What happened today?
I am forced to shut my mind to things that impact me directly today. They\’92re too banal and too frigging common that I can\’92t help but look elsewhere for confirmation. As a word of caution, what follows will be just as banal so if you value your time, look somewhere else.
SPORTS
It\’92s going to be an all Middle East final for the Asian Football Cup, Japan and South Korea were sent packing by their respective opponents. South Korea had a taste of their own medicine when Iraq booted them out in the end game penalty shoot-out 3-4. SK administered this bitter pill to Iran a couple of nights ago and last night, I\’92m sure they\’92re gagging on that extra-large pill themselves. The good thing about Iraq is that as a country, it certainly does not lack for drama. As a form of celebration some of their countrymen fired guns. Needless to say there were some fatalities and a lot were injured by stray bullets. Then some suicide bomber using a car blew himself up, taking around 27 innocent folks with him to Kingdom Come. There\’92s never a dull moment in that part of the world it seems.
I remember an engineer friend who casually mentioned that he was offered a contractual job in Iraq which will pay him a million bucks a month. He declined it without hesitation which of course only served to raise one of my ridiculously sexy eyebrows. What the hell was he thinking? Hadlok man mamatay mura ra ba ug gwapo.
I wasn\’92t very much surprised when Saudi Arabia kicked Japan\’92s butt. I watched them play in one of their matches and they were marvelous to behold. Crisp and accurate passing, speed, and they also have the size advantage. I knew then when they were still on a collision course with the reigning Asian champions that they\’92re gonna be the ones who will be administering the beatdown when they meet. Again there\’92s the size advantage. It\’92s an unfair advantage if I may say so. When it comes to battling for headers for example, unless the shorter Japanese opponents can jump like Spud Webb, then there\’92s no way in Jersey that they\’92re taking control of the ball.
My favorite Singaporean asked me why these Middle Eastern guys are so much bigger than us South East Asians, I said it\’92s because of the desert.
That\’92s an incontrovertible fact.
I think the Saudis will win this one. They\’92re just more cohesive and more talented I think. Of course Iraq will always have a chance, and I do want them to win. That part of the world is ravaged enough that they deserve to have a respite from all that sadness. If football will buy them that, then we all should stand up and applaud.
WEATHER
It\’92s been raining daily now here in Singapore. Considering that this tiny country is in perpetual daily savings time, a gloomy morning can only spell L-A-T-E. The bed\’92s just too inviting and the early morning dark skies are not helping either. And who could really blame folks for not waking up on time? These days, even the sun seems to be late.Not me though, I\’92ve been waking up earlier and earlier everyday. It has something to do with creeping deadlines and well, fuck it, old age. Despite friends\’92 assurances that I am not old yet, I still feel that I\’92ve seen enough to last me a lifetime.
MOVIES
There was a good movie last night that made me miss my bedtime curfew. Night Watch is a Russian film and guess what, it\’92s in Russian! It\’92s gory and violent and sooo refreshing. After feeling hopeless watching countless movies exploit the good over evil angle, it\’92s a relief to finally see a film where Darkness triumphs over the Light.
I think this theme is more reflective of our current affairs. For every happy ending I\’92ve seen, I know ten more that are sob stories. A lot of these happy endings were even at the expense of some other folks\’92 sadness. With these numbers I really don\’92t understand movie directors’ fascination with a feel good story. It\’92s commercially more viable I think, but those are films of sell outs and scum. But even the good filmmakers are making \’91happy\’92 movies. I don\’92t know, perhaps it\’92s their way of contributing to the upliftment of the human spirit given that it\’92s taking a battering every day. I can certainly respect that, but that doesn\’92t mean its helping.
We can all make believe that everythings gonna turn out right. Probably they will, but more importantly, the numbers are leaning towards misery. Let\’92s all accept it. The world is a miserable place. No matter how many smiling faces you place in a billboard, at least ten times that number will be looking at it and frowning\’97everytime. There should be a fair share of miserable films. C\’92mon we deserve it. We don\’92t always have to go out of the movie house feeling exhilarated every time. It\’92s alright to be miserable more often. It\’92s this life\’92s recurring theme.
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