My sister and me

Bowling alley.

Stance.

"Put in more strength!"

She smiled. She laughed. She hopped and tiptoed. I laughed. I chuckled. I didn't talk much. At one time I wanted to see how stronger I could swing and see how hard the ball can crash. More strength does makes sense. It'll hit more.

She was good at keying in. She had her own style. No strength but style. I think she got a spare before.

"You need to drop it at the centre. See the line? Find the centre, the middle. In that way you could hit the middle duck."

"Why are you dreaming? I waited so long."

"No I was looking how good they were bowling.", she reasoned.

"Why do I always have to wait? I've finished paying and you were supposed to follow me."

She was looking at some pens at the counter.

How is work?

The last few weeks have seen design and brand engineering, some mathematics and the occasional issues of personal ambitions and upbringing. There have been attempts at very technical computerised drawing too. Electronics has a odd lecturer, mechanics with a friendly and funny tutor and the electronics prac was interesting. Other than that the canteen and eateries are always choked, filled to the brim. My wheels would love to go but the rain is a factor.

Hong Yi said that he wanted to be a politician. Cool.

Real Run 2009 aftermath

History repeats itself again. At the 9km mark, I dropped. After a wide lead, i dropped. At that stage when victory was almost certain, i dropped. When just a few efforts of what my buddy said around 4 mins or so could have saved my fate, i dropped. I dropped for the wrong reason.

This sport is a lot about tactics, tactics of the mind, strength of the mind, focus clarity of the mind. The mind aspect is as intriguing as the human brain.

Before i started, i thought that adequate form was there as i have been in race- ready mode till then.

But my assumption could be wrong.

For probably what i have done so far, have not really put me in race- ready mode.

Victory in the future is made sweeter i guess.

Exams

Is it that way to know how we measure up the talk of the town again? It is big thing, over here in our homeland. It's been repeated and repeated till it's become a cliche. "You are not going anywhere if you don't study hard". How many million times has it been heard? No matter what, it's quite true in a way.

Everyone knows anything starts from an idea, a thought. A thought is a possible intellectual product. An intellectual product can go far. Youtube started from a small idea. Microsoft started from an impulse. The Wright brothers came up with an idea of a plane after seeing how the bird flew. It all starts from thinking. Thinking well is a great start.

The brain has been studied as a phenomenal organ of the human body. There are infinite connections and millions of static movement per second. The brain can store, it keeps the heart beating and it works with the nervous system. We know that supercomputers can trounce the brain in some feats. But can the brain beat machines in any way?

So we have seen our great reliance on this phenomenon, the thinking organ. At home, it is a battle of the brains. Good papers ensure you at the top of the ladder. Good papers can be achieved if you can think well. How far can intellectual resource go? Microsoft is the 8th biggest company in the world today.

New facelift

The best thing about the new facelift is the shower facilities which has an open- air concept and unique mechanism. The switch to the shower is like a pulling action, a hanging handle which lets the shower flow continuously for about a lengthy 5- 8 seconds. It is a great joy to shower after a tough workout. Adding to that main highlight are the basic but commendable facilities such as systematic parking lots and the ease of getting a 100-plus bottle. Other than that the new MacRitchie also has a new internal landscape. It's new but just normal.

So I have left it for quite some time till today when I revisited it again. The terrain seems more punishing this time. I probably need a new shoe just for MacRitchie.

But today was particularly tough. I probably overdid the weights yesterday.

Ugly side of bad economy

When the economy becomes bad, the ugly side can show itself. People resort to cost- cutting measures. It's not about cost- cutting is wrong. It's fine. The way to do it is the issue.

Hiring staff which costs less is a cost- cutting measure. For example, hiring a foreigner to be a receptionist in your store. It sure cuts costs. But i've come across a number of instances when business can be a problem when these foreigners are hired. One, i don't get what they mean sometimes. Two, it's a bad business deal experience. Three, i might not get the correct product, correct product information.

Another cost- cutting measure is reduced train operations. It is said that the trains will be more frequent at peak hours. But still, at peak hours, the congestion is existent. What has the authorities done to justify the high prices of public transport? The trains are still congested at peak hours.

A typical cost- cutting measure is reducing wages. This is really bad. Ask them, who are hit.

The journey

How do you keep focused in 16 minutes? How do you increase aerobic threshold? How to put up a killer finish? How to kill from the start? How to lay a solid core? How do you sustain interest? How to tolerate early offensives? How to tolerate late offensives? How to take middle- of - the- race offensives?

Answering all these is a journey.

You never know

Have you ever thought of a past that hurts? It hurts because it makes you hate yourself. That was you in the past. That's why they say, time heals.

Now it's time for the present, the future. I love the future. Because it brings anything. Anything. Any possibility. Many possibilities. This. That.

You never know.

Such mysteries that we all love.

Swift Open 5000m 09

The line- up wasn't really much of a star- studded lot. But the main star was there, and he was on sub- 16 form. How many of us have gone below 16? How many below 17?

So the gun goes and like a flock dispersing, the runners make their way to 12 and a half. Mok sprinted front, a tactic unusual of him. I trailed closely behind and wanted to keep to my targetted splits.

First 200: 37 seconds- too fast. I felt it was quite usual except the heat and I was actually braving a slight flu.

A few laps turned and I was starting to feel the pressure. It was just too hot and my mental picture of the torture I was braving on the rubber track sort of called the game over. I probably couldn't do anything left to break the so- called 'barrier'. Dave and Sharon and Christian comprised the panel of moral support for us with their never- ending cheers and motivation but I still could not find a faster gear.

The third runner at that time was keeping his toes close to my heels like waiting to take on me at the right time. He got the right time and cut me with 3 laps to go. I couldn't summon the response. My body felt very weak. My mind was weaker. I was over and done and I even contemplated on dropping out.

But I felt not so much of a need to drop out with a couple of laps to go.

And I reached the finish with 45 seconds off my previous.

If it was the heat then we have to train for the heat. If it was the flu then adequate rest is needed. If it's the mental component then probably we gotta work on the mind aspect.

Devastated

Is it the end? Is it over?

It is if you say it so.

So he rode on me for first six. And, after all the work I have done, he slayed me for the next half. In a way, I was used.

But if my core speed was certain, if it was solid, if it was great, if it was stinging, this would not have been possible. It would not have been possible for him.

I have a theoretical advantage. I have experience. But that day I failed in the mental part. Perhaps I was not physically 100% ready too with a running nose.

I am only human. As he widens the gap, so is my opportunity to improve.

Amazed

It has come this far. Undoubtedly amazing. To know how much stress you've placed upon your own body and it responded in this way. There is a very long list of amazing facts about the human body that I always take for granted. But I am amazed by every single fact in it. I am thankful for every single fact. This is a gift.

I have an issue on the coming Saturday. At this stage, it has come to about breaking a barrier. I cannot imagine the ecstasy, the fever and the pride if I break it.

For as long as I have been in the sport, it is really a lot about patience and dedication. But now I have discovered the passion. It is really wonderful when I learn new things everyday. I have tried and tested many mental strategies. I have seen many kinds of training. I know of many attitudes.

So what has brought me this far? I believe that health is an investment. And I am still calculating it's equivalent in dollars and cents.

Try it

It's bad. Two deaths and many casualties. It all resulted from bacterial contamination of seafood. The question is if it's avoidable. If good hygiene is practised? If you have a good sense of cleanliness?

It could just happen to anyone. Food consumption is daily, 24/ 7, per- second business which needs high hygiene standards. The food provider too has a very high liability towards the consumers. But then again you can never know what's being put in the food you eat. It could be bad but doesn't seem bad because it doesn't taste bad. Try it.

Review on the movie Knowing

The movie started very well, questioning the existence of Earth and us. It was big philosophy. Like some things that you can never explain in life. Can somebody give me a 100% accurate answer why we exist in this world and why there is planet Earth? Definite no. If anyone dared to you can inform me in the chat box at the corner of this page.

Nicolas Cage is a subtle comedian. Astro- physics is an intriguing field. And MIT is a giant institute full of all kinds of big telescopic instruments encased in glasshouses within the overlooking vast skies. The sky is wide. Just as wide as the subject of this movie which is the existence of Earth and the universe.

Then a plane crashes down, a train overshots and one could see an inferno happening in the woods. The disaster scenes are magnificent.

However the movie had a weak ending. The two kids escaped the world catastrophe and were running around freely on the fields instead. They were in another world. These parts of the movie had no clear explanation. In this case, no explanation is a bad idea.

The reason of fate in social life

Do you have people in your life who hate you? Or like you? I've come across a personal observation that in life, you will be liked by some and hated by some not because of your attitude, looks or whatsoever. It's just that they like or hate you. They like or hate you because of who you are. Not because you are pretty, clever or rich.

I've come across many instances that make me conclude such. Recently I met my store manager to work for her store. She greeted me with such radiance and friendliness. As days of working go by, I found she was nice to me, always understanding, forgiving and never failing to smile and laugh. She made working at her store a happy experience. But she was not all that nice and friendly to some of the other store personnel. She didn't give them the priveleges I had. She didn't smile much to them. It's fate. Maybe she just didn't like them?

And I have also met a colleague at the store who seem to always go against my ways. He had conflicting ideas. Contrasting principles. We were probably born to hate each other. He seemed to be friendly. He seemed to give positive comments.

It's fate. In this life of love and hate, you either like or hate.

Every training has a different story

At first I tried to have a fixed perspective every each day. Like maybe a good stride tempo or positive thinking. But that just became a past idea. And it made my runs quite dull.

So I started to not think at all when training.

And so every training has a different story, different things to learn and discover.

Sometimes when you choke to much stuff in your head, it can be a bad thing. Especially when you are in a race. It might just distract.

Sports itself is an education. That's why CCA exists.

Peaking

It happened last year. And this year, again. I peaked early in the year. Of course it means a lot. It is very good news! It means a lot.

Keep up

The problem of the Saturday tragedy could be because of not keeping up from the start. After the gun fire, I was trailing behind the leading back. After 5 mins, I was still trailing. My race was sort of over.

So the issue here is to keep up, no matter what. No matter what the stakes are. Because that has become some sort of a fundamental tactic.

So step number one is to keep up. And after keeping up is the work of surviving. Which has become the most current agenda now.

Jack of all trade and none

I realised tt being able to secure a good job in the future depends on an important factor: being unique. The more unique a job is, the greater the pay it commands. If you have a skill many others have, your pay will be moderate or even low.

There are many kinds of skills available. Linguistic skill, mathematical skill, organizational skill, social skill, leadership skill, persuasive skill and many many others.

It is a paradox that to survive in this new world, you need to be a Jack of all trades and not one too. Because it is an advantage that you have a wide spectrum of skills and at the same time specialises in a few.

Cross- country nationals 2009

Many times we think we've realized our mistakes, we thought we've got certain formulae and ways right and we hoped to get just better only to face the harsh reality which sends us back to square one. I got that last Saturday, the cross- country nationals of 2009.

It was one of the most fantastic competition fields i have ever encountered. Sunny, Mok, Feroz, Dave, Darsha, Kannan, Madan, Marc, Rui Yong and the Gurkhas. It was like almost all the entire superstars were on show. I said almost cos Kien Mau was loitering easy beside the podium.

The start was a crazy- speed bottleneck frenzy. It was like a stampede. It was a rush. It's survival. Of the fittest, strongest, fastest.

The drawback of the competition is how it lived up to its name. I prefer cross- country to be in the pristine evergreen forests, not on acrid, barren Bedok Reservoir.

Thinking of you

There are many reasons that keep you in the game. Reasons that keep you going on. Factors which make you still wanna train hard.

One good reason is to stay in the game. To be ahead. To be relevant. Even though you trailed last season, you still wanna make it next season. There is enough energy, both in mental and physical terms. You do not wanna be in the game over zone.

If you take a look around there's still a lot of work to be done unless you are the best.

And the road to being the best is special.