a merry merry Xmas!

many should have seen my Facebook status.

"Eugene is listed as in a relationship with Yi Mei Chong"

yup. amidst the much speculation, Yi mei (aka yims) and i are together after many several "tolls".

actually it all started back in August when we first saw and notice each other, for me, it was back at Sports Fiesta and her was our first Track training at CCAB. after that it was a long long agonizing process for the two of us.

throughout these months, it was like a guessing game. i dunno whether she likes me and she also don't. we did send out signals to each other but it was mixed signals. i think this maybe partially due to my "withdrawal" syndrome at times due to my tendency to hold back when things develop.

things became more obvious when i finally asked her out for a movie (on the excuse of relaxing after studying for the whole day!). even after that, things were still murky and i was on the verge of giving up. after that, why i change my mind.. well.. it's between us! haha.. don't kepo..

anyway yims went m'sia for 4 days last week and i almost died.. ask hao about it.. haha

but it gave me some time to do last minute preparation for the big xmas idea i have for her (as hao named it Operation XT).

well, the idea came that time (end nov i think) when i was eating supper with her and she told me about her work plan for Xmas.. then i told her that i "booked" her Xmas because i wanna spend it with her. then somehow, i asked about her Xmas fantasy before that and i remember that she said that she would like to decorate her own Xmas tree.

next day, i went to search for a place where we can set up a tree and decorate.. both our houses are out.. well for obvious reasons.. haha.. so i booked a room at this really cool hang out place for the 25th.

next is to find xmas tree. and i really wanna thank Xihao for helping me with these.. like walking everywhere to find the tree.. everywhere was like.. either oversized or really expensive! so we walked down Orchard road visiting every departmental store, go to Carrefour in PS then finally found the perfect one at Bras Basah (thanks to his recommendation!)

when i was at the traffic lights looking at the tree inside the shop, i was like "omg, that's it!".. then he responded "who's the man!? call me the man".. haha damn funny.. but i was damn glad to find it!

so went to buy some really nice decorations at Metro (theme is blue and white!).. and in an attempt to really make the xmas tree lives up to its name of "Tree of Yims".. i had an idea of printing photos of her since young so that the tree will have reflections of her happy times she had. well these require the help of Eunice and Samantha (two of yims's best friends) to send me photos they have. haha thanks so much, Eunice and Sam. owe u girls one!

haha as u know, guys suck at art and craft.. so when i had to cut the strings and stick it on, it was damn frustrating.. somemore have to be right size if not cannot hang on the tree properly! haha.. i swear i spend my whole day just sticking twine to 30 odd photos.

so everything is prepared and i even wrote out an itinerary so that mentally, i can prepare for everything! haha.. that's why i was damn nervous.

2pm: leave house with tree and decorations
3pm: check in with all the barangs and set up the room with my laptop (for music)
3.30pm: meet her at Cathay before having late lunch and walk with her to the hotel.
4pm: Surprise! and tree building time!
7pm: Walk to Cathay and watch Yesman (bought tickets beforhand already)
10pm: Movie ends and we go and buy Pizzas and wine/booze (occassion la.. dun judge me!)
11pm: reach back hotel room and eat/drink till we die and listen to music and talk. =D

i was so hoping she didn't have to work the next day.. which is well..today..

plan didn't work exactly! i called for early check in.. so i reach there around 2pm to check in.. everyone was just staring at this guy who just walked in with this huge ass box and big bag full of decorations! haha.. i swear i would dig out their eyes if i could!! hahaa..

then yims asked me to go to her house to wait for her.. which was all the way back at Bukit Timah.. but in an attempt to not break the "secret surprise", i went with an Apple strudel for her family (damn sudden cause i didn't prepare anything for her folks at home before that!)

so i reached her house and she passsed me this huge yellow box (FYI.. yellow is my fave colour).. and guess what.. everything inside is yellow! there's this cool yellow lamp, yellow towel, yellow mug, yellow Nike tee.. haha.. i told her i was so "yellow-fied" by her. haha. thanks yims! sorry couldn't bring the box with me.. i will collect it from ur houes again!

well.. after that.. everything went smoothly.. and i am glad she liked the surprise (right yims?)



i asked the question after we finish the tree. tree of yims =)

.. after many weeks of hesitation.. but as the Jason Mraz goes "i won't hesitate, no more, no more".. me too. and she said yes.

everything was dreamy after that.. just walking on the streets, holding her hands. had a good laugh at the movie. shopping for wine and pizza. eating and drinking till we almost die! and how we can just talk throughout the night..

and yup.. once again

Yimei and Eugene are together =)


cool room, nice tree, wonderful memories, tasty wine, yummy pizzas, listening to music we both like, talking our hearts out.. being with the girl u always want to be with.. what else would you ask for? =)

Xmas buildup and celebrations!

as some of you might know, these few months has been quite an emo roller coaster on me. from poor results ( and i mean really poor.. not those who get A- and sad that nv get A type of poor!), injuries which affect my training and of course, certain personal problems.

things have certainly turn in the positive direction. i am definitely going to focus (which i seriously lack in sem 1) on my studies and study smarter. an attempt to pull up my overall GPA! i can do it! i dun believe i can't after surviving A levels and Adv Dip..

__________________________________________________________________
Team Runfanatics had a Xmas gathering at my house on the 20th and we had lots of laughter and fun eating. well.. as runners.. even as entertainment, we watch a movie on Pre (one of USA's top runner who passed away young).. Sham came late and came to give us a very inspiring 2 hours speech. he even gave out awards for best sportsman and sportswoman of the year who so deserve it. cheers to Isabel (completing 3 marathons in 1 month and all around 4:30! damn good) and Andy (amazing athlete who has fantastic results for 2008).. Tricia was selected as Captain and i really think she is the best candidate because she always cheer us on during training and i believe she has the potential to lead us to better performance.. Go Tricia, the team manager (points at me) will be behind u!

training wise, Sham talked to me and.. his exact words were:

"eugene, u can be one of the top runners in S'pore.. all you need is hard work and patience.. be patient."

well as much as the fact of being one of the top runners locally is a daunting fact, he managed to convince me to work really hard towards that target. by "patience", i am sure if you are an endurance athlete, you would understand what it means. this is to pace yourself right, train properly, get enough rest and not overtrain. i learned my lesson from my injury back in Sep. it crippled my ability to run and brought me a lot of agony. at the same time, i disappointed a lot of people who pinned hopes on me. i guess... this is the process of growing up and maturing as an athlete. from now onwards, i will listen to my body and give feedbacks to my coach(es). i will be working closely with Sham and SMU long distance running coach to refine my training and achieve my goals.

i've set my goals in endurance sport for 2009. my focus will be more on triathlon instead of pure running. i believe the combination of swim,bike, run works for me because i am not particularly strong in any discipline but slightly better when all 3 comes together. i will be focusing on shorter distances i.e. Olympic Distance of 1.5km swim, 40km bike, 10km run. in running, i will primarily be doing 10k races and probably 21k for Standard Chartered 2009.

one aspect of being a smart athlete is to choose your race wisely. going for every single race is not constructive for one's body and it doesn't allow you to peak correctly. my races for the first half of the year is tentatively as shown below

1st March 2009 - Newton Active Run 10k (come back race for 2009)
7th March 2009 - Singapore Biathlon (preparation race for Bintan Tri)
23rd May 2009 - Bintan OD Triathlon (one of my major race for the year)

there are many competitors to look out for.. everyone is getting stronger.. so.. no slacking =P.. gotta train hard and train smart!

__________________________________________________________________

21st December marks the first time JEZ met out in like.. 10 million years! haha.. this time round.. it's slightly special as each of us bring the person special to us to the dinner..

had dinner at Manhattan Fish Market at PS which serves great food. (have to book days before.. if not sure no seats!)..took some photos there and we went to Toast Box to hang out further before leaving separately.. haha.. kinda awkward.. but interesting.. hmm.. haha

photos are here


=D


Yueshan & Hao.. newly got-togethers! happy for u folks!


Steve (aka fatbear) & Jielin (aka Vamps)


that's the folks!

i'm yours

Well, you done done me and you bet I felt it
I tried to be chill but your so hot that I melted
I fell right through the cracks, now I'm tryin to get back
before the cool done run out I'll be givin it my best test
and nothin's gonna stop me but divine intervention
I reckon it's again my turn to win some or learn some

But I won't hesitate no more,
no more, it cannot wait
I'm yours

Well open up your mind and see like me
open up your plans and damn you're free
look into your heart and you'll find love love love love
listen to the music of the moment people dance and sing
We're just one big family
And it's our godforsaken right to be loved loved loved loved loved

So, i won't hesitate no more,
no more, it cannot wait i'm sure
there's no need to complicate our time is short
this is our fate
I'm yours

Scooch on over closer, dear
And I will nibble your ear

I've been spendin' way too long checkin' my tongue in the mirror
and bendin' over backwards just to try to see it clearer
But my breath fogged up the glass
and so I drew a new face and I laughed
I guess what I'd be sayin' is there ain't no better reason
to rid yourself of vanities and just go with the seasons
it's what we aim to do
our name is our virtue

But I won't hesitate no more,
no more it cannot wait
I'm yours

Well open up your mind and see like me
open up your plans and damn you're free
look into your heart and you will find that the sky is yours

so please don't, please don't, please don't,
there's no need to complicate,
Cause our time is short
This, this, this is our fate,
I'm yours

am i ready? again?

Lance and his magnificent.

definition of bliss

u know, how in our lives, we have always strive to search for the definition of bliss and happiness. yet, we are still struggling in finding out the truth. i finally understood why it is so. that's because we are not in it yet, therefore we don't get the true meaning of it.

two of my dearest Team Runfanatics teammates are getting married in M'sia soon (which i will be driving for over 2 hours to! in a Honda Odyssey. scary..) Tricia and Billy, just to let you all know, i am really glad to see the both of you tying the knot because you two are just so made for each other.

i was very touched when i saw this on Tricia's blog. (Tricia, pls allow me to quote this here).. though it's not decorated in very flowery words, the definition capture the essence and personalise her very own feelings and thoughts on what bliss is all about. here we go.. enjoy..

"I have simple definitions of bliss.

When he takes pain and injures himself to fix up the study room because he feels I need more space to study.

When he’s tired yet still stays up to keep me company while I mug for exams.

When he wants to go out for a walk or train but still choose to come home to give me morale support.

When he ferries me to and fro school with no complaints.

When he gets up early on the morning of my exams and goes out to ta-pao vegetarian bee hoon for me to eat before I head out for school.

His frankness and honesty to reason with me what he feels is good and not.

When I’ve ordered hor fun and he orders mee goreng, yet I want to swap with him because I feel his mee goreng tastes better. He’ll willingly swap.

When my cooking is horrendous yet he’ll still finish them up and tell me it’s not bad. Hee!

When I want to run and he has an injury. He’ll still run with me.

When I start blaming myself for the stupid mistakes I’ve made, he tells me he’ll still love me no matter what.

When he shoulders on burden that should have been shared, because he wants me to save my money for studies.

When he always give me the best yet scrimp on himself.

Even when he was tired from all the extra assignments and part time work he had to do, he will always tell me it's ok, because he wants to earn more for our future.

When we dream about what we want to do in the years to come together."

Written by Tricia..

beautiful.. isn't it" =D

Mr Nate's Birthday!

Mr Nate turns 2! (ok.. not until wed though!) but we had a fun fun celebration with him yesterday! Maye-e held a party at her house with good food and company! Almost everyone was there! it's only then i realise i have not seen them for SOOOOO long.. haha kinda missed them! Everyone was so energetic and funny esp Sandy who was especially high! you can go see my facebook about it. how she pose with the Dino's broken head! haha..

Mr Nate was so indifferent initially but he got into the spirit shortly after (that's kids!) We were all eating and chatting (about tri stuff again.. what else?) haha. then we went to the playground to play sparklers and play with the workout stations! damn fun.. hahaa.. everyone was like a child.. haha.

LET ME SHOW U MR NATE'S CAKE.. it's very nice and special!





THE WHOLE SESAME STREET IS DOWN! haaha super cool. i also want this for my birthday cake.

haha.. gotta head home early cause i have to wake up to go cycling today! but the whole party was fun and i think my abs are so painful from laughing!


you guys rock!

Ride today

Right. this morning i was suppose to wake up at 545 and start riding at 615 to meet the gang at 7am at longhouse (which is about 20km away). but i only woke up at 615 and left the house at 630. so i was kinda late! haha sorry folks!

but the ride was cool. big gang. i think there were about... 8 - 10 of us. the ride down mandai feels good! After repeated hills training, my climbing improved slightly! yeah Mt Faber was no easy shit. suffered on my way up and since my cornering ain't that fantastic, my coming down wasn't too smooth. haha. i only climbed once! wanted to go 2nd time but the faster guys went on their 2nd round already and the other group didn't wanted to go. and i don't want to climb by myseslf! haha. maybe another time!

but climbing is fun! it just takes your breath away. the lactic in your thighs just burn your soul! when i am climbing, the image of a Tour De France rider always coming to my mind (i.e Lance Armstrong). i've always admired my tenacity and strength.. so i am gonna train real hard for climbing! and of course, i need to get lighter wheels (Bumblebee need to go for TAF programme). Simple physics. The lighter your bike is, the easier it is to climb. of course, there are other factors such as your technique and power which need to be train! right now, i am still thinking between 404 and 606. still got time!

This brings me to the topic of Ash's 808 debut! you can fall asleep while riding beside him. as what i said (as i was too excited then), you can see the sound! it's so rhythmic to the ears as if they are singing to you. they just go "zong zong zong zong"... NICE!! mine will come very soon. not 808 of course.. because it's more for longer courses.

i am starting to love cycling (i used to like). or maybe because it's good for my injury and it provides me with a stronger challenge!

extreme update

It's been such a LONG LONG time since i've a blog entry. hahaha..

as most of you would have know, i am current now studying in SMU and the workload there is "amazingly" heavy. I've countless assignments (which takes like.. hours) to do, presentations every week (which requires rehearsals and rehearsals and more rehearsals) and projects etc..

now it's coming to the end of sem 1 already and.. my results are rather mixed.. not very clear where exactly it will go.. i'm taking 5 modules now (technically 4 because 2 modules are 0.5 of a full unit). and only 3 are examinable!! but out of these 3, i have 2 maths paper~!! 1 is Intermediate Mathematics for Economics (trust me, it's nowhere near Intermediate) and the other is Introductory Statistics. hahaa.. let's just see.. i will be happy enough if i can get an above 3.0 (/4.0) average GPA..

Well, so far my life in SMU has been very enjoyable. Post orientation, i joined a few CCAs and tried a lot of things (which also probably explain why i am so busy!). i tried paintballing, laser tagging and during the mid term break, i went to Tioman for my Advance Diving Course dive trip! on regular weeks, i'm in training with SMU Track & Field (under long distance) and SMU Aquathlon team. of course, i am training with Sham still on wed and sat. life's hectic but it's fun because i like it this way!

as u all know, i had an episode of injury. It has something to do with my left leg. the cause of it is not sure yet. i went to a few consults. first was a physio who said it was hamstring problem. then i went to CGH where Dr Ben Tan told me it's muscle knots.. then he referred me to a senior physio who said it was related to nerve and not muscular.. so now, i have been follow the senior physio's instructions with regard to the stretches she asked me to do. she will try to find out the cause as things go. (ironically, her name is Sham, same as my coach!)

however, there is no doubt that this injury comes about due to overtraining. i pushed my body to the limit previously by training 5-6 times a week at high intensity. i didn't let my body rest and listen to it. so after refusing to listen peacefully to my body, the only way it could convey its message is to get injured.

Sham (the physio) said i should not stop my training. just continue with it normally. but Sham (my coach) said that i should take it slow for the remaining of this year while he build me up to my previous fitness. my fitness really deteroriate a lot after almost 2 months away from running. i remembered how i was in agony when i initially returned back to training and felt the significant drop in my form and speed. yet. there were friends around who were there to support and encourage me. with that, i would like to send a shoutout to all those who cheered me on during that period. you know who you are! thank you!!

the period, when i MIA due to injury, allowed me to rethink about my aims and objectives. instead of focusing on marathons and long distances, i want to focus on shorter distances such as 5k,10k for run races and sprint, OD tri races. This is in conjuction with my busy school schedule as it disallow me to go and clock the high mileage needed for longer distances. Focusing on shorter distances allow me to balance training and school better. Moreover, as i am still new to running and endurance, i felt that i should get back to basic and do the shorter courses first and progressively move up the chain eventually.

i've also learned that i need to rest more. only with adequate rest, will training be useful and beneficial to our body. so for now, i am just going to go with a 4-day training programme instead of the 6-day one.

exams is in 2 weeks time. Sham "ordered" me not to go for training next week onwards so as to focus on studying. well i guess, i am going to tone down trg for studies for these 2 weeks.

i realise.. the whole entry is about studies and training. haha! no life right!! ok la..

maybe i just want to talk about my best buddy, Zihao's love life. hahaha! (ok.. why am i talking about another guy's love life and not mine?)

i am glad for him that he is going out with Yueshan (my prospective sister in law).. hahaa.. very exciting to see how things will go.. jia you bro!! don't being frivolous.. focus u a**.

it's not ok to forfeit training for chicks at time! hahahaa! discipline!! don't forget discipline is what differentiates us from others! hahaa.. joking la.. don't worry.. treat it as an reward for running a sub3 30k =D

right.. so.. here's the updates.. i will be back again.. soon......... haha

get back~

i miss running. and i want to relive the feeling of having the wind in your hair, sweat down your face, the constant awareness of your breath and the only sound is the pounding of your shoes on the ground.

in fact, i already started light runs. undeniably, there is a huge drop in my running fitness since i am out of action for so long. during that training, at a rather hard perceive pace, i did 3.2km in 14 minutes. sluggish and relatively slow, but at least i am running. i will be back!! time to get disciplined again and get rid of the other "free radicals" in my life!

second thing, i told Xihao that i am interested to lead the second Ride from The Heart. it is a 1500km ride from Phuket back to Singapore, to raise funds for the Straits Time Pocket Money Fund. at the same time, it's a way of raising awareness for being involved in community and doing the things that we, as youth, want to. freedom to express.

the whole organising, training and the trip itself is definitely a challenge. a big one, in fact. we will start planning in Dec and the ride will most likely happen in July. i am looking for like minded individuals from the various varsities to join me. we will need all the passion and drive we can get.

if you want to know more about how they did it this year, u can visit their blog at www.ridefromtheheart.blogspot.com

cheerios guys! contact me if interested!

Updates

Finally, i don't feel the thug on my hamstring after 2 weeks of almost complete rest. this injury that has been bugging me for a month seems to be gone.. yet i should be cautious..

today was a simple flat 36km ride.. due to the fact that there is Run For Hope, Costal and ECP was so crowded and parking was a disaster...

met up with Leader, Jessica and Vanessa with Mayee to go for a short ride. Jessica and i did two loops and i felt great. hamstring didn't act on me and although i feel the significant drop in fitness and close to 1 month of absence from cycling, i felt good! could maintain an average speed of around 32kph.. which i think is acceptable given my current rate of fitness.. haha

i will resume training next week. will take it slow and build up slowly.

last but not least, i wish to thank EVERYONE who show their concern for me in the dark time when i felt useless during my injury. i won't let you all down, knowing that all of you are supporting me!

focus now.. let's do it!

down and out

i trained hard for many months. dedicated my time to trainings 6 days a week. make sure i eat well, rest well, recover well and improve.

throughout my short life span of being an endurance athlete, i have been a dedicated and disciplined one. i rarely miss a single training and i always watch my diet which i feel is very important for performance. i know i am not the fastest, but doing endurance sports and excelling in it my own way just gives me a satisfaction i never had before.

i saw a drop in my 10k timing from a 58 + minutes last Oct to last recorded in May of 43 minutes.. i witness my marathon timing downsize from a 4:43 to a 4:04 in 6 months. and i did my first Olympic Distance triathlon in 2hr 38 mins. for me personally, i feel it's a great achievement on my own accord. i know, compared to many others, this is just average timing. yet every seconds of deduction from my personal best makes me elated.

this whole week has been a roller coaster ride for me. last week, during training, i had to limp off the track. my left leg, which already has been bugging me for weeks, finally gave up. on the train home, i was just staring into blank space. spaced out. i can feel the weakness in my left leg. its slow "moaning" and appeal for help which i ignored in order to train.

all that i was, was a crippled man sitting down with my hands on my left leg, trying to massage it and hope it will regain its strength. miracle didn't happened.. it didn't came back.

went to Hallmark physio at Thomson as recommended by Dennis who went there due to injury the day before. i felt so weak and helpless as he examined me. straight away, both of us knew where the problem was.. my right leg could lift almost 90 degrees up when i am lying down.. but my left.. hardly even.. 70% of that..

he said i got a strained hamstring and calf. i gotta stop any training INDEFINITELY. that word etched deep inside my mind.

can this mean it's serious? can i ever run again?

treatment followed. ultrasound and some electrocution. and some deep tissue massage which was probably the worst i ever had. i screamed into the pillow. yes. screamed. not shouted or yell. screamed like a little girl.

i missed Tuesday swim class as advised.missed Wednesday run training. didn't cycle.

went to Dr Janelle, my chiro. she examined me. commented my left tendons are way too tight as compared to my right. and my left knee is misaligned.

this didn't feel good.

she advise me to not train too. not even swim unless i dun kick.

with IVP, Osim Corporate tri and the final hooha Standard Chartered Marathon lined up, i dunno what to feel. the expectations i had of myself.. may just disappear..

will a 3:45 still be possible? will i recover in time... or will i ever recover? i maybe over exaggerating things as some might think.. but.. it's not impossible...

how could this happen to me?

One World One Dream

The Beijing 2008 Olympic Games have finally come to an end. all i gotta say is.. China did a fantastic job in... well EVERYTHING..

they grab the most number of Gold medals in even the sports where u think they will not excel in i.e fencing.

they put up a fantastic opening and closing ceremony, simply spectacular. i remember that the opening ceremony was one day before our National Day Parade and everybody felt that NDP this year weren't as good because they just saw the opening ceremony the day before. of course can't win la. imagine the amount of resources, manpower, effort and co-ordination Zhang Yimou and the committee put in to put up such a big scale show.


spectacular fireworks (they shoot fireworks like they are free!)

nevertheless, we witness many falls and rise.

the falls of many Olympic Records (OR) and World Records (WR) in many events.

the rise of countries in disciplines which they were not known in.

we saw how Michael Phelps rewrote history by grabbing 8 Gold medals in swimming. we saw how he won by 0.01 seconds. we saw him being ahead of the green WR line 90% of the time. we saw how long he can keep his mouth open and shouting non stop. we saw how long he can dolphin kick underwater.
and we saw a man who chase after his goal with sheer determination and hard work.


see, his mouth is open again


the man in action.


Phelps and his team..

Usain Bolt brought Jamaica to our eyes. not just by his frame of 1.96m. this man is now the fastest man over 100m and 200m. a speed of 9.69 seconds for 100m. a brand new world record. he even slow down in the last 20m, provoking the idea that he can even make it to 9.55 seconds.

and he became the first man to smash both 100m and 200m (his pet event) world record in a single Game. 19.30 second for 200m. and also smashing world record at the 4 x 100m relay.

we also saw how he point to the TV and said "i am no 1. i am no 1". we saw his awfully choreographed dance moves and his golden PUMA boots. how Jacques Rogges ask him to GROW UP. but he's only 22 this year. give him some slack la. when you are young, you should behave young. he didn't exactly disrespect the other athletes anyway. he was just enjoying his moment.


the Jamaica 4 x 100m relay team.

Triathlon also brought a surprise result to us. Fordeno of Germany pulled through at the last stretch to grab the Gold while the favourite Javier Gomez 'punchek' at the last 200m. i think the heat and humidity got to him. well, that's the thing about sports. the unpredictability.


Frodeno (same shades as me!)

Emma Snowsill fought her way to Gold, after jumping across the boards when a buggy containing lunch boxes blocked her way! she was a pre-race favourite and her victory was definitey in the calculations.


Emma Snowsill (she has asthma u know!)

Men's marathon witness a new Olympic Record of 2:06.32, smashing a 24 years old record. Samuel Kamau Wansiru became the first men from Kenya to win a Marathon Gold medal. these people are just damn fast. i am probably due at 25km when they already completed!


Samuel Kamau Wansiru.. 21 years old only!! and also Half marathon record holder.

this Olympic also saw the fall of many.

Team USA 4 x 100m relay men and women all saw their baton on the ground instead of seeing it at the finishing line. maybe, arrogance got to them. afterall USA had been dominant in this event previously.

Liu Xiang dropped out of the 110m hurdle race due to injury and how China weep the fall of their hero. right at home. the pressure of 1.3 billion hopes were too much for his shoulders.

Brazil losing 3-0 in the Football semi finals. the samba nation couldn't hold their stand.

Team Singapore had another shot at the Olympic. honestly speaking, i ain't really proud of the Silver medal we won in table tennis. i believe many would think likewise. maybe we should just embrace them for now and cultivate our very own medal along the way. it sounds crude but that is how it work.

Singapore is still a very young nation. Sports culture take very long to be cultivated. we are picking up in sports, but not there yet. i believe one day, our own Singaporeans will be a bigger force to contend with. just.. not yet..

i believe focus is very important. we need to find our strength and work on them. for many years now, we have been focusing on a particular sport (f**tba*l) and it has been obvious that Singaporeans can't play that for nuts. sometimes, we should stop dwelling on the past and move on. there are so many other sports we are good in but SSC just kinda ignores them. wake up u old fat big beer belly people! stop drinking beer and watch the Olympic to wake up your idea!!

Beijing 2008 is probably the best Olympics up till now. the sheer effort of the Chinese deserves our praises. we saw how different people can push themselves to achieve for their ultimate goal. sporting excellence and a celebration of humanity. the message of the Olympic of a unified human race has been reinforced by this 29th Olympic Games. Kudos to the Ah Tiongs!

have you ever wonder?

have you ever wonder.. whether you could be so much more in life if u just have the correct guidance?

i was reading Mok Ying Ren's (Singapore promising triathlete and 2007 Sea Games Gold medalist) write up on the Nike webbie and i realise his first OD at Afamosa was clocked at 2 hr 32 mins.. which wasn't very far from my Port Dickson's 2 hr 38 mins...

it took him 4 gruesome years of hard training to win it finally this year.. at an awesome 1 hour 58 mins.

the questions just linger in my mind.. if i train hard too, will i be able to be like him 4 years down the road.. without the proper guidance, will i be able to do so too? Sham guides me for running.. but pure running and tri training is very different.. still, i really appreciate what sham is doing for the team and us as individuals.

for now, i shall make do with what i have.. train hard..

Oikos

University life started off with a bang for me! i actually signed up for 3 camps during matriculation!! They were Freshmen Teambuilding Camp (FTB), Oikos (Economics faculty camp) and SMUX (SMU Xtremist camp).

didn't manage to get FTB's pix yet so i figured i will update on my other 2 camps (which were blasts!!) first. and Oikos and SMUX were back to back, from 4th to 8th August!

Oikos

Everyone here is from School Of Economics (at least that is the case before some were transferreed to Biz). haha. Econs people are unique in a way that they are kinda rational yet crazy. We don't go crazy drinking and mambo-ing like what most in Biz camp (aka Bondue) do. but we have our own version of going hay-wire.

reached SOE subway gathering area and called Cindy (one of my faci for the camp). the group actually met up to do up the mascots' costume and pre camp dinner but i was busy on both occassion so i couldn't join. but they didn't make me feel left out. everyone was friendly and intro themselves to me. nevertheless, i kinda did shitty for the ice breakers cause of my "lack in advantage".. 2 years in NS made me stupid.

well 1st day ain't much. we did some ice breaker games and a massive balloon popping game. everyone tied different coloured balloons onto both ankles and we have to go into the centre to smash the balloons with the colour the emcees said. there were some dumb guy who actually saw his own balloon and tot it was someone's else and he smashed it. -_- quite dumb. but we had a good luff about it. haha


Cindy and Junrong with drawn face.. cause of us!


the Flintstones!


jumping sleeping bags race!


"u can't catch me!"


after that, it's all the admin stuff. how to bid for courses on BOSS, intro of professors, tech support talk etc.. took like 3- 4 hours lo.

2nd day was crazy.. it was a bright and sunny day and we headed to sentosa for games.


before we start the games, still fresh!


you spin me right round, baby
right round like a record, baby~~


squeezing me dry


mad-ness in the sea


i think i'm the "big splash" behind. haha


Cindy and her 2 seconds hangtime


classic boyband + uptown girl pic


all ready. fall in position


forgive my sissy position! no choice!


Pradeep went for facial... the flour way..


never doubt Junrong's sexual orientation..

girls won the tug of war!


the winners!!


gonna find out what's inside the box! *screams"


Sophia looking ultra cool.. "bang!"


Operation "protect sophia" commences


still got time to pose? going to start war already!


the warriors!


all washed up after exhausting games under super hot sun


Seow yong, what were u doing??


the dudes enjoy BJ .. oops. i meant Ben & Jerry's


the "look"..


the classic SMU jump @ Vivocity


CHUBBY BUNNY! cheerios Daniel!


Nice~ that's 16 mashmallows right


the "suckers"


there's an identity crisis here!


the deathnote thingy.. whatever it is called.. haha


forget the theme but he's damn good. even flirted with the Dean!


Edward Scissorhand!


my hand just went where it was SUPPOSED to be going.


final group pic!

thanks Flintstones! u all were great. since we are all in same faculty (except for some of the girls.. still same uni though!), we shall see each other often in classes ya.. really enjoyed myself!

We're the Flintstones