Tuesday, August 31, 2010
tenerife march 1977
just watched a doco on that fateful day when 2 747s managed to collide into one another (one was taking off) on the runway. the senselessness and irony of it all isn't lost on me. that incident and the circumstances leading up to it were straight out of a script. there must be more than this. we aren't here by accident. we need to wake up and smell the coffee.
paN!cker lost it at 10:43 pm
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
disturbant resonance
a man went to his doctor with this complaint.
MAN: Doctor! I need you to help my wife with her snoring problem!
DOC: Oh? Is it disturbing you in your sleep?
MAN: It's MORE than disturbing me. It's disturbing the entire congregation!
paN!cker lost it at 10:52 am
Monday, August 23, 2010
painful
today was the harshest day in a long time. and by no coincidence i feel. i just decided over the weekend to try and really get back on track with God, and it was pretty good. i started praying again, and reading the bible.
just then, things went downhill (a really steep hill btw). sunday night, i made the worst of decisions (which all turned awry) to watch singapore v haiti (0-2) and manchester united concede a 90th minute equaliser at fulham, thereby sleeping at 3am, missed 8am, struggled into tute at 11 having skimmed the readings, before spending the rest of monday on my own since qh had his own classes.
ok, now the fun really begins. my first testing subject was scheduled for 2pm. i got in around 1.40pm to realise i was quite out of touch since our last vo2max practice session. stuff had also been shifted around and i had to spent quite a substantial amount of time finding my footing in lab. as it turned out, we started the testing slightly late and i was rather irritated at myself already. then the climax comes; at the end of the test the computer asks if you'd like to save. for some inexplicable reason i chose not to, so i clicked cancel, since i can save it later after looking at the data or something right? WRONG. it took me to the main menu where it was pretty obvious the previous test's data was gone. after 10 minutes of desktop searching (and soulsearching) it became obvious i had royally screwed up. i've gone and taken our first subject's data and practically deleted it from record. i thought that dying there and then would not be inappropriate.
so many things were just wrong on so many counts (you can see from above and list em down). next, i ventured off, down in the dumps, to ANZ to rescind a service charge that'd been made because i hadn't updated my fee waiver in time. thankfully, praise God, the dude did it for me out of goodwill, so that's $5 back. hurray. however, while i'd been waiting my turn, i realised i lost my bottle. i hate losing things (which is an irony because i always lose myself), so the day couldn't be sunnier for me. i retraced my steps to the main refec, didn't find it, and went back to the lab, where thankfully my bottle was, and i was glad for that.
i ventured home, mulling over the day's happenings, and of all days, decided to test the key i have on my own room door lock. this lock is a troublesome one, because if you release the catch and forget to turn and latch it back, it becomes an auto-locking door. when my mum was visiting last year, she did it once, and then a HK guy who was temporarily staying in my room did it as well this first half of the year. that's TWICE my landlord has been called down to help. well, congrats, the key worked on my door's lock and i was happy. i changed into running attire, and went out, closing my room door to go out. in the 0.1 seconds between the latch making contact with the doorframe and the door clicking shut, i started to realise that the resistance of the door and sound it made was not usual. about 0.5 seconds after locking the room from the inside for the THIRD time in history, i realised that for the umpteenth time today i'd screwed myself over again. with great aplomb i rang my landlord ross, and apologised profusely for having to trouble him again.
i then went for my costly run, with my horridly contusioned quads from saturday soccer, and really struggled through one of the toughest 10k runs in my life. but it didn't matter; that pain was nothing compared to the rest of my day. i made it back in just about one piece and proceeded to start preparing dinner. ross dropped by, and he had in his arms a toolkit; he offered to remove the lock once and for all. without a moment's hesistation i agreed at once. dinner was actually pretty good; i ate with david (no one else home), and then we washed up and here i am, in my lock-less room, relating to you the non-existent (but of course that's not true you guys are somewhere out there) reader about how my day went.
i wonder, is this how it's like to come back to God? is this what it's like to fight the unseen heavenly battles and call God Saviour? if it is then He's probably real and i must have determined to do something right over this weekend. then this is where i must be, and will be, and hopefully this time i won't back down. i've never signed up for any of this before. i don't really know what it's like to take flak for His kingdom, for His glory. i don't really know what it's like to deny self, and put others before me. i surely have not tasted what it means to step out in FAITH, not knowing where the next step lies.
28And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. --Romans 8:28
there's about an hour left of today, and as tempted as i am to tell you that today surely could not get worse, i shalt refrain, and perhaps work on salvaging what has been lost, God bless my soul.
cheerios dearly beloved.
paN!cker lost it at 8:45 pm
Sunday, August 22, 2010
justin bieber finally sounds awesome
check it out!
http://soundcloud.com/shamantis/j-biebz-u-smile-800-slower
paN!cker lost it at 12:45 pm
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
scholesy
loved this article on the man, one of the most vital cogs in the united machine during the ferguson era. in a footballing age when the dollar speaks louder than the game itself, scholes manages to put a smile back on the faces of the purists who wonder where it's all gone wrong. it'd be a useful lesson for the city players who signed for the club because they want to be part of this "grand and ambitious project", and indeed, a lot of the other elite.
ANALYSIS
By Matt Monaghan
Manchester United great Paul Scholes had intended to have retired by now. After pulling the strings once again in last night's 3-0 thumping of Newcastle United, it is clear to see why Sir Alex Ferguson was desperate to keep him in the sport.
The 'Ginger Maestro' was at his classy best as the visiting battlers couldn't lay a finger on him. This story is nothing new; for 16 years he has a made a mug of the game's finest and laid claim to a place in the annals of United history.
Goal.com analyses the reasons why Scholes remains such a fine footballer at 35:
Playing style
While England's finest spent the summer being slated for their lack of technical ability, the exception to the rule was sat at home after rejecting a call up.
Scholes' poise, authority and accuracy wouldn't have looked out of home in Spain's World Cup conquering midfield such is his ability. For nearly two decades, the 'Ginger Maestro' has kept United ticking over from the centre of the pitch with his outstanding array of passes.
In the madhouse of central midfield, few strike the ball as cleanly and give it away as infrequently as him. While regularly slated for his tackling, this tenacity has imbued him with the grit to keep pushing himself and his team-mates on for trophy after trophy.
Sir Bobby Charlton: "I have no hesitation in putting a name to the embodiment of all that I think is best about football. It's Paul Scholes," England 1966 World Cup winner and United record goalscorer said to The Guardian.
"Many great players have worn the shirt of Manchester United. Players I worshipped, then lost with my youth in Munich.
"Players like Denis Law and George Best who I enjoyed so much as team-mates and now, finally, players I have watched closely in the [Sir] Alex Ferguson era. And in so many ways Scholes is my favourite.
"I love his nous and conviction that he will find a way to win, to make the killer pass or produce the decisive volley. When a game reaches a vital phase, these qualities seem to come out of his every pore.
"He's always on the ball, always turning on goal. He's always looking to bring other people into the action and if he loses possession you think he must be ill."
"In my opinion, he's been one of the most important players for United under Sir Alex."
Key career decisions
The hardest job is knowing when to walk away at the right time, but Scholes' decision to quit international football has been repaid in silverware.
Red all over | England departure has aided Old Trafford longevity
After being marginalised at Euro 2004 under Sven-Goran Eriksson, the then 29-year-old decided to concentrate on all things United. Handed a new lease of life, he has aged like a fine wine rather than wasted away on the treadmill of club and country commitments.
From the Swede, through to Steve McClaren and Fabio Capello, all England managers have tried to bring him back into the fold. All have been turned away.
One figure who has always been able to convince is Sir Alex Ferguson. The United supremo revealed in May he talked Scholes out of retiring at the end of last season.
After a man of the match display last night, it's impossible to argue he hasn't made the right shout once again.
Sir Alex Ferguson: "I did speak to him," the Scot told United's magazine Inside United.
"He'd intimated that he may retire at the end of the season. I said: 'I'll decide when you retire ... look, Paul, you can play, there's no question of that. Your ability's there, there's no deterioration in your actual play.'"
Relationship with manager
 Sir Alex Ferguson has worked with many of the finest footballers in modern football, but his partnership with Scholes took both to a new level.
The Scot installs trust in his own players and demands the same in return. While David Beckham was lost to the world of celebrity, Scholes' sole concentration on the game at hand delighted the manager.
From the late goalscoring surges of his youth to commander in the middle of the park as an elder statesman, Scholes has remained the hub even as his legs have given way. A haul of 23 major trophies during his career pays testament to both men's faith in each other.
Sir Alex Ferguson: "In my time he would sit in the top six or seven [United players] without question," said the Scot to The Guardian.
"His contribution and his quality and some of the fantastic goals he has scored have been great.
"Even on Sunday [against Everton in a FA Cup semi-final loss in April 2009], when he came on his first touch of the ball was better than anybody else had done for the whole previous hour. He has that wonderful velvet touch that means it just goes dead when he gets it.
"Amidst all of the mayhem that can happen in a game it is wonderful to see that."
Lifestyle/Personal Life
In a generation of Baby Bentleys and Super Sundays, Scholes has remained an enigma while players of inferior quality have become pop icons.
The press and public know little more about the man than they did when he hit a debut brace in the 2-1 League Cup victory against Port Vale on September 21, 1994. This hatred of the limelight has made interviews as rare as a misplaced pass, as he has hidden in the background while Ryan Giggs, Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo have stolen the front and back pages.
Love of the game | Scholes has eschewed outside opportunities
A simplicity both on and off the pitch has seen him marry his childhood sweetheart and play for the club he supported as a boy - contrary to the myth that he is an Oldham Athletic fan. While contemporary talents like Robbie Fowler burned out all too quickly, Scholes continues to set the example.
Scholes: "My ideal day? Train in the morning, pick up the kids from school, go home, play with kids, have tea, get them up to bed, and then come down to watch a bit of TV," the player told The Independent.
I don't get hassled. I can go anywhere I want to.
"Nobody stops me from going down to Tesco. I'm recognised, of course, and I get asked for my autograph but it is never a problem.
"I've never been conscious of losing out on big money because of the way I've wanted to live my life. I've never turned down big commercials because I'm shy. It's just the way I've been.
"I did get a boot contract once. But no, I haven't earned much outside the game.
"Maybe it's because I'm not good looking enough."
paN!cker lost it at 11:51 pm
dad on demand!
lol my dad was on tv recently; something about AMK's 30th anniversary. of course him being the cheng san grc chairman means that at some point you do get your 30 seconds of fame. he was so funny, it must have been overwhelming on camera. i think he was trying too hard and was at a loss for what to say really! still, it was heartening to know that CNA would find it in their hearts to post a video of my dad online for the world to peruse, especially knowing i'm overseas and don't get to see him much and all........... yea right. cheers for that.
paN!cker lost it at 10:32 am
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Father, we commit to You
God before us, God beside
God within us abide
God in Heaven, and in this place
Father, we commit to You this day
God in pleasure, God in pain
God will ever remain
God in gladness, and God in strife
Father, we commit to You our lives
For we know that You are faithful through the stillness and the storm
For You've been with us from the start
Father, we commit to You our hearts
God in pleasure, God in pain
God will ever remain
God in gladness, and God in strife
Father, we commit to You our lives
For we know that You are faithful through the stillness and the storm
For You've been with us from the start
Father, we commit to You our hearts
Father, we commit to You our hearts
and forever, You are the same. help me find my way back. take away all distractions Lord.
paN!cker lost it at 11:09 pm
Monday, August 09, 2010
our worship leads to communion
Lord, help me to remember you. in all things. thank you thank you thank you.
"..by mercy we come to Your table
by Your grace you are making us faithful"
paN!cker lost it at 10:45 pm
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