Wah #Biang Eh!

Imagine having to write this word 1,000 times.

Man United 3-1 Villa - 5 in a row!

Guardian match report here.

When I compiled my predictions of United's last 11 games, the team had just come off a comfortable 2-0 win against Sunderland, and although the results were good, the team's play on the field didn't really match up to fans' expectations.

One change to the starting 11 for that Sunderland game was the inclusion of Ander Herrera. I had been calling for his start for the longest time, and he has brought instant class to the team with his play. Herrera has started every game since Sunderland, and this has resulted in 5 Ws in a row.

Herrera scored 2 against Villa and linked up well, again, with Mata on the right. Rooney had a great goal, but a forgettable afternoon, whilst Di Maria got another assist despite playing only 20 minutes.

The real story for me is the confidence streaming through the team the last 2 or 3 games, and this has translated into wonderful play on the pitch. van Gaal's constant refrains of "balance" appears validated.

Carrick's return into the base of the midfield and Shaw's injury, has allowed Blind to blossom at left wing-back. His partnership with Young and Fellaini on the left has been very productive.

City, Spurs, Liverpool and Southampton have all lost points this weekend, and United's stranglehold on a Champion's League place appears almost complete.

Still, next 2 games will be tough. City at home and Chelsea away. I predicted 2 points earlier, and I still think that's a good return. It'd be great if United could sneak a win in either game.

Who knows, if United win both games (and with Arsenal still to visit Old Trafford), I'd be dreaming of bigger things...

Liverpool 1-2 Manchester United - Gerrard screws up again

BBC match report - here.

I usually like to gloat after wins against Liverpool, but strangely, last night's game didn't compel me to burst into a frenzy of messages to my Pool-supporting friends (of which I have too many).

There were so many reasons to gloat - see picture above for examples.

Liverpool's last loss in the league, 14 matches ago, was the 3-0 game at Old Trafford (which was more uncomfortable to watch than last night's), and Steven Gerrard's geriatric madness descended yet again. Also, United had more possession than Liverpool at Anfield.

But ultimately, the game never became frantic or anxious, and I never felt United were in any danger at all, and that's commendable, given our defensive frailties.

Of course, Phil Jones is still a dumb f**k at times, whilst Rooney and Di Maria were (almost) completely useless, but still, a commendable performance from van Gaal's men.

I've also noticed how Di Maria always gets an assist, or throws in a few dangerous crosses every game, even when he's playing like cr*p. Last night, he dribbled into 3 players in the 85th minute or so and lost the ball when he should have taken it into the corner flag, but he also lifted the ball perfectly to Juan Mata, who scored from a wonderful volley.

Mata is now truly showing his intelligence and his link up play with Ander Herrera and Valencia on the right was wonderful to watch.

Hopefully, the corner has been well and truly turned. Now, we only have Falcao (assuming he stays) and Di Maria left to rehabilitate.

My predictions have been turned against its head now - see here - but I'm certainly not complaining. A couple of weeks break now might actually do more harm than good, but next game against Villa at home should be a doozy. Then it's City (H) and Chelsea (A) after that.

Here's keeping those fingers crossed.

Man United v Spurs - Is this the turning point?

Guardian match report here and Michael Cox's analysis is here.

Clearly, this is what the players are capable of.

In my earlier post, I predicted a score draw, but Spurs never looked likely to claw their way back after a wonderful start from United.

Carrick released Fellaini with a first-time slide rule pass into the box, and Mop Head finished with aplomb. Then Carrick guided in a header inside the box, and after only 30 mins, United were 2-0 up.

Wayne Rooney then did something I haven't seen him do in a while, rampaging past a static defence to put United beyond reach. The rest of the game was comfortably seen out, and even Rafael and Andreas Pereira got a run out.

Spurs defenders were easily knocked over, but this game showed that United have the capacity to play on the ground to devastating effect. Crisp passing, good tempo, and clever running created (easy looking) chances that were tucked away.

Key man for me was Carrick - his guile and calmness on the ball were terribly missed, in my view. Herrera and Mata linked up well in midfield too. And this game is further proof that Rooney does not belong in midfield, and Ashley Young is a better left winger than a left wing-back.

Looking ahead, United have their tails up going into their next game, Liverpool at Anfield. Hopefully, Louis van Gaal goes into that game with the same mindset, looking to attack Liverpool's weaknesses rather than trying to stifle their attack.

MH 370 - A year on

It's been a year since MH 370 disappeared with 239 persons on board. As we approach this heart-breaking anniversary, there have been a couple of new theories that have cropped up, like here, and here.

The only thing we know for sure is that the bloody expensive search in the inhospitable seas off west Australian has been futile so far. Most of the experts assigned to the search agree that the data shows the plane went down in that area, but other theories persist.

I found out about this tragedy on the morning of my usual Saturday soccer session, when my Twitter feed exploded with the news of the disappearance of MH 370.

The news then hit home hard when a friend sat down, in the midst of our usually boisterous games, looking rather ashen. He was working his mobile phone non-stop, and he explained that his brother was a MH pilot and he was due to fly that same morning.

It wasn't until a couple of hours later that he managed to reach his family back in KL, who told him his brother was safe in Australia.

It's been emotionally difficult keeping up with news on MH 370, and I can only imagine how much harder it must be for the families of the ones who have perished or remain lost.

I can only pray that closure comes soon for everyone involved.

Man United remaining EPL fixtures - is 4th place likely?

These are Man U's last 11 games of the season.

According to Arsene Wenger, 72 points is the cut-off for the Champion's League places, so essentially we need 22 points from these 11 games. Let's see if this is possible.

Newcastle (A) - This would have been a tough proposition earlier in the season, but after Pardew left, Newcastle have been poor. I'd expect a close win, so 3 points here.

Spurs (H) - Spurs will want to bounce back after their dispiriting loss in the League Cup Final, and they are a tough match-up. I'd expect a score draw, so 1 point.

Liverpool (A) - Very tasty game. It'd be at least 2 to 3 goals separating both teams at the end, either way, but more likely in favour of Liverpool, who have an amazing 8-1-0 EPL record their last 9 games. 0 points

A Villa (H) - This should be a straightforward win. Anything less would be disappointing. Damn, I might have just jinxed this. 3 points

M City (H) - First of a run of 3 very tough games. This will be a close one, and I'd take a draw, to be fair. 1 point

Chelsea (A) - If Chelsea are > 7 points ahead by this game, they might just relax a little. But probably not. 1 point would be great.

Everton (A) - Again, a tough match up. But Martinez's teams always have a few weaknesses at the back, and MU might just sneak a win here. 3 points

WBA (H) - This needs to be a win, and nothing less. The 2-2 draw at the Hawthorns was quite unforgivable, so redemption is due. 3 points

C Palace (A) - Again, if we are to qualify, this has to be a win. 3 points

Arsenal (H) - If it all comes to pass, United would be coming off a 3 win streak heading into this (likely) decider for Champions League places, and with their tails up. Or United could be coming off a terrible loss, and needing a win (which will likely mean a loss at the end of the day). 1 point

Hull (A) - Last game of the season, and if United's players aren't putting their everything into this game for 3 points, then van Gaal might have a lot more to do during the summer. 3 points

Totalling up the above, we come to the (unsurprising) tally of .... 22 points! So, that means we are going to qualify! Yay!


*Disclaimer - all the above are just guesses, hor. And Arsenal finished 4th last year with 79 points. So please don't bet on any of the above outcomes. I'm not responsible for any monetary loss you might incur. So there.

Man U fans need to stop pining for Alex Ferguson

Manchester United fans must stop pining for Sir Alex Ferguson's champagne football - that era is over - from Gary Neville.

Read this earlier, but forgot to post this. Neville is a very intelligent football guy - always worth a read or listen.

I like this paragraph in particular -

"This idea that United are lucky is wrong. Luck expires in an unbeaten run after three or four games. One defeat in 19 is not luck. Then again some of the big signings of the last 18 months are still well below their peak. They are not performing anywhere near full tilt. That’s a concern. In the next two or three months those star names have to perform or will find themselves under pressure."

Just your regular Monday afternoon bitching session ...

Here's the thing.

I'm having breakfast at Yakun @ Parkway Parade with my younger girl. We managed to get a booth seat, but after about 15 minutes or so, the place filled up quickly (Parkway regulars will know this).

I was having a conversation with the daughter when this Chinese lady about 60 to 65 years old, suddenly came right up to my face and asked if we were going to be done soon. Really, right up in my face. And loudly too. Startled the cr*p out of me.

Neh-mine.

Told her with a smile that, no, we're not going to be done any time soon.

She then disappeared with her husband and after a few more minutes, she plonked herself down on a spare stool at someone else's table.

And started staring at me (or my general direction - I could be exaggerating). 

Literally, it was like this -

Ok, to be fair, she didn't look like this guy here (who's auditioning for a talent show, but I digress).

But still, that's how it felt. Every time I look up at my daughter I can see this crazy old lady staring at me. WTF.

So I try this tactic (which usually works). I stared right back at her.

Except, her super powers were far greater than mine. She didn't even blink! NB. Fail.

Her husband then found another table elsewhere, cos I can hear (and see) her telling her husband, "No! I'm not sitting there cos it's too hot there and I want to wait here." Then she resumes her unflinching stare.

In face of such power, I gave up. I finished up my kopi peng and got ready to go. 

Before I could even get out of my seat, and before daughter had even stood up, she was already beside my table and beckoning her husband over.

Now, this is what got me thinking.

Should I have done what every bloody person seems to be doing nowadays, ie SHAME her, STOMP her, etc? (For the non-locals, this means taking a photo of her fugly mug, and sticking it on Facebook).

Or am I being too "ngiao" about this?

The Great SIM Card Heist

The Great SIM Heist - from The Intercept

I've had this saved on my Pocket reading list for a while, and just got round to it.

This couple of paragraphs say it all -

"With these stolen encryption keys, intelligence agencies can monitor mobile communications without seeking or receiving approval from telecom companies and foreign governments. Possessing the keys also sidesteps the need to get a warrant or a wiretap, while leaving no trace on the wireless provider’s network that the communications were intercepted. Bulk key theft additionally enables the intelligence agencies to unlock any previously encrypted communications they had already intercepted, but did not yet have the ability to decrypt."

And,

"Leading privacy advocates and security experts say that the theft of encryption keys from major wireless network providers is tantamount to a thief obtaining the master ring of a building superintendent who holds the keys to every apartment. “Once you have the keys, decrypting traffic is trivial,” says Christopher Soghoian, the principal technologist for the American Civil Liberties Union. “The news of this key theft will send a shock wave through the security community."

This basically means US and UK spies can (and probably have) gone through everything you do on your smartphone. But only if you're an interesting person lah. Like DSAI.

One more thought - the spies also probably have all the iCloud-hacked nude celebrity pictures already.

Manchester United 2-0 Sunderland

BBC Sport report here.

It was a terribly nervous start, with both Smalling and Evans, even Rojo giving the ball away. After 20-25 mins, they settled down, and basically camped in Sunderland's half until the break.

Despite this, we only got the breakthrough from a penalty, and only closed out the game after good work from Januzaj down the right.

This game illustrates why Herrera and Blind should start for United every game, if they are fit. In fact, once Carrick is fit, I'd slot him in the centre of defence with Rojo (who is really not great, but the best of our current CBs), and leave Blind as DM.

Rooney should be starting up top as well every game. He's currently the sharpest of our forwards (not saying much), and his brace show he's the better option to Falcao. It's a pity Wilson didn't get a chance, but on current form, Rooney has to start as striker.

Di Maria is clearly struggling but his struggles do not hide the fact that he's our best creative outlet at present. He delivered dangerous crosses, and his dribbling got us free kicks in good areas. Yes, he's being bundled over too easily, and he's losing possession too much, but he needs games, and Mata isn't clearly a better option right now. Chopping and changing isn't going to improve fluidity and understanding amongst our forwards.

Falcao is another matter, though. He is clearly not the player he was, but it's not clear why this is so. It simply can't be his previous knee injury, so it's more likely his confidence that's shot, and him being dropped to the bench every other game surely doesn't help this. His runs area also being mis-timed; there was a great run and cross from Ashley Young (who did a good job last night) into the six yard box that had Falcao's name all over it, but he was at the top of the penalty box instead.

His quality isn't in question - it was a brilliant touch and turn before O'Shea pulled him back, and if not for that foul, he'd have scored a great goal.

van Gaal is right to say Di Maria just needs time to settle, but I'm not too sure about Falcao now. Just a couple of weeks ago, I believed that Falcao at $43m pounds would still be a better buy than anyone else out there, but if Woodward can find another top striker for around $30-35m in the summer, it might represent better value than Falcao at the moment.

Suspected racist Chelsea fan is an ex-cop - Guardian

Ex-policeman Richard Barklie caught up in Paris metro incident denies he's racist. Guardian report here.

His lawyer's statement reads, in part -

“Mr Barklie is a Chelsea season ticket holder and has travelled to matches for over 20 years now without incident. He travelled alone to the Paris Saint-Germain match and has no knowledge whatsoever of the identities of the other people depicted in recent YouTube video releases. He wants to stress that he was not and never has been part of any group or faction of Chelsea supporters.

“He did not participate in racist chanting and singing and condemns any behaviour supporting that. He accepts he was involved in an incident when a person now known to him as Souleymane S was unable to enter a part of the train.

“He has an account to give to police which will explain the context and circumstances as they prevailed at that particular time.”

Separately, the victim has said he wasn't going to take up Jose Mourinho's offer to visit Chelsea, and only wanted justice to be done.

Swansea 2-1 Man United - Unlucky?

Luck finally ran out on MUFC, after 1 defeat in 19 games.

BBC report here. Here's another one from Guardian, calling out Louis van Gaal for his "lame" excuses.

MU created 18 shots, but only had 3 on target, whilst Swansea only had 10 shots, with half of them on target. MU also had 65% of possession but still lost 2-1.

Swansea's winning goal was deflected past De Gea, although it seemed he could have gotten a hand on the shot. But calling him out on that would be harsh on our Player of the Season so far.

Swansea's first goal was down to a great cross, but Shaw's tracking should have been better. It's hard to imagine Evra (in his prime) letting something similar past him.

As for their 2nd goal, the real problem came from a hospital pass into the middle to Fellaini, who turned into 3 defenders and was dispossessed easily, creating the mismatch in midfield before Shelvey got free to shoot. Both Blind and Rojo could have done better to be closer to Shelvey, but losing the ball in the center circle (and from a forward pass from the defenders) was unforgivable.

Fellaini did well to hold up play, and give the defenders and midfielders an option to pass to, but he should NOT be getting the ball in the center circle from the defenders. His touch is not good enough, and Blind/Carrick need to be the pivot guys. This is precisely why Carrick's contract will be happily extended by MU, and why Blind is currently MU's best outfield player.

Having said that, this was van Gaal's most attacking line up in a while, and it seems he's coming round to the idea of playing the 4-4-2 diamond more often. I like this formation, and on another day, the Swans might have been killed off way before Shelvey had the chance to shoot.

MU had a good 15-20 mins of attack v defense but couldn't create anything of note. Di Maria was again poor, and Robin van Persie looked unfit (and his injury was aggravated as a result). I thought Valencia should have started instead of McNair, and that would have saved a spot for either Falcao or Wilson to come on for RvP late in the game.

Herrera's goal was a beauty, and Shaw needs to make these sort of forward runs more often. I'm sick of watch him face down a defender, attempt a couple of stepovers, only to pass it backwards to Di Maria or Rooney. Same goes for Valencia. It's inconceivable that players of United's caliber cannot generate enough forward runs from their wingbacks to trouble defences like Swansea's.

Next up is Sunderland at Old Trafford. That is now a must win. MU are still in fourth spot, but only 3 points separate MU from Spurs in 8th.

After the Sunderland game, will be a run of 4 games in March to make or break United's season, IMHO -

EPL Newcastle (A) - 4 March
FACup Arsenal (H) - 9 March
EPL Spurs (H) - 15 March
EPL Liverpool (A) - 22 March

Racist Chelsea fans push black man off the Paris Metro

Guardian report and video of the incident here.

This happened and you can see it on the video -

"The fans on the train are then heard chanting a song that appears to be celebrating what has just happened and includes the line: “We’re racist, we’re racist and that’s the way we like it” while a black woman is standing directly in front of them."

This is ridiculous and appalling behaviour from idiots who call themselves fans. Police and the football community should come down hard on these dicks. We haven't heard the last of this one for sure.

MUFC - FA Cup 2015, Preston North End (A)

BBC Sports' report on the match here. This paragraph summed up the game, in my view -

"After an hour, Van Gaal had seen enough. He hauled off the ineffective Falcao for Ashley Young in a change that helped turn the game in his side's favour. Young supplied the pass for Herrera's equaliser and Fellaini, pushed further forward as part of the switch, followed up his own saved header to power home United's winner from close range."

I only managed to catch the 2nd half. But it was clear that the Falcao substitution changed the game for the better.

It's a bit disturbing that Fellaini and Young seem to be United's main game-changers nowadays.

I'm just happy we're in the QFs, although if United doesn't find it's rhythm and tempo soon, we're gonna get f@*ked at OT.

UK TV rights for EPL up 70%

These are some eye-watering amounts. £10.8 million for each game?

Closer to home, Singtel and Starhub have both declined to make any comment on this increase. The only thing we know is that the renewal discussions (for 2016/17 and beyond) are expected only at the end of 2015, and likely to stretch well into 2016.

The current monthly subscription with Singtel is $60 per month. If we extrapolate the UK increase, this will take the monthly sum to well over $100.

Would you pay $100 to watch live football on your TV, when you can get paid (ie legal) IPTV services for less than a fraction of this?

My doomsday prediction is this - subs will go up to $80-90 per month, and the IDA introduces legislation to ban legal IPTV streaming in Singapore.

If that happens, I'm going to migrate* to Australia. Live football is cheaper there. Plus, I think I can buy a nice Porsche for the amount we'd pay for a used Honda Civic.





* j/k, dear.

What's ailing Manchester United

Another lucky draw away to West Ham United, after last minute equaliser from my Player of the Season so far, Daley Blind. And please it's pronounced "Bleend", not "Blahynd".

Louis van Gaal arrived with a lot of fanfare and after the depressing Moyes, he was quite the breath of fresh air. He also talked a good talk, too, and United fans like me were quite optimistic.

Despite a 10 match unbeaten run in the league, it's all gone a little pear-shaped now, and United were lucky to escape with a draw last night. Even during the unbeaten run, we were lucky against West Brom (away), Stoke at home and Southampton (away) where we absolutely stole the 3 points.

van Gaal has changed and tinkered and tried to impose his 3-5-2 formation, only to change it now to a hybrid 4-1-3-2, and sometimes 4-4-2 diamond. Whatever it is, it's not working, and the end-product on the field is turgid and toothless. We scraped a draw "thumping the ball forward" at WH according to Allardyce.

Previously talented and explosive players like Di Maria, Januzaj, Falcao have all disappeared or look disinterested, whilst creative, intelligent and useful role players like Valencia, Rafael, Herrera, Mata and even Rooney, have either not been given the chance, lost their heads completely, or totally fallen off the grid.

It's telling that in the last 2-3 months, our consistently best players have been Blind, Carrick and Fellaini, and before he got injured, Ashley f**king Young was our best option on the left wing. If you'd told me all that at the end of last season, any normal United fan would have said - WTF?!

There's something fundamentally wrong with the team, and I can tell you it's one of these few things -

1. Key players lacking confidence - Robin van Persie is too good a player not to be able to adjust to a different coach, esp one who made him captain of his national team at the World Cup a few months earlier. Valencia / Young / Rafael / Jones / Evans - all these players were key players in Fergie's teams  just 2-3 years back (even if they weren't great), and you don't simply become completely useless in a matter of months.

2. Lack of leadership - Rooney as captain was quite revealing when announced, and I'm guessing there are some senior players who didn't take that decision too well. I'm not saying that Rooney is disliked or disrespected, but if he's running around shouting at the rest, I'm thinking van Persie, or Di Maria, or even Falcao or Mata might just not be listening too hard.

3. Discord in dressing room - This is a consequence of 1 and 2 above, and despite all the publicly positive tweets from players alike, I believe that the dressing room is not a completely united one. The youngsters look damn scared on the field, whilst some of the seniors players appear not to give a shit at times.

It's also interesting to re-examine the list of the main players who have left - Kagawa / Welbeck / Zaha / Fletcher. These may not have been great players (except Kagawa), but it was clear but the time each of them were sold, that they had lost confidence in themselves, or in van Gaal or vice-versa. Question is - if van Gaal somehow thinks Fellaini is a good player, how come not Kagawa? And given his paucity in midfield earlier this season, why didn't Anderson get a run?

All the above points to one man in particular - Louis van Gaal.

Lack of leadership, confidence and dressing room discord - these are all issues of man management, and I strongly believe that was David Moyes's biggest problem (which was why Vidic and Evra left too soon), and why Fergie has been missed terribly. Even someone like van Gaal (who is undisputably a winner and excellent coach-trainer) is finding it tough to change mindsets, and pre-existing tendencies around.

He's doing a good job of selling himself so far this season, but the table and stats don't lie. United right now aren't doing much better than when Moyes was in charge, and we are only in the top 4 because everyone else except Chelsea is playing badly. And this is after Woodward and van Gaal spent > 150B pounds.

Time will tell whether my gut feelings above are borne out or not, but a team like this on paper should be cake-walking all over the Premier League. Yes, even with a defence featuring Smalling and Evans.

Man United's January transfers

Despite all the rumours and last minute "news", Man United only brought a couple of youngsters (here, and here) in the January transfer window, and signed a (IMHO) very very good and experienced keeper in Victor Valdes. For free some more.

Louis van Gaal continued to pare down his squad of "hanger-ons", and it was sad to see some of them go, e.g. Anderson and Fletcher. Another one whom I'd though would do well was Zaha, who returned to Palace. Some of the promising youngsters were also sold (Keane, Vermilj) or loaned out (Janko, Pearson, Rothwell, Lingard)

All in all, a pretty quiet (as expected) transfer window, and it seems van Gaal was telling the truth a few days ago when he said United's business was done.

A full list of the ins and outs can be found here.

Looking ahead, despite the clear need for an experienced CB, this is the squad who will have to take United back into the Champions League in 2015-16.

Bring it on.

Man U v Leicester - Good win, back to 442!

Good win against sub-par opposition. Match report here from Guardian.

I love that both Falcao and RvP scored. It's the formation, LvG! Hopefully it continues.

There is also a link to Adnan's Januzaj's return to form. LvG also said this -

“The results are good but I’m looking always to the process and what our next step is now in that process,” Van Gaal said.

Damn it, stop talking about the "process" lah. It's been 6 months plus, you should know your best 11 and formation by now. NB...

Singapore attitudes towards work

Timely reminder of our attitudes? From AsiaOne.

"But it's the unintended consequence of the fantastic economic success which we have enjoyed. In our headlong rush for more money, a lot of values seem to have been lost.

The ability to communicate with anybody else is less evident, and people now, generally, want to interact only with people of their own perceived social group.

So we're now a more stratified and polarised society, which is why you hear people longing for the return of the kampung spirit."

I always hear this refrain from a colleague of mine every new year - "Less work, more money!" - but we still work as hard as we did before.

Pogba to MUFC rumours

This is probably untrue, and feels like the usual "fishing" for more money rumour planted by his agency.

But the amounts being bandied about just confirms Pogba's stature right now as one of football's emerging superstars.

And to think, SAF basically allowed him to leave, and stiffed him over his weekly wages by offering only £15k when Juventus were already offering £40k. One of his few (but huge) mistakes.

Tim Smyczek, take a bow

Sports is better off for people like this - article from Rohit Brijnath, ST

"Smyczek is not done. At 6-5, down 30-love in the fifth set, as Nadal serves for the match, an idiot calls out just as he strikes the ball and it disturbs him. Nadal's first serve is a fault. It is bad luck. It is unfortunate. It is life in sport now where spectators intrude on the play.

Smyczek is not expected to intervene, it is not his fault, no one will think poorly of him if he stays silent. Furthermore, he knows his tired, almost dizzy opponent is just holding on. Facing a second serve, at this juncture, is in fact to his advantage. It suits Smyczek to do nothing. Till he does something.

He tells Nadal to take two more serves, to replay the point, to hit the first serve again. It is almost unthinkable and thus it is beautiful.

Nadal serves a first serve again. Smyczek loses the point. Then the match."

"I have no more campaigns to run"...

"I know, cos I won both of them."

Classic Obama moment during his SOTU speech.

The Golden State Warriors are for real

Check out this boxscore from their recent game against the Denver Nuggets.

A few stats jump right out -

1. All 13 players played, and scored.

2. Curry and Thompson both got 13 shots, but everyone else, except for Rush, got between 4 to 7 shots.

Their unselfishness is amazing. 16 consecutive home wins and counting.

3D-printed house, anyone?

A Chinese company just 3D printed a HOUSE.

Wow. Is there anything you cannot print in 5 years' time?

Stylus to ship with the new iPad (pro)?

New rumour from Kuo Ming-Chi - MacRumors

This one's interesting. I'm sure the "pundits" will start ridiculing Apple for a major "U-turn", given what Jobs said about styluses and fingers.

But from the article, I think Apple's idea of the stylus might surprise a few people. I'm guessing a Wacom-style tablet + pen coupled with desktop-class apps on the new (bigger?) iPad.

That'll start moving the iPad closer to what it's truly capable of.

Man Utd update - QPR (away)

5 thoughts on the game - from Republik of Mancunia.

I agree with the 5 key points.

United's players are built for, and comfortable in, a 4-4-2 formation, especially the defenders. There's no point in having Di Maria up top, when he's got no space to run into, and receiving the ball with his back to goal all the time. That's what Falcao or RvP ought to be doing.

It's time to push on, and for once, I think it's good that we're not playing in mid-week, so that focus is on the weekend's games.

Playboy Interview of Steve Jobs, Part 2

I'm sorry to belabour this (well-worn) point, but I think Steve Jobs was way ahead of his time. Check out some of his quotes from this interview.

About Japan -

"Japan’s very interesting. Some people think it copies things. I don’t think that anymore. I think what they do is reinvent things. They will get something that’s already been invented and study it until they thoroughly understand it. In some cases, they understand it better than the original inventor. Out of that understanding, they will reinvent it in a more refined second-generation version."

Predicting the Internet?

"The most compelling reason for most people to buy a computer for the home will be to link it into a nationwide communications network. We’re just in the beginning stages of what will be a truly remarkable breakthrough for most people—as remarkable as the telephone."

Remember, this was 1985, when the computers being sold where I lived were IBM PC and Apple II clones and the Macintosh had just been launched in the US. The default OS was MS-DOS on most computers. Kids, like me, were learning to type DOS command-line instructions like "dir", "cd", "chkdsk", and other such jargon.

Predicting the iPad?

"They are OK if you’re a reporter and trying to take notes on the run. But for the average person, they’re really not that useful, and there’s not all that software for them, either. By the time you get your software done, a new one comes out with a slightly bigger display and your software is obsolete. So nobody is writing any software for them. Wait till we do it—the power of a Macintosh in something the size of a book!"

The above was in answer to a question about smaller portables, which in 1985 meant stuff like portable machines with very specific functions, like typewriting, spreadsheet, etc, like this one. Or these.

About life

When asked what he was going to do for the rest of his life (he was 30 at the time of this interview), he quoted a Hindu saying, and said this -

"The key thing to remember about me is that I’m still a student. I’m still in boot camp. If anyone is reading any of my thoughts, I’d keep that in mind. Don’t take it all too seriously. If you want to live your life in a creative way, as an artist, you have to not look back too much. You have to be willing to take whatever you’ve done and whoever you were and throw them away. What are we, anyway? Most of what we think we are is just a collection of likes and dislikes, habits, patterns. At the core of what we are is our values, and what decisions and actions we make reflect those values. That is why it’s hard doing interviews and being visible: As you are growing and changing, the more the outside world tries to reinforce an image of you that it thinks you are, the harder it is to continue to be an artist, which is why a lot of times, artists have to go, “Bye. I have to go. I’m going crazy and I’m getting out of here.” And they go and hibernate somewhere. Maybe later they re-emerge a little differently."

Playboy Interview - Steve Jobs

This interview was done almost 30 years ago, in February 1985.

Jobs had just launched the Macintosh and the PC revolution as we knew it had hardly just started.

Read the whole interview and it's profoundly amazing how far we have come in just 30 years.

Man United's scoring struggles

If you've been wondering why MUFC has been struggling to score despite such wonderful forwards, read this (ESPN link) from Michael Cox.

Quite informative and educational.

Journey to Jihad

Journey to Jihad - from TodayOnline
A very discomforting read.

There's also a link to a New York Times video (~ 8 mins). I watched it, and came away extremely disturbed.

Mohd Lotfi is certainly not representative of Malaysian Muslims, but it's telling that he is able to raise funds from his "fame" as a fighter during the Afghan war to build a madrasah, and the fact that his own family members are "relieved" and even "happy" that he's died in another country's civil war being fought thousands of miles away.

The motivations behind Lotfi's decisions are incomprehensible to me.

But I'm not Muslim, and I suspect it will take a lot more effort from all Malaysians, Muslim and non-Muslim alike, to even start to turn this tide around.

Useful Google search tips

From Time website.

Good tips from the best search engine in the world, if you can remember them.

Celebrities from Singapore's past

22 "chio bu"s from Singapore's past - link from mothership.sg.

Lisa Ang and Irin Gan were hawt.

Damn, I feel old.

Forgotten images from Singapore - 20 years ago

Singapore from the past.

Pictures that will bring back memories.

For me, it's the picture of Plaza Singapura, back when Ponderosa was the biggest and best buffet around.

There's also a video embedded in the article that's well worth watching through.

A better way to say sorry

Read this a while ago.

Something for me to keep in mind, when mediating disputes between fighting kids.

Ballon d'Or 2014 - who voted for who

The strange world of Ballon d'Or voting - Guardian

A few interesting take-aways -

1. The top 2 players in the world refused to acknowledge each other with their votes. Ronaldo has Sergio Ramos as the world's best player. Seriously?

2. Roy Hodgson voted for Javier Mascherano and Phillip Lahm as his top two. Enough said.

3. There is a link in the article (click here) to the full voting results on FIFA's website. You'll want to download this if you're a football fan (yes, we call it football around here, not soccer).

4. Malaysia's captain and coach didn't vote.

5. Singapore's coach voted for Manuel Neuer and Thomas Muller as his top two. Patriotic chap, he is.

MU vs Southampton - 3 heroes and 3 villains

This is quite a rant.

But I agree with almost all of it.

Man United current league position ...

... is rather illusory.

Interesting note from article - MUFC has the same number of points after 21 games as last year under Moyes, but we're in 4th instead of 7th.

Tech security vs privacy

UK Prime Minister Cameron wants backdoor to messaging apps.

"Are we going to allow a means of communications which it simply isn't possible to read?" Cameron said Monday while campaigning, in reference to apps such as WhatsApp, Snapchat, and other encrypted services. "My answer to that question is: 'No, we must not.'"

The next battle front in technology. It'd be pretty easy to sit on the liberal side of this fence, but I'm not sure I'd trade less security for more privacy. Then again, there's nothing in my messages I wouldn't want anyone else to read.

2015 - New Year reflections

I know, I know, this is a bit late. Anyway, I hope you will bear with me.

Another new year has arrived, and I'm glad 2014 is over and done with. For very personal reasons, 2014 wasn't particularly a good year for me and my family.

Illnesses took center stage, and it was pretty hairy for a good while. Thank God, we managed to pull through and hopefully, the worst is behind us.

Good health is not a guarantee, not with the food we consume, nor the lifestyles we keep. Then there are the things you can't control, like radical weather changes, natural disasters, accidents and other acts of unspoken terror.

It's hard not to take things for granted, and to cherish each day that comes before us, each word you write or draft (that's what I do for a living), or every moment you spend with your wife and children.

Which kinda brings me to my point. My new year resolution.

I've never cared for such promises to myself; can't remember the last time I even made one.

I also said somewhere earlier that I'd probably "wing it" with my resolutions this year, but the truth is, every day is an opportunity for us to do something right. Whatever that may be, whether it is to write better, to hug your kids, to learn to cook. To have the resolve to act. Instead of watching another day, another hour sneak by quietly.

So that's probably my resolution this year - to do something each day. Hopefully, it'd be the right thing to do. Oh yeah, maybe to write more too.

Have a great year ahead, everyone. ;-)

There IS a line, you know...

Much has been said and written about this tragedy. Here's my take.

Let's start with the obvious - It's unforgivable and unacceptable that anyone, Muslim or not, should murder another person, because of statements or writings, even if these offend you deeply. It's simply not part of any civilized society. There are other ways to register your displeasure in a proper manner.

What really needs to be asked, and is not being said enough, is whether there is a line that ought not be crossed when it comes to political satire.

I grew up in Malaysia, a Malay Muslim majority country, with significant minorities with other religious beliefs, like Christianity and Hinduism. I now live in Singapore, another pluralistic country where most major religions are observed and respected.

It's unthinkable that cartoons about the Prophet Mohamed would be published in a place like Malaysia or Singapore. It would offend one's neighbours, friends or colleagues, and you simply don't do that to people you live and mingle with.

It's not about the idea of "free speech", or the freedom to speak your mind. Whether the idea of "free speech" ought to be an absolute one or not, is not something I'm about to tackle here. You can Google it if you wish.

When you are amongst friends and colleagues who are Hindus, Muslims, Christians or atheists, you can certainly debate and question each other's beliefs and principles. But you would do it respectfully and certainly not in an offensive way. As an example, you wouldn't show these cartoons of the Prophet to your Muslim friends, or put them up on the wall in your office next to your Muslim colleague. You may not even find them funny at all.

Of course, the circumstances would be different in France or the US or Britain. Each society has it's own cultural quirks. In the US, for example, you would never call an African American the N word, even if he calls his friends that all the time. Even the US government has previously questioned the publication of these cartoons.

The point is - there IS a line that you don't cross when it comes to satire, and almost everyone I know, know where that line is.

This should be even more so, for journalists and writers and commentators, who speak and write and comment in the public space.

It would be inconceivable that the cartoonists at Charlie Hebdo did not know that what they were doing offended their fellow Muslim citizens deeply. What they didn't realize was that a small number of those fellow citizens were willing to resort to violence or to kill them for the offence caused.

It's even more inconceivable that, in a society like France, there didn't exist enough common ground or common space, where such differences or hatred could be resolved, or debated, or ventilated, such that individuals with extreme thoughts don't feel compelled to pick up an AK-47 and shoot those who offended them.

That's the real tragedy here.