shenghao, this one is dedicated to you for being such a pal, all these years...

Updated@10:28 PM

for those who just watched dark knight or are planning to watch dark knight...
see whether you can tell which one's the real trailer and which one's the fake. ;p









LOL.

Updated@9:59 PM

hey guys here's something which will aid in the destressing process.
Dedicated to nathan tan and his history of screaming.

Updated@9:51 PM

What exactly is success, and what does it really mean to be a champion? What exactly is raffles canoeing about? Is it really about the medals? Is it about being the best? Or is it about fighting to be the best, and being able to be content with the outcome, secure in the knowledge that nothing else could be done? Would you rather have a team that comes in through DSA with years of experience that clinches the gold, or a team that starts from scratch and comes in unplaced? What exactly is a team and what exactly is our tradition?

At the end of the day, Raffles canoeing is not about winning medals or getting the gold. Hell, it is definitely not about beating nj. What raffles canoeing is about is forging a close knit team of individuals who are willing to fight for what they believe in. It is about nurturing the next batch of raffles canoeist's, passing on what our seniors' have passed on to us. What they have passed on is an unyielding zeal in anything they do, a willingness to excel in all areas of their life - as one of our seniors once said, "The members don't make Raffles Canoeing, Raffles Canoeing makes the members". I have yet to see a canoeist who has given up once the going gets tough, and that is what raffles canoeing is all about, moulding the members by instilling in them the right attitude to face life, to move on and excel in their next phase of life. Raffles canoeing is about letting go, letting go of the result and being content with what you have. Being content with the fact that even if your best is not enough, your best effort is.

At the end of the day we will all(almost all) leave raffles canoeing after 1.5 years. After 1.5 years of smiling, of crying, of laughing and of fighting we will all eventually walk out of macritchie on the last day of nationals and leave it all behind, medalists and non-medalists alike. When the next batch walks out of macritchie, what are the thoughts that will be in their minds? Do you want a team to walk out having given their all to canoeing feeling disappointed if they did not get the gold? Or do you want a team that will be able to laugh and smile on the last day of their career, regardless of the outcome of the races?

The path ahead will not be simple, but the road for Raffles canoeists has never been an easy one. It is from walking across this uneven road blindfolded with nothing but the help of their team that the waves of raffles canoeists before us have learnt to deal with disappointments, fight with resolve and live with passion.

All the best and I hope you will carry on our heritage of what it means to be a raffles canoeist.

RAFFLES ROW FTW!

Updated@8:05 PM

If we live like this, we cannot lose.

For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto Salvation for all who believe
- Romans 1:16


You know guys, this suddenly struck me while I was in my sleep. It was such a wonderful revelation that I felt I just had to wake up at 6 am in the morning on a Sunday to tell you all what God had revealed to me. Whether you are Christian or not, really my teammates, I regard you all as my Brothers.

Our team has quite a few Christians. Eugene, Chinks, Kennedy and I used to frequently remark and rejoice at the fact that our entire EXCO is Christian. We prayed before the next EXCO was chosen. We pray sometimes for direction, for the team. We pray before races. Yet sometimes I can't help but feel that many Christians on the team have led lives seemingly defeated by vulgarities, coarse joking, lack of self-control, etc. etc. I am one of the worse examples. The Bible tells me I'm not supposed to give into this crap, but I do. And whats worse is that when we do so we aren't ashamed of it. I think Brian swear until really funny. You know other than Mongs nobody else tells him not to? We all just join in - as Michael says, by "reflex action". And you know thats not all.

I have heard from my other friends and church members about how Christian family members and friends of theirs fell away from Christ's grace and love because they gave up hope on their Christian faith ... because they were discouraged that God was not working in their lives.

Because they "couldn't feel". They didn't know. But while I was sitting on my bed after waking up, there was one quote that just went through my mind -



If you step out onto the field and lay it all out there, if you give everything you got, then we cannot lose. We may be behind on that scoreboard, but we cannot be defeated.



Then I realised that as a canoeing life ends the big picture of life on earth remains and when life on earth ends the biggest picture of life in heaven with God for eternity truly remains. And even as we fought hard and finished the races of our canoeing life like winners, Jesus fought hard and bled on the cross to redeem us from our sins so that we might finish the race of life like winners.

We may loose the battle to sin daily, but we know that we have a God who loves us, Christ who gave his own life for our victory, and the Holy Spirit to guide us every step of the way. As Christians, we have won the battle. God sees and hears every hokkien vulgarity we use, the nasty shit we say about people, the ungracious behaviour towards others, the unwillingness to help even our teammates, the ugliness of what we think maliciously in our minds sometimes (even with the Jon Neo thing which we whole day laugh about lol), all our hypocrisies ... the Lord sees all this and then he sees Christ's blood on the doorpost of our hearts, and then he says - "ALL IS FORGIVEN." Such is the grace of God through the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

So what are we going to do with our life? Are we going to step out onto the field of the world and lay it all out there for Christ? Are we going to give everything that we've got for God? Are we going to make that choice, not just at the moment we said our Sinner's Prayer, but daily, to take up our cross and follow Christ? We may be behind on that scoreboard, but remember that in Christ, we cannot be defeated.

If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? ... Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:31-39

Updated@6:06 AM

"The thing about Raffles Canoeing is not the medals or the championships. Its about the Spirit of Raffles, the dream which is passed on from batch to batch, captain to captain, senior to junior. It is that Spirit, that Hope, which makes Raffles Canoeing what it is, and what it stands for. Its not our dream; its a dream that has passed on from generation to generation. Its something that was given to us and we are to protect it and keep it alive and pass it on. It is this same dream which is to unite us and keep us going, no matter what."

- Eugene, NJCC 2008



"Make sure that what's in your heart, is shinier than any medal that you'll ever get."

- Michael (To Xin Er), Nationals 2008



"Actually I don't really like canoeing as a sport. I think what really keeps me going are the people, the people who care and push you on despite all the problems and challenges. I think thats what really motivates me to give my best while rowing."

- Kennedy, Random Emo Session 2008



"If its just how fast on the water you're talking about, then it doesn't say much about whats in your heart ... but if you've got a heart of Gold, you will naturally be fast on the water. And that's what really counts."

- Marcus, Nationals 2008



"Kaiyang said last year that we would rise above mediocrity, that we would give all of them a run for their money. Thats not good enough; I say we give them the fight of their lives."

- Chinks, NJCC 2008



"Maybe we are not there yet, but I just want to do something for the team, and thats it. So I'm not going to think about anything else."

- Greg, NJCC 2008



"I might have been beaten by others, but at least I have conquered myself."

- Michael, NJCC 2008



"I'm prepared to lose. I'm prepared for anything. But I'm not prepared to let anyone down."

"what the hell i was pumping la!"

-Aaron, after smiling throughout his 1000m friendly race

"Sorry, but not funny arh."

- Victor



"Wooooooooo!"

- Brian (with two fingers pointed)



"Are you planning to stagnate?"

- Marcus, after Sheng Hao and Winnie slack row



"WHAT ? ! ? ? !"

- Michael, While taking photos of the Girl's team, after we told him to hurry up from afar




"Seeeerious!"

- Winnie



"HOBBIT! Hahahaha."

- Mohandass




"Nathan stop being a butch/bitch!"

- Greg

"huh you talking to me ah?"

-Nathan, to Greg, in the C2, with no one else around



"I Slash your Dick!"

- Brian



"Kalaichelvan says he's going to, **** YOUR BRAINS OUT!"

- Mohandass, After Brian screamed into his phone



"Next time I go your weddings and ... toot!"

- Kennedy






"I'm Doin Preeetty Gooooooood!"

- Kenneth




"Eh, you guys keep rowing!You all must improve! I improve enough already!"

- Marcus, in response to the rest for saving brian and LJ when they capsize



"Oh ok, you good! World Champ!"

- In response to Marcus' above comment moments after the rescue




"So what kind of bikini are we getting?"

- Justin, Ideas for Liang Jie's birthday 2007




"R*** C*** can go suck my c**k!"

- Bernard, Hwa Chong Team



"Pung-Sai-Gao!"

- Chinks
"You think what i said, give head arh"

-Stuart on k4 to Shenghao
"if i win, i'll stand up and play violin on my boat"
- Marcus to K4 crew

"Noo, you have an ELDER SISTER"
- Winnie to Marcus

"I didnt know you go for older girls, like Kennedy"
- Eugene to Marcus

"Two of you can eat little kids together"
- Winnie to Marcus
Feel free to edit this post and add on to the stuff. :D

Labels: raffles

Updated@1:58 PM

I don’t know what to say, really. Three minutes to the biggest battle of our professional lives. All comes down to today, and either, we heal as a team, or we're gonna crumble. Inch by inch, play by play. Until we're finished. We're in hell right now, gentlemen. Believe me. And, we can stay here, get the shit kicked out of us, or we can fight our way back into the light. We can climb outta hell... one inch at a time. Now I can't do it for ya, I'm too old. I look around, I see these young faces and I think, I mean, I've made every wrong choice a middle-aged man can make. I, uh, I've pissed away all my money, believe it or not. I chased off anyone who's ever loved me. And lately, I can't even stand the face I see in the mirror. You know, when you get old, in life, things get taken from you. I mean, that's... that's... that's a part of life. But, you only learn that when you start losin' stuff. You find out life's this game of inches, so is football. Because in either game - life or football - the margin for error is so small. I mean, one half a step too late or too early and you don't quite make it. One half second too slow, too fast and you don't quite catch it. The inches we need are everywhere around us. They're in every break of the game, every minute, every second. On this team we fight for that inch. On this team we tear ourselves and everyone else around us to pieces for that inch. We claw with our fingernails for that inch. Because we know when add up all those inches, that's gonna make the fucking difference between winning and losing! Between living and dying! I'll tell you this, in any fight it's the guy whose willing to die whose gonna win that inch. And I know, if I'm gonna have any life anymore it's because I'm still willing to fight and die for that inch, because that's what living is, the six inches in front of your face. Now I can't make you do it. You've got to look at the guy next to you, look into his eyes. Now I think ya going to see a guy who will go that inch with you. Your gonna see a guy who will sacrifice himself for this team, because he knows when it comes down to it your gonna do the same for him. That's a team, gentlemen, and either, we heal, now, as a team, or we will die as individuals. That's football guys, that's all it is. Now, what are you gonna do?

Updated@5:28 PM

hello guys
today's boat cleaning and waxing session was quite memorable haha.. besides kenneth's comments on the epoxy and nathan tan's piss in the boat it was nice haha
the pond picture session was damn cool also haha.
anyway just wanted to say that it's been a pleasure rowing with you guys the past 1.5 years. great team(:

quoting we are marshall:
if we lay our hearts on the line, we cannot be defeated

haha or smth like that..
let's go get some points for raffles!

greg

Updated@4:04 PM