Let's make a few Lists

After several years of writing formal reports and academic papers, one's writing style does tend to lose something in spontaneity and colour (and boy, can a sentence be any more lacking in spontaneity and colour than that one???).

So when I started this blog, I thought I could use it as a chance to write in a free-form manner and just have fun with words, phrases and turns of expression. I envisioned myself churning out great thought-provoking essays, written in an approachable and vivid style. Not aiming for a Pulitzer, exactly, but hoping to post writing that I could read again five years from now, without cringing.

I have realised, though, that it's hard work to churn out thought-provoking essays. Much easier to just note down salient points and dispense with the elaborate descriptions and analysis. Much less taxing on the vocabulary too. So as a gentle ease-in, I am going to test out that nifty bullet point icon in the post editor and make a few lists.

It's the start of the sporting year and with sports on my mind, here's my list of

Sporting Personalities that I Admire

• Michelle Kwan (Figure Skating): graceful in the rink, gracious outside of it.
• Michael Schumacher (Motor Racing): not enough superlatives to describe his driving, but above all, he is to be admired for his generosity towards the tsunami victims.
• Stefan Edberg (Tennis): a gentleman when being an gentleman was becoming unfashionable and pretty darned good to watch on a grass court.
• Steffi Graf (Tennis): maybe I have a thing for people named "Stef"? A great and gracious champion.
• Alexander Popov (Swimming): an inspiring rise-above-adversity story, the best smile in the business and a technique that made sprint swimming look elegant.
• Hicham El Gerrouj (Athletics): an amazing story of fulfillment postponed and finally attained. I cried when he finally won his two Olympic gold medals.
• Michael Jordan (Basketball): the best there ever will be? An artist in an aggressive sport, a consummate businessman, a charismatic spokesperson. Who's going to rise above this?
• Michael Johnson (Athletics): time stopped in my room when he clocked that 19.32 seconds.
• Steve Waugh (Cricket): "enough bottle for a milk float"; an athlete whose sporting life seems written by Homer; epic, heroic and triumphant. And a humanitarian, author and photographer to boot.
• Han Jian (Badminton): gifted AND disciplined, not a common combination!
• Roberto Baggio (Soccer): touched by genius. A career that perhaps only an Italian can have; from heroism to villainy to redemption to rejection to respect, and all the while wholly adored.

To balance out the sheer jock-quotient of the first list, here's something in a more "cultured" vein:

Sights in London that took my breath away

• Westminster Abbey: Seeing this the first time, bathed in the bright sunshine of a summer evening, was like having all the air sucked out of me. Just awe-inspiring.
• The West End Theatre district: It was just such a thrill to see the names of famous plays and musicals (and people!) up in the marquees.
• London Tower Bridge: An engineering and architectural wonder. A highlight was standing right on the spot of the "gap" where the bridge parts to allow ships through.
• The Leonardo da Vinci cartoon of Jesus, Mary and St Anne in the National Gallery: The darkened room and the hushed atmosphere were appropriate; it seemed almost a spiritual experience to see this.
• The Egyptian displays in the British Museum: Cleopatra's mummy was only the start of it. It was truly mind-boggling to wander into room after room of these artifacts.
• The musical instruments collection in the Victoria and Albert Museum: So, so beautiful.
• The Monet painting of Waterlilies and the Van Gogh still-life of the Chair in the National Gallery: They were in the same room (which was amongst the most crowded in the entire gallery) and placed amongst many other paintings, but just seemed to have a vibrancy of their own., which really caught the eye and held it. Prints really do not do justice to great art.

And finally, something completely different, drawing on my embarrassing enjoyment of reality television shows.

Favourite Seasons of Reality TV Shows

• The Amazing Race Season 1: Kevin and Drew, Rob and Brennan, Frank and Margarita. They really don't cast them like that anymore (Current season Jonathan and Victoria? Are you freaking kidding me?)
• The Apprentice Season 1: Such great television; smart alecs, delusional bitches, pathological liars, jealous egotists, ambitious brown-nosers and The Hair!! It was also very cleverly edited and the theme song was as catchy as anything on MTV last year.
• The Amazing Race Season 3: Flo being on the winning team was a big downer, but this was the season with Ken and Gerrard, my all time favourite TAR team. And they came to both Singapore and Malaysia, so that compensates for one Flo meltdown.
• America's Next Top Model Season 1: A fast-paced, action-packed show about MODELS! Who would have thought? Girl for girl, this cast was more interesting than Season 2.Elyse was a brilliant casting find and Adrienne had a heartwarming tomboy to top model story arc. And hate her all you want, but Robyn was a better show-villain than Camille.
• Survivor Amazon: Again, good season let down by a less than desirable winner. Up till the point that Jenna won immunity at Final 3, it was all good, with Rob Castriano redefining Survivor fanboydom.
• American Idol Season 2: In retrospect, the best collection of talent in the 3 seasons. It introduced me to the voice of Clay Aiken, if nothing else, which makes up for the predictability of Simon's manipulation, Paula's incoherence and Randy's "yo, dawg" routine. And they performed really enjoyable medleys every week (the 60's medley on the Final 5 results show is still one of the best moments in AI's 3 seasons) - what happened to these in Season 3?
• America's Next Top Model Season 2: A worthy sophomore season, although too many of the finalists were not too memorable (Sarah, anyone?). Points deducted for that episode which was a glorified commercial for Tyra's music video, but points added back for Janice Dickinson's very funny bitchiness.
• Survivor Pulau Tiga: I liked Richard Hatch, though he was something of an a**hole. He was just so gloriously self aware that it was hard to completely dislike him (notwithstanding subsequent events in All Star Survival). The final tribal council set a benchmark for seasons to follow and many have tried to resurrect the glory of "snakes and rats" but most without success.
• The Amazing Race Season 5: Chip and Kim won!! Not since Season 1 had I been so happy about the winners. The stunt casting of Charla detracted from the season, and Colin's intensity was hard to take (but looking at Jonathan this season? Come back, Colin.) but the whole season was genuinely entertaining.
• Survivor Pearl Island: Rupert eventually wore out his welcome, Johny Fairplay was frankly odious and the self-righteous brow-beating of Lil and her scout's uniform was just ridiculous. But it was a season which reinvented itself with a few fresh ideas. And Sandra winning is fine by me.

Looks like no room for The Bachelor, Temptation Island, Joe Millionaire and shows of that ilk. If I ever get around to those thought-provoking essays, I will do a full on rant about a viewing audience that preferred The Bachelor to TAR. What is the world coming to?