Archive for the ‘Singapore’ Category

Knocking On Oz’s Door

Sunday, April 23rd, 2006

My time in Singapore couldn’t have finished in much a better way. As a special treat, Alan took me over to the Penny Black, a Victorian-style English pub, with real ale from the tap which was bested only by the plasma screens showing Liverpool and Chelsea’s FA Cup semi-final live. The pub turns into the local Liverpool clubhouse whenever they play and you couldn’t move for fans in red shirts chanting and singing. Knowledge of “You’ll Never Walk Alone” and “Ring of Fire” were practically requirements to get in the door. Watching football with other fans after such a long absence (we’re talking Euro 2004 with a few English ex-pats) felt great, especially as we managed to hang on for the win. I think Alan might have been worried that I was having withdrawal symptoms from Japan, so to celebrate the result, we went on to another place for a bit of karaoke.
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Singaporean Surprises

Saturday, April 22nd, 2006

I’ve got a joke for you:

Q) What do you call a guy who injures his back playing tennis during a short vacation, subsequently spending 2 of his 5 days in bed barely able to move?
A) Lots of things. None of them polite.

Yes, I am that idiot. I played a few sets with Alan after going to Sentosa the other day. I won’t embarrass him by telling you the score though… Ok, he beat me 6-1, 6-1, 6-1. That ignominious defeat aside, worse was to come as injury added insult to injury. Sitting up, sitting down, laughing - it all hurts. Being laughed at hurts more though and Alan was busy telling all his mates how he’d destroyed someone half his age. Focusing on the second half of that sentence makes me happier though.
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