Hello Kitty is not a cat!

Whaaaat!!!!???? Why???? Then???? Many people around the world must be wondering the same thing as me. We have all our lives been thinking that this character with whiskers and no mouth is a kitten as she is called 'kitty' right? Wrong! According to Sanrio, Hello Kitty is actually a British schoolgirl named Kitty White, is a Scorpio, has a twin sister, and their parents are George and Mary White. She also has a pet cat of her own called Charmmy Kitty.

How interesting is that? Why then does this British schoolgirl have whiskers, no mouth and has a name called kitty. Feels like we have all been taken for a ride by Hello Kitty. LoL. 

Next question. Is Doraemon a cat? Is Snoopy a dog? How about Mickey Mouse, Pooh Bear, Pink Panther? Are they what we think they are? Hmm...

MRT Trains Chartered for ACS Students to watch rugby match

5 trains from SMRT were chartered for Anglo-Chinese School (ACS) staff and students to watch the ‘C’ Division rugby championship final between ACS and St Andrew’s Secondary School at the Singapore Sports Hub. 

This is the first of its kind in Singapore and must have been an awesome experience for everyone in ACS. However, another piece of news puzzled me, LTA is considering taking action against SMRT for allowing this to happen and not seeking approval from them. 

I feel that such action is totally uncalled for and instead of 'considering taking action', LTA should consider applauding SMRT for adding some style to its way of transportation. From the view point of ACS, this is an innovative and most cost effective way of transporting so many students as it would have cost a lot more to charter buses. As for SMRT, as long as normal services are not affected to a great extend, there is no reason to reject ACS. 

This goes to show that Singapore is still a long way from breaking free of its tag of being a "fine" country and also a "law by law" culture where we are an approval seeking society.

Oh, about the rugby match they all went to watch. Well ACS beat St Andrew who were the defending champions by a scoreline of 28-8! 

Winning The TOTO

This is one interesting piece of news on the front page today. The most difficult prize to win in Singapore just got more difficult! The winning combination of six numbers have been increased from 45 to 49. I once read that the odds of winning the top prize in TOTO is about 1 in 8 million (i.e correctly pick 6 winning numbers). With 4 more numbers being added, i would say the odds will be well over 1 in 10 million. 

The minimum prize has been increased to at least $1 million from the previous amount of $500,000. And each row of numbers now cost a minimum amount of $1, up from 50 cents previously.

There will also be a new category where $10 can be won by just correctly picking three numbers. 

There is a saying "buy lottery is like buying hope" and although this hope has become more out of reach, i am sure there will be no drop in the number of people queuing up at Singapore Pools betting stations.

When It's Not Your Time

When It's Not Your Time

A breathtaking clip of close shaves with death. Shows us how fragile our lives can be and why we should treasure our loved ones more.

5 Life Lessons Learned From Goalkeepers

Unlike previous World Cups, this year has been a highlight for goalkeepers. We are so used to goal scorers and goal creators hogging the headlines that it is actually quite refreshing to see goal stoppers leading the news.

There are many outstanding keepers this World Cup like Guillermo Ochoa of Mexico, Tim Howard of USA and Keylor Navas of Costa Rica probably stands out from the rest. Most notable mentions are for Tim Krul of the Netherlands and the ever consistent Manual Neuer of Germany who also won the Golden Glove award for being the top goalkeeper at the World Cup 2014 in Brazil. They have all made significant contribution to their team's chances of getting through to the next round. 

As we talk about the goals and saves of the World Cup we should note that there are some important lessons to be learnt from it too. Here are some things we can learn from goalkeepers;

1) There is always that one friend that will back you up

Manual Neuer of Germany won the Golden Glove award for being the top goalkeeper at the World Cup 2014 in Brazil. He produced many crucial saves throughout the competition. His ability to control and pass the ball with comfort at his penalty area with his feet as well as timely runs out from his box to clear danger has enabled his teammates the confidence to roam forward searching for goals. 

Look around us. Do we have a friend or someone who will back us up no matter how many times we may screw up or when we need a back to lean on?

2) Life is not always fair 

Jasper Cillessen was Netherlands's number one goalkeeper throughout the World Cup but was being substituted by Tim Krul when the game against Costa Rica went into penalties. Tim Krul went on to save 2 penalties and became a national hero for bringing Netherlands to the semi finals. 

Cillessen's performance had been consistently good throughout the tournament and made a few crucial saves during the match. But to be substituted in such a manner is in a sense, insulting to him. 

Do we sometime find ourselves being overlooked no matter how much effort we put in?

3) No risk, No gain

Based on the above example, taking out your number one choice goalkeeper and replacing him when he is on form takes a lot of courage and a huge risk as well. For whatever reason, this gamble paid off in huge dividends as Netherlands successfully gained entry to the next round. 

There are many major decisions each of us has to make in our lifetime, whether it is based on calculated risk or just plain luck. The idea is to just stick to it and follow through and we may just get what we wished  for.

4) There is a thin line between being a hero and a villain

It's tough being a goalkeeper at any level and especially at such a big tournament like the World Cup. A goalkeeper can make 9 saves out of 10 shots and nobody notices, but the 1 shot that he lets in will invite the whole world's condemnation. This is in total contrast to being an outfield player or even a striker whose job is to score goals. 1 shot that ends up being a goal against 9 misses he make and still he will be adorned like a hero.

5) Keep trying and you'll succeed

Tim Howard made a record of 16 saves and was outstanding in a match against Belgium and it was not until extra time that the Belgium managed to score against him. Although both teams did not deserve to lose, it also shows that perseverance will get you through if you try hard enough.  The Belgians succeeded on their sixteenth try.  How many tries are we willing to make in order to achieve our goals? That is the question we have to ask ourselves.