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Monday, March 30, 2015

Mr LKY's Funeral 29 March 2015




Supreme Court & City Hall Bldg, St Andrew's Rd 29 March 2015 @1030hrs

 

Crowd gathered along St Andrew's Road as viewed from Old Parliament House
  
State flag at Half mast above Supreme Court & City Hall Bldg 29 March 2015
29 March 2015 Sunday
It was a cool but cloudy morning as my wife and I set out to board the train to Raffles Station at 0900 hrs. From there we walked to the Parliament House area so that we can view the funeral procession. Upon reaching the Padang area at around 1000 hrs, we saw a big crowd already assembled around the Padang perimeter and City Hall area.

Supreme Court & City Hall viewed from Padang 1100 hrs 29 March 2015

One of the 23-pounder which gave the 21 gun salute during the funeral
 

We planted ourselves at the Old Parliament House area and finally settled down to an area near the side gate of the OPH, thinking that it would offer a great view when the procession departs from the Parliament House.


View of Supreme Court from our position at Old Parliament House @1020 hrs
 
The rain started falling around 1130 hrs. At first it was a light platter but it got heavier and heavier, and before long we faced a thunderstorm! We were utterly wet by the rain as the umbrella was quite useless. Amazingly all the people around us and everywhere did not flinch from their position. They braved the heavy rain and chilling wind to wait patiently till 1300 hrs when the procession began.
The rain did not relent during the procession which passed by very quickly. However, all our spirits were highly lifted when we saw the hearse with Mr Lee's coffin draped in state flag. People shouted his name, thank yous and goodbyes. It was really an emotional moment, really hit.

After that we hurried home to catch the live telecast of the rest of the funeral ceremony. The teary moment came when the bugle sounded 'The Last Post' and we observed a minute if silence after the eulogies by the various people. The ceremony at UCC ended at around 1700 hrs. The procession then headed to Mandai for cremation which was a private affair.

Dear Mr Lee, for the whole week we were captured, through the TV programme and newsprints, by the accounts of your struggles in the past, your vision of the future for Singapore, your sacrifices and your endearing moments, etc so much so that we suddenly thought we knew you very much better. You will always remain a part of our life and we will continue to tell our children and grandchildren about you as you are Singapore. 
Thank yo very much for leaving behind a safe and prosperous country for us to live. We are eternally grateful for that.
Thank you and goodbye.....may you find peace in heaven, together with your loving wife.
We know that you will continued to look after us up there.
The rain fell down heavily from 1130 hrs onwards, view of Supreme Court from Old Parliament House

 
Crowd stayed on spot despite very heavy rain

Crowd gathered along the Esplanade Drive 1130 hrs 29 March 2015

View from Old Parliament House
 
 
View from Old Parliament House of Supreme Court with Elephant Statue foreground
1200 hrs 29 March 2015

Heavy rain fell before the funeral procession 29 March 2015 1200 hrs

Mr LKY's hearse passing by fleetingly 29 March 2015 @1315 hrs





Sunday, March 22, 2015

EPL Week 28

super Sunday : Liverpool vs Man Utd
The Reds are in flying-form at this moment. Their momentum is very much higher, even higher than Van Gaal's team. They will surely want revenge for the defeat at Old Trafford which ironically was the turning point in the incredible run. Brenden Rogers is now targeting a top two finish for his team.

1-2: The red mist descended on Stevie G who managed only 38 secs as a second half substitute before seeing the red card. It was a moment of madness when he stamped on Herrera after a challenge that ultimately cost his team dear. Now the Reds are 5 points behind the Devils though the latter have more difficult obstacles to cross in the next few games.
This game between two historically fierce adversaries would always remained to be Stevie G's last folly, rather than the beautiful acrobatic second goal that Mata scored or the last minute penalty miss by Rooney or that man for man, Utd was the better team. What a sad and disappointing moment for this great great player before he departs from EPL at the end of the season.
With this win, van Gaal did the double over the Reds, a great revenge after last season's debacle. It also silenced lots of critics as he seemed to have found the right formula...next up, Villa, Man City, Arsenal, Chelsea...

  Juan Mata executed a perfect scissor kick to score his and Utd's second goal, pass from di Maria
Source : 90 minutes
  Liverpool v Manchester United - Premier League


Steven Gerrard, Liverpool captain
 Sad moment for Stevie G in his last game against Man Utd when he got the straight red card.
              Source : Reuters


Liverpool v Manchester United - Premier League
Newcastle vs Arsenal: The Gunners are knocked out of CL Qfinal once again. The mountain of overcoming a 3-1 home deficient was too much to climb. Though they won 2-0 at Monaco, they went out by away goals scored against them. Though they will be deeply disappointed at the elimination, they should be able to pick themselves up against the poor Toons.

1-2 : Olivier Giroud score a brace to keep the Gunners at third, maintaining their league form.

WBA vs Man City:  After the hammering by Barcelona at Nou Camp, will the Citizens be able to lift themselves up again to concentrate on their bread and butter league games? Only Joe Hart was able to repel the Barca onslaught to keep the score line to 1-0, 23 shots 11 on target, to go out on a 1-3
aggregate loss. Pelligrini's head is in the chopping board now.

0-3: in the domestic league, the Citizens are in a different planet. Now Kompany wanted to win all their remaining games.

Spurs vs Leicester: 4-3  Harry Kane, who was called up by England for the forth coming friendly games, scored a hat trick to keep Spurs in the CL place hunt.

Hull vs Chelsea : Jose Mourinho knew that his cruising side will be able to keep their form after losing out to PSG in the CL. They are steely enough to continue their EPL dominance. Hull City, away, will not be an obstacle.
2-3 : the fighting Tigers could not prevent the Blues from a hard fought win.


Passing of Mr Lee Kuan Yew

Sunday, 22 March 2015: As our family prepared to go for my wife's birthday dinner at Causeway Point, the sudden thunderstorm which started around 1630 was particularly heavy and strong. The lightnings were striking with such ferocity accompanied by very loud thunder, that we thought an earthquake had struck. My wife and I were saying to each other that 'the sky seemed to be making a loud statement, something is going to happen soon'. It really happen!!!!

Monday 23 March 0318 hrs : our dear founder PM passed away at SGH where he was hospitalised since Feb 5. He had fought a great battle, whether while living or dying, there will not be another such a great man.
When he took Singapore out of Malaysia in 1965, I was a primary 5 pupil. The significance of it did not register until when I started secondary school, when we first recited the National Pledge. We began to value our existence as an independent country, in front of my Malaysian friends in Poly later on.
My perception of him was one who was 'unreachable' . He seemed so aloof and far away. I always hear stories of him being a hard taskmaster. Heard that one principal had to leave because the grass in his school was not cut when LKY visited. However, in retrospect, I began to understand his need to be one-minded, do what was required for the survival of the nation, disregarding all distractions and criticisms. He did what was right for Singapore, set the direction to move forward. There were so many initiatives that came from his foresight.....the Marina Bay, Singapore River Cleanup, Gardens by the Bay, self sufficiency in water supply, etc. As a son of Singapore, I give my upmost respect for him. It made me proud to be a Singaporean, especially when other countries gave us respect when we visited them as tourists.
May he rest in peace. May he find peace in heaven, to be with his dear wife.



  
                                             Mr Lee Kuan Yew 1923 - 2015

Monday, March 16, 2015

EPL Week 27

Man Utd vs Spurs: The first of the tough games in March for the Red Devils and it did not come easy at this time, esp having lost to Arsenal in the FA Cup and Spurs are in form. A must win for the Red Devils in the fight for CL places. It is another disappointing and trophy-less year for the Red Devils.
3-0 : This is one of the few times that lots of 'positives' came out of the Red Devils display. Everything was perfect, Fellaini was not criticized, Mata started and influenced, there was an all round attacking play......one down, and next up will be Liverpool at Anfield next Sunday. Will Van Gaal dare to adopt such formation again?


Arsenal vs West Ham : the Gunners are in a new high after dispatching off the Red Devils in the FA Cup Qfinals. Sam Allardyce side will not be able to compete.
3-0: No problem with the win as Allardyce team is in a free fall after early season surge up the table. Seemed that the Hammers are satisfied with where they are now... No relegation worries. Arsene Wenger said that his team is a 'different team during the run-ins'. They knew how to collect the third prize.....Arsenal can now go to Monaco in the CL next week to turn their 3-1 defeat around. Can they?

Chelsea vs Southampton: Jose Mourinho said that he will 'not cry' after the extra time loss to PSG in extra time, on way goals, in the CL qfinal. The Blues were leading 2-1, and 3-2 aggregate, against 10 men, with six minutes of extra time to go before Thiago Silva scored to knock them out.
It will business as usual when they meet high flying Soton.
1-1: wrong! It was not business as usual when the Saints achieved a worthy draw at Stamford Bridge. However, the Blues are still ahead, by 6 points with a game in hand over 2nd place Man City.

Burnley vs Man City: After holding the Citizens to a draw at Etihad earlier in the season, the Clarets once again stunned their opponents by winning with a second half goal despite being dominated
(71% possession and 21 goal efforts by City). It seemed that Pelligrini side is losing steam already and they may yet be knocked out by Barcelona in the CL next week. The repercussion of this defeat will not be known until Sunday when Chelsea, with 2 games in hand, plays. Once again , Jose Mourinho is smiling widely with this early result, the title is for him to lose with 9 games to play.

Swansea vs Liverpool: 'We're high on confidence, we have the momentum'..so said Jordan Henderson, the Liverpool captain after their lucky 1-0 win at Swansea. The Reds are really flying at this moment with their 6th successive clean sheet away from home in the Premier league. No wonder they are anticipating a triumph over the Red Devils at Anfield on Sunday. That will be the game to decide CL football though there are 8 more games to go after that. The fiercest rivalry is ignited once again....

http://www.espnfcasia.com/blog/the-toe-poke/65/post/2348637/wayne-rooney-knocked-out-by-phil-bardsley-in-boxing-bout

Monday, March 9, 2015

FA Cup Q finals 6 Mar

The only EPL game of the week involving the top 6 as all the clubs not involved in the FA Cup got a breather.

QPR vs Spurs: 1-2  Harry Kane had scored 26 goals in all competition with his brace at Loftus Road. He is definitely the player of the season. QPR is now staring in the relegation zone, Chris Ramsey doing his best to avoid that, but is luckless...Spurs is now confident on chasing a top 4 spot.

FA Cup Qfinal

Man Utd vs Arsenal:  Danny Welbeck came back to Old Trafford to haunt his once 'beloved' Red Devils by scoring the winner in the second half.
Utd fans once again witness a possessive but toothless display from Van Gaal side. The statistics: 20 vs 8 fouls, 5 yellow cards vs 2, 1 red (Angel di Maria's two yellows) and 59% possession indicated and exposed Van Gaal's flawed philosophy. Utd fans are used to the 'attack, attack , attack' way and this present side is a bore and painful to watch. Just wonder why Falcao was not trusted to start but remained an unused sub after Welbeck scored on the hour. He is so much more expensive than Welbeck.
Arsene Wenger can now have a wry smile as his side is now the hot favorite to retain the Cup as Liverpool could be the only Premier league side left in the semi. His triumph at Old Trafford also wiped away the past nightmares against the Red Devils during SAF time.
It also ascertained that his present Gunners have the substance to be challenging at the top. For Van Gaal, he could not keep his record of winning at least a trophy in the first year at every club he managed. It must be a big blow to his super ego.

Liverpool vs Blackburn Rovers: Despite their red hot form, the Reds could only drew 0-0 with a resolute Blackburn side. The Championship side now earned a deserved replay and has every chance to advance to the semi.

Only Aston Villa Qualified for the FA Cup semi final played on Saturday. Bradford and Reading have to replay

Arsenal Wenger must be smiling wider as his side is kept apart from the Blackburn - Liverpool winner. They could not have an easier semifinal opponent than Bradford or Reading, a big reward for defeating Utd!!!!!

Wednesday, March 4, 2015

EPL Week 26 (Midweek)

The mid week games saw all the top six teams winning to maintain the status quo at the top of the table.

Newcastle vs Man Utd: 1-0 Nearly 70% possession and yet no penetration, this is the story of LVG's team so far. It took a 89 min goal from Ashley Young to settle a relatively easy win. What was baffling was that Van Gaal left Falcao on the bench throughout, deploying only Rooney as the striker. Even the substitutions were from the defense and midfield...Mata for Fellaini, Januzaj for di Maria, Carrick for Rojo,. Maybe it was LVG philosophy of possession football which stifles the opponents but made winning difficult as there is no thrust.

Next up will be the final FA Cup game against Arsenal, another frustrating display at home?

West Ham vs Chelsea: The Blues must be in a high after their Capital Cup win while the Hammers are in a slump.
0-1 A tired win but still a win....

Man City vs Leicester::2-0 a workmanlike win over the bottom dwellers steadied City's ship considerably.

QPR vs Arsenal::1-2. A routine Gunners win despite Charlie Austin making it nervy at the finish

Liverpool vs Burnley::2-0 with this form, no one would bet against the Reds making into the top 4

Spurs vs Swansea: Spurs must pick themselves up after their disappointment in the Capital a Cup final.
3-2 Spurs was given a fright but finally held on for the crucial win to maintain their hope...

Sunday, March 1, 2015

EPL Week 25

Man Utd vs Sunderland: A blow by Swansea last week should make Van Gaal realize that his team is very unbalanced, the defense really need a kick in the ass. This Red Devils team is not one which the fans are proud of as they prod and labored in most games. Jamie Carragher is already predicting a Pools win when they meet later in the month at Anfield.
2-0 : It is a norm nowadays to see a Man Utd win as 'labored, uninspiring, etc' and this home win is another in the long list. Rooney showed his value as a striker by scoring the brace when Van Persie was injured. How long will Van Gaal keep this type of labored wins going?

Liverpool vs Man City: Both teams have European exertions. Brendan Rogers already made an excuse, in case the Reds lose, about Man City having more time to recover. The Blues may be suffering over their 2-1 loss to Barcelona in the Champions League.
2-1 : The Reds is in top form, surging up towards a CL place. It is a repeat of last year's result when Liverpool was chasing the title. This loss is significant for the Citizens as they are now 5 points behind Chelsea with one game more played. Arsenal is only 2 points behind, pressure is on for Pelligrini.

Arsenal vs Everton: The Gunners must still be in a great shock after being thrashed 3-1 at home by Monaco in the CL, even though they were in top form domestically. Can they regain their composure?
2-0: the Gunners recovered from their mid week debacle with the solid win to go third in the table.

Chelsea vs Spurs : Capital One Cup final At Wembley
Spurs came into this match in a bad form as they crashed out of the Europa League, losing 0-2 to Fiorentina. Roberto Soldado was the chief culprit in missing the scoring chances.....will Pochettino start with Harry Kane instead?
Chelsea is in a better shape as they drew 1-1 with PSG in the CL last week, though they are showing
signs of fatigue.
2-0 : first trophy for Mourinho in his second time in charge of Chelsea. Spurs could not repeat their recent 5-3 thrashing in the final.... The Blues were generally in control throughout the match. No wonder Jose Mourinho was celebrating like a little kid after the final. His team is now 5 points ahead of Man City with a game in hand.