Go Figure

I am all for sports development in Singapore but looking at the numbers on amount spent vs other social budget, does make one wonder...if Youth Olympics is really worth all the money spent - being over budget by over 300%. How does one justify or quantify tourism numbers, media exposure? It's your word against theirs. Perhaps the needy should have a marketing guru to help out in getting some much needed public funding.

S$387 million for YOG.
S$92.39 million for the needy.
S$83.02 million for families and VWOs.

Source.

Another thought, who control the purses here? Dr Vivian Balakrishna - Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports?
Wondering how the Minister reports about YOG overspending to the people, or in our case - the patriarch head.

Viv: "Sorry I overspend by S$200,000,000++..."
Old Man: "What to do, what's done is done...it's an honest mistake, let's move on. I only pay you S$ X000,000 for your cool medical background,I can't possibly expect you to be an auditor/accountant too"

Dr Vivian Balakrishnan was elected MP for Holland-Bukit Timah GRC, which was also one of the Town Councils which lost a lot of zeros in minibonds.
Wondering somehow if our Ministers are shielded from accountability and spared the rod,from losing S$8 million to overspending by S$200 million..I seriously do hope he doesn't join Temasek/GIC boards.

Rain rain rain

Been raining all week, can't get to shoot any hoops...
That's the problem with Singapore, not enough sheltered courts, and expensive indoor court booking charges. How to produce sporting talents when resources are not available? Food for thought for our Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports if he does ever read blogs.

Anyway my fav rain song...from my fav movie

Inline Skating

Saw this video link from a german friend on Facebook. Got me all excited and now I want to get back to skating every weekend. But need to get new blades, my old one is really dying on me as all the plastic straps have broken and I need crank straps to hold it in. Anyway for those who love inline skating here is the clip.

My weather-beaten Roces, only my second baby in my 16 years of blading!

Saw this new Skate park at East Coast couple of weeks ago. Have to try it some day! 

Local Basketball Amateur league

Having just completed our first season at Jammers League, I am so looking forward to the next season with my amateur league team - Spartans, which will begin in Nov after a month of rest. We did well to achieve our personal winning goal of 50%, in fact 55% of 11 wins and 9 losses and to finish 5th place out of 11 teams. The ride was enjoyable and so far we are limiting the team to only our friends and work colleagues as we tend to shout and scream, support and encourage each other. The need to have harmony in the team is crucial to a having a fun time since we are only here to try our best while enjoying our games.

My team Spartans have been playing together for about 5 years for now and we have played in the BBAXN league as well for a good 4 years. Quite often it was upsetting with the referees being "short-sighted" and sometimes we get "blind" ones as well. Haha but the league over there is rather competitive and hardly warm in feeling - we saw many fights and injuries over the years. Anyway we finally shut down our 1st team in that league and concentrate in the Jammers league which we found new friends and a hell lot more fun!

The Jammers League is endorsed by the Singapore Sports Council and organised by Project Hoopz. They try to bring a fun and enjoyable environment to the many basketball fanatics in Singapore. Project Hoopz organises basketball all year round, be it tournaments, leagues or scrimmages and also provide services such as customised jersey design and production. So do check out their website, if you are interested in joining a team or starting one. Hope to meet you guys on the court someday.

For some video clips of the fun we are having, please go to the jammers youtube channel.

BBAXN

Just in case you are living in Singapore and love the game of basketball and looking for an amateur league to join instead of queuing up for ball games at public courts which I recently saw, do pop over to bbaxn for your fix.

I used to join many seasons ago playing for the Spartans.




And also from a recent observation of crowding of basketball courts (we couldn't even pay $22/hr for a 7am slot at old NIE indoor court), I would just like to point out in the recent Feb '09's monthly digest of statistic Singapore - the numbers are based on bookings. And not a true representation of the number actually playing the sport. It seems to be that Tennis and Badminton have a huge base of avid players. But that's really because you can't really play these sports in the open without a court.

I still think there is not enough basketball courts in Singapore(I have at least played half the basketball courts in Singapore), especially sheltered ones. In rainy Singapore, and where I live around the catchment area of Macritchie reservior, there is none to be found. Strangely, the east seems to have more sheltered courts, not sure if its because there are more well known basketball school teams there or maybe because they have elections there often and ex-PM Goh is more pro-sports than my local disappearing easy-life-walkover MPs.

Seriously, our Government rather throw money on foreign sporting talents than build more facilities to ensure the citizens can enjoy and play sports which besides a healthier nation, we can perhaps nurture some talents. To think that Singapore Slingers and BBAXN which are private entities, are doing much more for local sports than my supposedly avid Minister of Community Development, Youth and Sports. So I hope they do not neglect basketball based on the stats as released recently. And I also hope we do not need an event like Youth Olympics to boost our own local incubators for sports.

These days, it is known that Sports and play are very important, because they are vital elements in the health, happiness and well-being of children and young people.

Yes I am still young - young at heart!