MiB FC Player Profile: Philbert

I know this has been long overdue, but the last time I wrote it for an MiB agent he left so I was pretty cautious in writing these profiles. But as they say, better late than never, here you go!

10. Philbert

Position on the Pitch: Out and out Striker.

Nicknames: Bert, The Spirit, Ka-ka (not the gifted footballer sorry)

Player he Tries to Emulate: Used to love Michael Owen.

Memorable Quotes: “Here Harpreet here!!!” (While “welcoming” Anan

“Uma, will you marry me?”

“And her t*ts, I tell you, were THIS big” (screaming, at the back of the SBS bus)

Police station? Come la! (Riz peeing in his pants in the background)

Sat wanna skip school today? Dinesh you?

Tell that fella to watch out ah.. (Riz took it too literally in CJC)

Will most likely say: “Let’s go to Jeans!”

“Anyone wanna have a banana split?”

Will never be caught saying: “Wow wat a cute husky!!”

“Well done Sat you deserved to win.”

Philbert has to be one of, if not the most outspoken members of MiB. Never shy to state his opinion or feelings, let’s just say MiB’s fearless number 10 has been in his fair share of controversies. But it is this very eccentric nature of Bert that makes him such an integral part of this unit called MiB, and once you come to know him better, you realize it is hard not to like this easy-going and fun-loving guy.

Bert has guts. There is no doubt about that. Having given more than his limbs on the football field, he even broke his nose playing for us, nothing has never stopped Bert from being true to himself. Who can forget the time he stood up on the chair at Rooban’s father’s UTES dinner with a thick white bandage on his nose, and screamed “YMCA” for the whole world to see. Bert was also one of the first members of MiB to get down on his knee and take the plunge of committing the rest of his life to his woman, Uma, and his proposal of walking along Orchard Road with a tagboard over his head might never be topped in MiB history. It is also testimony to the guy that he has been together with Uma for almost a decade now, through ups and downs, thick and thin. If MiB ever needed anyone to look towards in terms of persevering despite all odds, then Bert could very well be the man.

Although work commitments mean that Bert cannot join us for soccer every week, on the day he does play, he can score the most spectacular of goals as some interplay with Chandra has shown. Who can forget the Rotaract Cup in NUS in 2006 where once again he sacrificed so much, including his ass at one corner kick, to help the team lift its first trophy in a long time. Having been one of the earliest members to step out into the working field, and not to mention the various number of times he has gotten other members of MiB some sideline jobs, it is not easy for him to manage work and soccer, not to mention the responsibility of being a husband now. But we appreciate his help whenever he comes down and Bert has also been instrumental for introducing MiB to some players that have helped the team in our hour of need, Munshi, Farhan and Shyamwil just to name a few. Off the field these guys have also provided MiB a myriad of memories and if not for Bert, they would not have been possible in the first place.

We have shared so many laughs with Bert over the past 12-13 years that one cannot imagine what life would be like if not for him being around, introducing new things to us and telling us about his experiences, the banana split and husky incidents come to mind. Philbert indeed is one of the pillars that have made MiB what it is, and has often influenced our style of jokes and been the butt of them too. So Bert we salute you for always daring to lead the way for the rest of us to follow, whether it was showing Riz and Prak the ropes or finding the balls to propose and marry the love of your life. Cheers!