 2008. eh.. The Olympic Gold has eluded him for 2 Games now.. Steffi Graf (German tennis FEMALE player), on the other hand, won the 5 'Grand Slams'. Ronald Susilo, erm.. a guy.... lost in the qualifying rounds.

This guy is in Beijing to cover the Games.. I wonder why? Maybe with the free distrubution of this papers (high production cost), they have to go budget and.. maybe... he's the cheapest... self funded. free.


(footnote: just after his article, there is this box that teaches readers vocab, and a word popped up; sexist. Coincidentally, covering the next half of the paper was an article of Chinese women diving taking the Gold again in 3m-springboard synchronised diving... btw, the pairing of Guo Jing Jing and Wu Minxia are defending champions. Guo is a living diving legend.)