Ian Poults for the Ryder Cup at Medinah

"We've revised the qualifications (for the Ryder Cup). It's nine spots, two picks and Poults."
- Lee Westwood

4 for 4 this weekend. 12 of 15 overall record in the Ryder Cup.

You've got to hand it to Ian Poults. He may never win a major, and lots of people may not like him or his image or his character or his clothes -  but stick him in the Ryder Cup and the guy will roar like an English lion....  And bring his A+ game to back it up.

The Ryder Cup makes for compelling TV viewing. Strange to say since I don't watch any other golf programme or event on TV or video or anything, really. But I've watched the last two Ryder Cups and I can confirm that it is right up there in the top echelon of sports TV.

Maybe it's because golf is a game that piques my mind. The possibilities, variables, strategy and the need to translate all that into the physical ...... it's a game that I find interesting.

Maybe it's because the players and the crowd and the TV audience are so obviously keyed in. Maybe it's because there are 24 millionaire golfers who are essentially playing for pride and little else - sports in it's purest form. Maybe it's the excitement, tension, potential .... whatever it is, I'll be waiting for the next edition in two years time.

Thanks Andy for Moon River

That song Moon River has many points of reference for me.

That it first showed up in 'Breakfast at Tiffany's'. What a title for a movie !

That Audrey Hepburn was the first to sing it (here). Moon River has a romantic, romantic melody.

That it references Huckleberry Finn travelling down the Mississippi River. Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn were two of the books I read and remembered when young. There was quite a lot of Mark Twain when I was young.

And later, when I found out that Johnny Mercer and Henry Mancini were the composers. Henry Mancini - the composer of the 'Pink Panther' theme !

But mostly, it was because I really liked the song. I've heard a few versions (including Morrisey's !) but the version that I've remembered is by Andy Williams. It's been there and thereabouts for a large part of my life.

For that, I thank you Andy. RIP.

Les Miserables ... coming to a cinema near you ..

I've seen it twice on stage - have the soundtrack and the video - and I'm still looking forward to the movie version.



Please, please, please ..... please ... don't suck.

turning One...

Cedric turned One earlier this month and the little man got to celebrate his birthday twice. Once at Cameron Highlands with his grandparents and uncle/aunty/cousin and once at home on the actual day itself. Nothing fancy - just a birthday cake. But it meant that he got his favourite thing i.e. Food.

I thought that it's a good time to mark where he is at this point of his life :

* He's got eight teeth.
* He can stand for maybe five seconds but that's about it. He's still crawling but we're in no rush to get him to walk.
* Despite the eclectic music played at home, his first favourite song is "Old McDonald had a farm". Sing the song and he'll do a head shake and a bum shake and since he's not very coordinated yet, it's quite a funny sight to see.
* He likes pulling things out - pretty much like any other baby.
* He's pretty much ready to eat any time. It means that he's constantly asking for food when we're having our meals. It's not particularly convenient when the food is not baby-friendly. I've fed him food with chilli a few times. He hasn't blinked.
* He's a pretty solemn baby. Getting him to smile and laugh isn't particularly easy.

He's pretty different from the girl in many respects, that much we know.As he grows up and reveals his interests, we'll get a better idea of how to channel them in the appropriate direction. At the moment, the only thing that he's shown any prolonged interest in is Food.

The Walk Men's Rat

Listen long enough and this song will grow on you.

the Perfect Guy

He's got a truck load of women despite having a wife (but then again, so did she...), but the man's got a point with this here quote of his.

On second class citizens in Singapore...

Tun Mahatir writes a lot of stuff. I admit that I take what he says with a rather large pinch of salt. But then again, I do that with pretty much every Malaysian politician who speaks. But this particular blog entry of his caught my eye :

15% of Singapore's population are treated as second class citizens. All right .......... I wonder what the precentage in Malaysia is ? Surely it can't be more than 15% ? Speaking strictly as a pendatang, of course.

There's a lot of other stuff about the independence of Malaysia and that we should honour the Jalur Gemilang flag. I agree with that. And I am grateful to the people who strived for Malaysia's independence. (insert Dream's arguments that it was Malaya and not Malaysia - I won't get into that) But the fact of the matter is that those people have since passed on from this world; and they still have my gratefulness. They haven't returned it to me so that I can pass on to their successors in UMNO.....

Anyway, I'm kinda sick of the shenanigans that turn up in the Malaysian political scene. From both sides of the divide. And from every Tom, Dick and Harry who decides they want a new flag or whatnot. But when time comes to vote, I'll probably be saying the same thing that I did the previous time : "I vote for my daughter." I'll just include the little man as well this time.

Saving Private Ryan, Band of Brothers, The Pacific - WWII retold

Sidney Phillips

How Company, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines, 1st Marine Division

"For the rest of your life, you appreciate a glass of clean water"

It was 105 ° - 115 ° every day. No rain. Very little water to be found. What little water there was had been poisoned by enemy soldiers. The ships couldn't supply any water to the Marines as enemy attacks had forced them away from the island. It was Peleliu Island in September 1944.

"For the rest of your life, you appreciate a glass of clean water."

I'm not an advocate of war. It happens. Wars can be senseless and destructive and cruel, but it happens.

I can't say that I particularly enjoy watching a movie or mini-series about World War II (or any other war, for that matter). There are three, however, that I would recommend. All three have been driven by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks.
 

When I saw the first 30 minutes of Saving Private Ryan, I felt numb. Once the movie cut to the Allied invasion of Normandy on 6/6/44, it's depiction of the battle at Omaha Beach was unflinchingly realistic - the blood and bodies and limbs were all over the screen. It wasn't glorious, it was numbing. Very unlike previous WWII movies. The rest of the movie was good but I didn't forget the shock of that first 30 minutes. I still get the chills every time I see it.

The second one I recommend is Band of Brothers which tells the history of Easy Company in WWII. As it lasted 10 hours, a lot more could be showcased. In this case, they showcased quite a number of characters. In a sense, it was a quasi-documentary. As with Private Ryan, the combat scences are hard hitting.

The third one is The Pacific which focuses the on the war against the Japanese. Clocking in at 10 hours, it focused primarily on three soldiers thus giving a much more intimate view of the war through their eyes. Less gore in this one compared to the previous two, but that isn't to say that there's little of it or that it's not realistic. There's much greater focus on the effects of war on the soldiers' mental and moral capacities.

The truth is, I can't say that I enjoyed watching any of the three I've just recommended. 'Enjoy' isn't quite the right word. But I would recommend them because it's the most realistic depiction of war that I've seen on TV or the movies. Or to be more specific, the most realistic depiction of the horrors of combat. These three are more than just TV or the movies, they are an experience retold which helps me to appreciate what I have.

"For the rest of your life, you appreciate a glass of clean water."

is Bob Dylan Fading into Irrelevance ?

Yesterday I met a person who had never heard of Bob Dylan.

27 years old.
Malaysian university graduate.
Listens mostly to English songs.
Never heard of Bob Dylan before.

Maybe if she ....
only knew a little about Bob Dylan; or
had heard the name mentioned in conversation somewhere; or
knew that Bob Dylan was Somebody, but didn't know what he was known for ....
but No.
Never heard of Bob Dylan in her entire life.

How is this even possible ?



Maybe if it had been some remote native village where nobody speaks English. Or somebody who doesn't listen to any English songs or radio stations. Or some young child still singing Sesame Street songs. But a 27-year old university graduate ?

How is this even possible ?

I wonder how much of it is self inflicted as in the 'katak bawah tempurung' syndrome; but more importantly, I wonder how somebody could have gone through 3-4 years in a Malaysian university without ever hearing of Bob Dylan ?

yet another Arsenal player heads to Manchester ...

Unlike recent years, to United this time.

Robin Van Persie for GBP 22.5 - GBP 24 million.

29 years old and has only had one full season without injury. Wonderful talent nonetheless and he makes United a lot stronger. Strong enough for me to believe that United have got what it takes to win the Premier League this season. The return of Vidic and settling in of David de Gea can't be underestimated in terms of importance as well.

I can believe, even with the depth of talent in Man City's squad. Even when United's replacement for Paul Scholes is Paul Scholes himself. Even when the right back spot does not have a regular starter, and we're still dependent on Evra and a creaking Rio Ferdinand.

Hope lies eternal because Sir Alex Ferguson is recreating his Gang of Four from the 98/99 squad in Var Persie, Rooney, Welbeck and Chicharito. If nothing else works, he'll just load up on attack and hope to score enough goals to win. In buying Van Persie, SAF's made a statement that he intends to do exactly that.

Pity Berbatov, though.

Integrity, or Lack thereof ...

There was a time when I asked myself, 'Would I do anything for money ?'
The answer was pretty obviously No.

Then the question got a little more sophisticated. How much is my Integrity worth ? Quite a lot, back when I had the opportunity. Still, the price wasn't high enough at that time.

Why 'at that time' ?
I remember an ex-boss of mine telling me that he wouldn't trust himself with money . The way he reasoned it, honest people can resist the temptation of CBT when they can afford to; but what happens if they are desparately in need of the money ? Perhaps to pay for medical treatment for a very, very sick child ? Could that person walk away from the money and still look into the eyes of his sick child ? It was a stark illustration that he made some 15 years ago but I still remember it.

Why am I thinking about Integrity at this point in time ? After a year of listening to theories about what makes a good employee,

eg. ASK = Attitude, Skills, Knowledge

I've been asking myself why Integrity has never been mentioned. Maybe it just hasn't turned up in the management manuals ?

Tears for Lee Chong Wei ... again.

I feel for the guy ...... I really do.

To have a career defined by continually finishing second best to arguably the best badminton player of all time is a cruel fate indeed. People won't even remember who the third best player was, but Lee Chong Wei will be remembered as a marker of Lin Dan's prowess. As a measure of the badminton heights that Lin Dan could reach only when playing against his arch nemesis.

To be fair, it is not for want of trying. Lee Chong Wei has changed his game in a bid to match Lin Dan. Compared to earlier in his career when getting thumped by Lin Dan in major tournaments was a regular occurrence, he has lost the last two major finals by just two points in the final set. That's as close as he can get without actually getting over the hump that is Lin Dan.

I do hope that he will succeed one day, but until then, the tears in his eyes are a reflection of the pain in his heart.