3 medals, 8 days & a valuable lesson learnt.

I remember the last time I won a medal was when I was in Secondary 2, at Dunman's Annual Cross Country. I got 16th place for Lower Sec Boys category. Six years on, who'd think that I actually managed to achieve 3 medals in 8 days? Haha.






From left: SOC track and field 10000m event - 4th; New Balance Real Run 2007 Men's Junior (10km) - 20th ; SOC track and field 5000m - 4th.

Although I feel delighted at what I regard as an atypical achievement for me, I have realised, in the matter of these 8 days, something that wasn't so apparent to me before I achieved all these tangible 'objects'. When I run aiming to achieve a medal, I do not enjoy the run as much as I would without having that thought in mind. Likewise, when I do something with the hope of getting some kind of rewards, it's tough to enjoy the process.

A lesson learnt for me: It is not always the destination (end results) that matter when you're working towards a certain goal. It is the journey (process) from which you learn most. If at the end of the day, you do not reach your destination, you've at least enjoyed and learnt from the journey.

an amateur runner going for medal =p

It's the New Balance Real Run tomorrow and I'm running 10km under Men's Junior category. It's the last year I can take part under that category and I just realised that there will be medals for top 20. Haha, will I be able to get the 2nd medal in a week?

Stay tuned to find out.

solitude

These few months have been a rather lonesome period for me. This is not a complaint. My social life was really confined to my friends in my unit, and to friends whom I happen to bump into randomly. I was not grounded or anything. It was by choice. My time was spent doing the same routine stuffs. When it's my working day, I work; when it's my off day, I stay at home. I was in search for some self-quality time, which I thought was lacking. I needed to reflect on many things in my life, and enrich myself in many other ways.

Now that it's only 14 days away from ORD, there's no better time to feel this accentuated sense of solitude. I keep a diary for this year, and that were so many activities and events I wrote down on each day of this year until the Nov 10. Pages after Nov 10 is still very empty and clean. And, many people are asking me these days, "what're your plans after ORD?" While I'm pretty much sure about my long term plans, I honestly have no immediate plans. So I'll just reply them, saying that maybe I would go for a good holiday, when in actual fact I have no such plans.

Perhaps, something in my subconscious prevented me from making concrete and immediate plans after ORD. Maybe I was meant for another agenda. That, I will only know with time.

relationship, sportsmanship and leadership

This is the second time it has happened.

These guys in my squad are either deaf, or they have absolutely no discernment at all. It could, no, it must, also be that they do things with no consideration of their consequences. A different group of them have been caught in the act of treating the new guys to their form of welcoming. I wouldn't want to go into much details because it will only make you readers irk. Now the management in my unit has already taken actions, drastic ones, not only against the culprits, but also against all else innocent parties in the squad.

That's the unfair part. But the most injustice thing to me, was the transferring out of my OC, who has been pillar (for me) in this squad. It's cliche to say so, but he is the best person I can talk to about anything. I found him a very approachable person, albeit a stern disposition. I wasn't even around during his last tour of duty, as I was on medical leave. Yesterday was his last day, and there was this unspoken sadness in me when he said this the first thing when he saw me yesterday morning: 'Zeya, today is my last day with you.' It's sad to see him be transferred out in such a short notice, but that's the hard fact of reality everywhere - dynamism and subsequent adaptation.

Well, I've decided to dedicate my 4th-placed medal I achieved today, at SOC Track & Field 10000m Men Open, to him. I ran for him. There were numerous times he unofficially let me off so that I can take part in events such as the Mizuno Wave Run, and the more recent SMRT challenge. I don't mean to just narrow every thing he has done for me to the former example. He has been such an impact in my NS life in SOC that it is simply doing him injustice to merely list them down. Whatever he 'preached', while others took it as nagging, I took it as wise words from a wise man.

Okay, that would have given you an idea of how much I respect him as a supervisor. To me, he will always be my OC.

Now, the 10000m Men Open. Controversy!

Yea I mentioned above that I got 4th place. Well, I will always believe that I was the 3rd guy to cross the finishing line. You see, there was this Indian guy, also NSF, who was very close to me for the first few rounds. I'd overtake him and he'd overtake me again. This happened a few times, until maybe the 8th or the 9th round when I started to pull away from him. That I remember very clearly, because I knew that there were only 2 runners ahead of me, in terms of position. And the status quo remained, or so I thought. I cross the line, believing that I'm 3rd, until the strange thing happened. That Indian guy, actually completed the race before me and was approaching me from the stands to ask what's my timing and position. When I told him I'm 3rd, he refuted and said that it's him who got 3rd.

I made this known to one of the officials, who was patient enough to hear my arguments. Obviously, that Indian guy wasn't talking. The officials who was keeping the record was on his side, and there was no way that they've made a mistake, or so they claimed. But I refuse to give up without putting up a fight (not literally) for a competitor's rights. To me, he ran 24 rounds instead of 25. This dispute was made known to the Convernor of the events, who then played the objective role by saying that the results will remain, unless that Indian guy admits that he indeed ran one less round. But obviously, he wasn't talking! And no person in the right frame of mind would give up a higher position for a lower one.

So back to the official whom I spoke to first. He said, "You know in your heart that you've got 3rd, and it plays down to sportsmanship. If that's really true, then he (the Indian guy) has no sportsmanship." I had to rest my case then. I guess it was God's way of telling me 'Eh, you ran with swollen face (from the tooth extraction), 4th place already very good okay!' Haha.

The run was at the nostalgic Home Team Academy by the way. After the entire event, we had lunch at the Cafeteria, which was our hang-out in the night back in the days of basic training there. This ASP from my company say beside me. He knows that I would be returning to serve the bond of my scholarship in the years to come. And without asking, he gave me what I regarded as a valuable advice: "As a leader, you've to lead by example. Be with your men, so that your men will be with you. When you meet difficult people, take the soft approach, talk. If it doesn't work, do it again. If it still doesn't work the third time, go on the hard one, then pull back."

Okay one last thing! A point having zero connection with the above. A point to prove NUS's efficiency. I made an appeal last Saturday via email to the Office of Admission, as I wanted to change my business adminstration course to economics. Don't ask me why - it's not because I don't know, neither is it because I don't want to say, I'm just lazy to type. But I think in that same number of words I could have told you why. Ok lah, I found economics a more relevant and personally suited course, that business admin, which is rather theoretical and not quite me. So the appeal was made on Saturday, but I assume they received my appeal yesterday, the start of the week. And today, they sent an email informing me that my appeal has been successful! How efficient!

Ok, so this has been another mass post.

Presenting.. my masterpiece!

TA-DA!

For those of you who can't tell, it's an embroidery work, a portrait of my parents. It took me 48 days to complete this.. ahem masterpiece. Haha. And I'm damn proud of it. The question of how shall remain mystery. =P

Am I pro, or am I pro? Haha. Pardon me, but let me bask in this accomplished mood for some time.

3-in-1

1. My Unusual Relationship With Handphones: "You and your handphone business won't end eh! The handphone industry can make money from you forever." That's what my sister said a few days ago, and it pretty much sums up my err.. relationship with handphones. When I got a new sony ericsson k750i back in January, I went high and low, looking for accessories from casings to pouches to even lanyards. Serves me right that most accessories I bought did not last for long. A few months back, I started browsing through papers for good handphone deals, even to the extent of 'strategically' and financially planning in such a way that I get the best deal. You see, my m1 plan ends in August, if I were to sign up for another plan in m1, and in January, if I opt out of m1. The latter was my preferred choice, but that also means that I've to wait till next January before I can get a good deal along with a plan upgrade. But I was impatient. A slick w580i caught my eye one day, and I made a quiet promise that I am going to make that mine very soon. So sooner than I expected myself, I bought that phone, with no line. A part of me wanted that phone, but another part of me was being hesitant. I felt internally conflicted, but before I knew it, the phone was in my hands. I was in such a tight spot (yes I know this was all unnecessary) that I did not feel entirely good even after buying the new w580i. Then as though it's a vicious cycle, the search for accessories follows. A casing, a pouch, and who knows what else to follow. Well, that's my fetish with handphones. But it has come with a very expensive price tag, which is probably the only reason why I don't feel good after buying the phone. (I hereby pledge that, the new w580i that I bought recently, will the be last handphone I'm going to buy in a long time, and I will dearly treasure it for as long as it's in my hands. I hereby pledge also, to be faithful and not let any other phones catch my eye.)
2. Why Don't I Feel Good About Some Things I Buy: WHYY?? Sometimes, when I buy some things for myself, I often end up regretting that investment. It's a cruel feeling, cos you know that you bought that 'something' because you wanted it, but something about it had to surface after the purchase, something which you did not notice before you burn your pocket, something which only makes you go 'I wonder if I can get a refund'. It happened not once, but a couple of times to me recently. I bought this rubber handphone casing (yes I know, its handphone business again. argh.) which I was impressed with cos I never knew rubber casings could be used for slide phones. Plus, its only 6 bucks! After making the payment, 20 metres away from the shop, I tried fitting the casing onto my phone. How slick, I thought. But my awe was shortlived, cos when I tried plugging in the ear piece, it couldn't be done cos the rubber was too thick. argh. So I had no other choice but to attempt to modify it myself so that the earpiece can fit nicely. This analogy only served to prove my point in this paragraph. In order to prevent that, the most straightforward method is to think carefully about whether I truly need that 'something', and if I do, what kind of problems could arise when I start using it? Well, most would say this internal analysis (sounds chim haha) would work, but I beg to differ. After so many 'mishaps', I have found a better way, and that is when I find something when I want or need, I should not make an immediate and impulsive investment. The best thing is to stay away from that 'something' for sometime, a few hours, a few days or even a few weeks. That will give me sufficient time to consider if I really should invest in it. I guess this applies also on a larger scale, say when contemplating an investment in insurance, in a car, in a house etc.
3. Finally, It's Ending, And In No Way Am I Feeling Sad About It: For those who are thinking that I'm referring to NS, you're dead wrong! I'm actually referring to the tuition that I've been giving to my ex's sister. I've had enough on my student's urm.. occasional moodswings; I've had enough of pretending as if my ex is not at home when she is. You see, on the previous lesson, before I pressed the door bell, I could see her (my ex) having her meal at the dining room. When I entered the flat after her sister came to open the gate, she was gone, but her food was still there. It annoyed me the fact that she has to avoid me to such extent, even in her own home. She has become a totally different person since late last year. I've seen arrogance, childishness, aloofness, and total indifference in her, and these only make me distant myself from such unnecessary dwellings. Instead, it makes me stronger in a sense that I believe I had made the right choice in breaking up with her. Whenever I feel such empowerment, I would turn on 'What Goes Around' by Justin Timerblake. I don't know why, but it just makes me feel good. Anyway, it's goodbye for good (I hope) two weeks from now. And I'm looking forward to it.