This week's Man of the moment, the 3rd Pioneer in our groundbreaking series is a one of a kind 'pocket' dynamo, where he fits the pocket in length but not in width. Was there ever a doubt that Potato Thiam, the name commonly chanted in the rugby stadiums across Singapore, was not part of this ensemble? For a dude deemed one of the last true St Andrews legends of MODERN rugby (Chris Dinosaur Cheng is not modern rugby), it seemed only fitting that Potato would roll down the road less travelled by those before him to try his hand at blogging. And what a smash hit it has become indeed.
For the uninitiated, Daniel Potato Thiam is a true rugby superstar of NTU, known fondly by the china, indian and vietnamese fans in NTU as the King. He is now recognised as one of the best first-fives in the history of NTU rugby (self proclaimed) but his modest demeanor off the field is in contrast to his presence on the pitch (meaning his lack of height covers lengths of the field). Debuting for the NTU Rugby team in 2003, he became a star that same year, displaying huge talent at the tender age of 21. He was a member of the title-winning NTU squad in the 2003 season and top-scored for NTU. The highlights of his first-fives performances are his patented, famous, heart-stopping 'niao niao' kicks for the Champions Bedok Kings last season. There was early confusion in the community as Potato was often 'spotted' masquarading as a touch player for NTU, where it all turned out that he just looks alot like someone in the touch team.
Within the Boon Lay GRC, King Thiam is as arrogant as NTU's new signing Rebel Rong.
"I am the King. I can do anything I want. The field is my stage. The spotlights
are on me. This is my yard, so buzz off"
Quotes like this can be heard day in day out when he is caught illegally parking his car in NTU and for being caught peeing outside of the urinal cubicle by the elderly cleaning lady. Indeed, he believes that his aura and presence extends into a realm beyond that of the boundaries of the field. Clearly he is mistaken, hence his more commonly known nickname of Potato.
Potato possesses a dynamic array of physical and mental skills, including respectable pace (for 84kg man), deceptive strength and a dangerous side-step. Although Potato is not a reliable goal-kicker, he is an astute tactician and a calm backline general.On the pitch he wow his fans with his FM a-like tactics, masterminding many victories over the past 4 years. He tried his hands on rugby management in 2007 where he engineered a famous victory for Hall 6 over Hall 1 in the inter hall rugby competition. Despite achieving a C6 for GP during his 'A' levels, he stepped up to the call of duty and dived straight into the blogging world. A true master tactician as he comes up with countless headlines that draws as many as 100 viewers per day during this blog's heydays.
Potato was the Director of the Photography Department, demonstrating extreme resourcefulness in locating compromising pictures of individuals who never even knew those pictures existed. Currently bumming around after graduation, he expressed extreme disappointment at the current crop of young editors whom which he personally handpicked to carry on the torch.
' I can understand if you are young and you make mistakes. But by not updating at all, you are throwing away the chance to learn the art of news creation. I am extremely disappointed with the lack of updates, given mine, Stormy's and Awesome Kiat's previous dedication towards this site. I personally appeal for more of the youngsters to step up and demonstrate their abilities. Everyone has a chance to be part of this.'
