wheeeee

wheeeeeee (:

went for the army half run yesterday, went there, did the 10km amidst a sea of 70,000 people. was quite fun, felt like a never-ending overtaking race. was a pleasant easy run, 1h 2min29s (self-timed), guess what this means i run about 1 min faster than i row. but that will change soon yea? haha

been talking to people, interesting to hear their outlook on life. so well, gap year to see the world (:

For the first time in 13 months, i'm beginning to find training fun again (: It's not quite the thrill of bursting and racing yet, but it's just... fun (: To get a good catch, flow with the movement, feel the glide, it's a great feeling (: and i get to do it over and over again (: wheeee

enjoy the read:

From the meaning of sports by simon barnes:

157 Above all, sport is to be found in the testing: in the last strides of the 400 metres when the body’s oxygen debt seems unrepayable; in the innings you play when you side is 49 for five; in the way you strike free-kick in time added on; in the way you hit the penalty that must decide the game; in the way you deal with the out-swinging corner when you’ve clung onto a 1-0 lead for 80 minutes; at the point in the marathon when mind and body rebel; or again in the marathon at the uphill finish and your rival alongside; or in the way you rip the entry from the ten-metre board in your final dive; or in the southern ocean with time ticking and only an albatross for company; or in the way ball meets boot when you go for the drop-kick in the game’s last seconds; or in the apparent width of the balance beam as you throw the gold medal back-somersault; or in the amount of air you give the ball when Adam Gilchrist is in full song; or in the way you hit the long-jump board in the sixth and final round; or in the way you respond to a crude tackle or a coarse insult in the biggest game of your life; or in the way you hit your second serve at match-point in the pin-drop hush; or in the way you ride into the final vertical with nothing in hand after three days of competition; or the way you wait when you know that your horse had all the speed in the finish; or the way you row when you’re still second with ten yards left and you’ve already given your all; or above all, in the moment between handgrip and handgrip as you perform the kovacs. The truth is always and only in the action.

wheeeee

exciting!

life is good. Training's proceeding, strokes and standard improving. found a way to do bench press and pull on the bench press bench (wow this sounds confusing). There's round ubin on 9th nov, thinking if i should go. There's another new canoe teacher, ms goh, who used to be from RJ.

did a bread run yesterday. Loaded my backpack and standard chartered bag with bread, courtesy of Marche, and made my way to Tanglin Halt. It's a different world there. Anw the great dessert stall is still there (desserts priced at $1!)

just got my pay for the fortnight. The experience has been great, not in the terms of it's a slack job and good pay or what, but humbling. Guess most service crew jobs in F&B are like this. Sometimes it gets very trying, then the strains of some rhythm and blues song would play "Smile... through your fears/tears..."

been to airport twice to send off 2 teammates. Yes, "Man must have the courage to lose sight of old shores before he can explore new oceans". I think most of us associate going overseas to study with independence and gearing up for a new challenge, but i also won't discount the local experience. There's also the same trying to find your way around as a freshman, new environment, new people, new priorities so cheers to all our local undergrads (: xinmiao described school (this is just 2nd week!) as humbling, and i'll say it characterises my life now too. It's really a big world out there

olympics coverage on TV is excellent, though i only watched canoeing, swimming, track and field and gymnastics with interest. Germany and Belarus did very well in today's finals events, hope the Hungarians will perform better, like their style. In the men's K2 1000m today, their pair was 1 boat away (2 boat lengths), but ended up 5th as the other boats charged with 250m to go. Their K4 500 women took silver again, with Germany maintaining a considerable lead throughout. Stroke rate wasn't very fast like their usual, looked a bit like they were conserving. well, more finals to watch tmr! lots to watch and learn. At that kind of speed and frequency, they still need only 5 strokes for each buoy!

The best of athletic endeavour is inspiring

“All men dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds, wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act on their dreams with open eyes, to make them possible”

—T.E. Lawrence "of Arabia" (1888-1935) author, statesman, solider

In order to achieve, one must believe something in one is superior to circumstances

wheeeeeee

I like the way jiaolian makes canoeing seem so easy. Just train, just row (: finally the team could train with him. anw for me, it's reassuring to have him around; he can help me understand exactly what i need to fix for my stroke.

more exciting news. After destroying 4 different grips in a year, i've found the original configuration again!

new beginning

wan4 shi4 qi3 tou2 nan2

last week's training was a good lesson in perseverance.

and today's a new beginning indeed.

Not if, but when i get there, i promise to pay it forward, just like the people (many of them, all mentioned somewhere in my previous posts) who have done for me. There has been progress in the last 8 months but i still couldn't grasp the concept of the stroke despite lots of advice. then you know what? today it just happened. one of the national team canoeist told me to pull closer to my boat, practised for awhile, then it all came together (:

but before that, we practised at the pontoon, and she gave feedback on every single stroke i did. She's like THE sprint and marathon canoeist (sounds like a paradox but that's how versatile she is), yet she gave up time to help me, needless to say, i'm inspired.

so maybe one day i'll find the answers to life's unanswered questions. Canoeing life that is.

on another note, been training with the nus team occasionally. very nice of them to let me join in although i'm not that fast (yet). btw, wan4 shi4 qi3 tou2 nan2 came about today, when i was gg-ed halfway during the intervals. just heard one of the year 3 seniors tell her teammate that, and it fired me up for the rest of the training. haven't ran intervals for a year, most i did was fartleks 3 months ago. honestly i'm not too bothered if i can run fast or not, but yes, in the boat, the legs must kick, the body must twist, and the arms must move.

"Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another, 'What! You too? I thought I was the only one. - C.S. Lewis"

short term goals for long term commitments: going to start a 5-month course to get learn lifesaving 1, 2 and 3. then volunteering with food from the heart. will see how i can help w/o a driving license, but when i get it in end sept (and borrow my parents' car) should be able to help out more.

also, work has been manageable. always good to earn some $$ (:

wheeee

wheeeeee

2nd day of on job training. getting the hang of it. Yep, in just 2 nights, learnt table setting, arrangement, serving mostly drinks and some food, pouring tiger draught (this super exciting!), clearing tables and basically being a 'runner', getting things from one place to another. basically a lot of things i used to take for granted when eating there or at any other dining outlet. haha, like a real life diner dash (:

though the job pays by the hour, and for the first 3 days training it's $10 a day, i still like to keep things fast and efficient (: like having stuff to do i guess, the worst part of the job is when there's no customers/ the customers are all eating slowly and somehow do not touch their drinks, standing there is more tiring than moving around.

btw i figured this is good training for marathon, on my feet for 5 hours (and in my running shoes!) and secret training too, the imba plates and setting are good weights training.

a different side of life, that i'll probably never get to experience again. The work may be tiring, but i'm just taking it in. It's like on paper i'm not suppose to be here. Proper answers to questions like "Where are you from?", "What's your last job?" and in the application form "Education level attained- no. of o level subjects and passes" still elude me. I find it hard to express myself properly on this but i will attempt: It's like working at macdonald's back then. if i didn't get these jobs, coming from the privileged position i'm in, i don't think i'll ever meet these people. So once again for me it's really about being grounded, that this is life for the average person.

k, anw, singaporeans (lots of foreigners at the workplace, so i'll say people in singapore) really waste alot of food! the amount i throw away while clearing up is really disgusting.

market awaits tmr morning!

wheeee

and week 3 approaches (: was just walking and spacing out, then these words on an mgs? crosser's shirt caught my eye. In some hard-to-read font and colour, it read "All it takes is all you've got" Interesting

am enjoying the extensive coverage on the olympics. Nice pictures, stories and soon, telecasts. Like the stories especially, beautifully written.

From Straits Times,

"I know if i do my best, it's impossible to beat me. There's no chance for anybody. Sorry." Yelena Isinbayeva

...But the spin-offs in bonuses and commercials, as well as fame and gory, give way to the pure enjoyment of vaulting - a sensation she describes as "limitless happiness". "I just want to jump higher and higher."