Well, it has been about a couple of months since I've gotten the LG Renoir. Besides it being a 8mp wonder, the phone can take a couple of hard knocks.
Found clips of torture test the phone recently underwent and survived. The handset was left in the freezer at -20C for 12 hours, dropped to the floor, stepped on, thrown in a clothes drier for 15 minutes, caked in dust, dunked in wine, and run over by a Ford Focus. After all that it functioned just fine, suffering only a few scratches on the screen inflicted by the pavement.
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.
Heard that the Maloofs are flying commercial now. They are best known as the owners of the Sacramento Kings of the NBA and their sister team, the Sacramento Monarchs. Kings was a team which I used to support but when they shipped out Doug Christie and lost Peja and Webber, I called it quits and moved on. Anyway they have been having trouble filling the Arco Arena with the bad season they are having this year.
No more bubbly on the private jets for the Maloofs. Every trip is commercial airlines now. Guess the Vegas industry isn't as strong as it used to be - they own the Palms hotel and casino on the strip. And with the stocks on all casino shares for cheap, it will be hard to maintain the lifestyle they used to live. I remember watching on NBA that they flew out on their private jet to speak to Ron Artest and how he felt about coming over to Sacramento then back home to speak to the coach before making the trade.
Yes I think I should rant less, since it takes up time and energy to be allegedly denigratory, perhaps I should just throw it all in. Do more sports and be less concerned with how our leaders manage the country and where our government throws away our reserves. Let them do what they want since they can do it. Since I am no elite scholar, do not expect me to suggest wonderful solutions about it, just accept whatever they dish out and live in this Matrix-mentality society and be apolitical as they want us all to be. No way I am going to throw away my decent job and my life away demonstrating about it. Anyway cut me some Wee Shu Min slack, just because I rant online and not in a coffeeshop. Perhaps I will when I turn 50 and hang out at kopitiams and void decks, be a grumpy old man.
I churn out solutionless crap not because I am not happy with life, in fact I am very contented with my life so far besides a few pursuits which I am constantly still chasing. Seriously, I have a good challenging job, sufficiently paid to be able to occasionally travel out of the island and see the world, have a decent ride and great family and friends. I have enough time to enjoy sports and enough loose change for beer. So why am I complaining?
I just think Sillyporeans don't speak up, they choose to accept life the way it is dished out to them. And too many Singaporeans choose to read what they are spoon-fed, and accept their way of living as the only way they know. To many the Straits Times and local TV channels is the only source of news; but to some who choose to read this crappy blog, you think you know a lot more and what is perceived here are mere rants. In conceitedness, how different are you handling your peeves and who gives you the right to judge if a critique without an answer is pointless? To me I am just sharing what I read and how I feel about it, yeah I may not have solutions but its not my job to begin with. Pay me my millions, perhaps I can give a faster solution to losing billions.
Oh by the way do note my "humble" abode is in quotation marks or inverted commas - in no way am I humble when I spurn or vilify my local government. Humility and being critical does not go hand in hand.
So for now, more basketball...here's a clip of Chris Paul doing a quick under the leg pass to himself then an assist for an alley-oop dunk.
And yes, you can tell I am rather pissed off when people whom I think should know better, is telling how a personal blog should be. MYOFB...
Good news -14 individuals and companies are interested in setting up teams to take part in the inaugural ASEAN Basketball League (ABL), according to ABL chairman Tony Fernandes. Read more here.
Singapore Slingers will most likely field about 5-6 locals. Let's just hope we can get some of the last season's star players like Darren and Eric back!
