Hey all, thought I'd share this with you. Some of you might have already seen it in your email inboxes, but oh well..
Five VERY IMPORTANT Lessons
1 - First Important Lesson - Cleaning Lady.
During my second month of college, our professor gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions until I read the last one:
"What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?"
Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50s, but how would I know her name?
I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank. Just before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our quiz grade.
Absolutely," said the professor. "In your careers, you will meet manypeople. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care,even if all you do is smile and say "hello."
I've never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her name was Dorothy.
2 - Second Important Lesson - Pickup in the Rain
One night, at 11:30 p.m., an older African American woman was standing on the side of an Alabama highway trying to endure a lashing rainstorm. Her car had broken down and she desperately needed a ride. Soaking wet, she decided to flag down the next car. A young white man stopped to help her, generally unheard of in those conflict-filled 60s. The man took her to safety, helped her get assistance and put her into a taxicab.
She seemed to be in a big hurry, but wrote down his address and thanked him. Seven days went by and a knock came on the man's door. To his surprise, a giant console color TV was delivered to his home. A special note was attached.. It read:
"Thank you so much for assisting me on the highway the other night. The rain drenched not only my clothes, but also my spirits. Then you came along. Because of you, I was able to make it to my dying husband's bedside just before he passed away... God bless you for helping me and unselfishly serving others."
Sincerely, Mrs. Nat King Cole.
3 - Third Important Lesson - Always remember those who serve.
In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a 10-year-old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him.
"How much is an ice cream sundae?" he asked.
"Fifty cents," replied the waitress.
The little boy pulled his hand out of his pocket and studied the coins in it.
"Well, how much is a plain dish of ice cream?" he inquired.
By now more people were waiting for a table and the waitress was growing impatient.
"Thirty-five cents," she brusquely replied.
The little boy again counted his coins.
"I'll have the plain ice cream," he said.
The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walked away. The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and left. When the waitress came back, she began to cry as she wiped down the table. There, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were two nickels and five pennies..
You see, he couldn't have the sundae, because he had to have enough left to leave her a tip.
4 - Fourth Important Lesson. - The obstacle in Our Path.
In ancient times, a King had a boulder placed on a roadway. Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of the king's wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the King for not keeping the roads clear, but none did anything about getting the stone out of the way.
Then a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables. Upon approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road. After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded. After the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the King indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway. The peasant learned what many of us never understand!
Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve our condition.
5 - Fifth Important Lesson - Giving When it Counts...
Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at a hospital, I got to know a little girl named Liz who was suffering from a rare serious disease. Her only chance of recovery appeared to be a blood transfusion from her 5-year old brother, who had miraculously survived the same disease and had developed the antibodies needed to combat the illness. The doctor explained the situation to her little brother, and asked the little boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister.
I saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a deep breath and saying, "Yes I'll do it if it's good and it will save her."
As the transfusion progressed, he lay in bed next to his sister and smiled, as we all did, seeing the color returning to her cheek. Then his face grew pale and his smile faded.
He looked up at the doctor and asked with a trembling voice, "Will I start to die right away?".
Being young, the little boy had misunderstood the doctor; he thought he was going to have to give his sister all of his blood in order to save her.
anyways, i can't scan the stupid thing into the computer. my scanner is screwing around with me. so yeah, i will just type out the chain. you just have to send the msg on to the next person in the chain yeah? simple.
chinyee - eugene bong - SH - Shawn Lim - Mohandass - Kenneth - Willie - Xinda (end) marcus - aaron - hong chen - liang jie - justin - jerome - victor (end) kennedy - brian - michael - marc see - nathan - jeremy - greg(end)
okay so very simple right? okay , last thing to take not, the people at the end, meaning mr zai, victor and greg, must send the msg back to me. (:
i noe this is quite late, but there are a load of thoughts abt nats. so im going to type them down here, though my english may suck, i hope it can strike a chord with u guys.
i guess this year just wasnt our year. the whole nationals i saw the j2 team fighting, fighting for Raffles and the team, and see them fall. n it really hurts to see ppl i look up to, like kaiyang and muddy, defeated in their race just like that.
but u noe wad? to me, they r still champs. champs cuz they dint give up, champs cuz they fought to the end, champs cuz they lost with grace and carried themselves like winners. n they all learnt something from this, came out better people, as friends and teammates for life. to chiam, if what u said on the j2 blog really came from ur heart, then im really glad, n really respect u for that.
what makes a champion? even though my shifu, kenneth loo, dint win the gold medal, to me he is still my hero. cuz he holds himself like one. he never boasts, he is humble n he makes the best of what he has. though other rowers may have triumphed over him, he definitely does not need to show off, which is what others may do. n that is the hallmark of a true champion. looloo, i rly salute u, n ill try to beat ur timing next year :)
thanks j2s. thanks to chiam n seetoh n loo n timchow, hu taught me how to row a C from feb till now. i promise, ill win it back. n thanks muddy, for really helping with the jiaolian problem :) n thanks to all the j2 guys n girls hu were teammates n friends, for setting the benchmark for hard work n spirit. its going to be tough to surpass you all, but we will try, for the glory of Raffles.
now i think what we need are more trainings. as selwyn said, its better to train 2 hrs 5 times a week than 5 hrs 2 times a week. its consistency and hard work that work hand in hand to pay off. sadly, the circumstances were not in our favout this year. eugene n bernice, please do all u can for more water time, please.
n to the j1s, thanks for giving ur all too. we fought for Raffles n though this year we dint make it, lets learn from this nats n improve for nxt yr. let us prove that hard work and spirit WILL pay off in the end. let us believe that our moment of glory will come, n that God will reward those hu believe in him for it. n if ever we slacken of start to burn out during trainings, let us not forget that day when the team of 2007 went down fighting. let it be a reminder and in inspiration to us to work hard, train smart, and fight to the end. Raffles for the WIN!!
If you can keep your head when all about you Are losing theirs and blaming it on you; If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, But make allowance for their doubting too; If you can wait and not be tired by waiting, Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies, Or, being hated, don't give way to hating, And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;
If you can dream - and not make dreams your master; If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim; If you can meet with triumph and disaster And treat those two imposters just the same; If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools, Or watch the things you gave your life to broken, And stoop and build 'em up with wornout tools;
If you can make one heap of all your winnings And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss, And lose, and start again at your beginnings And never breath a word about your loss; If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew To serve your turn long after they are gone, And so hold on when there is nothing in you Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on";
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch; If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you; If all men count with you, but none too much; If you can fill the unforgiving minute With sixty seconds' worth of distance run - Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it, And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son!
for many of us, there must be a senior who we all look up to. its crap to feel like you can never be as good as that senior, and it's even crappier to see that senior crash out.
how many of us can say confidently that we can equal muddy or kaiyang in a year's time.
we look forward to next year as being our year. i have been so sure that next year we're gna come back with a blast, but we cant just say "we're going to do it, we're going to do it", something should be done now.
if we continue what we've been doing for the past 6 mths, can we walk into nats 2008 and own? i really don't know. something drastic has to happen for us to improve, but training intensity wise arent most of us max out? NJ must be doing something we are not.
maybe we should alter our workouts for sets?
for example, different positions of your arm when you do chin ups/push ups work out different muscles.
how wide should we grip for chin ups to pump our backs? should we do semi pseudo planche pushups to pump our delts/upper chest?
dont your delts die from recovering your stroke?are we focusing on the muscular endurance of our delts enough?
should we continue delayed sets? i read on askmen.com about delayed workouts. it said it improves strength. but is it the best work out to simulate rowing?
Conclusion. we need the expertise of siew hwa to help us train correctly.(that is, if we are doing anything wrong now. maybe we're doing the correct things). hurhur. i dont know but i am going to find out.
Updated@9:34 PM
I know you you guys will find the strength to pick yourselves up and bring the team towards natioals 2008. I finished the last race of my season with no regrets because i know i've never stinted myself in the training, i gave the best that i had these 1.5 years. The road ahead will not be easy and things may go wrong along the way, but keep fighting.
I was naive enough to believe that hard work + determination= results. It isn't always the case. but you know something? i still believe cos so long there's a glimmer of hope i will take the chance. People can say all the want, but they can't stop you from believing.
Lastly, don't let the negatives get to you. Your season next year is not about revenge or anything like that, it is something more honourable, something more glorious. It is about the reason you row, it is about dreams and the team. Stay humble, there is still lots more to learn. I wish you all the best. carry on the fight. go spartans!
You leave the pontoon, with the rest of your teammates cheering you on. You know they have high hopes on you. Your heart beats erratically with the flurry of emotions surging through you; you tell yourself not to be anxious, not to be afraid, not to feel challenged, you earnestly remind yourself over and over again.
The sky is the least inviting, the water is choppy, and the wind is strong. Yet these are not the least on your mind. Your mind is on the race to come. It is the race, which you have prepared so long and so hard for. The wind caresses your arm, and you feel the droplets land sparsely on yourself, as the paddle surges through the water, and up, recover, through the water, up, recover...
It's your turn, as you slow down. You prepare to enter your lane, your heart beating harder than before. You know you are part of it, and you know that it is the time to face your fears; fear of inexperience, fear of fatigue, fear of the pain to come, fear of the result. No matter the confidence, regardless of the training, the fear creeps up to you. You live in full awareness that anything can happen during the event.
The umpire calls all boats hold. Uncertainty looms over you greater than ever before. And you know that you have to stand up to all that is before you. There is no backing out, there is no turning back. And this is a feeling we have not felt guys, you and I. We've been lying asleep these four years, and its the ripe moment to awaken the spirit of sportsmanship within each of us, that which embodies courage, discipline, fighting spirit, gentlemanliness, perseverance and passion.
"Start within ten seconds…"
The horn sounds.
A trigger sends an instantaneous surge of adrenaline into your very being. Everything becomes heightened. Your paddle hungrily digs into the water, and you give a powerful pull, your arm punching down with every ounce of might you can muster. The winds and the water suddenly become transient, and your entire being is thrown into the race.
Now it is just you, your boat. The finish line is no where in sight. You focus on the buoys, on going straight. Your every stroke is the culmination of strength, grit. It is a race of not only muscular endurance, power or stroke.
It is a race of determination.
You fight on. The pain begins to set in, even as your breathing has gotten from heavy inhalations to a furious struggle. You concentrate on keeping your composure. You know that a compromise on your stroke, on your frequency, on your power per stroke, may cost that goal you were striving so hard for.
Your vision condenses with the passing of each buoy. The pain now gnaws at your muscles. You know that not giving your all may cost you that goal. Relentlessly you force yourself to continue, in spite of the escalating fatigue.
You realise that this race is not only about the now. It is about everything that you've done thus far, all the trainings you went for, all the exercises you did, all the times you rowed, all the pain you went through, all the joy, the struggles, the times when personal bests drove you to exhilaration, the times when tiredness drove you to your very limits. You have somehow subtly known and acknowledged it all along, all that you've put into this race. Your hard work, your laughter, your smiles, your blood, your sweat, your tears.
All these things have culminated to a single event. And right at the moment where you are feeling the most drained and tired, this gives you hope.
You realise that you are no longer rowing for yourself, or that goal. You are rowing for God, for his Glory, for the School, for all the team mates who you love and share the same passion for canoeing with. They've placed their faith in you. This hope surges through you, more powerful than any adrenaline, it causes you to forge forward.
At this time, the pain is excruciating. Not just your muscles, but your lungs, your mind are in pain.
Burst.
You give your all.
You cross the finishing line, spent, drained. You've given your everything.
And you lost.
The feeling, that feeling of loss. You stop paddling, defeated. You gave it your all, but it was just not enough. Those numerous times you trained, when you told yourself you were giving your hundred percent, perhaps those were lies. Perhaps those were a compromise. Perhaps.
You cannot help but let the tears well up. There is no way to escape the sorrow, let alone the defeat. You were not defeated by the winds, nor the water. You were defeated by men, by women, who trained harder than you, who sacrificed more than you, who were more deserving than you.
But in the end, you realise, that you were defeated by yourself. You were the one who chose to compromise, who complacently thought you were giving your all, when in actual fact you were less disciplined, less focused, and less determined. And my friends, my dear team mates, my fellow canoeists. We are all like that. We have all been in slumber. It is time to wake up. To face up to reality. To reflect.
What has my attitude been. Have I really given my all. Have I really behaved in a manner befitting of my sport. Am I truly a Raffles Canoeist.
Come on guys. We are the present; the batch before us has gone. What shall we do? Are we going to just accept the status quo, or are we going to pick up the pieces bravely? Let us all awaken.
The pain is real, the defeat is real, but so is the strength, the courage, the discipline, the passion, the success. RafflesRow for the Win!
hey guys, ten more days. i believe most of us are feeling the pressure already. for those who got a lucky draw, congrats but don't lose focus and think its going to be easy. anything can happen during a race so be prepared.
anyways, for those who are still very blur... those competing are: liang jie - T1 500m sheng hao & marcu - T2 500m eugene - k2 500m chinks & victor - C2 500m
hey, all of us are rowing 500ms. lol, anyways okay back to proper business.
okay, some things to take note yea?
1. don't neglect nutrition. drink plenty of water and eat normally. no point trying to pump food that is high in protein or whatsoever. just eat normally, and try to avoid oily food and chilli and stuff like that. i trust that you know all these le la. yea?
2. like what KY says, its going to take as much physical strength as mental strength to win it. 90% of the race depends on how far your training have brought you; but the last 10%, that last 100m, its going to depend on how much you want it. you've got to show that you want it, show them your hunger and desire to win!
3. do ALOT of visualization. alot of athletes dismiss this crucial part of preparation for competition. so yeah, everybody, before you sleep each night, think about your race. control your breathing, slow it down; visualize the environment - the people, the water, the trees; imagine yourself at the start line. pumped up, eyes on the finishing line. ; the sound of the siren, your burst. perfect from practice.; imagine each stroke. the power of your stroke. your boat gliding. your arms are burning with pain but it doesn't matter. you are used to it. you welcome the pain.
yeah, basically, i want to stress the important of mental preparation. its possible for anybody to screw up. so prepare well mentally and don't be that person. alright, ten more days to nationals. all those competing train hard. its the last stretch. time to show the world what RAFFLES CANOEING is made of.
here's a video to pump yourself up for tmr's training! (:
Luigi
Marcu
Bowser
Kennedy
Willie
Kee Guan
Xiao Bai Cai
Vic
Bong
Greg
Michael
Maggie
Mohan and das
Xing Da
Jerome
Jeremy
Hong Cheng
Powderman
Eugene
Feng Shuo
Nehthan
Beng Hong
Marc
Aaron
LJ
Shawn
AhD
