My Own College Football Rankings

1. Florida
2. Alabama
3. Texas
4. Iowa
5. Oregon
6. Boise State
7. Cincinnati
8. TCU
9. LSU
10. Georgia Tech
11. Penn State
12. Pittsburgh
13. USC
14. Utah
15. Ohio State
16. Houston
17. Miami (FL)
18. Oklahoma State
19. Arizona
20. Notre Dame
21. California
22. Mississippi
23. Oklahoma
24. Brigham Young
25. Central Michigan

22 Oct 2009 Predictions

Upset Specials




Alabama vs Tennessee

TCU vs Brigham Young

Oregon vs Washington

Penn State vs Michigan



Theoretically close games

South Florida vs Pittsburgh

Oklahoma vs Kansas

Comment for the day

I LOVE RON ARTEST!

Interesting observation For Music in the 1st Quarter

I see many similarities between the top singles around the globe: Right Round by Flo Rida (ft. Kesha) and Poker Face by Lady Gaga. Haha.

It seems that most of us are exposed to these two singers/rappers through their first two singles; namely Low and Just Dance, which are also coincidentally year-end hits. And both appeal to the dance music lovers, and both have their two hits heavily rotated in MTV, VH1 and TRACE. Did I mention that both artists are American? And both songs are based on samples of number one hits.

However, the differences stop here.

It appears that Flo Rida had already released two albums while Lady Gaga, one. It also appears that Poker Face climbed and charted more charts (in fact, almost all the charts that it charted will end up in it topping the charts) while Right Round had debuted almost instant on top in some charts.

And although these two songs are on top of most charts around the world, they are a result of fragmentisation of the music market, due to the proliferation of variety of music that we can listen to through the Internet. Hence it is now more difficult for any artise to top a chart unless he (or she) commands the support of most of the audience in the music market he contests. With dance clubs and radio stations globally only playing that few tracks every night, it is inevitable that both Right Round and Poker Face will be frequently played and hence increasing their chances for domination for the time being. And on the adult music side, I'm Yours by Jason Mraz has still mentioned its position since March 2008 for one full year!  Fortunately, with earlier (minor) charted hits, Mraz will not be relegated to a one-hit wonder...

And yup, a big question on my head: will Love Sex Magic eventually top the charts? I wonder.

I miss my ol schs

Read if you miss your high school years. Do it if you miss it more! BIODATA. 1) Which school did you go to? XX Primary (shan't talk more abt pri sch anymore), Nan Hua High School, Pioneer Junior College (besides the NH part, I find it ok... but... :D) 2) What classes were you in? 102, 202, 306, 406, 07S05, 07S01, 08A04, 08A01 3) What was/were your favourite lesson(s)? Geography and History. (that's why I take them all the way!) And, to your astonishment, Chem too. (I take Econs now just to spend this time chit-chat with a friend and enjoy myself, not worrying about 'A's like others do) 4) If you could remember, what time was your recess? EVERY 2 HOURS (In PJ, I had 3 hours of consecutive lessons though :() 5) List down your favourite food/snacks. Mixed Vegetable Rice:) And doughnuts, a la Homer Simpsons Style :) STYLE. 1) Did you have a nickname way back in high school? Ginseng. Love this nickname 2) How did you wear your socks? Wear as high as I could. 3) Have you been suspended due to the way you put on your uniform? NO 4) Were you given plenty of reminders about your appearance? Yes. Tuck in the shirt please 5) Who did you look up to when you were in high school? Mdm Yip in NH and Mr "Awesome" Osman in JC. She opened my world in history. He opened new perspectives in geography for the first time in my life (no offence to my previous geog teachers but last year was the first time I took Geog seriously, lol) PUNISHMENT. 1) Name one memorable scene where you were punished in front of the whole class. Mocking the DM and called to the back. The deputy DM insisted I be punished but the no. 3 DM tried to budge... the no. 2 won and I just... got a whuppin'. 2) How many times did you skip class? What were you doing? None in NH, infinite number of times in PJ PE:P 3) Give one scene where you escaped from being caught/punished. Ask the cameras in all of my schools 4) Did you vandalize any school property? No time to vandalise. Study study study 5) Did you ever make any teacher cry? YEP. For my atrocious results in Promos and Sec 3. TEACHERS. 1) Who was your favourite teacher? Mdm Yip Kwai Fong! (actually, Ms Usha is a close second:)) 2) Describe your DM. My DM is a tall female teacher who is really beautiful and gorgeous but firm. She's actually... 3) Who was the funniest/weirdest/loudest teacher? Mr "Awesome"... He never fails to make me smile. FRIENDS. 1) Were you popular back then? I am notorious, not popular. Everybody knows what tricks I'd done 2) Were you in a big group of boys/girls or small ones? Big group of boys 3) Who were your best friends? Who is the classmate in my class for 7 years or so? Add Shazwan (pri sch schoolmate) to this... and if time could go back, add Leo and Hairul and briefly, Pallavi in the mix. 4) Did you and your friends have nicknames? I call all the nicknames 5) What were your favourite memories of you and your friends? Ponning the orientation in PJ and lying that I feel so low that I need Leo's and Dan's comfort. lol And not to forget in NH... the daily visit to my cousin's and Leo's classes (so near to each other!) CCA. 1) What type of CCA were you in? SV - (Whatever I forgot) Dance Club. A big reason why I may had chosen NH out of the blues when BP/Kranji don't want me :( NH - NP (woohoo), and also Infocomm Club PJ - Astronomy, then Board Games Club, then for now none. 2) What did you have to bring to your CCA? Pe shirt and shorts for pri and sec schs, basketball shoes (I wear this often though all the time), towel, bottle 3) What did your CCA require you to do? Run around here and there and do all the moves in almost all cases --- except Astro, in which I just listen to LB's lectures. 4) Got injured? Yup yup yup CRUSHES/LOVE. 1) Who was your first crush? Cherry (sec sch) 2) Are you in good terms with your last crush? Nope. Dunno where she is (physically). lol 3) Did you ever had a relationship with anyone in your high school? NOPE. 4) Have you ever made out in school? NOPE. CLOSING CEREMONY. 1) How did high school changed you? NH 2) Sing one verse of your school song. I wrote this on Wikipedia. Years it takes to build a nation, strive we to this end with valour always. Nurtured we from childhood through our youth, finest essence spread we all our days. Loving, loyal, filial, upright, courteous be. Patient, tolerent and humble we shall be. Work together each dutifully, forward to the future eagerly... 3) What was your favourite question? "What type of CCA were you in?" I got a low T-Score for PSLE but did fairly well for 'O's. Value-added, eh? But NH was so wonderful! CCAs is what brouight me into NH but they allow me to explore in other CCAs --- as well as study. PJ, too. 4) Who/what will you remember from your high school? The experience I got, duh 5) Any memories you will not forget. Too much white in my mind liao, see white space lah.

Best singers in US

ALL TIME

Mariah Carey/Universal/R&B (18 number ones, 79 number one weeks)

Jackson 5/Michael Jackson/Janet Jackson/Universal/R&B (27, 70)

Elvis Presley/Sony/Rock (17, 79)

Beatles/Paul McCarthy/John Lennon/EMI/Rock (46, 59 )

Supremes/Diana Ross/Universal/R&B (18, 22)

Queen/EMI/Rock (18 in UK, 2 in US)

Of an era

Madonna/Warner/Rock (12, 32)

Whitney Houston/Sony/R&B (11, 31)

Stevie Wonder/Universal/R&B (10, 25)

George Michael/Wham!/Sony/Rock (11)

Honourable Mention

Sting/Police/Universal/Rock (2)

Johnny Cash/Sony/Country

Best in UK

21 - Elvis Presley
17 - The Beatles
14 - Cliff Richard
14 - Westlife
13 - Madonna
12 - The Shadows 

12 - George Michael/Wham!
11 - Take That
9 - ABBA
9 - Spice Girls
8 - Oasis
8 - The Rolling Stones
8 - Elton John
7 - Eminem
7 - Michael Jackson
7 - Kylie Minogue
7 - U2
7 - McFly
6 - Sugababes
6 - Blondie
6 - Queen
6 - Slade
6 - Robbie Williams
6 - Boyzone
6 - Rod Stewart

6 - The Police/Sting
5 - Britney Spears
5 - All Saints
5 - The Bee Gees
5 - David Bowie

Reflections Today

Hahahahaha...

I'd read Thirty Bullies, Friday Night Lights, Boys of Summer, Heaven Is a Playground, True Fans, Only the Ball Was White, One Great Game: Two Teams, Two Dreams, in the First Ever National Championship High School Football Game, When the Game Stands Tall, Keeping The Faith... I have heard about the Hoosiers, which supposedly has disinterested Indiana guys from a small school winning a state championship. and I want to watch Facing The Giants, which is a story of miracles for a team that didn't win, through prayers and all that stuff, became state champions...

But my favourite book of the moment is the little book 'Where Dreams Die Hard'.

I used to follow football --- to be precise, American Football. I support teams at almost all levels: Detroit Lions of NFC and Oakland Raiders for AFC; Michigan Wolverines for FBS, something like Western Michigan Broncos for FCS... and maybe De La Salle Spartans and Trinity Lions and... and thought they will be all.

No, I didn't think there are six-team football.

I thought football MUST have eleven men and these eleven men must be conditioned and mentally prepared to win. As Vince Lombardi quoted, 'Winning isn't everything. The will to win is the only thing.' We are more familiar with this version 'Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing'. I followed the misquote. I thought I must outcompete everyone to go to the best high school, and maybe blaze myself all the way through the team to beat the living daylights off others... and get into Harvard or Texas.

No.

There's high school football with only six men.

There is a whole new world beyond the dog-eat-dog world in Shanghai, Mumbai and New York.

Small-town, six-man football.

This alone captivates me.

Why, these farm/ranch kids help their parents do work in the summer, play football in the fall (autumn), shoot hoops in winter and play baseball in the spring. They seem to play sports for the fun of it. No competition, few outwitting and outgunning, just plain fun as well as maybe... enjoyment. Warmth. Goodness. Strength. Resolve. Love. Values that we only dream of in the competitive cities.

Well, I think the only thing that I should do is to keep focusing on what I love to do --- for it is what I will live. I will see... I will live my own life and not others.

Edited parts

I want to wear the most expensive shoes (which happen to be Air Jordans), I wanted to carry the most expensive bag (LV for formal uses, Crumpler for informal uses), I also want to wear authentic throwback NFL jerseys; all in the manner just to do one thing: to impress the eyes staring at me in that they want to steal my things in envy. I really want to hide from them through flashy or expensive stuff, the despair and disappointment I have when I cannot do the things the way I want. And yes, I do try to make an effort to impress my friends by hanging out in places where the famous (in my community) always go, like Raffles City (resulting in me hooked in Starbucks for a long while) or Orchard or Suntec. Such low self-esteem did I have.

I am almost there, as from secondary one onwards, I began to scrimp as much as I could to display visible stuff to impress others. I am like a 'Material Boy', as I would admit. Well it all started earlier... as from Secondary One, I know I am somehow discriminated against because of my whatsoever syndrome that I understand. I began to tolerate everything good and bad... :'( Because, really, I haven't found myself.

Then I began to exert myself harder than I can, as I want to enter the best senior high school (actually junior college) that I could! My prelims in secondary school really sucked so much that I got so disappointed, I had to visit the principal so that I want even the 20 (needed for JC admission) and claimed that 'why can't I even go to the worst JC for PAE'?

Of course I sucked so much, my dreams had been daydreams all these while.

All I wanted is nothing but just recognition and assurance that I can stand in my society in future (thinking about that actually I do have this sort of assurance, but only from my parents and not the society, but nevertheless I may be overly paranoid), as well as perhaps the personal space I can have to pursue my own interests at all times.

I didn't lie to some of my friends. In fact I did openly state that I want to be a slacker. Actually, I just want to write and doodle so that I can lead an awesome life in my own definition. Since I have the whatsoever syndrome I don't care about anything about what the society views me... I believe they try to help me but they most probably are too busy to even care (maybe things will change one day?) or that they are themselves labellings fellow humans who are unlike them.

Well, recently there had been some changes that I had.

I realised that due to the economic crisis, shoes (esp. Nike Air Force 25) that used to sell for $277+ (gasp! This is what I saw in Queensway) are now selling for $98 online. It's like a 70% drop in price. How drastic.

I have worn the most expensive hat but the feel sucks. Can't compare with the $20 hat. And the bag I fancy will get dirty easily (like any other bag). And my dream pants are $300+ or $400+... which has no difference with the $3 I have (except maybe holes at the leggings, which I harped on it while bargaining but they're wearable). And leather jackets look yekky. Jerseys even when expensive will still have meshes that will reveal the undershirts.

Sigh

It's ironic to see that the next meetup we promised over the holidays for 07S05 is a funeral.

Active youth community leader died.

I feel kind of appalled. Why does this happen to a good friend of mine? And well I hadn't been inspired by him to do community service? If I know this is the last day I will live, maybe I will do things differently...

But I was reminded to keep composed and smile.

I cannot cry.

Fuck Mrs Tan. Why hadn't this moron accepted this talented community leader?
Fuck Mr Yeo. Why must him bow to Mrs Tan's insensible orders?
Fuck whosoever who sucked cock... Why everyone from his school are all so moody now, like me?

After these vulgarities all I can do is to tell you that a great young man died.

I'd rather support these

Ferrari/Chevy
Philadelphia Phillies
Los Angeles Lakers/San Antonio Spurs/CSKA Moscow
Royals
Lance Armstrong
Pittsburgh Steelers
Man U/Chelsea/Liverpool
Tiger Woods
St Kilda
Detroit Red Wings
Crew
Kansas/Florida

Rubbish

draft dream football team

QB - Matt Leinart
PR - Peter Warrick
FS - Michael Huff
CB - Adam Jones
WR - Charles Rogers

Teams I predicted for championships

Man U, SAFFC, Crew, Greece and Brazil (Soccer)
England (Rugby)
Kansas, Florida (NCAA)
Red Wings (NHL)
Phillies (MLB)
Steelers (NFL)

TEAMS I SUPPORT
Newcastle (Soccer)
New Zealand (Rugby)
Michigan (NCAA)
Sharks (NHL)
Tigers/Braves (NBA)
Lions/Chargers/Raiders (NFL)

But the jerseys and shirts are polyester and they are uncomfortable!

I, being a tee-and-jeans guy, prefer basketball jerseys 'cos they are sleeveless and can be worn under a shirt.

My favs:

Pistons
Lakers
Mavericks
Spurs
Magic 2003-7