Barcelona 2-0 United

Deserved what we got - nothing. Shades of 2007's capitulation to Milan. Can't outpass the best.

United 1-0 Barcelona

Chelsea 2-1 United

Another twist in the tail as Chelsea completed a just about deserved win at Stamford Bridge. Ronaldo and Fletcher had two efforts cleared off the line as they chased the game, but United ultimately paid the price for the slow start. More worryingly, Vidic was stretchered off with what looked like concussion with Barcelona beckoning.

Nani was his infuriatingly indecisive self. Where Ronaldo might have punished Chelsea for their clack defending, the 38-goal maestro was rested on the bench.

What this all means is that United must win their remaining two games to confirm the title. Failing which, Chelsea will be ready to pounce.

Oh sucky day...

I know I'm busy when I don't have the time to blog. Today was a classic case.

I had a medical appointment at the National Skin Centre at 0820hrs but ended up 15 minutes late. Ended up there all the way to 1100hrs thanks to about 30 minutes waiting time EACH before seeing the doctor, before treatment, seeing the doctor again and then finally to collect medicine. 2 hours of waiting spend cursing the fact that I hadn't thought of bringing a book along. I'd contemplated getting an MC but in the end I was left with no choice but to take it.

Went to IRAS in Novena thereafter to get tax returns printed out to give to HDB, only to discover that MOE had not submitted my income for 2006, resulting in IRAS not sending me my PIN, resulting in me not declaring my income at all. As far as IRAS is concerned, I had not worked that year, which I think might be tantamount to tax evasion! Anyhow, now I realise I had to get some sort of Form 8E to certify my income for 2006.

Alas! PaC@Gov, under the recent Vital.org entity, only displays the previous year's income. As such, almost no one has access to records 2006 and earlier. I tried calling a contact in MOE, and after five referrals, finally found the blessed Ms Ang Ying Ying, who told me to mail her the income form for her to fill up. She even suggested I meet her on Saturday even though that was her weekend.

So there's hope on the horizon. Maybe we'll get everything to HDB on time, given they revised the deadline to an ambiguous "when available". Maybe I won't get apprehended for tax evasion. Maybe it was worth using my MC.

After all this, it would really make my day if United could give me a match to remember at the Nou Camp.

All About My Mother

Synopsis by Flixster

Manuela, a nurse and single mother in her late thirties must come to terms with the tragic loss of her only son, Esteban, when he is struck by a car. She never told Esteban who he was, "your father died long before you were born" was all she ever told him. In memory of her son--who's his father's namesake--Manuela leaves Madrid and goes to Barcelona in search of Esteban's father. However, the man that she left behind, eighteen years ago when she was pregnant, is now a transvestite named Lola. The search for a man with that name cannot be simple. And indeed it isn't.

My take

What touched me most about this movie is when the mother of the nun, Rosa (Penelope Cruz), who got pregnant and subsequently HIV-infected, asked herself what she'd done wrong with her daughter. She said that Rosa had been like an alien to her since her teenage years. That really struck a chord with me. Parenthood is all about learning as we go along. No one really created a fail-safe guide to parenthood.

A parent may do everything right but still have a failure of a child, or vice versa. Look at Manuela (Cecilia Roth). She raised her son as a single mother, juggling that with her job as a nurse (just like my mum), and yet she lost a aspiring writer son to a freak motor accident.

Parents have to do the best they can for their children, and the rest are in God's hands.

I loved this movie because it spoke of a mother's love and the disappointments she faces. This was true for both Manuela and Rosa's mum. They rose above their circumstances: Manuela's husband became a transvestite and left her and her son died. Rosa's mum saw her daughter get pregnant and HIV-positive, and had to bury her.

Yet, a mother's love carries on. It truly is the greatest love in the world.