No more Monday blues for Liverpool!!!

I was watching the crucial match between Man Utd and Liverpool at my cousin's house just now. It was so exciting. I was carrying BIG hopes for Liverpool. It was rather expected to see numerous beach balls and balloons thrown from the crowd(probably man utd fans). But guess what?

No amount of beach balls could EVER deflate Liverpool!!!

They won 2-0 against Man Utd! It was incredible! Absolutely amazing game!

I screamed very loudly when I saw how Torres and Ngog kicked those balls into the goals. Very very impressive. Initially, was quite worried that the match would end up in a draw. But boy, my worries were uncalled for. While the first half remained 0-0, Torres scored a goal on the 65th minute followed by his subsitute, Ngog who scored a last minute goal on the 90th minute! Wow. The whole Anfield was in HIGH spirits. You could hear the cheers that were deafening and the proud fans of Liverpool waving their banners together in unison. What a great comeback!

I must say that both sides played very well. Liverpool, however, was totally on-form despite the lack of Gerrard. Their defense was great and you could sense that they really wanted to win this badly. Man Utd had some great moments too but I thought Liverpool's will to win overpowered them.

Now, at least for Benitez, he would have heaved a major sigh of relief. Although it is still in the early stages of the league, but at least he has got out from the "curse" of the consecutive losses and has made a comeback with this important match! He would probably wake up on a Monday morning on his Liverpool-themed bed, and enjoy the attention on the headlines as any negativities towards him would have disappeared.

That is the power of winning a game. And indeed, a won game could change everything. He could still save his job for now.

Woohoo. So happy now. I'm now officially a true blueRED fan of Liverpool!!! =D

Hopes for Liverpool...

I stayed up late last night just to watch the 'live' telecast of Liverpool vs Lyon championship league match on MioTV last night.

There had been so much hype and controversies over Liverpool as they got defeated last weekend by Sunderland at the BPL. Heard that the first goal was around the 5th minute of the game and it happened when a beach ball from the audience fell onto the field, deflecting the soccer ball into goal post eventually. There were debates and arguments that the goal should not have stood but it still did! And guess what? The beach ball was said to be from a Liverpool fan! What the.. Although I did not catch the real match, I saw the repeated telecast of the second-half of the match on cable just now. Just the later portion though. I seriously could not believe that they would lose to that beach ball! That was atrocious. And it was reiterated that the match should be stopped if there are external interferences on the field. Rules seemed to be broken in some ways. Grrr...

So last night, I watched the Liverpool vs Lyon match at around 2.45am. It was a very exciting match, especially since Liverpool's manager Rafael Benitez seemed desperate to get a win after the consecutive defeat last week. Then again, who could blame him? It must be a toll on the players when Gerrard and Torres couldn't join the team last weekend. This time round though, Gerrard was in the match against Lyon, but was barely there for 25 mins when he had to be substituted due to a groin injury he suffered. Benitez must have been under tremendous pressure even though he tried to defend Liverpool in several occasions. Then again, using Gerrard in the game out of desperation was a gamble. Torres was missing and sure they needed a leading man in the game. Gerrard was applauded before he left the match though. At least he tried.

Nearing the half-time, Benayoun scored a goal against Lyon, lifting the mood at Anfield to a high. It came as a relief and seemed that Liverpool had hope again. I like Benayoun and I think he is a great player. He could move really fast and he was very nimble with the ball. However, the man of the match had to be Martin Kelly, some newcomer who wasn't asked to play if not to substitute some missing player. He stole the show man. Very good skills and great effort as an under-20 player.

Jose Reina, the goal keeper was absolutely amazing and superb. He did a double save last night and was incredible each time he saves the ball. But then again, odds turned against them. Liverpool lost eventually to Lyon, 1-2. For the first time since 1987, they have lost 4 consecutive matches in the Champions League. It must be very saddening and disappointing for Benitez and the supporters. Jamie Carragher tried to pull a brave front but who could deny the fact? Lyon did have some strong players though, and both teams did very well.

I am now clinging on to the hope that Liverpool would win Manchester United in this Sunday's BPL match. This must be one of the most anticipated match in modern soccer history. Get Torres and Gerrard back! They need to get out of the 8th position. They are a good team. They need to believe in themselves. They need to win this match!!!

Ok, I sound like a reviewer eh? Haha.

GO LIVERPOOL!!!

On Vanity

Heyhey, am back with a new post again. Been slacking for a while, especially when most of my tuition are paused. And although I have exams coming up in November, I have not studied a single bit! Hahaha. Talking about walking the talk. Ok nevermind.

So two days earlier, after much much persuasion and coaxing and relentless efforts by dearie, I have decided to heed her advice and go for 'facial threading'. Not sure if you have heard about this before. Basically, it is a traditional form of facial-hair removal using some kind of thread. So went to this auntie's house at CCK, much to my dismay. You see, I have never been to any facials or whatsoever before. But dearie kept trying to tell me about the pros about doing it, it almost seemed like the service had won her over.

So anyway, the not-so-vain me(haha) decided to go for this new thing to appease her actually. When the auntie saw my face, she thought my face looked very dry and said that after the threading was over, it would be prone to at least a week of breakout! Yikes! Can you believe it? I was lying there on the reclined couch and she was asking me if I wanted to go ahead. It almost seemed like she was so sure I was gonna look 'unglam' for a week at least. However, I was too lost for words. Not because I was afraid to go ahead. In my mind, I was thinking, "aiya, since here already, just go for it lo". But I didn't protest much because my stomach was aching pretty badly then. I think it was due to some bad lunch I had previously.

So yes. I went ahead. The auntie pulled out a string of thread from a roll and literally bit on one end of it while using both hands to rub the thread against my face. You know, dearie wanted me to go for this because she thought my facial hair is quite overwhelming. She just wanted a "clean-looking" me. Talk about accepting your partner no matter how he's like. *grumbles* Then anyway, the process was quite painful at times. I had tears rolling in my eyes! Haha. But then again, my tolerance threshold quite high. I mean, I have been through like what? Taking out four big teeth at one go, undergone the hand operation while I was conscious. Come on, what's this compared to those?!

But I don't really like it. Honestly. But one thing for sure, a price of $10 for a complete facial threading plus brow trimming, I think it is definitely very worth it. You can never find such a price in the market man. Brow trimming itself usually costs more than $10. So ya, I'm not complaining, really. Also, I have received comments that my face looks brighter now, and I look slightly different - to the good side, I suppose? Hahaha.

On the topic of vanity, I don't think I am much of a vain kind of guy, you know? I don't go for facials. I don't put facial masks, not until I was advised to. And I don't really check myself out in the mirror every now and then. Friends who really know me know very well that I am very open about my image - be it glam or unglam. Haha.

I mean. Look at the disturbing trend. More and more guys are turning away from their masculine roots by going for more "estrogenic" stuff. Can you believe it? Of course, it's good to know how to groom yourself and look better. But it is not when you get absolutely obsessed by the way you look. Why gym everyday to wear out those muscles just to make sure you can be some Abercombie and Fitch model when you obviously are missing out on what makes the cut of a real man?

Damn. I think I'm one of the rare breeds who don't spend too long grooming myself just to make sure I look like some popstar wannabe out there. For I know, I haven't been working out much for the past few months but I still maintain that 6-packs, though not solidly defined. But then again, maybe I should consider that after my hand's fully recovered. Even so, I wouldn't spend seven days a week to look good. I seriously have better things to do.

And nobody's complaining the way I look, or the way I dress. And I do get nods occasionally. Maybe if I decide to go into stardom, I might go for a total makeover package. Then again, I wouldn't want to spend so much time doing all these things when more quality time could be spent with my love. Am I right? :)

And I am so glad that the auntie's "prediction" didn't come true. My face looks as normal as before, plus the radiance, of course!

Heh heh. =D

I have so much to blog about, but I don't know how to start!

Ok let's see. So on Saturday, I joined my sis Larel for a seminar talk by a renowned financial planner Hongkong and another from Taiwan. I heard the ticket to the talk cost more than $100 each but if she bought two, it would cost $58 each. That was why she bought an extra ticket. That was why she asked me to go.

So I headed down to SMU early on a Saturday morning. Parked at NTUC income building just beside the SMU Admin building. I woke up rather late so had to go there alone. She was already there with her company mates. The whole speech was conducted in Mandarin since the speakers couldn't speak much English. Though it got a bit 'cheem' with the language sometimes, I could still understand most of it. Thanks to my strong Chinese roots. Haha. But well, it was a very insightful talk as they shared their experience in the business and how they managed to climb up the ladder of success. Also, they were quick to point out that China's an emerging market thus we should try to establish links there to ride along the waves of economic gains.

Since I am not in the career currently, I couldn't comment much, except that there were numerous pointers that are worth taking note of, no matter what business you are dealing with. Then again, my sis' manager and his wife talked to me and asked me about my exploration of the career. It is indeed tempting to join their company as they are an IFA, and I like their vibrant culture. Most of the members are young people. Then again, I'm still considering. While it's clearly the kind of job nature that I like (flexible work hours, own-business), I'm not sure if I'm ready to be a financial advisor of some sort. Another acquaintance mentioned he's trying the career since he's still young, so should give it a go. Nothing to lose. Well, really?

When I left the area around 4 plus in the afternoon, the parking fee was a freaking $19 plus!!! Can you believe it??! Gahhhh...

But well, headed to town after that since I was near the area. Did some shopping and bought 2 plain t-shirts and a sweater from Uni Qlo @ ION. Like their stuff.

*****

Like my usual Sunday routine, went for a row of 3 tuition sessions yesterday. But then, the exams are coming to an end for my students. And I guess most would be taking a break for the moment. So I think I need to start saving and stop spending unnecessarily for the mean time. Oh well.

Around evening time, met up with Simon, Daniel and their friend Ziqing at Holland Village. We decided to have dinner at Essential Brews. I thought the environment is quite conducive for dinner and chatting.

But well, I think most of the conversation last night revolved around Daniel. We poured out openly what we felt about him as a friend and tried to enlighten him on what he should do. Well, I shall not elaborate any details here. But well, dude, as your friend Ziqing mentioned, you might find that all these "darts" were on you, but they were "darts without needles". We meant well. Hope you don't take it to hard. Only true friends would tell you in such a manner, you know? Time for some change, dude.

After dinner, I rushed home to do up an assignment that was due at 2359hrs. And I exceeded the deadline!!! I managed to hand in only after 1am. But think there's a 12 hr grace period. Now it seemed I was clearly taking advantage of it. HAHAHA.

Then again, I hate assignments! Arrgh.

I'm gonna watch some video then head to sleep soon.

NEW ISSUE #01
Gossips on the SUPER-TUTOR
and rantings and ruminations on
me, me and me.

I have now "diversified" my teaching subjects. From English and Chinese, I am now teaching some Maths, and oh, Literature. Gosh. Why can I teach so many subjects when I know clearly that I prefer to teach the languages only? But well, when my tutees ask for help, I'll definitely respond.

I'm like the super everything-know-how tutor. Now picture me in a SuperTutor suit and let me fly you to the skies of the unknown. Reach for the stars. A STARs I mean.

So yup. Anyway, had tuition today at Weice's place at Taman Jurong. Been teaching that kiddo Chinese. But now that Chinese papers were over for him, I'm preparing him for English and Literature, even though he has another tutor and another tuition centre for his English tuition. Sometimes, I really admire that kid for his hard work and effort man. So far he's the only tutee I have taught who is so enthusiastic about studying, and learning of course. Thanks for always being so attentive in my lessons ah. Though sometimes quite playful. But of course, all work but no play makes Jack a dull boy. Remember this. As for the rest, hmm.. you know who you are.. buck up ah!

So ya, as I was saying I taught him a bit of English and Literature today. For Literature, he needs to critique a piece of unseen poetry for his papers. So guess what? I asked him to print out a poem written by me to do a critique! Lol. Can't help it la. Too last minute to prepare new resources for him. So anyway, my work also got standard one ok? Hahaha.

So this was the poem he worked on:

Seasoned Love - Anson Ong

It's summer now,

But I'm feeling the cold.

Have you not known,

The day our love was told?

It must worth nothing,

Since it isn't gold.

Yet you missed the feeling,

That a true lover should know.

It's autumn now,

Can you hear my call?

The leaves are falling,

Yet my love is standing tall.

I hope you don't forget,

That I loved you at all.

If you don't forgive,

Our love shall break and fall.

It's winter now,

But I'm still warm inside.

The passion that was burnt,

Was refusing to hide.

Now I have to ask,

If our love survived the night.

All I can do now,

Is pray to see the light.

It's springtime now,

And I have woken up.

It is time I realize,

Our love had no more luck.

Here I am to bid farewell,

To say goodbye and part.

I hope you get my message,

That our love should never start.

I actually wrote this poem like 2 years plus back? It's a poem that I quite like. And I thought it's rather telling. So the interesting bit was to see how your own student "dissect" the poem. Since I am the poet myself, it is really interesting to see how he interpreted it. And he did quite a good job!

After tuition, met dearie for dinner at JP. And we had a chat about me and me and me. So she's getting concerned if I could earn big buckets of gold someday. I assured her not to worry too much. Although I don't have a full-time job now, I believe in the saying "there's a will, there's a way". Of course, it might be an excuse for me being plain lazy. And she pointed out too.

Well, I know very well I can do a lot of things. Like what you call, a jack of all trades? But I'm not someone who likes to restrict myself to doing only one thing. I like music, I like singing, I like writing, I like acting, I like drawing, and many other things, you get the idea? But here's the bad news: I think I'm a master of none, currently. Sure knows a bit here and there. But you know, talent goes to waste when you don't nurture them well.

And then I mentioned I could do business. Of some sort perhaps? I'm sure I have lotsa "crazy" ideas that are ready to be blurted out any moment. Lots of new ideas. And here's the bad news: Ain't using them wisely, yet.

By now I'm sure that you reader know one thing about me. No, wait, two things.

1. I procrastinate.

2. I'm lazy.

But here's one more thing you don't know about me.

I like to be unpredictable.

Unpredictable --> Irresistable --> Invincible

Of course, don't try too hard. I don't have to, do I?

LOL.

Imagine me back facing you and hugging myself tightly as if someone's hugging me back. Imagine it's not me you are seeing.

But me, me, and me. :)

Much ado about some party n my hairdo plus some philosophy out of that, and that...


Last Saturday, celebrated Weifen's birthday at her place. She had a sumptuous catering buffet and lots of party going on!

So good to be 21!

To think of it, I didn't have any form of party before. So I'm much of a low-profile guy. Haha. But that doesn't matter. To me, what matters most is the company. Contented to have my close ones who help celebrate on my special day. Don't you think so? Oh man.. I'm such a homely guy. Hahaha.

Yup, so last Saturday, the party was a blast. Could see that Weifen had so much fun taking photos with her friends. And guess what? I was "hired" as a pianist to play a birthday song on the piano that night! And I kind of played it through despite the fact that my finger's not fully recovered.

And I played Wii game for the first time ever!!! Honestly speaking, I'm not much of a "gaming" guy. So such game consoles don't interest me much. At this age, I would find playing such games a waste of time and whatever. And also, the stereotypes of the home-alone-game-console-whacking kind of guy image is just too hard to dismiss. I'm glad I'm not one from the category. LOL. Still, it's pretty fun especially when you play with a group of friends. Although I would think it's a bit stupid that you are moving and gesturing in front of the tv.. looks hilarious you bet. Hahaha. I did enjoy the dancing games though. Pretty engaging!

And check this out! I created a "fire extinguisher" out of a balloon. Creative ain't I? What a cool party prop! Hehe.

And you know what's the only "let down" for me that night?

*Drumrolls...*

FLAT HAIR!!! Arghh!!!

So unglam I know. But it's very rare of me to not style it when I go to some sort of party. Hahaha. I actually went to her house early in the afternoon right after school. So I just decided to stay there and helped out with the deco. Actually, I wasn't in my "party attire" but I just thought I should just save the trouble.

And well, since my hair's getting long and messy without styling, it looked pretty unkempt, to my dismay.

Speaking of which...

I just got a new hair cut yesterday at Two Way Holistic salon @ Jurong West. Phew. Just couldn't stand long hair. I always prefer having short hair. But one of my tutee, Mavis, kept commenting on the fact that my hair is already very short, my fringe is very short, and why I have "student" hairstyle when I'm clearly not a secondary school student anymore.

To which, I feel puzzled. Let me add something --> LMAO. ><

Haha. I think to a lot of guys out there, after ORD, long hair signifies "freedom". Or to a certain extent for those still schooling, "rebellion". So, it's a bit funny theoretically why I am not a fan of long hair, right?

Come on la, somebody has to start a new trend right? Long hair for guys are so passe already can? I mean, look at those Korean idols with their long long fringe. Seriously, time for a change!

Still, I'm not saying it's a guarantee that I wouldn't keep long hair at all. Just not a fan. I'm a good boy ok? =)

But here's a point. Well-styled hair makes a lot of difference to one's appearance. For instance, check out this hunk. =P

So anyway, back to the topic of me going for a new haircut yesterday. Stanley was the guy who helped cut my hair. Throughout the entire session, we talked so much. I couldn't believe I was THAT chatty. Seriously. To a complete stranger. I was divulging facts that I was working in this internet marketing company, and was even giving my opinions on full-time vs part-time studying. My sis who was with me said I could almost give out my bank account number! HAHAHA.

Please lo. I think I'm still sensible enough. Besides, I replied that there's nothing wrong giving out bank account number if you don't give out the password, right? What's more, you could have growing "credits" in your account without you knowing. HAHA.

On another note, I think I'm someone who dares to talk THAT much to a stranger, if I feel comfortable with it. I guess I don't have much defence "barriers" to start with. If not, I am really confident that I am still able to safeguard my own interests no matter how much I say. You can see from the fact I reveal so much of my personal life happenings in my blog right? (Oh, you lucky reader! Should be honoured k? =P)

Then again, I think that I have grown from a passive sort of guy to a much more active one. I have grown from being more quiet and reserved to much more chatty. Actually, I think I have two sides to me. Two extreme sides. You can call it split-personality. But I could be that "extreme". No joke. Lol.

Anyway, back to our conversation, I asked the stylist how he stumbled upon his job. Blah blah blah. But through what he said, I realised that is so much "art" in cutting hair. How they usually look out for different hair lines and hair growth patterns, how they sometimes go according to "feel" to cut their customers' hair.

I was pleasantly surprised by the reason to which why he came into this field: He wasn't the kind of "study" type. So after graduating from ITE, he just chose this path because he thought it was hard to look for a job that time. And he had absolutely no passion in hair-cutting at that time. He only knew that he wanted to earn a living.

Talk about being practical. That's practically a Singaporean kind of thinking. But I'm seriously amazed how there are actually people out there who would venture onto a career path they never had thought of going onto previously. Although of course, you could learn to like the job in time to come, and that money could be more important.

However, I know clearly that I am NOT this kind of person. I wouldn't go for a job that I have ZERO interest in. Can you believe it? Unless I were really so desperate and that the only job left in the market is to be a hair-stylist, then I might consider. If not, not in a million chance would I force myself to do something I don't like.

Wow. I can't believe I'm so clear-headed about what kind of person I am. I know myself so well. Totally.

=D

So I'm starting to catch up with the BPL...

Ok, I must admit I'm quite a late "bloomer" when it comes to watching soccer. I guess it all boils down to the fact I don't really have an all-guys clique since primary school. So didn't get to participate much in the sport except for PE times. Even till secondary or JC. So yep.

However, I'm really starting to like the action and drama on the field. And I thought I should really watch the Sports channels I subscribed on Starhub cable. I've been watching random matches and up till now, I think I'll support Liverpool and Arsenal. I like their playing styles. Previously, I was still deciding whether to support Man U since my cousins are fervent supporters. But I was quite let down by yesterday's match against Sunderland. I thought the match was really poorly played and the defense was atrocious. They were lucky to get a draw on the last minute. I saw a friend put on facebook, "Man U is all about luck". I'm not sure about that. But seriously, last night's match was a disaster. Although I haven't been keeping up with their matches, one match was enough to leave a bad impression. Ok, maybe you can blame it on the fact that Ronaldo's gone, Owen's not around.

So I was watching two matches on Football Channel just now. The first match was Arsenal vs Blackburn Rovers. Very exciting match! I have taken a fancy towards Arsenal's playing style. I thought the passing of the ball was very good and they looked very amiable. They scored a magnificient 6-2 against Blackburn. First half already 3-2. Very impressive match. The next match I watched was Chelsea vs Liverpool. Liverpool lost 2-0 to Chelsea, which was rather unexpected. But the match confirmed that I would NEVER support Chelsea, ever! They were so rough with their playing. And that Drogba guy was super irritating. Just couldn't stand the way they play. Liverpool, on the other hand, appeared more friendly. And they have good skills. The goalkeeper, Reina was absolutely fantastic.

To think back, I cracked a joke with my friend a few years back when he asked me what team I was supporting. Since I didn't watch much soccer that time, I randomly picked Aston Villa. And my rationale? I like Aston Martin's range of sports car, especially the Vantage roadster. HAHAHA. Ok. Now that's hilarious.

Oh. And a recent news mentioned that Singtel had gotten all rights over the broadcasting of English Premier League next year. Damn. That means Starhub cable would lose a lot of sports fans. Soccer fans to be exact. Then again, I also have Singtel MioTV. So, doesn't affect me much for now, unless I cancel the subscription. Dum dee dum.

Now I'm looking forward to my weekly dosage of soccer viewing. =)

& some other rants...

Had two tuitions today. My students are finally having their exams like real soon! Ahh.. looking at them.. such a tender age.. still have long way to go man.. but well, I've been there, done that. So it's a phase you guys must go through as well. However, there is already a shift in the spectrum of education. So ought to know how to keep up with the times. Nowadays, there's more to learn outside those textbooks, ok? Good luck guys!

After my first tuition, I went to collect my car with my dad. Yay! They fixed a new windscreen for my car. Looking brand new. I guess I'm used to driving my car already. So much so that when I got to drive my dad's car today to go for my first tuition, I'm not so used to its bulkiness, though it definitely have a much better horsepower than mine. Still, I'm contented with my Vios for now. Oh well. :)

Was checking through my yahoo mail just now. Didn't use that mail much but just thought of checking if there are any messages. And I got quite a shock when I saw 3 mindef notification mails that were sent to me half a month back. Did I miss out something? I got a bit paranoid. After realising that the 3 mails were similar, I checked out the contents. I was supposed to call some number to hear some message but when I call that number, I was told that my message has expired. I called mindef hotline immediately(I'm thaatt resourceful, lol) and was told to check the NS portal website regarding my manning details. Dot dot dot... Expecting to have a manning period the first quarter of next year. =.= Not excited at all.

On another note, I have been receiving calls and messages from this irritating model agency. Very very irritating. Kept calling me and calling me even though I have said I'm not interested. It's like they pretended nothing happened and was just so desperate or something. Kept messaging me, telling me the directions to their agency when I didn't even say I wanted to go in the first place. Either they are way TOO desperate for new models, if not there is something very creepy and weird going on with the manager. Totally yucky, and surely quite sleazy. Now I regretted even smsing them in the first place asking what it was about. Saw their ad on an online job blog. Gosh. Such people need help. Tremendous help.

Oh well, shan't get all too worked up. Gotta sleep soon. More tuition tomorrow before the tutees have their Chinese papers on Friday.

Oh yeah. And going shopping for dearie's cousin's birthday gift on Friday. Celebrating at her cousin's house on Saturday. Gotta have more pics up soon!