Arsenal's defeat: Icelandic Volcano Eruptions = Cancellation of flights = Train Travels = Longer hours = Bad performance???

Image above from monstersandcritics.com

As much as I love travelling, I hate long overland journeys (3 1/2 hours to Manchester). I would prefer the plane, but being a student, I can't afford it :(

My longest on land journey to date is the Beijing-Haerbin-Beijng trip, 12 hours each way!

A case of travel lag?

Professional footballers nowadays are quite spoiled I must say, flying to their games and then flying back. It is not only in the BPL that this happen, but certain clubs in the Championship does too (couldn't name the club since I couldn't verify this info).

It make sense, shorter travel hours, more comfy and of course, being part of the BPL gravy train, they could afford it.

However, with the now well publicized flying ban, these little pampered pooches must now travel via coach (bus in our language) or train and it seems one of two players/team were quite affected by this.

Arsenal's destruction

Mr. Wenger puts it down to 'lack of discipline and focus', you can read the article here. But my opinion is the players were rattled by the sudden change of travel arrangements. It's kinda like being used to driving an imported car but suddenly being given a Proton, or worse still a Perodua.

Make no mistake, the coaches they travel in are quite comfy I am sure, but the journey would of course be much more bumpier (coach) and less peaceful (coach and train). Someone might have missed that all important nap maybe?

Proof is in the next game

Nope, not Arsenal's next game against City (if this attempt fails, then Eastland/Blackburn game will be my other chances, also the Chelsea Stoke/Pool game if the flying ban is still imposed then) but a less publicized game in the Championship between Plymouth Argyle and Newcastle.

Here's some interesting facts: Newcastle is way way way up north, they border Scotland while Plymouth is way down south, even further than Portsmouth! That's 740 miles apart, 10 hours by coach or 6 hours by train! Oh yes...

The game would be played tonight, thus let's see the manner the results were achieved.

What I am looking for are:

1. Sloppy goals.

2. Destruction in the closing minutes

3. Beautiful goals, but Newcastle lose

To add a little bit of spice, Plymouth are 23rd, 2nd from bottom, while Newcastle are top of the Championship. This game still hold plenty of significance, if Newcastle wins or draw, they will be confirmed Champions, while at the other end, if Plymouth lose or draw, they will be relegated.

Pretty much the scenario with Arsenal and Wigan, title chaser v. relegation fodder, let's see if my hypothesis would be proven true: Footballers are too pampered to take any change in their travel arrangements, in short, they are pooches :)

Regards,
Ben Lai

Amazing Singapore!

Dear Blog,

I had the pleasure to travel for the few weeks prior to my departure, some were planned trips, some impromptu and borne out of necessity.

One particular one did stand out. There is this little feisty little island just south of Malaysia, Singapore. Well known for its multicultural society which includes a good mix of Caucasian and people from all 5 corners of the world, being a city which pride itself of being a civic society and often unfairly branded as a granny state.

I do feel the granny state moniker does not fit the billing for such a vibrant city. Far from being, jaded, old, conservative and haggard, what greets you is a city bustling with activities. The busy MRT service ferries shoppers and office workers in great efficiency, shopping malls very packed to the bream and everyone around seems very comfortable in flaunting their own styles. Everywhere you look, there is a hive of activity going on.

I might sound like I was overawed by Singapore, but overawed I was not, more of the acknowledgement that the place is pretty much alive and very trendy for a weekend visit. No wonder my brother and sister chose to make this country their place of work/study-a-calling.

Notwithstanding the above, I picked to visit the Jurong Bird Park instead. I had arranged for dinner with my brother, sister and come friends later in the evening and spending a day shopping alone was not on the cards at all, would prefer some quite time, some chirping and colourful feathers hopping around would not be too bad a plan.

How did I end up spending a day with some feathery (penguins too have feathers!!!) friends? An event on the 2009 Reason to Visit Singapore facebook calendar caught my eye. For those who fancy spending a weekend away from the shopping malls and the hustle and bustle of the city, Jurong Bird Park is a place just for you. Show proof you are Malaysian (those holding student visa or working pass excluded) and get 50% of the entrance fee, add on a lucky dip just for the weekend of 14th March, it was a deal which I could not say no to.

Getting there was pretty easy, get off at Jurong Plaza MRT station (correct or not???) and hail a cab, a fee of approximately SGD5 was paid for my trip and off I head to the ticketing counter. A few snapshots of the entrance and I got a little bad news from my often so reliable Olympus FE-230, the battery went flat! That didn't dampen my spirit thou. I headed to the ticketing counter and presented my passport (the lady at the counter went through every page of my passport to check that I did not cheat, even asked for the disembarkation card too), SGD9 was the amount I paid and through the gates I go! (From this moment on it will be a test of my photographic memory rather than photographs to describe what I saw as the battery of my usually reliable Olympus FE-230 went flat...)

First up! The Penguins, according to the schedule, feeding is at 10.30 am, I am way passed that, but it seems like the penguins are still quite hungry for some bites – wave your hands in front of the floor-to -wall display glass and the swimming penguins would come close to you. Cute little beings.

There were a couple of parrots on the Talking Birds exhibit but I chose to give that a miss, have seen quite a few of these talking birds over the years. I am way too old to be impressed by some talking birds, kids would surely love them thou.

Fancy some photographic evidence of your visit to Jurong Bird park? Can't get into the enclosures to be close enough to the birds? Just drop by the Photography with Birds area. Colourful parakeets, Brazilian macaques (with their wings clipped) are well trained enough to perch on your hand and they seem to have an eye for the camera too, ever so obliging to pose for a great shot. Don't be spooked by their claws, they wont grab firmly to your arms and leave holds in them, they are pretty harmless.

No camera, no photos with rainbow coloured friends : ( Next up, some very magnificent creatures, flamingos! The vibrant pink coloured birds are native to the Amazon and obtain the pinkness of their feather from the food they consume. Talk about the cliche “You are what you eat”! A quick look at the map and there is another group of flamingos around the corner. The Flamingo lake contains a larger group of birds, cant really put a number of these birds in the pool (their bobbling head looking for food and the fact that they are quite far from where I am) but it seems like the flock numbers about 30 or 40-ish. They seem very accustomed to human as some inconsiderate visitors applied flash for their shot but the birds were not spooked at all. Shame on you (hopefully not Malaysian!) “flashing” photographer!

I took a short walk on the wooden platform running along the bank of the lake and saw something that I am sure we are all pretty much accustomed to, pelicans! How I wish I had charged my camera! There was one looking at me, with it's wings slightly spread out and body and beak tilted at a South East direction, it was a pretty sight indeed. I think it was mocking me, others were busy snapping away while I just stood there. I could have got a copy of the shot had I got the guts – there was this cute girl with a DSLR taking a few shots, had I been a little more courageous I could have asked for a soft copy to be sent to my email :) In the end I did not, I wished I had, not so much for the photo, but the girl was really quite adorable ; )

Back to our feathery friends. I gave a few other attractions a miss (e.g. Swan Lake, Parrot Paradise, Waterfall Aviary) as I was not dressed best for walking around (talk about Ben's weird fashion sense!) and took a detour to see something I love and adore – Mandarin Ducks (Yuen Yang in Mandarin). These cute little beings (I detest calling them ducks as they are just too pretty to be compared to those ducks we serve on tables!) are considered in Chinese culture as the symbol of fidelity. Not in the lovey-dovey mood? You often too see them on China at traditional coffee shops. Do a google search for photos of these beautiful creatures, those painting on bowls and plates just don't do justice to their beauty. If their beauty is not enough to captivate you, Yuen Yang (Mandarin ducks??? Yuck! What an insult!) mate for life, thus shouldn't we adore a creature of which devotion and faithfulness to the other half is of no comparison to that of our human society nowadays. Food for thought my friends :)

I rejoined the route at at the Dinosaur Descendants exhibit, but I also gave this a miss and proceeded to the Lory Loft. I am not talking about those smelly noisy vehicles on the road but rather colourful miniature parrot-like birds :) It's an aviary of lorys (lorries???)! Imagine having hundreds of lorys flying around and feeding right in front of your eyes! It's just like a rainbow on the horizon broke into pieces! What a spectacle!

Another bird which always draws my curiosity is the Bird of Paradise! What beauty, with it's flowing feathers and the fact that it could fly, I would rate it as much more beautiful than a peacock! It's elegant and at the same time, just like the peacock, a shy creature and the 10 or so minutes I spent gazing at it, it just perched there! Some in-flight actions would be nice!

As I was chasing time, I ended my tour here. Worth SGD9 (Apprx. RM23)? YES! Especially if you have kids and a family, or just an outing with friends or loved ones. There are strategically placed food and beverages outlet places within the park, but do mind your litter, from what I heard, you can be fined in the park too for littering!

Regards,
Ben Lai

The countdown begins...

Dear blog,

Today marks exactly 10 days from the day I would depart Malaysia.

Barring any 11th hour hiccups, I would be on board MH4 departing Malaysia at 1045 hours for Heathrow EAT 1415 hours (Local London time).

If you guys have calculated the days, 10 days from now would be Feb 14, and yes it is Valentine's.

I will be that lonely traveller, leaving everything he had throughout his 25 years of existence save for one single suitcase of clothes and some cash, in Malaysia and trying his luck in England.

The past week's news has been encouraging, at least I know there is still the real possibility that I might be greeted with snow when I step down from my flight, let's just hope it is not so bad that it diverts my flight to some other airport :) Even then, Paris might be a nice alternative as my first port of call ;)

Will be spending these few days with family and friends and also taking photographs of all things Malaccan and Malaysian which I would dearly miss. From the unethical drivers, the ever so warm and humid weather to the sinful but oh so delicious hawker food, sigh, it will all be 13 hours away soon.

I hate packing. Would love to rent a commercial container and just ship my whole room over. The comfy bed, my boxes of books, countless pairs of shoes and sneakers, 1/2 a wardrobe of clothes, but I guess with the limited space in my luggage, I just have to prioritise and just bring the essentials and purchase the others when the need arises.

One thing for sure, a packet or two of "bak kua" is in there, just in case I feel homesick :)

I guess this would be the penultimate if not the ultimate post before I leave.

Dear family and friends,

I will make it there, being Ben, he's stubborn, unwilling to listen and at times too positive, but he means well and see this as an opportunity to gain some experience overseas and return a better man.

Rest assured that the erratic behavior of yesteryear's would be left at the departure hall in KLIA and shall no longer be used to define Benjamin from that moment on.

It's crazy, leaving everything behind, for a foreign land 13 hours away, with no job offer in hand and living off goodwill of friends until I get a place of my own.

Let me go, make the mistakes, learn and grow. I believe this is for the better of all and it will work out fine.

Last but not least, there is no need for anyone to appear at the airport to send me off. It's Valentine's, spend it with your loved ones instead ;)

Regards,
Ben Lai

One step closer

Dear blog,

I finally obtained my Right of Abode, and I can hereby trully declare myself as a British-Malaysian-Chinese. As complicated as it might sound, to cut the story short, my Mom is British Chinese, I made the application to the British High Comm and it was approved :)

Other than THE British status, what else is in store for me?? Below are a few (or what I might assume):

1. Home student fees for higher education in the UK - Ever notice the distinction made between Home Students and Foreign in your UK Varisity fees brochures?? Yes, the difference is between the bracket of 10 - 25% depending on the courses and varsities which offer it :) So, I am now considered a Home Student and I would enjoy that discount :)

2. Unrestricted access to UK and beyond!: My application coincides with the move by the Her Royal Majesty's Government to tighten entry requirements for 11 non-EU countries and Malaysia is one of those included in the revised procedure list. For one, entry is now based on a merit basis, with XX amount of points given if you are professionally qualified and further pointers if you are etc etc... I bypassed the requirement as I am now considered a British subject! Hooray!!! No hassle to prove that I am qualified (not that I am not!!!) :)

3. Discrimination: Here I assume, I am not too sure whether it is true but according to relayed experience from friends in the UK, employers would prefer not to hire a foreigner who requires a working visa. I would understand their position as you would need to process the visa, get all the documentation sorted out and always be reminded at the back of their heads that the bugger might not see through his contract after all the troubles you went through to secure his visa in the first place. Sounds familliar?? It happens in the EPL all the time!!! :)

4. Doing what I like and not be discriminated: I have a dream, to work for a certain company. It is quite well know, the working environment is nice, the wages acceptable, but there is no glamour in it when you announce it to your uncle and aunties :) Which company is it? What job? I would make an announcement when I secure it. I know, I might still not get the oooohhs and ahhhhs when I let them know, maybe even a little bit of ticking off, but at least I could proudly say I am buying my own place in KL after only 1 year of working in England. Now that's an achievement isn't it? Eventhough I am holding an unglamourous job :)

I think I said enough. This is my first post, plenty more to come :)

Regards,
Ben Lai