Sucks to be injured
(AGAIN!)
And when I'm about to go overseas next week somemore
Lady Luck is not on my side
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Lady Luck
Sucks to be injured
(AGAIN!)
And when I'm about to go overseas next week somemore
Lady Luck is not on my side
Saturday, June 25, 2011
For you, my friend
"When you are up in life
Your friends get to know who you are
But when you are down in life
You get to know who your friends are"
Your friends get to know who you are
But when you are down in life
You get to know who your friends are"
For you, my friend
When you are back
I would be away already
When you are back
I would be away already
30 lives
Today
I have accumulated 10 blood donations
4 years and counting
Not bad hur?
I saved 30 lives already
Redemption in case of bad karma
Hahahahahaha!
:)
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Something to share with everyone
Something that others shared on Facebook
Singapore girl wins Commonwealth essay prize!
You will be amazed at the maturity of this 15-year old girl. It's worthwhile
taking 5 mins to read this essay.
A 15-YEAR-OLD Singaporean, competing against 16- 18-year-olds, has won
the top prize in a writing contest that drew 5,300 entries from 52 countries...
In the annual Commonwealth Essay Competition, Amanda Chong of
Raffles Girls' School (Secondary) chose to compete in the older category
and won with a piece on the restlessness of modern life.
Her short story, titled "What The Modern Woman Wants" focused on the conflict
in values between an old lady and her independent-minded daughter.
'Through my story, I attempted to convey the unique East-vs-West struggles and
generation gaps that I felt were characteristic of young people in my country,'
said Amanda, who likes drama, history and literature and wants to become a
lawyer and a politician.
Chief examiner Charles Kemp called her piece a 'powerfully moving and ironical
critique of modern restlessness and its potentially cruel consequences'. The
writing is fluent and assured, with excellent use of dialogue.
Amanda gets (S$1,590). A Singaporean last won the top prize in
2000, said Britain's Royal Commonwealth Society, which has been
organising the competition since 1883. Singaporeans also came in
second in the 14 to 15-year-old category, and fourth in the under-12s.
Other winners included students from Australia , Canada and South Africa.
===================================================
What the Modern Woman Wants...
By Amanda Chong Wei-Zhen
The old woman sat in the backseat of the magenta convertible as it careened down
the highway, clutching tightly to the plastic bag on her lap, afraid it may be
kidnapped by the wind.
She was not used to such speed, with trembling hands she pulled the seat belt
tighter but was careful not to touch the patent leather seats with her callused
fingers, her daughter had warned her not to dirty it, 'Fingerprints show very
clearly on white, Ma.'
Her daughter, Bee Choo, was driving and talking on her sleek silver mobile
phone using big words the old woman could barely understand.
'Finance', 'Liquidation', 'Assets', 'Investments'... Her voice was crisp and
important and had an unfamiliar lilt to it.
Her Bee Choo sounded like one of those foreign girls on television. She was
speaking in an American accent. The old lady clucked her tongue in
disapproval......
'I absolutely cannot have this. We have to sell!' Her daughter exclaimed
agitatedly as she stepped on the accelerator; her perfectly manicured
fingernails gripping onto the steering wheel in irritation.
'I can't DEAL with this anymore!' she yelled as she clicked the phone shut and
hurled it angrily toward the backseat. The mobile phone hit the old woman on the
forehead and nestled soundlessly into her lap. She calmly picked it up and
handed it to her daughter.
'Sorry, Ma,' she said, losing the American pretence and switching to Mandarin.
'I have a big client in America . There have been a lot of problems.'
The old lady nodded knowingly. Her daughter was big and important.
Bee Choo stared at her mother from the rear view window, wondering what she was
thinking. Her mother's wrinkled countenance always carried the same cryptic
look.
The phone began to ring again, an artificially cheerful digital tune, which
broke the awkward silence.
'Hello, Beatrice! Yes, this is Elaine.'
Elaine. The old woman cringed. I didn't name her Elaine. She remembered her
daughter telling her, how an English name was very important for 'networking',
Chinese ones being easily forgotten.
'Oh no, I can't see you for lunch today. I have to take the ancient relic to
the temple for her weird daily prayer ritual.'
Ancient Relic. The old woman understood perfectly it was referring to her. Her
daughter always assumed that her mother's silence meant she did not comprehend.
'Yes, I know! My car seats will be reeking of joss sticks!'
The old woman pursed her lips tightly, her hands gripping her plastic bag in
defence. The car curved smoothly into the temple courtyard. It looked almost
garish next to the dull sheen of the ageing temple's roof.
The old woman got out of the back seat, and made her unhurried way to the main
hall. Her daughter stepped out of the car in her business suit and stilettos and
reapplied her lipstick as she made her brisk way to her mother's side.
'Ma, I'll wait outside.. I have an important phone call to make,' she said, not
bothering to hide her disgust at the pungent fumes of incense.
The old lady hobbled into the temple hall and lit a joss stick, she knelt down
solemnly and whispered her now familiar daily prayer to the Gods.
'Thank you God of the Sky, you have given my daughter luck all these years.
Everything I prayed for, you have given her. She has everything a young woman in
this world could possibly want.
'She has a big house with a swimming pool, a maid to help her, as she is too
clumsy to sew or cook. Her love life has been blessed; she is engaged to a rich
and handsome angmoh man.
'Her company is now the top financial firm and even men listen to what she
says... She lives the perfect life. You have given her everything except
happiness. I ask that the gods be merciful to her even if she has lost her roots
while reaping the harvest of success.
'What you see is not true, she is a filial daughter to me. She gives me a room
in her big house and provides well for me. She is rude to me only because I
affect her happiness. A young woman does not want to be hindered by her old
mother. It is my fault.'
The old lady prayed so hard that tears welled up in her eyes. Finally, with her
head bowed in reverence she planted the half-burnt joss stick into an urn of
smoldering ashes.
She bowed once more. The old woman had been praying for her daughter for
thirty-two years. When her stomach was round like a melon, she came to the
temple and prayed that it was a son.
Then the time was ripe and the baby slipped out of her womb, bawling and
adorable with fat thighs and pink cheeks, but unmistakably, a girl. Her husband
had ticked and punched her for producing a useless baby who could not work or
carry the family name.
Still, the woman returned to the temple with her new-born girl tied to her
waist in a sarong and prayed that her daughter would grow up and have everything
she ever wanted.
Her husband left her and she prayed that her daughter would never have to
depend on a man. She prayed every day that her daughter would be a great woman,
the woman that she, meek and uneducated, could never become.
A woman with 'neng kan'; the ability to do anything she set her mind to. A woman
who commanded respect in the hearts of men. When she opened her mouth to speak,
precious pearls would fall out and men would listen.
She will not be like me, the woman prayed as she watched her daughter grow up
and drift away from her, speaking a language she scarcely understood.
She watched her daughter transform from a quiet girl to one who openly defied
her, calling her laotu, old fashioned.... She wanted her mother to be 'modern',
a word so new there was no Chinese word for it.
Now her daughter was too clever for her and the old woman wondered why she had
prayed like that. The Gods had been faithful to her persistent prayer, but the
wealth and success that poured forth so richly had buried the girl's roots and
now she stood faceless with no identity, bound to the soil of her ancestors by
only a string of origami banknotes.
Her daughter had forgotten her mother's value. Her wants were so ephemeral, that
of a modern woman. Power, wealth, access to the best fashion boutiques and yet
her daughter had not found true happiness. The old woman knew that you could
find happiness with much less.
When her daughter left the earth, everything she had would count for nothing.
People would look to her legacy and say that she was a great woman but she would
be forgotten once the wind blows over, like the ashes of burnt paper
convertibles and mansions.
The old woman wished she could go back and erase all her big hopes and prayers
for her daughter now that she had looked out of the temple gates. She saw her
daughter speaking on the phone, her brow furrowed with anger and worry. Being at
the top is not good, the woman thought, there is only one way to go from there –
down.
The old woman carefully unfolded the plastic bag and spread out a packet of
beehoon in front of the altar. Her daughter often mocked her for worshiping
porcelain Gods. How could she pray to them so faithfully and expect pieces of
ceramic to fly to her aid?
But her daughter had her own gods too, idols of wealth, success and power that
she enslaved to and worshiped every day of her life.
Every day was a quest for the idols, and the idols she worshiped counted for
nothing in eternity. All the wants her daughter had would slowly suck the life
out of her and leave her, an empty souless shell at the altar.
The old woman watched the joss stick. The dull heat had left a teetering grey
stem that was on the danger of collapsing.
Modern woman nowadays, the old lady sighed in resignation, as she bowed to the
east bone a final time to end her ritual. Modern woman nowadays want so much
that they lose their souls and wonder why they cannot find it.
Her joss stick disintegrated into a soft grey powder. She met her daughter
outside the temple, the same look of worry and frustration was etched on her
daughter's face.
An empty expression, as if she was ploughing through the soil of her wants
looking for the one thing that would sow the seeds of happiness.
They climbed into the convertible in silence and her daughter drove along the
highway, this time not too fast as she had done before.
‘Ma,’ Bee Choo finally said. 'I don't know how to put this. Mark and I have been
talking about it and we plan to move out of the big house. The property market
is good now, and we managed to get a buyer willing to pay us seven million for
it. We decided we'd prefer a cosier penthouse apartment instead. We found a
perfect one in Orchard Road.
Once we move into our apartment, we plan to get rid of the maid,
so we can have more space to ourselves...'
The old woman nodded knowingly. Bee Choo swallowed hard.
'We'd get someone to come in to do the housework and we can eat out – but once
the maid is gone, there won't be anyone to look after you. You will be awfully
lonely at home and, besides that the apartment is rather small. There won't be
space. We thought about it for a long time, and we decided the best thing for
you is if you moved to a Home. There's one near Hougang – it's a Christian home
and a very nice one.'
The old woman did not raise an eyebrow.
'I"ve been there, the matron is willing to take you in. It's beautiful with
gardens and lots of old people to keep you company! Hardly have time for you,
you'd be happier there. You'd be happier there, really.'
Her daughter repeated as if to affirm herself.
This time the old woman had no plastic bag of food offering to cling tightly
to, she bit her lip and fastened her seat belt, as if it would protect her from
a daughter who did not want her anymore. She sunk deep into the leather seat,
letting her shoulders sag and her fingers trace the white seat.
'Ma,' her daughter asked, searching the rear view window for her mother. 'Is
everything okay?'
What had to be done, had to be done.
'Yes' she said firmly, louder than she intended, 'if it will make you happy,'
she added more quietly.
‘It's for you, Ma! You will be happier there. You can move there tomorrow, I
already got the maid to pack your things.'
Elaine said triumphantly, mentally ticking yet another item off her agenda.
'I knew everything would be fine.' Elaine smiled widely; she felt liberated.
Perhaps getting rid of her mother would make her happier...
She had thought about it. It seemed the only hindrance in her pursuit of
happiness. She was happy now. She had everything a modern woman ever wanted;
money, status, career, love, power and now freedom without her mother and her
old-fashioned ways to weigh her down...
Yes she was free. Her phone butted urgently, she picked it up and read the
message, still beaming from ear to ear.
'Stock 10% increase.'
Yes, things were definitely beginning to look up for her and while searching for
the meaning of life in the luminance of her hand phone screen, the old woman in
the backseat became invisible and she did not see her in tears.
As shared by Sarah Cheong
===================================
This is worthy of the top prize
I'm quite sure I could relate to the dialogue and whatever the young
girl is trying to put through to the audience
The point that I'm sharing this story because
I actually came back home
And read it again
And found out some points which raised some question marks for me
Good points on this story
- I love the parts on how Amanda used the dialogue
- On how Bee Choo is being portrayed as this 女强人
- How everything was very realistic
i) the convertible
ii) the poor old mom
iii) prayers at the temple
iv) married to the angmoh
v) poor old mom being sent to old folks home
vi) girl without Caucasian name got one herself
Bad points on this story
Hmmm
I was thinking about it
Then I came to realise the fact that this young writer
Comes from Raffles Girls School
Which in turn, is akin to her being automatically labelled as an "Elitist"
And nowadays "Elitist" are being labelled by netizens as
"people who surround themselves with other like-minded people and
just paying themselves handsome outrageous salaries while profiteering
at an insane plain view of everyone, and thus mistakenly take for granted
that everything is going well at ground level"
Well thats the view of netizens I guess?
Netizens also push out this point that like-minded in this sense
means that these people think that coming from prestigious background
is a god-given right for them to surround themselves with other similar people
And mistake any other who is not the same mold as lesser beings
Hmmm
Tough call
To me
I think the negative side to this whole thing would be
If you put this same essay through submission
And then put as some "ABC Neighbourhood Secondary"
Remember
Identical essay but different school
Would it have scored the same result?
And would the person from a neighbourhood school be
writing this kind of essay in the first place?
The girl from the neighbourhood school would probably
be thinking of how to make ends meet rather than
driving convertible and talking trashy American accent I guess?
I think its the exposure to the society
If Amanda is constantly being showed this side of society
She would have gotten this feeling easily
While the neighbourhood school girl wouldnt be in this situation
They say same birds of the same feather flock together
If you're playing iPad and I'm playing digimon
Can my Digivice ''fight'' your iPad?
Can my Digivice play iTunes songs out?
Oh bloody hell can my Digivice be touch-screen enabled?
I think its really the exposure ba
If you are exposed to this lifestyle at a young age
Constantly and repeatedly
You will be forgiven for forming this impression
But ditto for "ABC Neighbourhood Secondary" girl
Coming from a secondary school
Which is "autonomous" and chasing whatever achievement
during the finals years of my studies
And finally seeing the full effect of KPI being placed on teachers
I can tell I have fellow peers who are achievements
I know of ppl getting DSTA, A*Star, Oxford, Cambridge
or Hogwarts scholarships during this short 22 years of my life
I think they will be these 女强人 or somehow similar
in the short years to come
But
Just a small but
I think
Not everyone of them would follow the footsteps of this Bee Choo
This so called "摩登" aka Chinese word for modern as translated
form of young Singaporean woman
I'm quite sure majority of the girls my age
Most of whom are graduating in this 1 year or so
They would be slightly delaying their marriage years
Delay their child-bearing age
Form financial stability and stuff
But not throwing their parents in old folks home and whatnot
Because throwing your folks into the home
Is akin to committing the crime that will allow lightning to strike
you in your shiny convertible
Seriously
And I'm quite sure the ladies of my batch
They are well-educated, well-travelled ladies
Who are not SP-bitches or whatnot
But they do know their lines of limit
And yes, things wont turn out as written in this story
Everybody wants to blame somebody for something
And for such a situation as depicted in this shown story
As brilliantly as written by this young girl
I think you can put the blame on the pressure cooker system
Which we have engulfed ourselves in
Where everybody is chasing something
And its the academic stuff that is of utmost importance
Yes I admit I am in the rat-race too
But certainly
I felt I have lead a good and comfortable life
Seen stuff and did stuff which I will not regret
Travelled some parts of the globe which I could afford
Spend money which I felt were wisely spent (so far)
Take courses and learn skills which I willingly pay for
And yes
I do feel that I'm not affected by these so-called "Elitist"
Or not that I care that much perhaps?
And yes
Financially aside
I'm slightly blessed
But I think
At the end of the day
I have gotten the happiness which Bee Choo have not found
And like what those TV dramas and Bee Choo's Ma mentioned
"Happiness is a simple thing"
We have forgotten everything in this rat-race
How to relax yourself
How to just go have a coffee at the coffee shop
How to go to your best friend place's void deck and talk till the wee hours
How to lay down on the grass
How to sit on the sand
All without a care in the world
How to run free
How to jump high
How to see the world pass by
And not just chasing academic achievements
And getting into rushed relationships
Only to commit so much
And lose out on all your fellow friends who care about you
To try to reconnect when you break-up
To not be anti-social
To not be talking through your mouth without thinking
We need to be impulse at times
And do different things
Different but simple things
Which you cannot imagine
And getting out of the comfort zone
Seems like a good way to start
Very refreshing
If not
Its a vicious cycle which will come back to hunt you
When you start working so hard
And your kids start getting neglected
And they dont do well in studies
And you enroll them in tuition
And never bring them over to see their grandparents
Yup, this is......happening!
Hahahahaha!
How many of these high-flyers which I know
Have parents who studied till university or something?
If their parents are graduates, how many of them actually are high-flyers?
End of the day
Most of our parents are just normal people
Who start selling bread at Primary 5/6
Drop out of school
And stillfucking managed to put you through university
And to think we will ALL get suck into the vicious cycle
Screw everyone of us
2012 may lava pour out from Bukit Timah Hill
LOL!
;)
Shit
I still need to work tml
So I can afford to buy my $880k HDB flat next time
I are seeing stars now
Bag Engrish
But for my HDB
For my Singaporean status
I will still go to work tml
Holy shit it's close to 1am now!
Last thing for the ladies before I hit the pillows
I think 50kg
You have the height the curves the figure
I dont mind ferrying you
50kg and you stand at 1.65m
You look like Blake Lively
Or Megan Fox
Or Felicia Chin
Just don look like a bag of bones can already
Come on people
50kg is ok what?
Not meh?
I think I should leave a note on his bike and ask him
Should I?
Put a picture of Tracy Lee
And say I weight 50kg
:)
Something that others shared on Facebook
Singapore girl wins Commonwealth essay prize!
You will be amazed at the maturity of this 15-year old girl. It's worthwhile
taking 5 mins to read this essay.
A 15-YEAR-OLD Singaporean, competing against 16- 18-year-olds, has won
the top prize in a writing contest that drew 5,300 entries from 52 countries...
In the annual Commonwealth Essay Competition, Amanda Chong of
Raffles Girls' School (Secondary) chose to compete in the older category
and won with a piece on the restlessness of modern life.
Her short story, titled "What The Modern Woman Wants" focused on the conflict
in values between an old lady and her independent-minded daughter.
'Through my story, I attempted to convey the unique East-vs-West struggles and
generation gaps that I felt were characteristic of young people in my country,'
said Amanda, who likes drama, history and literature and wants to become a
lawyer and a politician.
Chief examiner Charles Kemp called her piece a 'powerfully moving and ironical
critique of modern restlessness and its potentially cruel consequences'. The
writing is fluent and assured, with excellent use of dialogue.
Amanda gets (S$1,590). A Singaporean last won the top prize in
2000, said Britain's Royal Commonwealth Society, which has been
organising the competition since 1883. Singaporeans also came in
second in the 14 to 15-year-old category, and fourth in the under-12s.
Other winners included students from Australia , Canada and South Africa.
===================================================
What the Modern Woman Wants...
By Amanda Chong Wei-Zhen
The old woman sat in the backseat of the magenta convertible as it careened down
the highway, clutching tightly to the plastic bag on her lap, afraid it may be
kidnapped by the wind.
She was not used to such speed, with trembling hands she pulled the seat belt
tighter but was careful not to touch the patent leather seats with her callused
fingers, her daughter had warned her not to dirty it, 'Fingerprints show very
clearly on white, Ma.'
Her daughter, Bee Choo, was driving and talking on her sleek silver mobile
phone using big words the old woman could barely understand.
'Finance', 'Liquidation', 'Assets', 'Investments'... Her voice was crisp and
important and had an unfamiliar lilt to it.
Her Bee Choo sounded like one of those foreign girls on television. She was
speaking in an American accent. The old lady clucked her tongue in
disapproval......
'I absolutely cannot have this. We have to sell!' Her daughter exclaimed
agitatedly as she stepped on the accelerator; her perfectly manicured
fingernails gripping onto the steering wheel in irritation.
'I can't DEAL with this anymore!' she yelled as she clicked the phone shut and
hurled it angrily toward the backseat. The mobile phone hit the old woman on the
forehead and nestled soundlessly into her lap. She calmly picked it up and
handed it to her daughter.
'Sorry, Ma,' she said, losing the American pretence and switching to Mandarin.
'I have a big client in America . There have been a lot of problems.'
The old lady nodded knowingly. Her daughter was big and important.
Bee Choo stared at her mother from the rear view window, wondering what she was
thinking. Her mother's wrinkled countenance always carried the same cryptic
look.
The phone began to ring again, an artificially cheerful digital tune, which
broke the awkward silence.
'Hello, Beatrice! Yes, this is Elaine.'
Elaine. The old woman cringed. I didn't name her Elaine. She remembered her
daughter telling her, how an English name was very important for 'networking',
Chinese ones being easily forgotten.
'Oh no, I can't see you for lunch today. I have to take the ancient relic to
the temple for her weird daily prayer ritual.'
Ancient Relic. The old woman understood perfectly it was referring to her. Her
daughter always assumed that her mother's silence meant she did not comprehend.
'Yes, I know! My car seats will be reeking of joss sticks!'
The old woman pursed her lips tightly, her hands gripping her plastic bag in
defence. The car curved smoothly into the temple courtyard. It looked almost
garish next to the dull sheen of the ageing temple's roof.
The old woman got out of the back seat, and made her unhurried way to the main
hall. Her daughter stepped out of the car in her business suit and stilettos and
reapplied her lipstick as she made her brisk way to her mother's side.
'Ma, I'll wait outside.. I have an important phone call to make,' she said, not
bothering to hide her disgust at the pungent fumes of incense.
The old lady hobbled into the temple hall and lit a joss stick, she knelt down
solemnly and whispered her now familiar daily prayer to the Gods.
'Thank you God of the Sky, you have given my daughter luck all these years.
Everything I prayed for, you have given her. She has everything a young woman in
this world could possibly want.
'She has a big house with a swimming pool, a maid to help her, as she is too
clumsy to sew or cook. Her love life has been blessed; she is engaged to a rich
and handsome angmoh man.
'Her company is now the top financial firm and even men listen to what she
says... She lives the perfect life. You have given her everything except
happiness. I ask that the gods be merciful to her even if she has lost her roots
while reaping the harvest of success.
'What you see is not true, she is a filial daughter to me. She gives me a room
in her big house and provides well for me. She is rude to me only because I
affect her happiness. A young woman does not want to be hindered by her old
mother. It is my fault.'
The old lady prayed so hard that tears welled up in her eyes. Finally, with her
head bowed in reverence she planted the half-burnt joss stick into an urn of
smoldering ashes.
She bowed once more. The old woman had been praying for her daughter for
thirty-two years. When her stomach was round like a melon, she came to the
temple and prayed that it was a son.
Then the time was ripe and the baby slipped out of her womb, bawling and
adorable with fat thighs and pink cheeks, but unmistakably, a girl. Her husband
had ticked and punched her for producing a useless baby who could not work or
carry the family name.
Still, the woman returned to the temple with her new-born girl tied to her
waist in a sarong and prayed that her daughter would grow up and have everything
she ever wanted.
Her husband left her and she prayed that her daughter would never have to
depend on a man. She prayed every day that her daughter would be a great woman,
the woman that she, meek and uneducated, could never become.
A woman with 'neng kan'; the ability to do anything she set her mind to. A woman
who commanded respect in the hearts of men. When she opened her mouth to speak,
precious pearls would fall out and men would listen.
She will not be like me, the woman prayed as she watched her daughter grow up
and drift away from her, speaking a language she scarcely understood.
She watched her daughter transform from a quiet girl to one who openly defied
her, calling her laotu, old fashioned.... She wanted her mother to be 'modern',
a word so new there was no Chinese word for it.
Now her daughter was too clever for her and the old woman wondered why she had
prayed like that. The Gods had been faithful to her persistent prayer, but the
wealth and success that poured forth so richly had buried the girl's roots and
now she stood faceless with no identity, bound to the soil of her ancestors by
only a string of origami banknotes.
Her daughter had forgotten her mother's value. Her wants were so ephemeral, that
of a modern woman. Power, wealth, access to the best fashion boutiques and yet
her daughter had not found true happiness. The old woman knew that you could
find happiness with much less.
When her daughter left the earth, everything she had would count for nothing.
People would look to her legacy and say that she was a great woman but she would
be forgotten once the wind blows over, like the ashes of burnt paper
convertibles and mansions.
The old woman wished she could go back and erase all her big hopes and prayers
for her daughter now that she had looked out of the temple gates. She saw her
daughter speaking on the phone, her brow furrowed with anger and worry. Being at
the top is not good, the woman thought, there is only one way to go from there –
down.
The old woman carefully unfolded the plastic bag and spread out a packet of
beehoon in front of the altar. Her daughter often mocked her for worshiping
porcelain Gods. How could she pray to them so faithfully and expect pieces of
ceramic to fly to her aid?
But her daughter had her own gods too, idols of wealth, success and power that
she enslaved to and worshiped every day of her life.
Every day was a quest for the idols, and the idols she worshiped counted for
nothing in eternity. All the wants her daughter had would slowly suck the life
out of her and leave her, an empty souless shell at the altar.
The old woman watched the joss stick. The dull heat had left a teetering grey
stem that was on the danger of collapsing.
Modern woman nowadays, the old lady sighed in resignation, as she bowed to the
east bone a final time to end her ritual. Modern woman nowadays want so much
that they lose their souls and wonder why they cannot find it.
Her joss stick disintegrated into a soft grey powder. She met her daughter
outside the temple, the same look of worry and frustration was etched on her
daughter's face.
An empty expression, as if she was ploughing through the soil of her wants
looking for the one thing that would sow the seeds of happiness.
They climbed into the convertible in silence and her daughter drove along the
highway, this time not too fast as she had done before.
‘Ma,’ Bee Choo finally said. 'I don't know how to put this. Mark and I have been
talking about it and we plan to move out of the big house. The property market
is good now, and we managed to get a buyer willing to pay us seven million for
it. We decided we'd prefer a cosier penthouse apartment instead. We found a
perfect one in Orchard Road.
Once we move into our apartment, we plan to get rid of the maid,
so we can have more space to ourselves...'
The old woman nodded knowingly. Bee Choo swallowed hard.
'We'd get someone to come in to do the housework and we can eat out – but once
the maid is gone, there won't be anyone to look after you. You will be awfully
lonely at home and, besides that the apartment is rather small. There won't be
space. We thought about it for a long time, and we decided the best thing for
you is if you moved to a Home. There's one near Hougang – it's a Christian home
and a very nice one.'
The old woman did not raise an eyebrow.
'I"ve been there, the matron is willing to take you in. It's beautiful with
gardens and lots of old people to keep you company! Hardly have time for you,
you'd be happier there. You'd be happier there, really.'
Her daughter repeated as if to affirm herself.
This time the old woman had no plastic bag of food offering to cling tightly
to, she bit her lip and fastened her seat belt, as if it would protect her from
a daughter who did not want her anymore. She sunk deep into the leather seat,
letting her shoulders sag and her fingers trace the white seat.
'Ma,' her daughter asked, searching the rear view window for her mother. 'Is
everything okay?'
What had to be done, had to be done.
'Yes' she said firmly, louder than she intended, 'if it will make you happy,'
she added more quietly.
‘It's for you, Ma! You will be happier there. You can move there tomorrow, I
already got the maid to pack your things.'
Elaine said triumphantly, mentally ticking yet another item off her agenda.
'I knew everything would be fine.' Elaine smiled widely; she felt liberated.
Perhaps getting rid of her mother would make her happier...
She had thought about it. It seemed the only hindrance in her pursuit of
happiness. She was happy now. She had everything a modern woman ever wanted;
money, status, career, love, power and now freedom without her mother and her
old-fashioned ways to weigh her down...
Yes she was free. Her phone butted urgently, she picked it up and read the
message, still beaming from ear to ear.
'Stock 10% increase.'
Yes, things were definitely beginning to look up for her and while searching for
the meaning of life in the luminance of her hand phone screen, the old woman in
the backseat became invisible and she did not see her in tears.
As shared by Sarah Cheong
===================================
This is worthy of the top prize
I'm quite sure I could relate to the dialogue and whatever the young
girl is trying to put through to the audience
The point that I'm sharing this story because
I actually came back home
And read it again
And found out some points which raised some question marks for me
Good points on this story
- I love the parts on how Amanda used the dialogue
- On how Bee Choo is being portrayed as this 女强人
- How everything was very realistic
i) the convertible
ii) the poor old mom
iii) prayers at the temple
iv) married to the angmoh
v) poor old mom being sent to old folks home
vi) girl without Caucasian name got one herself
Bad points on this story
Hmmm
I was thinking about it
Then I came to realise the fact that this young writer
Comes from Raffles Girls School
Which in turn, is akin to her being automatically labelled as an "Elitist"
And nowadays "Elitist" are being labelled by netizens as
"people who surround themselves with other like-minded people and
just paying themselves handsome outrageous salaries while profiteering
at an insane plain view of everyone, and thus mistakenly take for granted
that everything is going well at ground level"
Well thats the view of netizens I guess?
Netizens also push out this point that like-minded in this sense
means that these people think that coming from prestigious background
is a god-given right for them to surround themselves with other similar people
And mistake any other who is not the same mold as lesser beings
Hmmm
Tough call
To me
I think the negative side to this whole thing would be
If you put this same essay through submission
And then put as some "ABC Neighbourhood Secondary"
Remember
Identical essay but different school
Would it have scored the same result?
And would the person from a neighbourhood school be
writing this kind of essay in the first place?
The girl from the neighbourhood school would probably
be thinking of how to make ends meet rather than
driving convertible and talking trashy American accent I guess?
I think its the exposure to the society
If Amanda is constantly being showed this side of society
She would have gotten this feeling easily
While the neighbourhood school girl wouldnt be in this situation
They say same birds of the same feather flock together
If you're playing iPad and I'm playing digimon
Can my Digivice ''fight'' your iPad?
Can my Digivice play iTunes songs out?
Oh bloody hell can my Digivice be touch-screen enabled?
I think its really the exposure ba
If you are exposed to this lifestyle at a young age
Constantly and repeatedly
You will be forgiven for forming this impression
But ditto for "ABC Neighbourhood Secondary" girl
Coming from a secondary school
Which is "autonomous" and chasing whatever achievement
during the finals years of my studies
And finally seeing the full effect of KPI being placed on teachers
I can tell I have fellow peers who are achievements
I know of ppl getting DSTA, A*Star, Oxford, Cambridge
or Hogwarts scholarships during this short 22 years of my life
I think they will be these 女强人 or somehow similar
in the short years to come
But
Just a small but
I think
Not everyone of them would follow the footsteps of this Bee Choo
This so called "摩登" aka Chinese word for modern as translated
form of young Singaporean woman
I'm quite sure majority of the girls my age
Most of whom are graduating in this 1 year or so
They would be slightly delaying their marriage years
Delay their child-bearing age
Form financial stability and stuff
But not throwing their parents in old folks home and whatnot
Because throwing your folks into the home
Is akin to committing the crime that will allow lightning to strike
you in your shiny convertible
Seriously
And I'm quite sure the ladies of my batch
They are well-educated, well-travelled ladies
Who are not SP-bitches or whatnot
But they do know their lines of limit
And yes, things wont turn out as written in this story
Everybody wants to blame somebody for something
And for such a situation as depicted in this shown story
As brilliantly as written by this young girl
I think you can put the blame on the pressure cooker system
Which we have engulfed ourselves in
Where everybody is chasing something
And its the academic stuff that is of utmost importance
Yes I admit I am in the rat-race too
But certainly
I felt I have lead a good and comfortable life
Seen stuff and did stuff which I will not regret
Travelled some parts of the globe which I could afford
Spend money which I felt were wisely spent (so far)
Take courses and learn skills which I willingly pay for
And yes
I do feel that I'm not affected by these so-called "Elitist"
Or not that I care that much perhaps?
And yes
Financially aside
I'm slightly blessed
But I think
At the end of the day
I have gotten the happiness which Bee Choo have not found
And like what those TV dramas and Bee Choo's Ma mentioned
"Happiness is a simple thing"
We have forgotten everything in this rat-race
How to relax yourself
How to just go have a coffee at the coffee shop
How to go to your best friend place's void deck and talk till the wee hours
How to lay down on the grass
How to sit on the sand
All without a care in the world
How to run free
How to jump high
How to see the world pass by
And not just chasing academic achievements
And getting into rushed relationships
Only to commit so much
And lose out on all your fellow friends who care about you
To try to reconnect when you break-up
To not be anti-social
To not be talking through your mouth without thinking
We need to be impulse at times
And do different things
Different but simple things
Which you cannot imagine
And getting out of the comfort zone
Seems like a good way to start
Very refreshing
If not
Its a vicious cycle which will come back to hunt you
When you start working so hard
And your kids start getting neglected
And they dont do well in studies
And you enroll them in tuition
And never bring them over to see their grandparents
Yup, this is......happening!
Hahahahaha!
How many of these high-flyers which I know
Have parents who studied till university or something?
If their parents are graduates, how many of them actually are high-flyers?
End of the day
Most of our parents are just normal people
Who start selling bread at Primary 5/6
Drop out of school
And still
And to think we will ALL get suck into the vicious cycle
Screw everyone of us
2012 may lava pour out from Bukit Timah Hill
LOL!
;)
Shit
I still need to work tml
So I can afford to buy my $880k HDB flat next time
I are seeing stars now
Bag Engrish
But for my HDB
For my Singaporean status
I will still go to work tml
Holy shit it's close to 1am now!
Last thing for the ladies before I hit the pillows
I think 50kg
You have the height the curves the figure
I dont mind ferrying you
50kg and you stand at 1.65m
You look like Blake Lively
Or Megan Fox
Or Felicia Chin
Just don look like a bag of bones can already
Come on people
50kg is ok what?
Not meh?
I think I should leave a note on his bike and ask him
Should I?
Put a picture of Tracy Lee
And say I weight 50kg
:)
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Monday, June 20, 2011
5th TP this lifetime
Hopefully after reading this
I'm all set for my 5th TP in this lifetime
People ask me why am I learning Class 4 if I dont drive a lorry
Or my family dont have a lorry
There are 2 answers
1st one is the "I'm in a good mood" kinda ans
"Some people have weird fetishes. Is like......
Some people love to collect stamps while I like to collect licenses?"
2nd one would be
"Youbettergogetaspadeandputitupsomewheretheplacedontshine mood" ans
"You also cannot dont have a car at home"
"Knn you also dont drive a car then you learn Class 3 for what?"
"Your car also not you spend your own money one"
Ok and so on and so forth
Just keeps getting more and more irritating nowadays
People who lag EQ
They need to take the spade out
And go start digging holes
Then go jump inside and cover themselves up
Mood-killers
=.=
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Sawadeekrup!
Lights out!
Twins 14oz gloves from Thailand
SGD$50 bucks for the win!
You can get one in local shops for $150
Hahahahahaha!
GSS means having friends who go overseas to get you good stuff!
:)
Rao ja dai phop kan eek mai
Chan kit thueng khun
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Where's my fishing hook?
All you had to do was to hug me
Hold me tightly
Just for a few more seconds longer
These few extra seconds
Are just enough
Long enough
To fool my brain
And my body
To release the endorphins
Needed to make me feel good
Maybe its the perfume you don
Maybe its the smell of your hair
Maybe its the fact that I dont get to see your face
Or maybe
It was all a mistake to start with
I would take the endorphins-releasing hug
Over the fact that you would keep on apologising to me
Over and over again
Because you cant change the fact
That if I were to choose to accept your apology
Those words which come out of your mouth
No matter how harmless they may be portrayed
Seems to disappoint me even more.....
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
“酒醉三分醒”
"If you cant take insults
Then dont diss out trash to others"
"If you wanna pick a fight
Then look at the water which you are treading in
Because when you push a cute donkey to the wall
He will damn hell kick you back"
For you
I think
Being such an academic inclined person
With an high IQ and all
Talented in plenty of areas
Be it physical or musical
I utterly 100% admire you
For your sheer hardwork
Which you grind out results after results
And that
Shows that you have made the effort
To me
That is very important
And I once again
Cannot emphasize anymore on this particular point
However
For such achievements you have
I think you lack a common understanding of what EQ is
Or maybe you do understand
Due to the fact that you are a highly intelligent homosapien
But for me
With such a fiery temper
I think
Me not flaring up at you
And choosing to be quiet instead
Everytime you make these kind of comments
Which may seems harmless
But in fact appears not to go through your brain with any consideration
I think
Yup
I'm a greater person that you
Just based on this fact alone
I'm so sorry I had to say this
But
I'm so hypocritical
Because I have to act like I dont care
I had to act like I'm the loser you are saying
Who blames the world for the state I'm in
Who thinks this world is unfair
Who feels that I'm uniquely different from everyone else
Who gives the wrong traumatizing impression
That I'm the Boss or whatnot
Trust me
I think you can do without me
And I know you can
Because you simply don't care about what others think
Or you are just plain lazy to show any actions on your part
I think
Your actions have proven that
Yes
"You dont need me - I dont need you"
Such an unfortunate scenario has formed
I can only say
I am doing my best
And will always be doing my best
To the last breath I have
To ensure that this circle of trust
The ring of friendship
Stays tight and bonded
And I think I am making a sacrifice
Oh sorry
"Sacrifice" is too strong a word
I am just being a typical Alpha male
Who have learnt to take it easy
And let others talk instead
In short
I have also turned into a hermit crab
Who now hides inside his shell
But still seeing the world outside pass him by
And I do enjoy this present role
TYVM
No
You dont have to make an effort to better understand me
Or decipher this crap of a message
You are just being yourself
So yup
Take it that I have having a hangover
And talking nonsense after that
All in all
I think your insults sting me
Pretty big time
All the time
And if one day
I lose my temper
I would stand up
Flip the table on you
And while the table is on you
Unleash the demon of hell on you
Making sure you understand every
EVERY SINGLE DAMN THING
I am gonna say to you
Especially the insults I'm gonna hit you back with
But....
That day wont come
I'm so sorry
I just need an outlet to say something
And I think I did
It's quite comfortable to get it off my chest
Finally
:)
“酒醉三分醒”
Then dont diss out trash to others"
"If you wanna pick a fight
Then look at the water which you are treading in
Because when you push a cute donkey to the wall
He will damn hell kick you back"
For you
I think
Being such an academic inclined person
With an high IQ and all
Talented in plenty of areas
Be it physical or musical
I utterly 100% admire you
For your sheer hardwork
Which you grind out results after results
And that
Shows that you have made the effort
To me
That is very important
And I once again
Cannot emphasize anymore on this particular point
However
For such achievements you have
I think you lack a common understanding of what EQ is
Or maybe you do understand
Due to the fact that you are a highly intelligent homosapien
But for me
With such a fiery temper
I think
Me not flaring up at you
And choosing to be quiet instead
Everytime you make these kind of comments
Which may seems harmless
But in fact appears not to go through your brain with any consideration
I think
Yup
I'm a greater person that you
Just based on this fact alone
I'm so sorry I had to say this
But
I'm so hypocritical
Because I have to act like I dont care
I had to act like I'm the loser you are saying
Who blames the world for the state I'm in
Who thinks this world is unfair
Who feels that I'm uniquely different from everyone else
Who gives the wrong traumatizing impression
That I'm the Boss or whatnot
Trust me
I think you can do without me
And I know you can
Because you simply don't care about what others think
Or you are just plain lazy to show any actions on your part
I think
Your actions have proven that
Yes
"You dont need me - I dont need you"
Such an unfortunate scenario has formed
I can only say
I am doing my best
And will always be doing my best
To the last breath I have
To ensure that this circle of trust
The ring of friendship
Stays tight and bonded
And I think I am making a sacrifice
Oh sorry
"Sacrifice" is too strong a word
I am just being a typical Alpha male
Who have learnt to take it easy
And let others talk instead
In short
I have also turned into a hermit crab
Who now hides inside his shell
But still seeing the world outside pass him by
And I do enjoy this present role
TYVM
No
You dont have to make an effort to better understand me
Or decipher this crap of a message
You are just being yourself
So yup
Take it that I have having a hangover
And talking nonsense after that
All in all
I think your insults sting me
Pretty big time
All the time
And if one day
I lose my temper
I would stand up
Flip the table on you
And while the table is on you
Unleash the demon of hell on you
Making sure you understand every
EVERY SINGLE DAMN THING
I am gonna say to you
Especially the insults I'm gonna hit you back with
But....
That day wont come
I'm so sorry
I just need an outlet to say something
And I think I did
It's quite comfortable to get it off my chest
Finally
:)
“酒醉三分醒”
Monday, June 13, 2011
1st-Time Picnic
After so many dinners
And dinners
More dinners
And still only dinners
We finally decided to do something different for a change
And go East Coast Park for a picnic
YEY! I spell it correctly
After not doing speed typing for once
And so the picnic was potluck style
Everyone bought some little stuff here and there
And together we have enough food to last for 3days I think
I think actually everyone made a lot of effort
Got pancake, panda cake, tuna sandwich, ham sandwich, potato chips
strawberries, blueberries, grapes, oero, chicken wing, snacks and games
We even managed to have all these picnic mats
Not bad for a first attempt
Even my mom was skeptical about me going picnic
Hahaha!
A pity the weather was quite bad
Did a last minute confirmation
Check NEA and Yahoo weather forecast and anything that can
make sure that ECP was not hit by tsunami before going there
=/
Kobe, busy at Batamfinding a rich Indo-Cheena mistress
Sent his ''greetings'' via Cai Ying
Who advertised the oero pancake with aplomb
And so we proceed to be guinea pigs for Kobe's first venture at making snacks
The pancake was deep-fried
With an ice-cream oero smashed in between
The taste was.........
Was.........*cue Hui Jeen expression*
Was......*cue HQ expression*
Was......*cue Wei Qin holding tissue paper*
Ok hands up for those who dont have your pictures posted here
You guys owe Kobe an explanation
Ha!
Anyways the oero pancake was a bit oily
And the ice-cream oero could have been mashed a bit
Instead of a whole piece
Other than that
Not bad for a first try
And so we conclude that it was done via watching YouTube
Possible related videos would be.....
1) How to make your friends dislike you
2) How to create a friendly stomachache
3) What food NOT to bring during a potluck
4) Dummies guide to virgin attempt at deep frying cookies
And maybe
5) How to make an ice-cream oero pancake
Well, the 5th one seems unlikely
Hahahahaha!
;)
Actually I realised I haven take photos of humans for quite some time
With my D90 that is
And I was kinda butter-fingers using it again
Especially on M mode
LOL!
Becoming noobish
=/
Grapes 1
Grapes 2
Q: "Grapes 1 or 2 - Which one would you buy after looking at the photos?"
Not bad considering the drizzle came
And we seek shelter inside McDonald
Playing Saboteur
We should do this sometimes again soon
:)
And dinners
More dinners
And still only dinners
We finally decided to do something different for a change
And go East Coast Park for a picnic
YEY! I spell it correctly
After not doing speed typing for once
And so the picnic was potluck style
Everyone bought some little stuff here and there
And together we have enough food to last for 3days I think
I think actually everyone made a lot of effort
Got pancake, panda cake, tuna sandwich, ham sandwich, potato chips
strawberries, blueberries, grapes, oero, chicken wing, snacks and games
We even managed to have all these picnic mats
Not bad for a first attempt
Even my mom was skeptical about me going picnic
Hahaha!
A pity the weather was quite bad
Did a last minute confirmation
Check NEA and Yahoo weather forecast and anything that can
make sure that ECP was not hit by tsunami before going there
=/
Kobe, busy at Batam
Sent his ''greetings'' via Cai Ying
Who advertised the oero pancake with aplomb
And so we proceed to be guinea pigs for Kobe's first venture at making snacks
The pancake was deep-fried
With an ice-cream oero smashed in between
The taste was.........
Was.........*cue Hui Jeen expression*
Was......*cue HQ expression*
Was......*cue Wei Qin holding tissue paper*
Ok hands up for those who dont have your pictures posted here
You guys owe Kobe an explanation
Ha!
Anyways the oero pancake was a bit oily
And the ice-cream oero could have been mashed a bit
Instead of a whole piece
Other than that
Not bad for a first try
And so we conclude that it was done via watching YouTube
Possible related videos would be.....
1) How to make your friends dislike you
2) How to create a friendly stomachache
3) What food NOT to bring during a potluck
4) Dummies guide to virgin attempt at deep frying cookies
And maybe
5) How to make an ice-cream oero pancake
Well, the 5th one seems unlikely
Hahahahaha!
;)
Actually I realised I haven take photos of humans for quite some time
With my D90 that is
And I was kinda butter-fingers using it again
Especially on M mode
LOL!
Becoming noobish
=/
Grapes 1
Grapes 2
Q: "Grapes 1 or 2 - Which one would you buy after looking at the photos?"
Not bad considering the drizzle came
And we seek shelter inside McDonald
Playing Saboteur
We should do this sometimes again soon
:)
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Sundown Breakdown
The 2nd marathon done and dusted!
Yet another medal added to the collection!
Not so nice as Stand Chart
But hey, who cares?
This is funny
The full marathon starts at 1000pm
We got 8hour and 30mins till we see the sunrise at 630am earliest
Route march also got time leh!
(just walk a bit faster lah!)
I finished this race in 5hrs 38mins and 30seconds
Now to do some maths!
5hrs 38mins and 30sec convert to mins is 338.5mins
Divide by 42km
I get 8.06 min/km (3sf)
Compare to my Stand Chart of 6hr 15min and 16sec
Convert to mins is 375.27mins
Divide by 42km
I get 8.935 min/km
I FREAKING CUT DOWN 1 MIN PER KM!
THAT IS CRAZY TRAINING PAYING OFF BIG TIME!
First 5km is 36mins
Hit 10km at 1h 14mins (consistent considering you multiple by 2)
Halfway point at 2h 38min (slow by around 10mins)
Final quarter 30km at 4h 10min (damn slow already.....)
And closing in for the kill of 42km at 5h 38min (that is fast!)
I think for my 2nd stretch
Super on form!
No cramp no hungry feeling
No dehydration (ok at the end I checked I was dehydrated again)
But hit the wall around 35km
The start/stop running pattern is hurting the body
Losing a lot of my momentum going into the final 7km
Really feel like giving up the last 3km
But hey, its 3km only!
Giving up is like letting myself down big time
"33% of finishers ahead"
Finally! Finished in the top half!
Singapore top 35% ok?
LOL!
Same for male finishers
And nearly the top quarter for my division of male aged between 20-24
26%
Nice!
Compare to Stand Chart
I'm like 57%
That is like more than half way behind the entire field of ppl
Almost the same results for all 3 categories
Stand Chart is max cuiz for my virgin experience
They say you become better with experience hur
True stuff!
:)
Alright enough with the showboating
(actually also not the best results in the world)
Time for the photos!
This time
Finishing strong
Knowing that a bunch of photographers is waiting for us
Cue poses please!
If I never run a marathon again
I think these would be my nicest photos!
:)
Sorry but the guy in yellow behind
Walking through wont make the nicest photo ya?
=p
Virgin boy Joel and me
Super tensed up before the race
And late for the flag off
What else can you expect from the virgin boy?
LOL!
My marathon buddy for Sundown
Both of us didnt train for Stand Chart
Learnt a huge lesson from that
Came back better for Sundown
Oh well
Aik Nen hit the wall at 16km
Walked a bit and needed the super Tiger Balm cream
And we walked for 1 min
Ran for 7 min
Then he requested to walk for another min
If not 2 min to apply cream
And we continued this until 28km
Thus explaining the lag in the timing
Actually I could have gone for 5hours
Or under 5 if really push damn hard
If I pangseh him at the 28km mark
But the subconscious mind tells me that I made him sign up this
So should accompany him all the way
Despite him telling me to go on ahead without him
He was like doing real bad
And I was like the survivor float to him
I cannot imagine him walking the rest of the 26km without encouragement
And so we began the journey of running and walking
And then stretching
And apply the Tiger Balm cream
This carried on till the 35km like that
Where.I.Hit.My.Wall....
Doomsday started then
Mentality was off
Attitude was off
Fighting spirit was off
Legs shut down
Brain shut down
Body started shutting down
Couldnt really be concern about hitting the 5h30min mark at all
Until
Until
I see one Caucasian
He was this flabby dude
He was half naked
He was limping
He was cramping
But what the hell he was still moving forward
And I saw this girl
I can still remember
Holding a towel and having a ponytail
She was holding same pace as us for the first 10km
Then we pass her after that
And what the hell she was still with us at 35km
And there were plenty of other people all cramping up
All struggling
Lying by the road side
Some stretching
Some resting
Damn!
What the hell was wrong at that point?
Totally demoralising at that point in time
I could have swore I wanted to walk all the way
Thanks to Aik Nen and his encouragement
Got pushed all the way till 38km
Saw the "38km" mark and it was around 3am
At that point of time
I prayed for some strength to pull me through
Because "38" is my NSF unit and all the tough things that happened there
Its just the Army experience coming back all at once
And at that point of time
Some power came back to my legs
But it was a tough 800m up-slope
So we just used little landmarks along the way
The 5th lamp post we are going to pass
The signboard in front
The water point ahead
1 min rest
2 min brisk walk
Carry on running
Looking behind to see if anybody we know would catch up
And so on and so forth
Until there was like a 90 degrees bend
And it was home sweet home
The final 200m stretch
Whereby I wanted to walk my way through
Finish victorious with fist pumped and hands held up high
But then Aik Nen say we need to RUN through
And so we ran through
Screaming our heads off
Pointing to all the flashing cameras
Triumphant and all
That moment........... is damn freaking "P-R-I-C-E-L-E-S-S"
You cant buy this
And you can never understand the feeling
Unless you do the marathon itself
In a positive spirit that is
You cant go over the finishing line
Cursing and swearing
Never do that
Because it just shows how bad you treated the whole experience
:)
Me and Adrian
Still can answer my phone call along the way
UPS!
Me and Jesslyn
I thought I saw her boyfriend before the race
Thus text her and check about it
But then the race started and I didnt want to go back to get my baggage and stuff
So it was a pleasant surprise to see her text message congratulating me when I finish
That is encouragement
And that is something that I think you cant buy too
It is something which to others, may seem unimportant
But to me, is something I think that is very touching
:)
We went about destroying the 100 plus float
It was like we just go back 20 years
And behave like 2 years old
Seeing a fire-truck, motorcycle, machine gun, or racing cars toys
LOL!
How to crush a can drink 3 times bigger than you?
Like me
Maybe you need 2 days to do it?
=p
My legs nearly cramped while holding the pose
=/
Joel
Showing how to drink a mega-size 100 plus
Honestly
My middle name is called "Pluscios"
Aka "God of 100 Plus"
HAHAHAHAHA!
Rocks!
=D
Behind the scene of making "Pluscios"
Eugene was helping me hold up the float
LOL!
Gotcha!
Went home to a good hot bath and sleep
And waking up for lunch
Ah!
Relax!
Feeling good without cramps!
Best marathon and race thus far!
:)
I don't know if I have say this before
" Running is the best metaphor for life
Because you get out of it what you put into it "
Life to me
Is like a marathon
It is long
It is tough
Everybody starts off from the same starting line
And everybody will do the same 42km
No matter if you are fat or thin
Rich or poor
Fit or flab
Long or short
Dark or fair
Straight or curly
Furry or hairy
There will be people who would take short cuts
They would turn around halfway
Cut across to the other side
And carry on the 2nd part of the race
They often can get away with it
But deep down, they wont get their bib timings
And they will always carry the guilt and shame of taking the shortcut
And they would always be embarrassed to talk about it in front of others
These people to me
They can get away from the race itself
But they can never live up to themselves
They can never see the mirror with the same look
And say that they have done their best
There will be people who have doubts along the way
They will stop
They will think
And they will come to the conclusion of giving up
These people always choose the easy out in life
There will be people who would start walking at the 5km mark
They will rest
They will drink water
They will run abit
But they will walk the majority of the race
These people are the unprepared ones in life
There will also be people who try their best
Drawing inspirations from others runners*
*
Like people who have prosthetic legs and still do this marathon
Whereby their metal blade who overheat
And they have to remove their prosthetic legs to cool it
Yes he is the local famous "Blade Runner"
He is so mentally tough
And inspiration to many unfortunate others out there
*
There are also the ones who have lost their arms
They still do the marathon
Despite knowing them arm swing is so important in running
*
There are also the supporters
Like Punngol Runners who were at ECP distributing drinks
Watermelons and lots of encouragement to cheer us out of ECP
The monster stretch there
*
There are also the Singaporeans
Who were having picnic in ECP
They specially come out of their tents
Stop their BBQ
Form up lines
Bring their families
Kids and adults
Inside prams with the infant sleeping inside
They looked at you
Pushed their specs up to prevent it from slipping down
Clapped their hands
Nodded their heads in approval
Giving you gestures like fist pumps and waves
Asking for morale boosting High-5s
These people
Are invisible yet visible
Physically and mentally supportive
These people
To me
They give me so much so much so much so much inspiration
The fighting spirit
The mental strength
The will not to give up
And adds steel to my determination
Removing the kryptonite from the Superman
Allowing Superman to stay strong
Yes
Running
Something which I hated a few years back
Changed drastically when I entered NS
And now
Running is something I do regularly
Not because it burns fat
Not because it needs a good pair of running shoes and attire
And maybe not because there are also pretty girls who do running
But running
Seriously
Is a way of life
Because how much you put into it
Is how much you can get out it
You cant expect to finish a run without putting in effort
But you can always stop halfway
And go home
And know that you are a loser in every aspect
If not
You always do 100%
And throw in your bravest effort
Because effort counts for everything
Despite the results we chased so hard for
Timings ain't important
Completion is more so
:)
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