No more hiding! : 8 events for our nation to reflect upon

This post serves as a reflection of what our beloved nation, Malaysia have faced this past week. As an honest citizen it has been tough to see and hear all the news that has been spreading through. Some of these events may not link to country directly but it affects our nation in a different way. From education, politics, economy, none of these can show how far how our country has fallen as compared with sports. There is no hiding in terms of sports as it exposes the vulnerability general weaknesses for the whole world to see. Hence, this post will be focusing more to sports which have showed how far our nation is off the mark in a space of a week.

1)      SEA Games 2015

To those who don’t know, Singapore has just hosted a successful SEA Games in where besides being outnumbered in terms of population to us managed to notch up to 80 plus gold medals. Not only that, they achieved this by organizing and implementing first class infrastructure and creative way of introducing the athletes which even the Olympics has not seen.

2)      Closing ceremony of SEA Games 2015

As Malaysia being the next host for the games in 2017, we were given the stage for about 20 minutes to show a glimpse of what our nation’s culture is all about. To my utter shock, the whole 20 minutes was just a performance of traditional Malay dance and the Silat art. Chinese and Indian culture was nowhere to be seen and it was disappointing as this nation’s propaganda is ‘Satu Malaysia’. Can somebody explain this?

Where was the 'One Malaysia' concept?

3)      Provoking our very own gold medal winning athlete.

There were a few days of rage almost everywhere in social media as locals were constantly tormenting our very own national gold medallist Farah Ann. The reason of it was more bizarre as they were provoking her for her costume. There is a reason why gymnast women wear that costume as it custom designed for them to be more flexible for them to perform. Instead of being lauded for her dedication and hard work to achieve her feat, the incense she faced was nothing but injustice. More and more talents will be stunted in this country as they will feel that athletics has no future in this country if they are about to face this sort of treatment. Probably it will be better for athletes to represent another nation where their achievement will be more appreciated?

Unlikely victim: The Gold medal was not enough for Farah Ann to defend herself

4)      SEA Games final medal tally.

The final standings stood with our neighbouring country Thailand emerging with the most gold medals with 95 and host Singapore second with astonishing 84 despite the size of their nation. We were also behind Vietnam and drastic changes have to occur as we are the next host in 2 years’ time. The perception on Thailand has changed in the views of many Malaysians including me. Singapore has showed how much they have developed as a nation. Can we match these benchmarks in 2017?

5)      World Cup 2018 Asian qualifying (men football)

The structure and format of Asian qualifying has changed to give a more equal opportunity for all Asian teams to qualify for the most prestigious tournament that comes only once every four years. Drawn together with minnows Timor Leste and Palestine, many favoured Malaysia to finish at least third behind the much stronger opponents United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. Regardless of the nation just gaining independence in 2007, Timor Leste were able to come here and snatch a draw against us in the first fixture. If that is not bad enough, a heavy 6 nil drubbing at the hands of Palestine followed also at home. This is a nation that is literally torn apart by the war they are facing. This circumstance was not a problem for them to field a team that were able to come here and give us a merciless beating. Has the immature sacking of K.Rajagopal backfired the Football Association Malaysia? Can current manager Dollah Salleh prove his worth with upcoming fixtures against UAE and Saudi Arabia? He is definitely walking on tightrope now after a string of poor results.

Amri Yahyah apologizing to fans after the loss

6)      FIFA World Cup 2018 Asian qualifying (men football) – Singapore’s success.

In this same qualifying phase, Singapore was drawn in the same group as Asian giants Japan. Nevertheless, they went to Saitama, Japan and achieved an honourable draw. This is a Japan team consisting of players playing their trade and club football in the European leagues. Shinji Okazaki, Keisuke Honda, Shinji Kagawa and Captain Makoto Hasebe were all not able to penetrate the resolute and organized Singaporean team.

Dejected looking Japanese players after the final whistle

 The question here is how is there so much difference in quality between us and them? Changes have to be made all the way to the roots with actual proper academy and polish young talents from a young age. All the corruption and biasness within the association has to leave the door immediately. Singapore might not eventually qualify for the big thing but they have shown us that achieving something is possible with the proper frame of mind and preparation.

Proud moment: Singapore players celebrating their result in the changing room

7)      FIFA Women’s World Cup 2015

Generally known for their prostitution activities as a main source of income for their nation, has not held them back from being able to have a women football team that were able to compete the World Cup against the best female footballers in the world. They also managed to beat Ivory Coast before being eliminated in the group stages. They are showing great signs of development despite their early exit. Can Malaysian women follow in their footsteps?

Thailand women in the World Cup

8)      FIFA Under 20 World Cup (men football)

To put icing on the cake or relatively for us a final nail in our coffin, Serbia has won the under 20 world cup beating the mighty Brazil in the final. That being said, African countries like Mali and Senegal were able to reach the semi finals. It is incredible of what a small nation can achieve to beat all the odds. We are a nation of 27 million and Serbia has only 7 million. Enough said.

Day of the underdogs: Serbian under 20 team won the world cup today

There is no hiding on how our nation is off the pace and sports just illustrated it so much within this week. How and why can this happen? Is it realistically possible for us to change to this? Without a doubt, there are talents in this country. I fear that it is simply being tarnished by our education system in our country as there are no proper medium and academies here for people to show what they really like to do as students here are only pressured to study for grades and enter higher institutes blindly before realising what their true passion is. If it is to follow the methods of other countries for us to develop, so be it. There is no room for us to ignore and take for granted anymore as it is only for the betterment of the nation we love.

The Perfect Final

Champions League Final 6/6/2015 : Juventus vs Barcelona at Olympiastadion, Berlin

Rewind back the clock approximately 9 years, players like Claudio Marchisio, Georgio Cheillini and even a world cup winner Gianglugi Buffon himself were playing their trade in the Serie B. As world class as they may be, they showed amazing amount of loyalty to their beloved club and stood together at tough times. Juventus Football Club was charged for apparent match fixing scandal and was deducted by huge amount of points succumbing them to relegation and ending up to the second division in Italy. Since then, these players have brought back this legendary club to where it belongs and now have the chance to claim one final glory at the champions league final in Berlin against the mighty Barcelona Football Club. Since moving to Juventus from rivals AC Milan, Andrea Pirlo has lead them to 5 successive Serie A titles. What was AC Milan thinking? The last time Pirlo, Buffon and Barzagli visited Olympiastadion, they won the world cup with Italy back in 2006. Will this be another fairytale story for them? Can the Old Lady of Turin conquer Europe once again?

One last hurrah for Buffon?

The overwhelming favorites Barcelona on the other hand, undergone their own rough patch but believed in their principles of playing football the right way. The clockwork 4-3-3 formation used by them game in, game out has rewarded them in the most fashionable way possible as the whole team are in the same wavelength in terms of balance and chemistry. There are simply no other team in the world of football that is perfect with and without the ball. In recent years, teams have found a way to stop them by playing fast counterattacking football but with the addition of Neymar and Luis Suarez has made Barcelona back to unplayable again. However, the real reason of their decline was the form of Xavi because he was unable to dictate games like how he used to. His replacement, Ivan Rakitic has filled his void to aplomb. Man of the match in last season’s Europa League in which his former employees Sevilla FC triumphed, Rakitic has the chance to prove himself at the biggest stage of them all.

Rakitic: A vital component for Barcelona's success

Luis Enrique really stamped his authority by pushing back the majestic Lionel Messi back on the right to comply Suarez through the middle. This is an option the Barcelona team never had over the years which is a simple long ball to the main forward to create a fast transition from defence to attack. The positioning and triangles the Barcelona players form are simply breath-taking to watch in which at times they are a team from a different planet. The legendary Theirry Henry himself said “learning to play the Barcelona way is like learning a new sport, but once you master it, you will enjoy seeing it all flow to perfection”. This explains why Henry needed some time to get himself going during his time at Barcelona.

Magical Messi

Seen by many as the underdogs for this final, Juventus overcame all the odds in the semi-finals. The celebrity style line-up Real Madrid Football Club had, could not match the hard work, organisation and effort the Italians champions offered. They defended as a unit and never exposing themselves in a vulnerable one on one situation against the Madrid stars. Patrice Evra looked so comfortable against the speedy Gareth Bale over two legs. The same can never said during his last few seasons at Manchester United. This is due to their focus and priority on tactical defending as many other teams would only concentrate on tactical attacking.

Patrice Evra: A player reborn

They are a team that know their limits and play to their strengths. This is something that Italian teams usually do as well as the national team itself. You can never see them bashing any team 4-0, 5-0 every week. They would only win by the odd goal but when the time comes to play against tougher opponents, they would just raise their game to the sufficient amount.

So can Juventus actually stop the free scoring Barcelona?

With a bit of luck, they definitely can. Here are 5 ways on how they can beat Barcelona:

1)      Aerial Strength

Heading abilities is the Achilles heel of Barcelona. Juventus must make use of the corners or free kicks they get. Whenever, Stephan Leichsteiner or Patrice Evra overlaps to put in a cross, it is best for Morata who has been in terrific form to lure at the back post against the much shorter Jordi Alba and Daniel Alves.

2)      Play 4 man midfield

If Allergi goes for the cautious approach and play 3-5-2, it is a recipe for disaster. Bayern Munich paid the price for leaving 3 at the back against Barcelona’s front 3. This formation will also leave only 3 in the midfield and they will surely be outplayed by Barcelona’s far superior midfield 3. Hence the key is to play 4-4-2 in a diamond shape midfield. This will give Juventus an extra option in midfield and avoid being overrun.

3)      Man Mark Messi

Can Vidal to the 'Italian Job' on Messi to keep him quiet?

Arturo Vidal is the best candidate to this as he has the perfect physique to keep up with the little magician. He might need to sacrifice the attacking side of his game but it will come in a good cost. His teammates has to be close to him though as it is almost impossible to stop Messi all on your own.

4)      Don’t play a high line

Simply put that Juventus has to sit deep and do not force the issue too much. Their first goal against Madrid in the first leg came from a 20 plus passing move in which almost every team member was involved in. This shows that they are pretty capable of starting a move from deep.

5)      Exploit the vacant spaces

Fullback Alves and Alba will vacate spaces whenever they overlap. During this time, Juventus has to be quick to prompt an attack when they win back the ball or else the ever reliable Busquets will be there to do his screening job.

I would not have to elaborate on how Barcelona needs to do to win as they just have to play their normal game. Probably the only thing they have to worry about is not letting the evergreen maestro Andrea Pirlo to have too much time on the ball.

Maestro Pirlo

Here are few points that may alter the result of this final.

Key Battles:

1)      Javier Mascherano vs Carlos Tevez

Started at the bottom, finishing as legends

Helped West Ham United survive relegation back in 2007, rivals at Liverpool and Man United, these compatriots now face each other with both having perfect soldier attributes, it’s difficult to see who is going to give in here.

2)      Lionel Messi vs Patrice Evra

This is why Vidal’s job on the night is ever so important. He needs to watch out for Evra’s back the whole intriguing night.

3)      Sergio Busquets vs Paul Pogba

Discipline vs skill

The unsung hero of Barcelona, it will be interesting to see how Busquets will stop this promising French youngster.

It is all set up to be an amazing final with either team guaranteed of a clean sweep of the treble if successful on the night. These 2 teams portray different traditions in their style of play. Will another Messi’s brilliance decide it? Will a Pirlo’s free kick do the damage? Or will the lottery of a penalty shootout determine the outcome of this result? Let’s just hope that the referee spoils the game by a ridiculous decision throughout the night. That being said, every football fan around the world are in for a memorable night of football. May the best team wins.

Who will get their hands on this trophy?

Personal Prediction: Buffon to be the hero as Juventus claim glory by the penalty shootout with the match ending 1-1 after extra time.

by Ivan Vincent

13 Things Dark Skinned People Face

Being a dark skin (very dark skin) myself, this are some things we Indians in Malaysia may have went through at some point of our lives. This post is not to offend anyone and an early apology to everyone if it may provoke in any sensitive way.

1)      ‘surprise’ greet

Meeting your friend or family member after some time, they will be all 'surprised' and go like “You have become dark la”. This is quite annoying because of the simple fact that in which timeline was I even fair? In contrast, there is also that question “You have become darker la”. This statement is supposed to give us the satisfaction that we were really not that dark before it seems.

2)      Inferiority complex

This is something that all dark skin people will have when they are young and immature. We tend to have lower confidence on ourselves and curse our appearance from time to time. However, this feeling will slowly vanish over time and be immune to all the dark tease. Eventually, we all will be able to accept ourselves and be proud of the skin we have. We will find it all as literally amusing even come to a point where we will tease ourselves.

3)      Unstoppable suggestions

There will be these people in your group who constantly tries to suggest you some facial treatment products or skin colour enhancement pills such as ‘Fair & Lovely’. Like seriously people? We ain’t got time for that. We are sticking to our colour!

Seriously people?

4)      Public Frankenstein

Yeap, we dark people especially the guys have the power to scare off a mother with her child or a group of girls just by our presence alone. It is like already stereotyped that dark people are constantly up to no good. Sad but true.

5)      Dirty/Smelly

We tend to be the dirtiest or the smelliest one among people. For example, our sweat is more contaminated and our fart is more hazardous. Let’s just not go to the faeces.

6)      Friendzoned candidates

One of the first to get friendzoned by people is us except for special cases. The photos of us to find a bride/groom will definitely be the first to get skipped.  

The common answer when a dark skin guy proposes

Now let us take a moment of silence for our dark brothers and sisters who fell into friendzone due to skin colour.

 *moment of silence starts*

 ***************************************************

  ***************************************************

*moment of silence ends*

7)      Facial hair problems

This is for the guys as our fellow fairer skin people be like “Macha, why you susah-susah grow beard, cannot see any difference also la”. We get exiled from the beard trend.

Beards on dark guys are actually quite visible

8)      Flash problems

Photos are always taken again and again because of us. We can be invincible easily without enough lighting. Thankfully, our teeth are there to save us!

You get the point

9)      Ghost Rider

We are constantly advised not to own or drive dark coloured vehicles to not appear like a so called ghost on the road. Also, not to wear full black clothing when actually white colour clothes really exposes how dark we are. No dark shades too.

We are told not to drive these cars

10)   Easy Find

In any class photos or group snaps we are easily identified unless there are many equally dark. We also cannot play ‘guess the hand’.

Not eligible to play guess the hand

11)   Poker Face Moment

This is when are much fairer skin person says that they have gone dark because of playing outside like for half an hour or when they say that their aim is to be fairer then they already are. Facepalm.

12)   Multiple names!

Yes, we all have this for example ‘black’, ‘orang minyak’, ‘hitam’, ‘hei’, ‘kareppan’ and the list goes on. It’s pretty cool actually.

13) The Elusive question

Last but not least, the question that we have no clue on how to answer. "Why are you so dark la??"

Sometimes we even get threatened by this question

To my fellow dark skinned brothers and sisters, we all should be thankful with what we have as we are created in the Lord's image and we can always happily console ourselves that we still look pleasant enough even-tough we are dark. :P 

#darkandproud 

by Ivan Vincent