Dollars and Sense

Here are some photos I took at the 'Dollars and Sense' Financial Literacy Carnival held at the Frontier, Jurong (by the way, I woke up at 5 in the morning just to reach there on time...)

July 25th, At Home

July 12th, Taken at Home

There's a first time for everything

For the first time in my life, I played pool last Saturday. With much persuasion and reasoning from Moe, I eventually agreed to follow them. After all, it's not everyday that Joshua is in town. So why not spend some time with everyone's favorite friendly giant?

I rushed home from tuition, got changed and set off to Serangoon MRT station. Nowadays, I have never been able to meet up with people on time and this time proved to be the same. I was late for 30 minutes, leaving Joshua, Moe, Bryan, Justinian and Tian Chen waiting impatiently. On the bright side though, I learnt something new on the way there: Moe is an extremely responsible (... and somewhat irritating, especially when you're the one late) guy. Especially when he's the outing organiser. I can swear to Masala Dosa (It's one of my favorite Indian food) that he called me at least 7 times in a time span of 4 minutes. That's responsibility to you. 

Joshua seemed to have a short-term memory, forgetting what certain words mean in Hokkien and Chinese. He could actually forget what the Chinese characters 'Ji' (meaning Chicken in Chinese) and 'Ya' (meaning Duck in Chinese) meant to Singaporeans (in this case, it meant prostitute and gigolo respectively). Other than that, he seemed like the same old giant I remembered him to be... just more gigantic this time.

After some instructions from my shifus of the day, Bryan and Moe, I eventually managed to play properly. At the beginning, my hands were shaky and I hit the ball weakly with no confidence at all. However, as time grew, I began to become confident and the balls started to roll into the pockets. I was having fun and time just flew past. Before I know it, it was almost dark and we were going to leave. 

After the fun we had at the pool table, I decided to follow Joshua and Tian Chen to Balestier for Kovan's 'Pot-Luck' birthday party. Moe had wanted to go home but I couldn't help but to drag him along. It was funny on the MRT train from Dhoby Ghaut to Toa Payoh. The train was packed and there was hardly any space between the standing passengers. Joshua and Tian Chen somehow managed to get into a position where Tian Chen was facing Joshua's back. Due to the lack of space, Tian Chen couldn't help but to push the front of his pants onto the back of Joshua's pants, causing him to shiver at the touch. He yelled out that Tian Chen's dick was poking into his butt and struggled to move away from Tian Chen but the people around him refused to budge and he was stuck there with Tian Chen. Tian Chen decided to tease Joshua by pulling his shirt till his shoulder was showing. From where I was standing, it really looked like a Chinese molesting a Caucasian. That really cracked me up.

We had lots of fun at Mark's place in Balestier, playing water volleyball, water polo and then attempting to throw each other into the pool. Everyone had brought a little something to share with everybody else. However, due to the rain that was starting to pour down, Yu Hui and gang decided to finish up all the food with an excuse: "Cannot waste the food. If the rain pour down, the food will spoil and then, no one can eat. We might as well finish everything." I got on the losing team in the water volleyball challenge and we had to do 10 push-ups each. In the end, everyone blamed Moe for the loss. We were so close to victory. If only Moe had not missed his serve, we would have won.

I eventually left the place with Benjamin and Moe (without eating the birthday cake! ... damn!). By the time I reached home, it was already 11 p.m. and I collapsed on the bed, completely exhausted. I had kind of lost contact with my secondary 2 year friends but after the birthday party, it felt that they had not forget me. It felt good to spend time with them again...

'Magic' happens late at night

For the past two weeks, I've been trying to make good use of the school's tablet PC by drawing something wicked... or cool at least. After these attempts, I realized my 'magic' happens late at night. Here are some things I've drawn in the past 2 weeks:

Hope you're able to read the caption on Ronald the Dog. If you can't, it says "... why can't I walk on all fours?...". Hopefully you would understand the joke.

RCRD LBL

www.rcrdlbl.com

RCRD LBL is a site where users can download free tracks from emerging and established artists. I never really know what RCRD LBL stands for (hell, am I curious what it means...) but I love this site. I mean, who doesn't like free music?! What more, it's legal! The only downside is you probably won't be able to find the more popular artists such as Fall Out Boy or My Chemical Romance on the site. But RCRD LBL brings about freshness... some materials you might not find on the radio waves any time soon. The authors on RCRD LBL also introduce artists and songs regularly, some of which has become my preferred songs on my iPod. Be sure to check out Duchess Says, Less Than Jake and Shugo Tokumaru. They are some of my favourite artists featured on the site

New Pants

I chanced upon this band from Beijing, China in an issue of Arena (Singapore). The band has been around since 1996 but not many outside China knows about them until, perhaps, recently. According to the band's MySpace information, they were influenced by New Wave, especially the Ramones, in their early days. However, in recent years, their music has tended towards 80's disco and electro. The band has released 4 albums with the latest, Dragon Tiger Panacae, released in 2006. Below is a music video of the song "Bye Bye Disco" (one of the few English songs they have) taken from Dragon Tiger Panacae.



Their music is refreshing and very different from the so-called "Bubblegum" Pop music that has been dominating the Chinese Music scene for years. Hopefully, we'll see many more musicians like New Pants emerging into the Chinese Music scene.


New Pants
www.myspace.com/beijingnewpants

Members:
Millionaire Peng - Guitar/Vocal
Lobo - Bass
Pang Kuan - Keyboard

Discography:

New Pants (1998)

Disco Girl (2000)

We Are Automatic (2002)

Dragon Tiger Panacea (2006)

Pictures taken from Rock In China Wiki

You, Me, And Everyone We Know

I stumbled upon this band on absolutepunk.net after googling "Motion City Soundtrack". You, Me, And Everyone We Know is basically an unsigned band hailing from Washington DC, the United States. Appearing 14th on the absolutepunk.net charts, I was curious what made them more popular than bands I frequently listen to, such as Taking Back Sunday, Saosin and Green Day. I downloaded the free Party For The Grown And Sexy EP and gave their music a go. I liked what I heard. From what I heard, I felt that they should have been signed by a record label ages ago though they don't seemed concerned at all about not being signed yet as seen from the shoutout on their MySpace account: "unsigned and just fine." I recommend listening to Livin' Th' Dream and Carolina Heat for those who want to know just what You, Me, And Everyone We Know sounds like. These 2 songs, especially Carolina Heat, have been struck in my head for weeks. Give their music a go, you won't regret it.

Absolute Punk says

"The songs of You, Me and Everyone We Know seem to emerge from the shadows, alternating monologues of spite and discontent with rhapsodies of inordinate joy. But peer through the veil of havoc, and it's clear this band seeks a new, if unnerving, way to rock its way to the truth."

Eric Smith says

"They have a live show that rivals a lot of the signed bands I’ve seen performing lately, and these dudes have only been together for a year. A YEAR. One of the members, Mike, used to be in a group called The Alpha Couple that had a fantastic EP out on British Records. The members come from all over the country. Illinois, Washington DC, Maryland, Virginia… and still manage to sound tight."

Sputnik Music Says

"...vocalist Ben Leibsch & Co. pull in influences from Say Anything, Brand New, and even a little Gatsby’s American Dream, but what the guys lack in originality they make up for in tongue-in-cheek maturity and confidence."

Free Indie Says

"You, Me and Everyone We Know is an indie powerpop band from Maryland that has been pleasing their listeners with simplistic, addicting melodies and catchy lyrics. "

Limewire Says

"Despite the bad haircuts, YMaEWK shouldn't be judged as an average emo band. Rather than screaming and whining, the band boasts earnest vocals and smart lyrics, which revolve around deeper topics than heartbreak. "

alternative link (all credits go to absolutepunk.net for the link): http://www.sendspace.com/file/vl32zk

You, Me, And Everyone We Know

www.youmeandeveryoneweknow.com

www.myspace.com/youmeandeveryoneweknow

Discography:

Party For The Grown And Sexy EP

Euro08: The Upsets, The Defeats, The Triumphs

Euro08 has ended for awhile now. I know it's pretty late now for me to express my thoughts on it but I've been busy lately and well... better late than never...

I'm pretty proud of myself for watching EVERY single match in the Euro08 finals (Hey, that's no easy feat for a person living on the other side of Earth!). Despite almost dozing off in some uneventful parts of matches, I still managed to pull through and watched every match. From the upsets by Turkey to the class of Spain and to the surprises from Russia, I've watched every moment. Here are just some of my feelings about Euro08:

Disappointments:

There's bound to be disappointments in every tournament and Euro08 is no different. In terms of teams, France and Italy were major disappointments. France, despite being named as major contenders by many, were extremely disappointing in this tournament. They managed to score only 1 goal and concede 6 goals; A very shocking goal scored/conceded ratio for an European powerhouse such as France. A pity that Thierry Henry and Patrick Vieira were injured and unable to help much; Their presence on the pitch may have been just what France needed to qualify from their Group of Death. Thierry Henry showed the world just what an excellent player he is from the goal he scored against Spain despite just getting back from an injury. Pity that he wasn't able to participate further in Euro08; He may have more tricks up his sleeves. I felt that perhaps France is still missing the influential Zinedine Zidane. He was the star of the show in France's run-up to the 2006 World Cup Finals and to me, his grace with the ball was simply mesmerizing. He could have created much better opportunities to score, which France seemed to lack throughout the tournament. Italy was almost as disappointing as France. Conceding 4 goals and only scoring 3 goals, Italy seemed a pale shadow of itself back in the 2006 World Cup Finals. They were almost impenetrable in defence back then and yet, they conceded an average of a goal in every matchin Euro08. Andrea Pirlo didn't seemed able to be as dangerous as he was for AC Milan and Gennaro Gattuso and Daniele De Rossi failed in helping to stabilise the Italian defence. Although I'm a fan of both Gennaro Gattuso and Daniele De Rossi, they didn't manage to dominate the midfield as much as they could have. Perhaps, Italy was missing their captain, Fabio Cannavaro's assurance in defence? Possible but I'm not sure if it's true. What I am certain is that 1 player can sum up Italy's performance in Euro08: Luca Toni. The 193 cm striker came to the Euro08 finals full of confidence after helping his club, Bayern Munich, win both the Bundesliga and German Cup with 24 goals in 31 league appearances. However, his performance in Euro08 was lacklustre and he never quite seemed able to score. Similarly, Italy won the 2006 World Cup and came up tops in their Qualifying Group, yet, they were unable to perform in Euro08. Perhaps, both Luca Toni and Italy felt the pressure from the press to perform in Euro08. Or, did they felt too overconfident...? Petr Cech, too, disappointed for the Czech Republic. He started the tournament well, making saves that he was well known for in Chelsea. However, the world class goalkeeper shows that he too is prone to mistakes by making an error that allowed Turkey to eventually score a 3-2 defeat over the Czechs. However, he has admitted to letting down the Czech Republic and I believe he will never make this mistake again. How bitter he must felt, making a mistake, in a crucial match, that caused the Czech Republic to fail to qualify. Another to begin the tournament brightly was Cristiano Ronaldo. He amazed during his first 2 matches, creating 2 goals and scoring a goal, and seemed deadly with freekicks from almost anywhere on the pitch. However, his failure to perform in the 2-3 loss to Germany has made many believe he is more interested in discussing a move to another club than in playing for his country after rumours before the match that he was interested in a move to Real Madrid. He simply failed to perform when his country needed him most. Mario Gomez was another major disappointment. The 2007 German Footballer of the Year failed miserable to impress and never seemed to be able to score. Despite scoring 19 Bundesliga goals for Stuttgart, he never showed why Arsene Wenger had set sights on him and only seemed able to miss easy chances that he should never have missed. Perhaps, he is too nervous in his first appearance in a major International Football tournament...afterall, he is only 22 and his future is still bright.

Surprise:

The biggest surprise to everyone is perhaps the upsets by Turkey and the performances by Russia. Turkey were fortunate in a 2-1 victory over Switzerland and didn't seemed to have much hopes winning against the Czech Republic. To everyone's surprise, they did not just scored a fortuitous 3-2 victory over the Czechs, but they even beaten the mighty Croatians in a penalties showdown to face the Germans in the semi-finals. They almost scored an upset over Germany too, despite having many of their star players out. However, it was not to be and they crashed out of the championship after conceding a 90th-minute Philip Lahm strike, losing 3-2 to Germany. Russia had a disastrous opening match against Spain, losing 1-4 and getting outmuscled in every department. However, they bounced back after that defeat and went on to win their next 3 games, with the help of the safe pair of hands from Igor Afinfeev, the overlapping runs by Yuri Zhirkov and the threats up front: Andrei Arshavin and Roman Pavlyuchenko. They beat Greece 1-0, Sweden 2-0 and even the Netherlands 3-1, before being taught a lesson by the mighty Spaniards 3-0. However, their performances before the game against Spain caught the eye of the world and everyone was amazed by them, especially the match against the Netherlands who seemed unbeatable prior to the match. Their performance caused clubs to be in a frenzy and suddenly almost every club in the world wanted Andrei Arshavin's signature. Igor Afinfeev, Yuri Zhirkov and Roman Pavlyuchenko, too, found themselves on the shortlist of scouts around the world.

Triumph:

Spain has failed to reach beyond the quarterfinals of any tournament in 24 years but they have finally ended this wait for glory after Torres' lone goal in the 1-0 victory over Germany made them European Champions. They truly show that they deserved to win Euro08 after scoring 12 goals and conceding only 3 goals throughout the whole tournament. A player who impressed me alot was Marcos Senna. I felt his presence helped Spain to break down attacks and allowed his more known team mates such as Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta to attack the opponent's defences without worries. The twin terror David Villa and Fernando Torres also proved too much for their opponents as they scored 6 goals in 6 games between them. Iker Casillas proved his abilities as a world class goalkeeper as he only managed to be beaten twice. But what impressed me was his penalty saving prowess. He actually managed to dive in the right direction for every penalty kick in the penalties showdown against Italy. Cesc Fabregas, too, showed his class everytime he touched the ball as he had the unbelievable talent to pick out team mates who were in the free. Sergio Ramos played brilliantly throughout the tournament and his overlapping runs were a joy to behold. He impressed particularly in the 3-0 victory over Russia, tormenting Yuri Zhirkov with his terrifying overlapping runs and cool defending. This is the first time I've seen the Spanish national football team work so well together, it just seemed that everyone's style of play complemented each other. Even the subs, such as Daniel Guiza and Santi Cazorla, who were relatively unknown prior to the start of the tournament, performed ever so well. I hope this Spanish side will stay united for many years to come. This Spanish side sure look ever so likely to contest for the 2010 World Cup.

Euro08 has been an enjoyable experience for me. However, all good things have to come to an end. Although Euro08 has ended a little too early for my liking, I've enjoyed every single minute of it. Now, just a few more months before the English Premier League starts again...