football in america

like most of you, i have been glued to the world cup.

following it here, in the US, has been a particularly fascinating experience. Speaking to Americans and listening to American commentators has given me some insights into their thoughts on football, and maybe, life.

americans have an obsessions with stats. at many inopportune moments during a game, ESPN will indulge in a computer graphic that shows some inane statistic - like number of times a team that has gone a goal down before half time has eventually won, number of headers on target in the last 15 minutes or number of blond players to have won a world cup.

the statistic is obviously then used to suggest something about the probability of certain outcomes during the game. sometimes, there is sense behind this. after all, there must be concrete reasons - lethargy on one side, a desperate dash to the death for the other - why so many goals have been scored in the last 15 minutes of play. concrete reasons that are, quite likely, to play out again.

but when pure statistics are used to buttress grandiose statements, things get ridiculous. "The Swiss have the best defence" or "The Spanish are the most impressive team", two things I heard after the first round.

This obsession with statistics also leads them to carve up the game into 15 minute blocks, or worse still, individual plays. "Sweden lost the game in 12 minutes and 2 plays" after their match with Germany, the commentator then suggesting that they had only been beaten, that they were only inferior, over the course of those 12 minutes. Which, of course, ignores any difference in the way Germany would have played had they not scored those 2 goals early on.

In truth, Germany was by far the better team over 90 minutes. Sweden never had a sniff.

thus, what is to many of us a beautiful 90 minute drama of shifting tides, fiery motivations, unbridled joy and intolerable anguish is summarily reduced to a couple of key events or highlights. sure, every sports highlight show does this, but my point here is that this is the way Americans approach their sport.

I was shocked, disappointed, and then mostly amused, when I was supposed to watch a great game with an American friend, and he casually told me, "Yah, don't worry, we can go grab some burgers and easily get back with 30 minutes of the game left."

WHAT?

Besides being a poignant commentary on the American preference for eating over exercise, the point is that the end result and the key incidents are all that matter here. But then again, maybe that is all that's important. Why do we the rest of the world get so caught up with everything in between?

I also found out why football will never make it big in America. Not enough stoppages for ad time. So not enough money. So not enough interest. The mullah matters too much here, not the beauty of the game.

Finally, a little something on their penchant for irritatingly obvious puns. ESPN came up with numerous catch phrases, like "Swede Sixteen" when Sweden went through to the 2nd round, and "Going, going, Ghana", when Brazil had almost beaten the Africans. I found it tiresome after a while, but the smart cookies at ESPN will be happy to know that a pandemonium of parrots in bars across America were titilated by these linguistic tricks. Play it again, sam.

Malaysia

I have spent the last few weeks in Malaysia doing research, so I suppose it's only apt that I write a bit about this wonderful country.

I am now certain that food in Malaysia is better than in Singapore. I used to always tell people that the food is the same in both countries. But now my mind is made up. And it's not simply a function of better/ fresher ingredients. There is more variety, they are more adventurous, they are more innovative.

Traffic in KL is horrendous. Taxis drivers are underpaid and hence lack motivation. In some situations, it is impossible to move if you do not have your own car. It reminds me of LA. And, IMHO, the same developmental blunder is at the root of their misery - a strong lobby that wanted to put a car in the hands of every citizen. For Ford, read Proton. Cheap cars, low investment in public transport, horrible traffic jams.
(Please try to digest the above para with Singapore lenses...i.e. if you're coming from Bangkok, you may not find KL's traffic that bad)

KL-ites are not punctual. And traffic is often cited as justification for this sloppiness. How to argue? So, always call before leaving for a meeting - three times (out of 8 meetings) the person cancelled at the last minute. Second, expect other party to be about 30 minutes late.

Hmm, nevertheless, I learned how to relax a bit more, and then I got into the swing of things...quite a merry pace of life.

and super food.

a Singaporean dilemma?

I reproduce the below correspondence between an old Junior College classmate and myself, only to show the struggle that many of my contemporaries may currently face...

This was in response to me telling him that I was, for the foolish moment, trying to make it as a full-time writer in Singapore.

"I am probably coming home in late june/july for a month or so.
In any case, continue to do whatever it is you do, biographies,
writing, etc. It is truly a relief and a welcome change from the rest
of us who have to hold down regular jobs. I like my job (it's sort of
non-hierarchical and erm, own time own target) but I am glad you are
trying to do what I would never dare to even attempt.
It's this idea of responsibility and respectability tied to a
conventional job (most preferably a professional one, lawyer, banker
etc) that's so deeply embedded that even when I recognize it as a
facade for us to hide behind, i cannot abandon it.
It's such a vicious cycle too. I get job, I pretend I am a
professional, to extend the pretensions I need to buy a house, a car
and all the other accoutrements that come with professional life, and
therefore i need money which means I need the job.(usually more than
the job needs me).

ah well, i can ramble on. but i'll save for when i get home next month or so.
i do wish for the old jc days when things were simpler. i hope to see you soon. "

Courts in Singapore come under scrutiny

That's the title of a great piece in last Tuesday's International Herald Tribune. Do read it, a landmark case where a Canadian Court of Appeal is set to determine the fairness and impartiality of Singapore's judicial system.

Stay tuned, what they unearth during the entire trial will be quite interesting.

Besides, we Singaporeans generally only respond to economic incentives, pressures or impulses. This commercial dispute - between Canadian and Singaporean companies - will strengthen the integrity and independence of our judiciary.

If need be, that is.

a quote

“There is no more perfect form of subjection than the one that preserves the appearance of freedom.”

- Rousseau

Singapore Elections Key Points

The People's Action Party (PAP) will form our Government with 66.6% of the vote.

The opposition won 33.3% of the vote. i.e. they have the support of 1 in 3 Singaporeans.
However, our first past the post voting system ensures that 1/3 of the vote only garners them 2 out of 84 seats in Parliament, or 2.38%.
This is a huge disjoint between popular support and parliamentary representation.

I have much respect for the residents of Hougang and Potong Pasir, the two wards with incumbent opposition candidates. In the run-up to the election, the PAP promised them S$100 million and S$80 million respectively - in the form of estate upgrading plans - if they voted them in. Despite the dangling carrot, the residents once again chose the charming Mr. Low Thia Kiang and the indefatigable Mr. Chiam See Tong to represent them.

The next time somebody says that Singaporeans are all materialistic and lacking in ideals, tell them to go visit Hougang and Potong Pasir. (It is a claim that this blogger often makes..:( I am surely guilty of generalizing)

So, the ruling party is back in power. It's actually all well and good, nobody else can possibly run this country now. But kudos to the opposition, most of all, for awakening thousands of Singaporeans out of political apathy.

The people are engaged.

Elections: My vote is secret

Over lunch. With a colleague.

"So you going to vote?"
"Yes! I'll get to vote this time."
"Great! Who you going to vote for?"
"I can't say...."
"Oh. Really?"
"Yes...really...my vote is secret."
"Oh?"
"Yes...my vote is secret....only the Government knows."

Elections: Of course the PAP!

It is an exciting period in Singapore. On May 6th, we go to the polls to choose our next Government. I, like many other Singaporeans, do not have to vote. Because the all powerful People's Action Party (PAP) is being returned unopposed in my district. This is not uncommon. In almost every election, less than half the electorate actually vote. Funny, huh?

I asked the waiter at lunch today, "Who are you going to vote for?"
"Of course the People's Action Party!" he said, with some gusto. Another sycophantic fan, I thought.
"Why?"
"I have voted for the PAP every single time, sir!"
"Why?"
"Very simple. I am worried that if I vote for anybody else, the Government will check my serial number and blacklist me."

Oh.

I wonder.....how many people actually choose out of fear?

Chinese/Malay/Indian

'Malaysia: Death of a Democracy', John Slimming

I'm only just getting into this book about the May 1969 racial riots, apparently it's banned in Malaysia...written, in 1969, by this Englishman ...anyways, there are lots of fascinating little passages, here's one:

In 1950, during the Korean war, the demand for natural rubber caused a boom on the world markets; rubber prices soared. They rose to more than two dollars a pound; the highest figure that year was M$2.38. The attitudes of the three racial groups to this considerable increase were very different and highlight the differences in racial temperament.

The Chinese rubber tappers went out every day in family strength and they tapped every tree as often as they could; they collected every drop of latex they found and many of them quickly made a small fortune. They banked their money or they bought gold which they hid in their houses.

The Indians behaved in the same way, tapping as much and as frequently as possible but few of them made any attempt to save their earnings. With unexpected wealth they bought new clothes, saris for their wives, expensive brands of cigarettes; they bought refrigerators for houses where there was no electricity and then used them as cupboards; some of them bought second-hand cars to drive to the rubber fields.

In contrast to all this activity and business, the Malay villager calculated that if, when the price of rubber was one dollar a pound, he had to work twenty days in the month to make a living, then, when the price rose to two dollars it was necessary for him to work only ten days for the same money. So, while the Chinese and the Indians tapped more and worked harder, the Malays worked less and passed their time in a more leisurely manner. The Malay has an infinite capacity for enjoying the simple pleasures of his kampong life. The rubber boom was nineteen years ago. Now he is being forced to become more conscious of his country's economy but there is still no indication that he is becoming more industrious.

The Chinese are far more numerous than the Indians and their control of industry and commerce is greater; for this reason the Malays fear the Chinese more. The Chinese have economic power which the Malays resent.

An Old Muslim Democracy?

Buddy Nuno Santos and I spent two weeks driving around Malaysia last December, taking lots of photographs, including an election in Kelantan. We've put together a pictorial entitled An Old Muslim Democracy?, do check it out.