Manchester United 4 Wigan 0

What a win!

So many subplots, but ultimately the feel-good factor is back.

Schweinsteiger gets his first start ever under Mou, gets an assist, AND a goal via overhead kick. Fantastic.

Timothy Fosu-Mensah gets his first start in a long time. Played ok.

Anthony Martial gets his first start in a long time. Played great!

Sergio Romero gets his start in another cup game. Played well.

Luke Shaw gets his first start in a long time. Played shit. Looked overweight and out of form.

Fellaini scores. Great stuff.

Smalling scores. Great stuff.

Mkhitaryan scores. Great stuff. 

Axel Tuanzebe makes his debut. Future superstar, but looked overawed by the occasion.

Joel Pereira makes his debut. Safe hands, not much to do.

Onwards and upwards!

GGMU!!!

Fatherhood Reflections XXXV - The Shiokness

Shiokness is seeing that your son is behaving just like when you were young and sleeping just about anywhere that you deemed comfortable.

Shiokness is sleeping on the floor, no fan, no wind, just cold hard floor.

Shiokness is also sleeping on the hard wooden bridge between two adjoining beds.

Bliss.

Haven't Been Smelling The Roses

Work has gotten a lot tougher since the turn of the year.

I can't really pinpoint what it is exactly, but my days are longer, busier, and a lot more stressful.

Maybe it is the stellar performance accomplished against much odds last year? Maybe it is the expectation that we are in for a really good haul this year? Maybe people are finally waking up to the fact that the Singapore office is a force to be reckoned with?

Only three weeks in and I can feel myself missing out on the simple things.

Family.

Kids.

Wifey.

Home.

My favourite sports.

Exercise.

My online games.

Other friends.

All neglected to various degrees.

Then I listen to demoralizing stories about peers making ridiculous sums of money doing things that they love. Really ridiculous sums. And I start to look around and wonder if all this materialization of our lives is really worth it. Even if I like a lot of what I do, regardless of the high stress levels.

The money is only enough to get by. Definitely underpaid in the bigger scheme of things.

I need to make a conscious effort to disconnect from work. Even if it means I slack off as a high-level performer.

Otherwise something will give.

Metallica World Wired Tour 2017

So for the second time in four years, I get to see my idol. Who would've thought I'd attend something more epic than 2013.

This time around, our tickets cost $360, and we had the best standing space, Pen A, right upfront of the stage. We were so near the stage that I was maybe five or six bodies from touching the stage floor.

Problem is, this time we were amongst the masses, mosh pits et al.

It was an amazing concert, with new songs from their latest album, Hardwired To Self Destruct, to all the old anthems.

And in the end, the encore was far better than the last, Fight Fire With Fire, Nothing Else Matters, and Enter Sandman.

Epic stuff.

And if they ever came again, I'd go watch them once more in a heartbeat.

I'll try to share some pictures if I can!

Fatherhood Reflections XXXIV - Enriching Enrichment

Just wanted to document how many enrichment classes we send our kids to.

We are indeed kiasu parents after all.

Yet the more we can enrich them and expose them to new skills in our current urban environment, the better isn't it?

Currently the kids go for:

Taekwando classes
Swimming classes
Heguru classes (right brain training)
Piano classes
Ballet classes (for the girl)

Hopefully this will enrich them as much as possible, before the burden of school homework comes into their lives.

Resolutions 2017

This is super late, but I guess it is better late than never!

So Resolutions 2016 didn't go all that well yet again. See review here.

Nonetheless I will stick to some tangible resolutions to keep myself focused for the year ahead. One of the key things I have learnt from the office is to set out SMART goals.

Specific
Measurable
Ambitious
Realistic
Time-factored

Geddit?!

1) Have 6 Month's Pay In Cold, Hard Cash
Here we go. Yet again. And again. This time to further define it, it has to be in Savings, Current or Fixed Deposit accounts.

2) Achieve >20% Return On Key Investment Account
Rather than pursuing the dividend route, this year will be slightly new. I want to achieve at least 20% growth in my key investment account, this one being my Saxo account. It has a performance tracker so that makes things easy to track. I actually managed to achieve a 7.6% return last year after a really topsy turvy trading journey. With more discipline, this I might achieve.

3) Exercise Three Time A Week
This has gone up a notch even though I haven't been able to achieve twice a week for the last two years. I have to be more ambitious now because my health is deteriorating. My cholesterol is too high and I will have to bring it down. Hopefully it can be achieved, by jogging or swimming at least half hour each time.

4) Score At Least One Big Positive Life Achievement
I am keeping this resolution mainly because I failed at doing something significant last year. Once again, one positive life achievement is rather subjective but I hope to do something positively big. Change the world. Achieve something big in my life. It could be making a big difference to someone else's life. It could be a personal achievement like running a marathon, visit a new country or city for the very first time. It could be some big volunteer event. It could be something done together with the family. Anything.

5) Less Online Games, More Time With Family
This is another hard one. And its even harder this year, yet I feel it is doable. I currently maintain one Simpsons Tapped Out account, THREE Clash Of Clans accounts and TWO Pokemon GO accounts. That keeps me busy alright. On one had its a great hobby to have, but I will have to balance things out so that I'm not glued to my electronic devices all the time. It is also good that the wifey plays Pokemon GO like I do.

Ok, hope I can achieve all of them come year end!

Stoke City 1 Manchester United 1

Funny I had a feeling it would end as a draw, but the way it happened, one couldn't have written a better script.

Early conceded goal, then Wayne Rooney pops up at the final minute of the game with a fantastic free kick to tie the game, thereby breaking Sir Bobby Charlton's all time United scoring record.

Not really the result we wanted, but happy all round.

Liverpool lost earlier while Spurs and City drew, so not a lot lost there.

And we're still 6th in the league.

Onwards and upwards!

GGMU!!!

Test Post

Testing this app for the third time before it crashes again.

Test post.

Manchester United 1 Liverpool 1

A deserved result.

Pogba had a nightmare of a game, giving away a penalty, missing good chances, manhandling opponents, wayward passing. You name it.

Ibrahimovic was the saviour, heading in the equalizer after good work from Fellaini who could've scored off the post.

Herrera is still one of the best on the field.

This is 16 games unbeaten, the most of any team in Europe right now.

Long may this continue.

Onwards and upwards!

GGMU!!!

Blogging Is So Hard Now

Without the phone app, it is so difficult to blog anymore.

Funny that this was how it used to be 10 years ago, yet now, without pictures, without large font and easy blog typing, I cannot bring myself to blog more than I should. Maybe it is the age, as well as the inconvenience of squinting at the small font on the phone screen. Oh and we don't have a desktop at home too.

Whatever it is, let's hope the app comes back soon.

Otherwise, expect less posts!