Manchester United 2 West Ham 1

What a win! One of the most nail-biting encounters I've had in awhile.

1) Another 19yr-old Impresses

Gotta give it to LVG. So many youngsters are getting chances and taking them in fact. Last night was young Paddy McNair, playing in the centre of defence as CB alongside Marcos Rojo. On the 60' mark we began to be on the receiving end of West Ham's endless swarm of attacks and boy did that boy impress. His one backward header foiling a near certain goal was probably the moment of the match.

2) Wayne Rooney's Moment Of Folly

As if I don't hate Rooney enough. Last night for the first 60' he actually appeared to have listened to our complaints and played more inspirationally and with more fight. And then he cynically kicked out at Stewart Downing when they were about to break. In front of the referee. Straight red. Some people have the cheek to compare him to Solskjaer's one-on-one chase and hack against Newcastle a long time back and I just don't believe it. This one just looked stupid. Maybe the good thing to come out of it all is that he'll be missing for our next three games. Time to appoint a better captain maybe in RVP, Blind or Fletcher (even if he's not good enough).

3) Rafael

What a difference a match makes. After his folly last match against Leicester, Rafael turned in a MOTM performance last night. Resolute in defence, swashbuckling going forwards, he is such a joy to watch when in such form. Even defending he wasn't rash and he actually won more headers last night than the rest of the season so far. Hopefully he can keep himself injury-free this season.

4) Poor Outings

IMHO Angel di Maria was one of those who didn't play as well. Perhaps West Ham wanted to neutralize him as a threat and fouled him too often early on. He lost abit of inspiration as the game wore on. Marcos Rojo wasn't that good as CB either. Maybe he wasn't used to the pace of the EPL yet. RVP still isn't in 2012-13 form yet, and he and Falcao still need time to develop some form of understanding.

5) Uncertain Defence

Somehow whether because we lack more world class talent or we just can't gel as a back four, our defence seems very uncertain and unconfident. If midtable teams can stay in the EPL on the back of staunch defences made up of journeymen, then there is no reason why our back four can't improve on it's communication and coordination. At the moment, the best back four we have now would probably be Rafael, Evans, Jones, Shaw. Yet our CBs are almost unable to ever play together more than one game.

Next up, Everton at home! Hopefully we can beat them!

GGMU!!!

ACL Rehab Day #89

Three months on, I thought my rehab was progressing fast.

Then on Wednesday I met a 17yr-old kid from Hwa Chong Institution who also did ACL Recon. Same injury caused by football and his operation was only two weeks before me (mid June). Dang he was already skipping and doing ladder stepovers!

Anyway I just continued with my own physio's exercises. Far more stationary than what that young kid was capable of.

Hoping for a full recovery soon!

Oh and I can't play even golf till after the new year :(

Leicester City 5 Manchester United 3

Just when you thought we'd turned the corner, we deliver such a bad capitulation that you wonder if we're back to square one again.

1) Wonderful Start

A front trio of Rooney, RVP and Falcao, backed by ADM, in front of Herrera and Blind, with a four man defence. Easy and awesome goals from RVP and ADM, what could go wrong?

2) Crazy Rafael Decision

It was crazy. First Rafael was obviously shoved off the ball blatantly, the he loses it and gets sucked into a dive. Penalty. And that was what changed the entire game. Four goals scored by Leicester thereafter. The referee Mark Clattenburg really had a nightmare of a game, giving Leicester two penalties and sending Tyler Blackett off.

3) The Capitulation

Thereafter, the entire defence crumbled. Smalling and Blackett just kept hoofing long balls all of a sudden and Leiceter came wave after wave. As Sam Allardyce properly put it, the defence was abysmal, but the real problem was that the team did not defend as a team. We were in sixes and sevens and that really was the beginning of the end. The entry of Mata actually made things worse actually.

4) Wayne Rooney The Lousy Captain

Once again, the decision to make Wayne Rooney a captain seems so horribly wrong. He makes all the mistakes and then goes on to blast everyone else. He also doesn't play like a captain should, bossing the game with more influence. Don't know why LVG can't see that.

5) All Is Not Lost

There are some positives though. Unlike last season. Firstly, our play is so much more exciting now especially when we're attacking. It always seems as though we'd score when we attacked initially. Secondly, the defence, abysmal as they were tonight, needs time to gel. Thirdly, Leicester City were actually good. At current rate, they'll probably end up in the top half of the table.

Next game is another tricky tie away to West Ham. If we don't start picking up wins, LVG might be in trouble.

Hopefully we sort the defence out.

GGMU!!!

Management Issues

Ever had that feeling like you're constantly stuck between a rock and a hard place at whichever turn you go?

Welcome to my world.

Ever since I began my new role, it's never been the same. The stress levels are now 10-fold, there are alot more worries, there's more politics to play, there's a fire every corner above below left right and center and worst of all, it feels like I'm the worst paid around here.

Welcome to my world.

It the best of analogies, it is akin to a Manchester United youngster coming through the academy and breaking into the first team. Your standards are higher, you know what the club and its fans expect, and you know the entire organization like the back of your palm. People all over know you as the 'fixer' because you know the ins and ours. And yet your pay relative to the new guys at your level who may not be as good as you and don't seem to 'get it' either, is bordering pathetic. Or they're paid 10X more! And that's perhaps how I feel right now.

That's not helped by the fact that the veterans who've been around seeing you rise up the ranks still seem to see you as the lowly entry-level staff like when you first joined the organization. The level of respect is low here. I guess at some stage it is fair to argue that respect needs to be earned, but as a matter of perception, everyone's guilty of the fact that they give more respect to the unknown quantity (a new guy in a high level position) than the perceivedly known quantity (a veteran who came up through the ranks).

Welcome to my world.

It's not all bad news though. There are certain positives, such as the senior management visibility is higher, there are that certain few individuals who make all these complaints come to nought in the organization, and the role increases my employability elsewhere by 10-fold. At least knowing that I can command a certain payscale outside of here makes me brave enough to entertain thoughts of seeing what's out there.

If there is something I have learnt and observed in the last 6 months about corporate behaviour, it is to never, ever be complacent about any new development that may seem to be in your favour. Conversely, don't ever feel down that a "leaning mountain （靠山）" may have disappeared, for a new one (or several) may have been waiting in the wings to take its place as your staunch ally. And for that I always remind myself how blessed I am.

Welcome to road map 2015 - To wake up from the 3 year slumber.

F1 Weekend

Don't remember working so much over an F1 weekend.

The Singapore F1 Grand Prix edition doesn't seem as much of a novelty anymore. At least not to the locals.

At least this year it gets abit exciting with Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg duking it out for the championship.

Even in Singapore, Hamilton's on pole while Rosberg is right behind him.

Wonder who's gonna win it tomorrow night.

Manchester United 4 QPR 0

wow. Something we've all been waiting for. Exciting and purposeful. WE ARE BACK!

1) What A Frontline
A frontline with di Maria (ADM), Mata, Rooney and RVP is scary enough, then you add Falcao into the mix and what you have is something that will instill fear in the best of defences. Hopefully this bunch can go on to score a ton of goals this season. Will be very exciting to watch. ADM in particular is the creative force behind alot of our forays up front.

2) Midfield Impressario
In Daley Blind and Ander Herrera we have one of the best midfield partnerships since Scholes-Keane. With them around, you always felt assured like even if the opponents had the ball, we'd nick it back off them. Hopefully they can stay healthy. It looks like Fletcher is a definite benchwarmer now.

3) A Better Formation
By switching to 4-4-2, or more correctly, 4-1-3-2, our defence really looked alot more solid. Evans and Blackett at the back is far more assuring in a foursome than a trio. Tyler Blackett, oh my, something about him that is so non-flashy yet so self-assured. Mind you he's our only academy product who's started all four games this EPL. Glad to have Rafael back, and Marcos Rojo also put in a fairly good shift. DDG in goal was imperious as usual.

4) Falcao
It's weird that a player on load would command so much pre-match excitement in Manchester United. Coming off ACL surgery (been there done that), paid 300,000 pounds weekly, I kind of get the feeling that he might prove to be a disappointment when the season ends. Sure he'll bang in a few goals, but seeing him come on for the last 15mins last night, I wasn't that impressed by his performance. If there's one thing good that he's done though, its to put pressure on the other strikers like Rooney and RVP.

5) Early Days
So it was just QPR, and its only the 4th game of the season. Yet this was our first win. Hopefully we go on a long streak like the old days. Am trying not to get overexcited, but looking at the players we now have on board, how not to be? I'm expecting us to wipe out every other team from this game on this season. Hopefully I won't be too disappointed.

GGMU!!!

The Boardroom

All I had was a 10min slot out of a full day's marathon meeting from 8.30am to 5.30pm.

The butterflies in my tummy were already fluttering the night before. 

I had maybe two practice runs of the content I was about to present but never fully cemented any form of articulation. I was banking on the fact that I could present confidently because I know that if you knew your stuff, cover all potential FAQ, and were passionate about what you were presenting, the rest of a great prezzo simply boiled down to nerve management and articulation.

The dream lines started flowing in during the morning while others took their turns to present. Wanting to sound inspirational yet not cocky. 

"If APAC is going to crush the competition, Singapore will lead the way!"

Wait, "will lead the way" sounds not as powerful as "must lead the way". How about "shall lead the way"?

"Singapore has to crush every office out there!" 

Wait, scratch that, might offend the offices present there.

"People think Singapore is stagnating, but I see so much opportunity!"

Scratch that, might offend the older managers who've been here a long time.

So much running through my head and the clock is ticking. And the closer it is to my prezzo, the less I can remember of any script in my head. Shoot.

Need to fit the word 'opportunity' somewhere because that's the chairman's latest buzzword in his marketing campaign. Need to fit in 'exciting' because the chairman's been peppering his lines with that word too.

Finally, my turn to present! Impromptu lah, I was already excited enough do tried not to think anymore. Just gonna wing it. Gonna open with something good and then follow the points on the PowerPoint one-pager. 

"I can see a lot of exciting opportunity in the region, and here's why!"

10mins later, the room is pumped and the chairman made an observation. I said the word 'exciting' a grand total of six times, 'opportunity' three times. All in all a great prezzo, except that when in front of the room of 30 he bet me €100 that I would exceed my forecasted targets, I actually wanted to agree with him but accidentally took him on instead! That's the brain rush talking.

Phew.

I have alot of work cut out for me.

A Wedding North Of The Border

One of my closest cousins just got married this weekend. It's such a whirlwind trip, a Friday afternoon arrival and a Sunday morning exit.

A few things of note on this trip:

A good cousin reunion - was good to touch base with all my fav cousins again. We hardly see much of each other these days. But like old good friends, even after not meeting for so long, getting back into conversation wasn't a problem

A death in the family - very untimely and saddening. An auntie losing her fight against breast cancer had to go a week before the big wedding. We can't go see them, and they cannot come see us. Sad.

A family reunion - the family was supposedly pretty messed up, but lo' and behold, a wedding sure can do wonders of bringing everyone together. The parents, the twins, and the youngest sister. All estranged, together in a family reunion.

A cousin unseen - the youngest sister I have almost never seen before. I really wished I had more time to connect with her and to find out what's happening in her life. Alas there was no chance to do so.

New Additions

Luke Shaw

Ander Herrera

Marcos Rojo

Angel di Maria

Daley Blind

Falcao

Wow. I'm still coming to terms with all these great new additions. To be honest I'm abit sad to see Kagawa and Welbz leave, but as long as we continue to blood young talent from the academy, the club isn't going to lose it's identity anytime soon.

Anyway the Glazers are making so much money it's high time they've shelled out some funds for a few top stars! And boy do we have them now!

Fatherhood - Reflections V

Essentially, this how I spent my weekend:

Friday, I was on solo kids pick-up duty. Happened to take the same lift as the new teacher for PG1 (Xin) whose name was Judy (she's Indian). We had a courteous chat and then she reminded me that I should help the kids make lanterns since its the mid-autumn festival. The boy also says he wants to make a lantern because so many of his friends have brought one to school already. So I was determined to get a lantern made for each of my kids.

K, so what lanterns do you want?

The boy: Zebra!

The girl: Rabbit!

Ok, so for the rest of the weekend, I was slogging hard like a rice farmer making two little lanterns which at the end of it felt like I graduated from university.

Firstly, I used an old magazine to draw the outline of each of the animals, followed by cutting the shapes out. Then the wifey decided to use crushed magazine bits dipped in glue to line the entire body. After half a rabbit, she went for yoga class. So I finished everything else. 

Then got her to buy cardboard. Pasted finished art pieces onto the cardboard and cut them to a nice outline shape. Stuck them to recycled boxes on each side. Strung them up with rafia string and tada! Lanterns for the kids!

Just like 25yrs ago when my mom did 80% of my artwork for me, the winds of change has reversed my role. How convenient. It was enjoyable nonetheless and apparently received good reviews in school. So I guess it was pretty worth it afterall.

Looking forward to making more pieces of art for the kids!

ACL Rehab Day #63

And now things are ok again.

It has been rather scary given how much of a step back that flare up would have been.

Full ROM has been regained and I can do all the previous exercises I could do up until I aggravated it.

Feels good that I'm back to recovery status. I can go back for physio with confidence.

Hoping to begin running soon!