Today’s your 28th birthday and I was just recalling the first time we met in a very famous place called Pulau Tekong which gains its reputation from being a torture centre for poor new army recruits on the 14th June 2001.  Among a population which comprises of 99.99% of Chinese, Indians and Malays, it was pretty “cool” to tell the rest of the platoon that I had Greek buddy.  I remember that Basic Military Training phase very well.  The nights in the field camp where that pathetic little tent was too small for the both of us where we had shouting matches throughout the night, the physical fitness tests, the blasting from the sergeants.  Everything seems so vivid even till this day.  I guess we also found out we had a few things in common too such as having our birthdays being only a day apart from each other and doing sports.  I remember also being really intrigued with the fact that you were actually from Darwin, Australia and had come back to do your National Service by virtue of the fact that your mother was Singaporean and that you held the Singapore citizenship as well.  I guess the biggest irony is that I am now living in this land from which you came from.  God most certainly has the most creative plans =).

It’s been more than 5 years since you’ve gone home to the Lord and I have really missed you as my buddy especially in those moments of deep reflection (Not everyday of course!  I’m sure you’ll agree that that’ll be abit gay =p).   I miss the ribbing, the camadarie, the jokes and all the good things we did as good friends.  I loved you as a friend and for simply being you and being the warm, friendly person that you are.  Looking at your family, I can see where all the warmth and sincerity came from =).  I admired the way you took your father’s passing as well and the strength and courage you really showed. 

Just before you departed, there were moments where I actually saw myself having a good cup of coffee and chatting about old times with you.  I guess that’ll have to wait after our Lord comes back and when we get to Heaven.  Till we meet mate, take care of yourself and wishing you a very Happy Birthday.  I also want you to know that you’ll always be my buddy.  Till we get our nice hot cappucino with a touch from heaven…. you’re a legend!  God bless…

Blessings,

Daniel Huang (Your Buddy)

The football has been going well with us despatching Whitford in the 3rd round for both the first team and the reserves.  Made a spectacular return for the reserves scoring the winning penalty at the end.  Woo hoo!  Thank God it went in!  Was nice to hear the wonderful supporters from Whitford trying to put me off at the end.  Makes it all the more exciting.  Ronaldo’s move to the scum hasn’t materialised completely yet so I will put that report on hold till I see that likeable guy in white.  That’s all for now.

God Bless,

Dan

On Tuesday and Wednesday, I also made a short little trip to Dorrier Gardens, the home of Perth S.C, one of the top semi-professional clubs in the state, to watch the Singapore Under 14s take on the WA Under 14s and 15s.  It was quite a pleasant surprise to see a fair number of Singapore spectators at the game as I fully expected to be the only one.  Some of the comments in malay and singlish made me feel right at home!  I was a little bit disappointed that there were no outstanding players among the Singapore team as both the WA teams especially the Under 14s were really good with their passing and movement.  Wasn’t entirely sure of the scores as I only watched the first half of the Singapore vs WA Under 14s on Tuesday and 60 mins of the Singapore vs WA Under 15s on Wednesday where the scores when I left were 1-0 (to WA) and 1-1 respectively.  Had to leave early because the members of the other gender were getting bored…….=p. 

Next post will be about that spoilt, pouting brat from Portugal that went to the most vile club (only Kaka is exempted) on planet earth. 

Dan

The journalists and statisticians can be really amusing with their retarded stats waffling about how Messi has failed to score against English opposition and that Gerard Pique didn’t make the grade at Manchester.  Sometimes it’s just a clear demonstration that statistics like that do not indicate how great or good a player is.  It’s just so silly.  Does he have to score against every opposition in the world just to prove that he’s the best?  He has been proving himself week in and week out and people should just keep quiet and applaud his humility and ability.  He is most definitely the best player in the world right now and I’m just glad that he has managed to shut all the detractors by scoring in the most important game of them all.  Failing to score against English opposition my foot!  Another statement that really irritates me is the that Gerard Pique ”didn’t make the grade in Manchester”.  He had a sensational game last night and people should probably realise he is the real deal by now who just happened to be at the club at the wrong time with Rio and Vidic being very established internationals at that point ointime.  Maybe those so-called fans might want to revise their opinions now as well.

Sport is probably one of the few things in the world where experts will get criticised by people that know no better.  When Lionel Messi loses the ball, there will be a number of so-called experts that will start fishing out comments that they think is the right opinion and would even go as far as to audaciously suggest that they should be on the pitch themselves!  Why didn’t he pass the ball?  Why was he so stupid to dribble?  How come he didn’t see the free man?  My question to these people is that “Do you even play football?  Can you even trap the ball and pass it 5 yards? What do you know about tactics other than hearing those idiots like Tommy Smyth talk about 4-4-2 and 4-3-3? Are you aware of how to make space?  Can you even do make a pass like any of them?  If your answer is probably no to most of it, then I would like to suggest you just shut your fat mouth and watch the game because there’s a reason why they are playing and we are watching. 

Don’t sit there, eat potato chips, grow a belly and start talking like you know everything because you don’t!  Here’s the reality check.  There’s a reason why you are fat, drinking beer, can’t trap the ball and you are watching the game.  It’s cause you don’t play the game anywhere as good as the people on tele so please, know your place.  And stop gloating when a team loses when you hardly know anything about the teams or the players.  It just shows your mental capacity really.  It’s like gloating over a person being sacked and you don’t even know him.  Now you probably know why we got a shit Singapore football team.  It’s because of irrational, stupid, unsupportive, negative fans like yourself that complain and bitch that Carrick is shit because Iniesta dribbled past him.  Get off your arse and play the bloody game so that you can realise how hard it is.  But then again, probably you’ve already tried and you realise that you are useless at it so you choose a team that is winning so that you can feel high and mighty with that association to cover up the fact that you know next to nothing about the sport.  It’s a disgrace…It’s a complete disgrace!

Dan

Chelsea vs Barcelona was a great game as well with the Blues putting a lot more pressure as opposed to the first leg, where they put 255 men behind the ball and attempted to thwart the Barca attacks.  They would feel hard done by being knocked out by the away goal which was incidentally, Barcelona’s only shot on target.  They also had to endure a poor performance from Norwegian referee, Tom Henning Ovrebo, who failed to award 4 dubious penaly claims and 2 pretty clear handballs.  That being said, they would also have themselves to blame for not putting away several good opportunites, a couple which were pretty smart saves by Victor Valdes (wonder why Spain does not rate him at all).  Michael Essien’s goal was an absolute cracker, brilliant left foot volley from outside the box. another reminder that he is one of the best midfielders in the world.  

People can comment about Chelsea’s tactics all day long and that Barcelona play the better football.  The fact is my friends, that defending IS part of football, tactical awareness is ALSO part of football and playing to your strengths is ALSO part of football.  So please, before you start deriding the blues for their tactics and start trying to play the purist here by dissing them, consider that if Chelsea attempted to play Barcelona at their own game, they would be absolutely slaughtered.  Nobody can keep the ball like Barcelona and nobody can play football like them.  It is therefore necessary that Chelsea play to their strengths which include a) being physical, which means harassing and marking out their main men which include Xavi, Iniesta and Messi and b) attempting to play the counter-attack which would expose Barcelona’s defence due to the high positioning of their marauding full back Daniel Alves and their soft centre where Yaya Toure was being deployed as a makeshift defender.  

I felt that Chelsea were successful on both fronts and worked awfully hard to combat Barca’s attacking prowess and should be applauded for the game that they played.  That being said, the highlight has to go to the pandemonium and in particular, Didier Drogba’s rant on television after the game.  What a great role model he is.  All the children must be suitably impressed.  This is a disgrace! =p

Cheers,

Dan

As Susan herself said… Modern society is too quick to judge people on their appearances. There is not much you can do about it; it is the way they think; it is the way they are. But maybe this could teach them a lesson, or set an example… We certainly have alot to learn…..

Also got off to a flying start with the reserves against Spearwood Dalmantinac on Sunday as well.  Our superior fitness paid off with us scoring 3 goals in the last 8 mins for a flattering 5-2 scoreline.  The firsts did get off to a decent start to the campaign with a 3-3 draw.  I believe that this season promises to be a difficult one for us and it’s important that we approach each game cautiously and expect a hard game every single week.  That’ll keep us on our toes and ensure that we keep our performances going.   This week will be against Joondalup so it’s gonna be another hard game coming up.  That’s all for now…

Blessings,

Daniel

I’m certainly hope things will brighten up and normal service will resume sooner rather than later.  I’ll be doing my utmost best to avoid the army of Pool fans who seem greater than the number of people in China for the next few weeks.  On the flip side, the Champions League draw looks favourable for United have drawn Porto but judging from the last two weeks, beating Shanghai Shenhua might be an uphill task. 

It’s annoying when Singapore news never reports or talks in length about the Singapore Armed Forces Football Club’s exploits in the Champions League (Asian).  It just goes to show the pathetic focus that we have towards sports in the country.  Always chasing the best, fastest, strongest product.  The English Premier League (while I love watching it) is an overhyped marketing product that is completely out of touch with reality.  Only if our media starts to adopt a complete paradigm shift in giving local sports a shot in the arm can we expect things to change… At least Perth Glory has much bigger crowds than an S-League game.  Pray that things will change soon. 

Blessings,

Daniel

Faith and Ministry:  This year seems to be promising and shaping up to be a year of greater faith.  I feel that God is pointing me in a direction that will enable me to grow in faith with Him in a way that is personal and probably beyond my comprehension. It’s not some kind of feeling that I drew from the middle of nowhere but God has been using alot of tools to speak to me on this issue over the past couple of months especially since the turn of the year through His word, people and from sermons.  It’s abit too coincidental to believe that it can be just be mere coincidence.  It is important to note that faith in God  is not really considered faith until it’s tested.  Mark 11:21-24 asks us to have faith in God, for anyone who truly believes in his heart that without a seed of doubt that whatever he asks for will be given unto him, that person will be able to move mountains.  James 1: 6-8 also asks us to not have any doubt in our faith as we’ll be like the waves in the sea, being tossed and blown by the wind.  I would think that if we were like the waves, we would become people that are in poor control of our emotions, affected and turned easily by our circumstances.  That would not be an ideal way to live our lives. 

I also have been helping out in the kid’s ministry taking care of the Year 7s (12 years olds) as well as the 7-11 year olds twice a month.  It’s a new experience and after a couple of sessions, I have found it enjoyable and fulfilling.  I pray that whatever I do will be a good reflection of the Lord and will minister to these precious children during this wonderful year.

Football /Soccer:  The watching side of things hasn’t been the most appealing.  It was quite a pain to read about Australia’s loss to Kuwait in the Asian Cup qualifier.  The sad fact is that judging by that performance, the A-League will need to do better in churning out players rather than the odd world-class talent that plays in the English Premier League. 

The playing side of things has been good.  Our brilliant legendary football team, Football FC won the Revolution Sports Indoor Competition.  A good pre-season warm up for the Subiaco boys.  Pre-season at Subiaco United has been going well.  Fitness levels have been going up.  The only thing that has been hampering my preparation has been my lack of gym activity. Would need to stop procrastinating and get cracking before the season starts in April.  I pray that most importantly, that I’ll be a good example for God during the year (meaning not getting so angry) and have a good run in the first team.  I really hope to win some silverware with the club as I haven’t really won anything in my 3 years there.  Winning the Amatuer cup would be a glorious achievement. 

That’s all for now.  Will be trying to update more from now on..Pray that the week has been great for you.

Blessings,

Daniel

I know you all deeply miss my facinating posts online.  That being said, I have been extremely “busy” with life and haven’t actually found the time to post.  I will put a few updates later on about what has been going on.  Stayed up last night to watch the Carling Cup final between Manchester United and Tottenham.  Great game only that there were no goals.  Good to see Ben Foster emerge as the hero with a great penalty save and several others within the game proper.  United were marginally the better side with players like Gibson and O’Shea playing well but Tottenham did have their moments, most notably with Aaron Lennon a constant menace on the right flank exposing the poor positioning of Patrice Evra.  That’s why I hate playing full back!  That being said a good win for the boys with the quintuple dream still alive! 

I have a dwindling interest with the action in Europe these days and would be adopting a stronger focus towards football in Asia in my future posts.  It’s an exciting time in Asia in the race for places for the World Cup 2010 with Australia and Japan leading the way in Group A and North Korea threatening to spoil favourite Iran’s route to the World Cup in Group B.  The games have been of pretty good quality so far with the second half of qualifiers beginning on 28th March.  These are the current standings.

Group A 

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Australia	4	3	1	0	6	0	+6	10
Japan	4	2	2	0	7	3	+4	8
Bahrain	4	1	1	2	4	5	−1	4
Qatar	4	1	1	2	4	8	−4	4
Uzbekistan	4	0	1	3	1	6	−5	1

Group B

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Korea Republic	4	2	2	0	8	3	+5	8
Korea DPR	4	2	1	1	5	4	+1	7
Iran	4	1	3	0	5	4	+1	6
Saudi Arabia	4	1	1	2	3	5	−2	4
United Arab Emirates	4	0	1	3	4	9	−5	1

On an even closer home front, the Singapore Armed Forces have become the first club from Singapore to reach the Asian Champions League group stages.  It’s definitely a great milestone for us and a demonstration that the S-League is improving (slowly).   It’s going to be tough for the boys though looking at the potential opposition that are in the group.   

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Shanghai Shenhua	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Kashima Antlers	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Suwon Bluewings	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Singapore Armed Forces	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

That’s all for the football front, more updates to follow…

Blessings,

Huangster