Day out

I went for my first facial yesterday and found it to be....pretty ok.Felt so pampered and good to be lying down there and letting someone treat ur face.Such a big difference compared to playing and training under the hot sun or rain all the time.And besides,I think its about time I start taking care of my face and skin.At my age,its pretty late.

Went to Muthu's Curry at Suntec to have dinner(was tempted by their fishhead curry) and boy was it good! It was huge too,but come to think of it it should be cos the small pot already costs 30 bucks.Should any of u try the food there go for the Masala prawns.1 piece costs 6 dollars but its about the size of your fist so its pretty much worthwhile.Oh but if u dun go for chilli then avoid this one.

All in all it was a relaxing day,something I need badly.

Cheap Pet Stuff

Anyone who's interested to get pet stuff online or even hamsters can visit the link under Bloggers.I can assure u its a reliable source.

.........

The questions,statements and expectations are finally answered.(Whether you think it is will be what it is.Wahahahah)

Partings

I really have no idea how to start this post cos there're like a million and one things that's going inside my head and I have so much to say,but can't find the words.It was my last coaching session with the J1s and I ended it off with a friendly match against BBSS(which might not have been a good idea) with the last 2 batches present. Su and Huijun came up with the buffet idea and set up the thing and I thought that was pretty nice of them. (I didnt expect a buffet,thought we'll be all going out to eat). And after most of us have finished eating,I was presented with presents (yeah!who doesnt like presents rite..),firstly from Limin and Su's batch(I shall not call them J3s from now) and another from Lydia,Mas,Huishan and Carrie. Erm a pity my full name was spelt wrongly,but still innovative and nice.I mean it!

Then came the J1's gift.



I was pretty touched by the stuff that they wrote inside it,but I have to clear the air about something.U girls are not slow,so don't think it that way.Lois I was basically 'suaning' you when I said that,so dun take it too seriously.I just think that you girls didn't get it that fast because you all didnt realise the usefulness yet.So cut that out already and believe that you can get it.
But all in all,I think that my goal is more or less achieved.I can see that u girls have matured in your thinking,and are also improving in ur game.I'm very happy that all of u said that u learnt something from me,be it in character or touch skills.I'm sorry that I had to leave,and I do have my reasons for it.It was never easy,making that decision.I'll definitely miss u girls as well,but hey,this is a new beginning as well.You will always still be be my girls.

I post the 'We promise to study hard' picture so that I can use that as evidence that they promised this before and cannot slack!Mwahaha! U girls better keep ur word!

Then came the J2's gifts.I will forever be amazed at what they can juggle up.I gotta hand it to Tzeling.I think she should be the one who did the shoebox AND the pictures in the 'Who is it' game.For my own sanity I won't post the details of whats inside the game.

And my goodness!A watch with their faces! I mean,I do love them and their creativity but...can you imagine seeing 'guoliang','serene' and 'G mamasan'(just to name a few) all the time?It's creepy!

Szeying's away in some country(I dun know where) but still got me a gift.Thanks!(but y Don't tell me You know my Boss?)

Lois got the team stuff from Korea too,and she remembered the bottle figurines I told her about!Haha! But that makes me gulity about forgetting to bring Peiyu and her cat.Crap.

And Lois,I'm happy to have been able to make you a stronger person.And don't be sad that we have to go our seperate ways but to be glad that we even had the chance to know each other and have a positive influence on each other's life. I may be the coach but all of u will never know how much all of you are teaching me as well at the same time. I'll miss u girls too,and be assured I'll never forget all of you (it'll be difficult to forget la seriously,with burpings and fartings and all).

Sigh,I'm really happy that I get to see all 3 batches together enjoying touch.It's always satisfying to know that all of you have grown and have taken responsibility of your life.Decide what you want out of ur life and go for it.

Some thoughts

It seems like there's a couple of new beginnings and endings these few days. It really depends on how u look at it,and everyone will have to move on at some point.

Animes

Been hooked on crunchyroll for the past 2 weeks.Besides training,coaching,wrapping presents and sleeping,I've been greedily spending endless time with my laptop watching animes.(And feeling a sense of sastifaction each time I finish a series). All of you should watch this : http://www.crunchyroll.com/showseriesmedia?id=1479 . Its titled Hanada Shonen-shi,about a boy who can see ghosts after an accident running away from his mum for breaking their only TV.The series gets better as it goes.

Sucky mood

Havent been sleeping well for the past few days,thinking too much after coming back from the much-deserved break at Bali and wondering why the hell I'm having so much mood swings lately.Wth.

Bali

Bali was fun. It was pure sleeping,shopping and eating. Though I wouldnt recommend the Chinese food there.But the shopping was great and so's the view of the sea.Not the beach though.

Very very tired

I know for sure that I dislike the sun. That and not enough water,not enough rest and too much activities makes u sick.Even an apple a day makes it difficult to not want to go see doctor.The only 2 things holding me back are distance to travel to see the doctor(u see,ntu/nie students do not have to pay consultation fees when they see doctors in school) and the money(u still need to pay for the medicine). And when I get unwell,I become emo.And when I become emo,I become short-tempered.And when I'm short-tempered,I get impatient.And when impatient,I turn into a nasty creature who needs a lot of time,patience and energy. You never want to get me into this state.And sad to say I was in this state for almost the past 3 days.And I'm beginning to crumble physically and mentally.With so much coming up for IVP training and so much expectations,I'm not looking forward so much to playing anymore. I am mentally tired and I want a break. Hopefully I can r & r enough in Bali next week.

No time no energy

Missed the memorial for the dragonboaters cos i was feeling sick and fell asleep.Damn it.

Looking forward to lunch tmr.I really want to start getting some new stuff for myself too.It seems like all my time was spent either on playing,coaching touch and clearing my GESL module the past few weeks that I hardly had any energy to just go out and relax.The sun at Sentosa on Sunday dealt the final blow.It was a challenge in itselt not to fall ill.

The 80s

I gotta say 80s Rewind is quite funny.You should watch it!

Nebo beach touch

We had Nebo beach touch yesterday at Sentosa,and it would be more complete if there was referees involved.That's my take.Ended up really burnt and there I was cursing the burning sun.Mambo had an average run and Jumbo had a better game.They were probably not aware,but they were learning unknowingly how to playmake and the importance of running ONTO the ball.3v2 is the best game to use to develop decision making and passes,and every single teammates have to know what they want to do.Overall it was pretty ok,just marred slightly by my scolding for team Jumbo at the group semis..I get so pissed seeing them giving soft tries just cos they chose to subsitute in defence.Argh.My blood still boils at the mention of that.
____________________________________________________________

Just confirmed that 1 of the dead dragonboaters Stephen Loh was Gideon's brother.Aaron worked with Stephen before and when he told me about it I felt kinda...sad.Cos you know that u will always feel a loss when people of somewhat similar interest passes on.It was sports in this case.And a PE teacher somemore. When this things happen it hit close to home,you remember suddenly that life is fragile.My condolences goes to the families of all the 5 dragonboaters.It is a sad week for the sporting scene.

Final training at Sentosa

Yesterday's session at Sentosa was...fun. The J1s are starting to get the hang of 3v2 and are playing much better, hands and defence.Lois's and Rebekah's dives are really fantatsic and hopefully the rest of the girls catch up on that. The girls went into the water after training,and boy u should see how siao Lois got,screaming like a mad woman and trying to squeeze wet sand into people's shirts.Eees.

All of us went to Sakae Sushi for a team lunch after that.Sat with Lois and Daria and I think for that period of 1 hour I heard the most number of 'I want to burp' and 'I want to fart' in my last 5 years.The grossed out look on the waiter standing behind Lois was hilarious,and embrassing at the same time.Ai yo next time I'm not going to sit with them already.

End of Exams

This is one of the shortest and most relaxing exam I've ever had.But boy the feeling is the same when it ends.Its over!Whoohoo.Now I just have to concentrate on coaching and GESL stuff.This week's packed with all kinds of stuff;settling the games,going to Northlight School to help the students prepare their carnival.I really do not know what to expect.Oh well.And 2 weeks later will have to go for the First Aid Course that lasts 3 full days and I will be a certified first Aider, Hurray! (But so ma fan.)Just like driving.U need it but to know how to do it but the process is just too long and tedious.Argh.

Country of Origin

Yesterday was spent the at 'Touch Land' turf city for the Country of Origin tournie.Everyone of different abilities was mixed up into different teams and the result was closer and tighter games.Most players were predominently from the polys,and they seriously make up a huge bulk.
Had average games.Felt my team was more of the younger and relatively less experienced than some of the other teams,but they put in commendable effort.Pulled Szeying in to play as well last minute cos some player whom I didnt know dua the team early in the morning saying she has diahorrea. Overall it was damn tiring la.

Friendly at NTU

I was pretty pleased and happy with the way the girls performed today.They scored the opening try and had numberous breaks as acting halfs. Their defence was ok, considering the fact that I didnt concentrate so much on D.

My brain cells

Had a paper in the morning and rushed off to JJ to do video analysis. When I reach home and had a shower,I zonked out on my bed for the next 3 hours.That was how brain zapping it can get.

Happy Birthday to me

Thanks to everyone who text msg me today for the well wishes.Haha I wasnt expecting some of the people to remember and I was certainly surprised.Pleasently so.

Happened to meet up with 2 of my Sec 5 students at Macs yesterday while studying.We were talking and the topic on age came up suddenly.Oh man.It suddenly hit me that I am offically passing the MID-20s mark.Why does that sound so depressing all of a sudden?
Anyways,I studied and slept for a long part of the day, and went out with Aaron for dinner.He came out from his school camp to accompany me for dinner, and am grateful for that gesture.

Suddenly at this point in time,I just wished a 'mini cake'/'muffin' with a candle on the top would appear.Oh well.Thats what happens when u pass 20 over birthdays.Blah.

Badnight.

Had a miserable,angry and 'why did this fraking thing kept happening to me!' yesterday night.Fell asleep with very tired eyes from reading the Baby Blues book I bought, and woke up abt 2 hours later rubbing my eyes because it was VERY itchy and tearing.This is the 2nd time it has happen (same eye) in the night. Can't I get some undistured sleep!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Plus had a mild stomache to go along with it. So pissed that I just want to scream out and smash something! Argh think the stress of exams is getting to me.

Friendlies

Had a reasonably good outing in the friendlies yesterday. Girls did pretty well, and I hoped they've picked up a few points. Now that they have the structure in the centre,the next step is to let the creative juices flow together with the structure.This comes with playing together as a team and learn about one another's preferences and strengths. Overall I was pretty happy with the results,however if better is possible,then good is not enough.

Eat the day out.

Life was good.Yesterday.Hahaha. Aaron brought me to this authentic Japanese resturant named Shima for lunch and the teppanyaki was fabulous! There's even free flow of salmon sashimi (if at the end of the whole buffet you still have the stomach to eat I salute you). And for dinner I had dinner with his family at Long Beach, and we had crab.Was terribly full after that, but now that I'm writing about that I feel hungry again. Oh noooooo.

I'm passing the mid 20s mark soon.Oh well,in a blink of an eye it'll be the three-zero soon. Looking back I think I've accomplised a number of things that most people did not have the chance to do and am grateful for that.I'm not gonna compare myself with other people in the same circle cos everyone's limitations and capacities are different. I just hope that I have the energy and strength to carry on the line of education to the youngsters I'm gonna meet out there in 2 years time.
Maybe I've reached a point in my life where I want to do other stuff.In other areas.

Dont' Know.

I don't know what I'm expecting this few weeks. So tired. Maybe I AM expecting too much from everyone.

Koko

I'm worried.My dog just came back from grooming being almost totally bare(which is what I requested for) yesterday night and has been acting all tired.And I discovered a slightly injured nipple just now. She stills acts hyper at the mere mention of food, but other than that sleeps like nobody's business. Hope she's not sick or something. Oh and how do u gauge if they have a full-blown cold? Oh man.

Sat fever

Had a productive session in the morning at NTU, and felt really tired after that.Guess its the accumlation of non-stop activities for the past few days with not enough rest.

Went out with Aaron after that.It was mostly sitting down at cafes eating and drinking and nuaing.Felt pretty good cos both of us were tired.Haha.And we discovered there is NOTHING to do in Singapore after a while.

On a side note,I want to start hitting the books for the exams but I'm not in the mood to do it.Its less than 2 weeks away and I'm still in the 'happy I cleared assignments and projects' state.Damn it.

Agree?

"Before everything else, getting ready is the key to success"

Henry Ford, (1864-1947)

Duped?

Been trying ways and means to get outside fields so that the girls can continue to train when I was told that JJ field will be closed FOR MAINTENANCE. But after an accidental discovery through Eda, coach of PJC, what I came to understand (with no verification yet) is the the Inter-school soccer competition is being held at the JJC FIELD almost every Wed 3-6pm.Wth.What does this imply?!

Ah well

Coaching in the morning didnt go as well as I've hoped. Oh well,I'll replan and rethink about the process again.

Went to get my hair chopped off in the afternoon.Been planning for a long time and I finally got it done!Bet all of u will be shocked when you see my new hair-do.Haha.

Its that time.

I CAN'T BRING MYSELF TO TOUCH MY BOOKS.

(help.)

No wonder there's suicide.

This should be one of the 'I'm pessimistic' days.Wait. Come to think of it,I am in general a pessimitic person,always hiding behind the excuse of saying I'm realistic so that I won't feel so much disappointment if I can't get whatI want.

In the end you came to the realisation that you are all alone in the world.Good friends,bfs,husbands can be by ur side but nothing ever feels better until u can get over it within urself. Maybe its a sign that I'm getting too cocky in the head and thats just a reminder to wake mr up,saying 'Hey.You'll being too complacent, and too much in your own world already'. There you go,I'm quite depressing on myself. I'm getting too comfortable with my classmates. And I really should learn to be more diplomatic.Wonder what set me off together.Maybe I was too fed-up with other issues that the steam built up inside me and it just burst.

This freaking society can go to hell!

On a side note, there's really ALL sorts of people out there, and as long as there's humans, there's always conflicts. It makes you wonder whether the world is better off without humans and they should never have evolved but stayed on as animals.

Answer

If you answered the question correctly, you think like a psychopath. This was a test by a famous American Psychologist used to test if one has the same mentality as a killer. Many arrested serial killers took part in the test and answered the question correctly.

(I have no idea whether times have changed or.....hmmmmmmmmmm)

Read this question

I received this in the email from a friend: Read this question, come up with an answer This is not a trick question. It is as it reads.No one I know has got it right, so far......

A woman, while at the funeral of her own mother, met a guy whom she did not know. She thought this guy was amazing. She believed him to be her dream guy so much, that she fell in love with him right there, but never asked for his number and could not find him. A few days later she killed her sister.
Question: What is her motive for killing her sister?

Think through before answering.Answer will be announced.Soon.

Sigh

I think it sucks that the Intro to PE test is so difficult.Maybe cos we didnt know what to expect.

A Day at Sentosa

Spent the whole day at Sentosa visiting some of the attractions Sentosa supposingly has to offer.Well,it was alright i guess.Just that its like other countries' theme park to overseas tourists.

Settled

I am so glad cos:

1. NTL season is ending tmr.
2. Am now more settled into life at PESS.
3.Some of the modules this semster are ending within next week (Hurray!)
4.I'm back to coaching!

Of Quarters and Semis

From the way they played yesterday,England deserves to be through to the semis.Even though I had initally thought enough of Australia to get past the English,but in the end they proved to be their own obstacles which they cannot overcome. Some of the forwards ended up exchanging words but luckily not much blows.

And New Zealand had a very bad day with both Daniel Carter and Nick Evans getting injuried one after the other.In the end there's no flyhalf to control the game! It was evident in the way NZ played for the last 8 minutes with no leader in the backs stepping up.
And what a show of poor refereeing from the 2 games. When the referees's sharp eyes and intervention were needed most,it wasnt there. The last try scored by France came from a forward pass.FORWARD PASS! I was freaking surprised the side line referee didnt see it as well.My god.
Ah well referee's part of the game,but I can still bitch about it after it. Like what happened at my semis yesterday against SRC. I do not know wth is the problem with Greg,but he sure as hell suck now as a referee.And its not the first time already.

??

I have no idea why running the New Balance Real Run meant so much.

Anyone else going for it?

Cricket

For the first time in my life,I understand the game of cricket! Hurray!

The game that has been widely associated with the foregin workers(the ones from Blangadash and India la) is being taught to us today at my POG(Principle of Games) module, and erm it didnt turn out to be so bad.

I might just watch cricket games if ESPN shows them. Its fun to know all these games.

On Holidays

I miss the snow and the scenery in Korea. Basically I miss tavelling overseas.I know its a luxury to go abroad but I can't help it. Its only there where you escape from the realities,responsibilities and obligations of your life. No matter how short the time.

Rugby World Cup Quarterfinals.Finally!

Woohoo! Quarter finals fixtures:

6th Oct: Australia vs England
New Zealand vs France (this should be a good one)

7th Oct: South Africa vs Fiji
Argentina vs Scotland

Wales

Welsh Stephen Jones has a part to play in yesterday's Wales-Fiji defeat due to his inability to kick the ball PAST the poles instead of at it.They have themselves to blame for a very panicky and sluggish first half where they conceded at least 3 tries.

On a random note,Facebook's interesting.

A time to R & R

Feels good.Am not rushing assignments and readings this weekend,and spent time with Aaron these past 2 days.Went to Kuishinbo on Fri and had a feast.Wonderful! Wahaha.I feel so relaxed.

Am now waiting for the Wales-Fiji game to start.Fiji's 7s are pretty good,but so far I don't think they will do as well in the 15s,so ya I'm saying Wales will come out of this.(They better!I have 700 points on them in Sports Bet on Facebook!)

Move on

There are suddenly so many things I wanna go right now but can't seem to decide on it. With past responsibilities its difficult to go for new activities without going through a hard mental battle inside your head.Damn it.

Maybe I AM getting along in age.I rather slow down my pace in life.Things I never really got to do much in my secondary schoool-poly years (staying at home to nap,shopping) now stays at the top of my list.Commitment to old club is waning,and ultimate frisbee is calling out to me.Oh well....

Japan Canada.

Just watched the Japan Canda RWC game and boy Japan played so much better compared to their Fiji game. The substitute scrum half is gd!Kim Csomething something.Can't remember full name.What a waste that was Japan'slast game.They did some good runs off the backs and kept the game alive even when they are 12-5 down. They were rewarded with a try in the 82nd minutes and converted to tie the game. Hurray!
(Dun know why but I simply can't stand the Canada team during the game.Humph)

You chose your path when you walked out on us.

I find it ridiculous that someone can actually assumed that someone else will take up the responsibility and role when the coach left without announcing it offically, and then take over because 'she has to'. Then walk out of the team near the end of the season because things were very bad, and then think again that it was irresponsible of her to have left then decides to come back again.

To my girls who are reading this,make sure this doesnt happen.If you decide to take up any role and accept it, it IS an achievement in itself to finish up the term of that role.Be fair to the rest.And of cos you have to know what you're in for b4 you took up the role.

I am seriously unhappy(and that's too mild a word) over the fact that I was assumed to have to take over coaching/leading/training the team just beacuse I was the most senior,capped,experienced.And I've already made my stand very clear in the beginning: I CANNOT commit to all trainings.wtf. 'We understand,we understand' and in the end what did you get? Unspoken thinking:You should have taken over. Brenda initially committed but also pulled out just a few weeks b4 season starts.So thats ok too?No one came and approach me to take as well,if they really had wanted me to take training or give help or any kind. I stopped coming for trainings because I was really buys and tired and I have nothing to work for during trainings.I might as well say this now: I do not find myself challenged during trainings, nor were they intenstive(I'm not talking abt fitness).

I don't think I'm the only senior being unhappy.I am sure there's a few more out there who's unhappy with what has conspired recently. At this point in time,I am pretty sure I do not want to be in a club like this. Arghh the anger is seriously building up.

Basketball Skill test

Had my basketball skill test today.Not too bad....scored pretty high for my shooting but have to get through 2 more quizzes. Sigh.

A day at a badminton session at Tao Nan School

Went to Tao Nan School yesterday to film some students for our Growth and Motor Development( GND for short la) project and wa! Love the atmosphere there!The kids there were training and having fun at the same time. One of my groupmates helped out coaching the badminton team there and you can see Primary 1 to Primary 5 kids there training,and oh boy,the way these kids play can put a lot of us to shame.

The 2 primary one kids we pulled out were so adorable!

The first one is Kai heng and the second one's Shawn. So cute rite!!!

Friday

I can't believe I could spend an entire Friday afternoon stuck at home doing some damn assignment.Wa lau.I want to go out and walk walk!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(Bloody toe is still redish.Looks bloody too)

It bled and bled.

No words can describe this pain I feel. Dun even know how I ended up having contact with the metal stand of the living room chair and just at the valley between the last toe and the second last toe there laid a deep gash. It couldn't stop bleeding and its throbbing all the time. Its about 1 full centimeter long and to tell u the truth I'm pretty shocked at how bad it looks. It was so sudden that I wanted to shout out in pain.But wth I kept it all in.And I'm suffering now. Can't even stand properly.

I'll give you that,granted.

Funny that I was thinking that I should not be taking my life and the people in it for granted when I was taking the bus back home yesterday.And the email I saw this morning when I refreshed the page after checking it the first time was from Mephine,a fellow Lion Redder who announced in a very frustrating and tired and fedup tone that she's withdrawing from this team this season.Wow.Talk about telepathy.Nah.

With only 3 games left till the end of this season,I feel that its a wrong move.Suspect dismal attendance,bo chap-ness stated as reasons for the withdrawal in the email are only part of the reasons.She is a responsible one,taking up the role of coach-captain after Albert quitted.(He didnt even announce to the team offically!). Frankly I've had that stage too and I'm just too tired to help out long term.It's been a LONG time since I've simply been just a player with no other duties.

Lion Red might not exist next year.

Coaches Day

Thank u Nicole for that moving piece of work.Sigh u girls make it so hard for me to make my decision!

Moods.

I'm just so tired. Pls be patient with me if I sound disinterested or even angry.I think its the post mortem of ICG touch.

After-effects

I commended myself for getting through the whole day of lesson yesterday(Thursday).ICG Touch on Wed night really zapped the energy outta me and I goggily switched off my alarm without even realising it.And now I sleep at the weirdst time and find myself too awake at night.Oh man this is not good.And after the seemingly hard work I've put in this week,I feel like going out to the shopping places to chill out.Need to recharge and take my mind of school.

ICG Touch-finale

Played ICG touch just now and got all the way to the finals where it ended in sudden death sitution where 3 players were left on the pitch for each team.The end was not to be,with us losing out in the end.Full time score:0-0.Final score 1-0 to our senior class PGDE 3B Year 2.To say I was disappointed was probably an understatement;it was the one competition I've put in all my effort for a long time and I allowed myself a tiny glint of hope that we can win the champion after we got through our semi finals against Diploma 2B.I didnt dare to hope for much,cos I'm afraid of losing sight of what was more important:my classmates enjoying touch rugby.So when we got to the full time whistle of the finals I was hoping for the best.When we got to the try scored by them I was...sadden. Felt like crying then. Didnt realise this meant so much to me.
Oh a brighter note,my classmates enjoyed the process and were happy cos they felt it was a well fought game.In Sufian's own words:'It was evenly matched'. ........ Damn it la. This is going to stay with me for some time. I'll never forget the guy running around me with the stupid modified rule of no diving ringing resoundly in my head.I am not going to be such a stickler for these kind of rules anymore in these self-modified games. Wth.
_____________________________________________________________
Watching Japan vs Fiji in the meantime.What a disappointment. Japan is passing any-o-how and Fiji's backs are not playing as well as we think they should.

Viewpoint

Its funny how good life feels just by changing your prespective on something.

Start of Rugby World Cup

Rugby World Cup fever is here! New Zealand and Australia thrashedtheir opponents as expected in their first group stage.England was a disappointment against USA.Let's see how South Africa do today against Samoa.Wales are a force to be reckon with in my opinion.

ICG Touch

ICG Touch was fun. And I luv my crass!

(Will we get through the quarters I wonder?)

"We learn wisdom from failure much more than from success. We often discover what will do, by finding out what will not do; and probably he who never made a mistake never made a discovery."

Samuel Smiles, Scottish author and political reformer (1812 to 1904)

#$@#%$#^&%

This school holiday sucks.And don't ask me why.

E learning week

E learning week = excuse for lecturers to take breaks + give more assignments. Humph.

Transition?

Yesterday's game againnst Bedok Masters was horrible.Team woke up only in the second half and by then there was too big a gap. At this rate the club is going,it's gonna collaspe anytime.I am seriously comtemplating not playing for Lion Red anymore next year.

Oh a happier note,I went down to the floating platform today where they had the Ironman Trialthon 70.3.There were thousands of people! Aaron took part and finished the whole race. 1.9km of swim in the choppy waters of East Coast,90.1km of cycling along Shears Bridge and 21.1km of running. Even saw one of my lecturers there participating. Gowd. It takes lots of guts to take part in these.

ICG Badminton

My class won the ICG Badminton just a few hours ago.It was an amazing feat and am having mixed feelings about it.I'm happy we won but I didnt feel like I contibute a significant amount to it.Being 1 of only 5 girls and having to play 4 girls for each competition against another class,its inevitable that I play.Not that my badminton sucks big time but its not that fantastic either.

Next up,ICG touch.Having at least gotten into the second round for the previous 3 sports,I feel the pressure of having to lift the team,being an ex-national player.I dun know how it'll go and hopefully we can go far.But one thing's for sure:this class is fun and I'm glad to be part of it.Win or lose,we will still move on together.

Choice.

Coming to PESS was the right choice.There is so much I've missed out on and I just hope that its not too late to catch up.I have enough of being a one-sport specialist,though its so easy to fall back on.Oh and my backhand sucks.Damn.

Sigh.

I swore I wasnt going to have an afternoon nap today so that I can continue to read my books.Apparently I failed miserably.Damn it.

A 25 year captain from the Army collasped and died from the Half Marathon yesterday.Got me worried.It raises questions about whether you know your body well enough to push on or to slow down and pace yourself just that bit more.Is it worth dying just to finish a race?

Oh a Sunday.

Random thoughts:
1. I'm bored.
2.Wanna check out the resale flat but some things are just outta my control.
3.I dun feel like doing any work.
4.ICG Basketball seem like a distant past.
5.My cash flow out is atrocious.
6.I am not getting my coaching pay!

Oh and blogger just added in the uploading video option so I thought i'll just try it out.Just for kicks.

Not to be.

Well,queue no 4140 out of 10600.Not too bad except there's only 354 flats.Life goes on.
(Cant deny I'm disappointed though.)

20th Aug Monday

Will tmr change my life?

Next week

I am looking forward to Interclass basketball next week.First time playing competitive basketball so pretty excited.

Wonder how I'll do.Hopefully shoulder stays put and not play Lego on me.Haha.

Interclass Volleyball.....

Bladry hell,stupid shoulder has to drop just before interclass volleyball and there I was either sitting or screaming on the sidelines like a mad woman for my class. I swear I WILL PLAY ICG VOLLEYBALL IN YEAR 2!!!!!! Argh.That felt better.

Wa quite embrassed too.Shoulder HAD to drop just in front of a bunch of year 2s who happen to be sitting directly behind me.Oh but all of them were pretty nice about it.Apprecipate them arranging transport for me to go hospital but in the end there was no need to (thank god).

Video

Ok as promised:the video

Thoughts..

Assignments are starting to come in,interclass games starting next week,coaching twice a week,Lion Red training twice a week,NTU training starting this week,games every Sat afternoon.I swear something has to go.The past 3 days spent with Aaron really helped take my mind off all these,and I'm just happy to be able to see him almost everyday.

Played against SRC today.Frankly it was ok,but I feel I could have done a lot more.One try's not enough.

National Day Fun Touch @ Suntec

Yesterday was a long day.Went to Suntec for the National Day Fun Touch and...haha we won the Women's Open category.Won NUS 5-4 in a closely matched encounter,won 3-0 i think against High Fives,a lot - 0 against Heffalump and 5-0 in the last round robin game against SP angels.

Was pretty fun.After prize presentation we did an interview with some producers who said they were producing a short segment of all the 3 sports(Netball,basketball and touch) involved for a Team Singapore video.Wonder if we will ever get to see it.

Mambo Jumbo did pretty well too,getting through to the 2nd round. Lost to Packs(TP) but did well enough to beat NYJC and PJ.


Have a video on our last game against SP.Sigh I'll put it up when I figure out how to post videos.(I was too lazy to read the procedures of uploading videoa and now this is what I get! Argh!)

U sure?

Sometimes you want something so much that after a point in time u're not so sure anymore.

Day out

Yesterday was spent hanging out with my OG friends. Went for lunch at Rice Table and had a good time laughing and suaning at one another, and loooking at IC photos.

Went for a movie after that at Cinelesiure,and spent some time at the arcade.It was....fun.Has been ages since I've just spent time doing ,in TJ's own words, non-productive things. Feels like I'm back in my secondary school days.Haha.I needed this.

Unsettled

I think I should be happy that I'm in PESS,being paid to play all sorts of games and studying.Why the hell am I so unhappy then with the way my timetable goes,my ex-girls playing for rival teams,juggling IVP,club and coaching?Life sucks.I feel like tearing.

Start of lessons

First day of school,and it wasnt too bad.Cos I have only one 2 hr lesson.Tues,Wed and Thursdays will be long days though.

Education Psychology I today was......boring.I think I'll just read the book for myself instead of listening too much to the tutor.

And I miss my OG friends!Missing:Guoyong,Fendi,Willy Ong,Sean,Raihan.

Start of training-teacher training.

Its been a hectic week and when there's an end there's another beginning.

NIE started this week,was busy with briefings and everyone's checking everyone out.Test water period.Tme I'm off for the PESS camp for 4 nights 3 days.My god that's freaking long and I got a total shock when I was informed it'll end on Sat 11pm.Goodness gracious what a weird time.

School's starting next week!It feels so....rushed.Everything's like zooming past me.I feel like I'm in a computer where information is literally flying past and through me.I'm trying to catch all the important information.Hopefully I'll not take too long to settle down like I did in NTU.I need to pass everythingggggg.Oh God,lessons have not even started and I'm so stressed.Someone help me.

Create space

Attack Strategies: A Simple Way to Create Space

1. The ball carrier
Ball carrier has to run HARD into a chosen gap and move their hands in a passing motion.

2. Support runners
Additional support players on the inside will force the defenders to remain fixed on the inside, leaving space for the ball carrier (or a support player to receive a pass) on the outside.The ball carrier should be encouraged to use the inside support players as decoys through oral communication – calling "inside pass" or "stay on my inside", for example – and visual signals. As long as all your players know the visual signals, they could use the calls to distract the defenders, for example by calling contradictory moves.

TimeOut

Tmr's gonna be my last week at Pioneer Sec.Its going to be a new start at NIE,and since my knees are sorta giving up on me,I think its time to re-evaluate what my goals are in life.

There was Lion Red Touch Carnival this morning,and I was pretty pissed with a small number of my own club mates for their refereeing.I was frustrated with my girls as well.They totally forgot abt the importance of staying deep.Its been a long time since I've been this pissed and its not a pretty sight.

Talent is never enough

That's the title of the book I am currently reading. At the end of the chapter there are always application exercises where they question you on whether you are doing what it takes to put your talent into use. Things like BELIEF,INITIATIVE,COURAGE,PERSEVERANCE,PRACTICE,FOCUS,PASSION comes into the picture.

I stopped for a pretty long time at the Passion chapter.I don't deny that my passion for touch is waning. I feel that I've achieved pretty much what I've set out to do, and have attained a respectable level. However I still find myself wanting to prove that I am still one of the best whenever there's some form of competition going on. I am pulling myself away from Lion Red gradually and am finding myself putting in a lot of effort going down to training.Talk about passion.

I think its time to move on.I want to concentrate on other areas.I fnd that I can add value to more people when I teach. I've found my calling,and I like that. I still love touch but am finding it tiring to commit to it,but yet still can't let go yet.I think I will never let go of it fully,but at this stage of my life i don't think it should be center of all things any more.

New Stuff man

Got myself a new laptop! Hurray! Its been long overdue.

Long long day

The C division basketball boys had a match yesterday,and they won! Hurray! Sad to say it was marred by intention to fight by the opposition's non basketball players.Grow up la kids.

Was dead tired since Monday and it caught up eventually.Laid down to rest on my bed at about 7.15pm and slept till the next morning.Really needed that.

Quote

"Success is not measured by what you accomplish,but by the opposition you have encountered, and the courage with which you have maintained the struggle against overwhelming odds."

A long Sat

Attended the AGM yesterday,and the whole thing started late.And I thought I was already very late. Had a talk with the J1s and made clear some things to the whole group.Oh boy I was back to dealing with emotions and attitudes.Hopefully at the end of their JC life they can grow to be mentally stronger people.

Testimonal match was ok la,didnt expect the J1s to really be able to create an upset,but I gonna give points to them for effort put in.(Wa piang I'm still not happy they didnt do the scoop)

As tradition goes it was speech- handing over presentation time and I received a 2008 calender of their faces.They inserted a photo of Aaron and I as the last page,those sneaky people.'What the hell!' was the initial reaction.

Received a few individual gifts from the J2s,and this one from Tzeling blew me away.This is total creativity lor!Tzeling you should try design courses!

Thanks Qingling and Nicole for the gifts as well.Linin and Nicole's speech showed me I have done what I have set out to do since picking up coaching. It was a fruitful journey.And I think this year might be a good time for ending this journey.Ai ya dun know la.

Under the Weather...again.

It was a hectic week.And its gonna be like this for the next 2 weeks. Went straight home from school to take a rest before going down for coaching and woke up with a splitting headache.Even the sunlight seems more glaring than usual.#$%!%^$.

Next week Monday,Tuesday,Wed and Fri C boys basketball training,briefing and competitions.Same Friday there's interclass basketball.Tuesday and Thursday there's coaching.I need a break!!

First Game

I'm having mixed feelings about the C boys basketball game yesterday. On one hand I'm kinda sad that they lost cos they played hard,On the other hand,I was glad that this happen cos it shows them that there is no short cut to success.Trained for only 1 month during the holidays,and even during training they were not very serious about it. I really hope this woke them up HARD.

A new sport

Settled numberous stuff (well it seems that way to me) for Pionner's basketball C boys today. Whew even stayed in school till 6.30 my god.Cleared the jerserys,briefings abt timings,which jersery to where for which day and got the name list for the boys down.

Watched them them play against one another,the C vs the B Boys.Have always been fascinated by basketball and had always wanted a chance to play,so it was a very good experience.Life is no longer about touch only,feel that its time to move on and learn a lot more other sports.

Went for a run

Went running yesterday to get some fitness back,and the old injury at the knee came back.Sucks.

BUT Aaron surprised me with a gift and that made everything fine again.

Meet Teddy the soft toy I received yesterday!

Last weekday b4 school reopens

Went to school for the final day of the Transformational Teaching Workshop...wa piang lasted all the way till 6.It was pretty tiring.

4 weeks more in Pioneer and off to NIE after that.Am going to finish up with the C boys and slowly eased out of the CCA.Sigh.

Quote

I love this one:

"There is only one ball. And if the opponent has it you have to ask yourself: why?"

Giovanni Trapattoni, Italian soccer coach

Dim Sum

I love dim sum! Try the lunch buffet at Miramar Hotel at the Orient Ocean Resturant. Costs only $10.80++ and is seriously good!

On a binge.

2 days of Jap food. 2 days of enormous spending. I wanna save some money!

_____________________________

Am waiting for the Rugby World Cup and Wimbledom to start.Damn my dad's gonna stop the cable TV subscription in early July.Who can save me from boredom then?!?!

Japanese food review

Was doing some research for nice Japanese places to have lunch buffet tmr (only have this luxury during the school holidays) and happen to stumble upon this blog:

http://camemberu.blogspot.com

The writer has reviews on anything from Chinese to German to Japanese food.Check it out.

________________________________________________

Was flipping through the photo albums my mum has painstackingly collected and decorated.Had a good time at first looking through the recent photos of my dog and my graduation photos. After that I chanced upon my brother's album.My mum had taken his pictures all the way from when he was tiny weeny baby to 2 years old(just for that album). I came to realise that my parents do love us a lot.There were plenty of outings,nice clothes, sitting on the shoulder of my dad and small gifts we wanted during the outings. Memories came flooding back as well.The scoldings and temper tantrums were not really welcomed,but hey thats part of growing up.There were some instances where I raised my voice, treated them slightly rudely I must admit and I do feel bad.

The TV in the living room just blew 3 days ago and my mum told me dad is really tight in terms of his finances right now.

I think I'll pay for the new TV.

Warm up and cool down are important.

How To Warm-Up To Improve Performance
A warm-up is the exercise of the body and mind before training or a match. It should be undertaken gradually. The key benefits from well-performed warm-ups are to:
-Reduce the chance of soft tissue injury by stretching muscles.
-Increase the body's temperature and blood flow.
-Allow mental preparation for the forthcoming exercise or game.
-Increase the level of performance.

Most coaches would agree that a warm-up session should also be enjoyable, varied and support the player as an athlete as well as a player. Here is a summary of the consensus view of sports scientists:
-Stretching for warm-ups should be dynamic not static. "Dynamic stretching" means stretches carried out through a controlled range of movements rather than held for a period of time.
-Warm-ups should be specific to the activity about to be undertaken.
-The cool down is as important as the warm-up and should also be performed after every training session or match.
-To derive the greatest benefits from a warm-up, the work should mirror the actions that are to be taken while competing.
-Specific warm-ups are best employed after completing a general warm-up, which reduces the chance of injuries.

Warm-up guidelines
-A light sweat over the entire body is the best indicator of the correct body temperature (around a one or two degree Celsius increase in temperature).
-Avoid letting your players get tired out.
-The benefits of the warm-up are lost after between five and 45 minutes of rest. Once a specific warm-up is completed the athlete should remain active .

The cool-down
After a match or training session it is essential to use some form of warm-down or cool-down. The benefits of a cool-down are that it helps to:
-Break down waste products in the muscles.
-Prevent muscle soreness by coaxing muscles gently back into shape.

A cool-down should include:
Gentle movements like jogging and skipping, and floppy "loose limb" movements.
Static stretching of the muscles for 10–15 seconds. Don't let your players overstretch. They are trying to help the repair process and if the body has been bashed around in a game, the muscles will need to be gently coaxed back into shape.

Summary:
Build the level of intensity gradually.
Ensure the technique is correct, even if the activity is light and gradual.
Increase the heart rate first then move to stretching and specific activity.
Have plenty of water available.
Take account of the weather conditions.

Credit goes to Dan Cottrell, editor of www.betterrugbycoaching.com. Visit the website for more tips on rugby.

Wa piang eh...

It seems like time is flying by fast.What the heck we're already mid way through the June holidays and I'm in perfectly no mood to go back to work.

Am thinking of stopping coaching.Been playing with the idea for a long while since last year.

Tarot Card

You are The Wheel of Fortune

Good fortune and happiness but sometimes a species of
intoxication with success

The Wheel of Fortune is all about big things, luck, change, fortune. Almost always good fortune. You are lucky in all things that you do and happy with the things that come to you. Be careful that success does not go to your head however. Sometimes luck can change.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

-----------------------------------------------------------

Thought Ashley's tarot card was pretty nice and interesting so took the test.Didnt know mine is quite good.:)

French Open Men's Semis

Oh well C. Moya lost and Rafael Nadal is through to the semis.It sucks but life goes on.

Davydenko seems dangerous and Federer seems 'nua'.Wonder who will go through.

Oh and found Shrek 3 funny.Wasn't so bad for a sequel.

French Open

Followed the French Open matches these past few days,and thoughts that stayed with me:

-Maria Sharapova shrieks are damn high-pitched
-Serena Williams is really big
-Rafael Nadal 'tiao' his opponents
-Carlos Moya and Justine Henin are way cool

Now watching Carlos Moya vs Rafael Nadal fighting it out in the quarter finals. Go Moya!

NTU Touch Attack

Hocus Pocus Team A and Team S:

Prize!Hocus Pocus Team A got 2nd.Lost to LFS 3-2.Wa piang ehhhh 3-2 again.... This scoreline is our bane...


Ok now its time for u gals to start STUDYING!

Weathered the storm.

Feel better today.Think we'll all come through a tougher person.

2 days after the rain.

I'm still tearing when I read Nicole's blog.And Roxane's.And Linin's.And Tzeling's.And Qingling's. It has always been my hope and aspiration as a coach to be able to motivate the people who chose to play touch.And to love the game like I did.And to forge lasting friendships during these years. And to develop them to be stronger people.To live with no regrets and to play like there's no more other matches.Because I do realise that I will grow old and come to a point where I will not be able to play anymore.That's when I want to look back at my life and see the players I have groom go far in THEIR life,be it in touch or other sports or other aspects in life.
That is the job of the coach.It is not playing to win.It is making,watching the player grow.

After the rain.

To all J2s,pls read the following.Its what Su wanted to say to all of U:

'Dear Ashley, Yan Ping (or Serene), Nicole, Qing Ling, Roxane, Tze Ling, Hui Jun, Sharlene, Geraldine, Ming Ee, Linin and Ruth

Its been an awesome 5 months training and playing with you guys. Being part of your highs, lows and nonsense is something probably no senior would have experienced. Your nationals has made a great impression in my life. It felt like I was part of a team again. You are a unique team. Never had I imagine that the group of noise making trouble causing bunch would change so much, and achieve so much in so little time.

You guys went out there and overcame your biggest obstacle; yourself.
You created new memories and pushed aside the past. You showed strength in character and outdid expectations. You made JJC touch proud.

A medal means nothing. You have great memories, a great team with great friends. These are your medals of success that you will have to cherish.

Thank you guys for letting me be a part of this. Li Min often reminded us that we are in JJ to study first before anything. Its time to start working for your 4As and be like Leann!

All the best and I do hope to see you guys again.

Love,
Suhanthi '

______________________________________________

I think I'm being infected by the sadness bug. Now that I have some time to myself,I started tearing for no apparent reason.Oh gosh I have no idea I can be so emo.Sheesh.And with that I end off with some pictures of last year's AGM and a quote from the captain of the USA Women Soccer team:

"I am a member of a team,and I rely on the team,I defer to it and scarifice for it,because the team,and not the individual,is the ultimate champion."