Water, Sign Of The Times

There's been a lot of rain lately here in Singapore. Lots and lots of water coming down from the heavens. So much water that in the span of a month we've had 3 times as much rain as the weathermen had normally expected to come down and bless us this time of year. And it was duly unexpected.

The first big mess happened at Orchard Rd where famously now, Liat Towers' basement floor collected a massive pool of brown water over a few hours, drowning out Starbucks, Wendy's, Massimo Dutti and, gasp, the Hermes store. Alerts went out all over the island via all forms of communication that the bags and scarves and other whatnots at Hermes were possibly in ruin or very quickly, going to be wet and on sale. Collectively, fashionistas across the drenched country sighed in relief and some in dismay to learn all was well and good among the $10,000 per item merchandise. Of course, the gahmen had to step in and find the cause of this travesty. A blocked canal was blamed for the backlog of water.

The second incident took place in other parts of the island, though a large pool did form at the Scotts-Orchard-Paterson junction. Roads were knee deep in torrential rain. Cars and produce were lost. Many were wondering why a second flood was happening merely a week after the splish splash along our shopping streets. Even some kindergarten kids had to be rescued from the deluge at their Telok Kurau school by firemen. Awww, so cute.

The third wet affair happened a few days ago when the gods unleashed a tremendous amount of rain over about 4-5 hours in the early hours of the morning. This time it was really bad. Mostly because rich people were affected. There was a stupendous shot in the papers of a car almost completely inundated in a flood of water in a condominium basement carpark in Bukit Timah. So the famous Bukit Timah-Rochor canal failed to deliver the water to its end in the sea and essentially flowed over into the premises of the rich and now furious. Awesome show of force from the Mother to all those who think their Mercedes and BMWs are safe. Insurance companies are probably seething too, along with the folks at the PUB who've been taken to task once too often this month to explain what they can't. The meteorologists said the heavy downpour was the aftermath of a hurricane that was then cutting towards Vietnam. Really? And they couldn't warn us?

We can't explain anything. It's an act of God. In that light, some have likened this to punishment for taking some famous church pastor to task over his organisation's financial habits. Silly but funny no less. Many have put the blame on the Marina Barrage. This mechanical dam was the brainchild of Mr Lee no less with the aim of creating a freshwater reserve in the city for fun and enjoyment, and to prevent low-lying areas from flooding. Well, the past month has really been a true test for the concept and failure is now easily thrust upon that which seems to be holding it all that floodwater in. Well, someone smart alec will be asked to do the math and evaluate the sums of why and what went right and wrong. So far, the public is merely preparing to swim in the next rainstorm if they fail to avoid the rising waters.

I have a odd theory to put forward about the Marina Barrage's role in our floods. Could it be holding back all our negative qi? It is at the end of the Singapore river, and we could holding all the wealth in but also we might not be siphoning out the bad flow. Hmmm.

The World Cup Is Empty, Finally

So the World Cup is over. We can return to our normal lives and recall how crappy the economy is, how bad the BP oil spill is and remember that there are still people with bombs who want to wipe us off the planet so that they can get their cheese.

The final game was a little lacklustre for many. Nothing really happened in the regulation 90 minutes except for the immense number of yellow cards. The ref seems to keep all the action for himself. Someone commented that it was like an S-League game. Personally and many also will agree, the ref made some not so good decisions and seems to show a little bias. Well, it's over and the Dutch cry loser's tears.

The 3rd place playoffs between Germany and Uruguay was scintillating compared to the finals with both teams making great goals and awesome plays. Even the final shot of the match was a cracker Forlan attempt that rattled the crossbar and almost, almost sent the whole game into extra time. What a moment that would have been. And who knew he could play after his poor showing in Man U colours. Maybe it's age. His piece de resistance didn't happen, thank God, and Germany took 3rd spot.

Next, we await Euro 2012 which promises to exciting if Spain, Holland and Germany have anything to do about it.

The next World Cup is in Brazil and promises to be a mess for those in this timezone. Matches at 5am, goodness.

World Cup - The Curse Of Advertising

I have a theory about the World Cup exits we have gone 'oh my god' over, those of the high flying European and South American teams. Teams with players that did TV advertising prior to the World Cup have failed. I have evidence from Pepsi and Nike commercials. Rooney, Cannavaro, Henri, Kaka, Messi, Drogba, Ribery, Lampard, Cristiano Ronaldo, Ronaldinho - all feature in these ads. All are out. Well polished TVCs but the curse of advertising has stolen World Cup glory from the world's "best" players.

Nike Ad


Pepsi Ad


Today I saw a poster in Dhoby Ghaut MRT with David Villa's face for Adizero shoes. Uh-oh.

Germany to win the whole bloody thing!

World Cup 4 - Brazil Beaten

Do not feign a look of equality as your enemy looks you in the eye. You could be no better than they are, or worse, worse than they are but don't know it. Do not assume anything except that anything could happen. Is your ability the only factor that stands between you and success? Is your opponent's ability readily dismissed as inferior? After all, you could have been champ five times and the skills are in your blood. Of course, they'll lose? But nothing is impossible and the proud fall faster than the meek. The humble try harder because the know it's going to be tough battle. They stay positive, and try and try again.

So the Netherlands beat Brazil. I am happy.

My fascination with Dutch soccer stems from the days of Marco Van Basten and Ruud Guillit. They were a pair to be reckoned with. There was an amazing "cross" from Basten, that sliced almost parallel to the goal line before curling in. It was an awesome goal. Unfortunately, the talent in the Dutch football squad never quite managed to unleash its true potential at the right time. They haven't won a thing for a long time. Poor things, till today. (I also had a thing for the colour orange. The sea of orange across a stadium section can only be described as breathtaking. The orange army the fans are called. Also because orange didn't rhyme with anything, haha)

No one messes with Brazil and all too often, fans have come to expect the Samba Kings to sashay their way to the top, their talent unmatched and untamed. Yes, sometimes that is so. But for this World Cup, Brazil almost didn't qualify. And today, their invincibility was shattered. From winning one up, they went two down, had one man sent off for a stupid stomp on an opponent's calf and couldn't produce an equaliser. Perhaps an unfamiliar territory for them but one team had to lose. The Dutch seemed hungrier but slower against the sizzling Brazilians. Nonetheless, they didn't cave in and held on. They could have made it 4-1 but luck and chance didn't quite see them through. Nerves maybe. But a win is a win at the end of 90 minutes.

Thanks for playing Brazil. Now back across the South Atlantic to think about winning at home in 2014. Don't get lazy because of the automatic qualification. Pride comes before a fall. A fall at home, now that would be something for Brazil. Unthinkable? Well, it is the year for the underdogs. Hungrier underdogs.