Our first DB training camp 'SAK-KI 2006', which was held over the weekend, came & passed by in a flash, hurdling me back to reality once again...Felt a wave of pity that good things come to an end so quickly. Time really passes by in a flash when u're having fun with ur dearest teammates...
Nonetheless, i must say with pride that our team have bonded like never b4 and grown more mature in the span of just 2 days. Watched 2 inspirational movies 'Umizaru' & 'Coach Carter', which helped to raise our spirits, morale & the determination to win...as we watched others going on to create mirales thru their own team bonding, spirit & passion!! We also play twister & it was fun seeing some people being longitudinally challenged in awkward positions...haha
Roshni, in particular, was victimised many times - thanks to her pretending to be a sushi/popiah by wrapping herself in her sleeping bag. In the end she got wrapped in the sleeping bag by zhui & lem & thrown out of the room, not once, but TWICE!!! It was really hilarious...& she earned the name, Sushi Queen! Peiling & Peifen, on the other hand, earned the accolade of being divine mothers...for being so motherly n naggy...lolz!! For cheryl, i muz say that her sweet image was totally destroyed when i learnt that she was formally judo captain plus she was scratching herself like a monkey in camp!! Haha...
One particularly memorable part of this camp was this game we play, where magazine paper was passed around & based on the number of pieces of paper u had, those were the number of questions you could ask anyone in the team. But it was unfair la, coz the organizers knew wat was going on & took alot of paper lo...esp Peiling!!! She ended up asking us the only question for the game la, coz it took everyone more than 2 hrs to answer the question!! The question was: to reveal a personal part of your life, namely a turning point in your life. It was indeed personal, especially for the gals, many whom were emotional when telling their story....of not being acknowledged, losing a loved one, dealing with parent's divorces, lives being controlled by parents & so on...touching to the extent that many teared over them....
I think this would be the 1st time our team actually came to such a personal level of understanding, of actually revealing to not juz some, but the entire team in the room, the ups & downs of their lives....i've learnt alot about my teammates, why are they the way they are, & it makes me appreciate them even more...at the end of it...all i can say is....'I LOVE MY TEAM!!!'
Come Saturday, we gals are gonna play our own game n show others wat we're made of!! Team SMU Whoosh!!!
OrAnGeL was fuming at
4:52 PM
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Ok, here goes...have been requested to blog coz i haven been blogging for some time...
Have been sick for most part of this week, juz when i was really determined and driven to push myself hard for the coming race...It was terrible..having intermittent fever for 2 days...with temperature ranging ard 38 deg..Meals meant porridge n more porridge day in day out..din even have the energy to sit up n blog..
Juz felt kinda helpless, cannot go for training, even unsure if i could go for DB camp this coming weekend too..juz felt as if i was letting myself n the whole team down..coz i was sure this illness muz have weakened my strength alot..it was uncertain if i could put in as much strength as i did in training last weekend...
But of course, it was a great time to take a break from work, tuition, training n piano - hectic schedules that i have been enduring since the start of my internship. Guess my body must have been feeling real overworked...Apparently my boss thinks i've trained too much...Well, mayb the last straw came when i went for Sunday's training..Hehe
Tonight though, i'm definitely going for our 1st ever DB training camp..despite nagging from joan to the extent that i had to promise not to run tmr..only row...plus quarantine myself..lolz...
Being sick had given me time to reflect n think thru wat i want from dragonboat, n i'm definitely gonna realize my burning desire to get into finals this coming race, if not win it!! So peeps, beware our presence!!
OrAnGeL was fuming at
5:41 PM
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Could see a better performance in the gals boat today...there was finally a feel of the smooth glide of the boat, and some intrinsic drive which i couldn't really detect yesterday...
Nonetheless, the surge could have been better - which should be the kind that would rock u off ur seat...plus, the gals do not have enuff power n speed to do charging as fast as i wanted...Sometimes i feel that it is essential for each n everyone of us to have a taste of the HDB training, only then would u realize that our speed, power is not that strong, not that great...Charging was alrdy slower than HDB's, and yet we could not do it..Grr..feeling kinda helpless...doing it repeatedly will however be a way to get them accustomed to it thou...But itz amazing how a bit of exposure to other teams could make such a difference!!
However, i'm not going to give up as yet!! Juz hope our gals will be able to build up the burning desire & determination to overcome all odds that comes our way by competition time, so that we can show the rest what we're made of!!! I definitely am not gonna give up that easily!! Come on, give me a reason to believe....!! I myself will definitely be doing more personal training of my own to prep myself up for competition mode...Dry rowing, twisting exercises, strength training...
I understand that some gals, having been away for training for quite some time, are not able to keep up with the kind of training we have now..but at this point in time, i guess there's juz no way we can lament over this, but try to draw strength from every source available, such as your mental strength. If you believe and you want to win hard enough, you will somehow draw the strength you need and overcome all odds you're facing. Easier said than done, but you'll never know until to try it...Give it your 100% for every race, and you'll find that you can tolerate and go beyond 100% the next time...
The camp next week will really be a crucial factor as to whether we make or break it, and i definitely hope it will be the former....
OrAnGeL was fuming at
11:40 PM
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Today's DB training was a fluke...could see that there was a lack of drive & motivation from some of the gals during rowing..Really dunno what to say...
But i'm sure of one thing: our dragonboat team is set up for the purpose of winning, & not some leisure cca. For people whose main purpose of joining is not winning, i think they should jolly well quit...I mean, what's the point of joining when you want to row half-heartedly? It is basically disadvantageous to yourself, n to your teammates who yearn to win in the upcoming race...your teammates on one hand, are not able to extract max potential from you, diminishing their chances of winning..As for yourself, u juz struggle to keep up with the winning desire of others..
After the March race & the AGM, I muz say that i had higher expectations of the team, thinking that by June race, i should be able to see sth from the team, that we will be strong enough to support everyone n bring sth back together as a team...a medal, a sense of pride.But now, it seems that we're nowhere nearer to the goal, if not further...The drive is gone from many pple, and i seriously think that it is worse than not having the speed, stamina & strength...Without motivation & drive, there's no way you can push yourself to excel despite having the qualities...It only allows you to get by...Datz all...
I truly think that to join a sport, there will always be an element of competitiveness & if i can't see the winning desire & competitiveness happening in my own team, i should move on to one that will satisfy my desire of winning. I see myself winning a medal, and being able to hold my head up high proclaiming myself as a proud member of my own team...not just some loser team which is not even a threat to its competitors..It is therefore impt that everyone should fight for their place in the team, in the race.
Well, juz hope that things will not come to such a stage where i have to rethink the choice i made in the 1st place...Come on team! Juz show me what you're made of!! Juz 2 weeks more!!
OrAnGeL was fuming at
1:50 AM
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It's really a super sinful day today...Slurge almost 400 bucks in the 4 hours which i shopped around in orchard!! Actually took a half-day off to attend the overseas exchange briefing for Spring 2007...but ended by shopping after that..
Basically, i made a pair of specs, bot a newurbanmale World Cup party tank "Spain", a pair of Havaianas BP World Cup "Spain" flip-flops, 2 tops from zara, & last but not least, a pair of Levis' Lady Style Limited Edition jeans which cost about $250 bucks. Lucky thing i had the vouchers from my dragonboat mates...otherwise, i wouldn't bear to spend so much on a pair of jeans. But it's really fabulous!! It's adorned with alot of shiny crystals crystallised with Swarovski!! So this had better be good...hehe... Even got a free levi's bear for buying dat pair of jeans, but itz damn ugly la..!!
After the shopping, me & kx were like real tired, so decided to treat ourselves to some chocolate fondue & belgium waffles over at Max Brenner's Chocolate Bar...it was really relaxing..the waffles was especially delicious!! Too bad the day had to come to an end when we rushed to catch the last bus home...
& now it comes to mind that we forgot to taste the fried mars chocolate bars over at far east plaza...i guess, till next time!! 
OrAnGeL was fuming at
1:56 AM
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Had a BBQ over at Regent Heights on 4th June, Sunday, as a kind of birthday celebration for my 21st...Did not actually have any intention to have any celebration initally...coz my bdaes were disasters most of the time, plus i haven been celebrating for like 3 years alrdy...n this was juz decided on a whim...Hehe
Aniwaes...the BBQ was pretty fun...pple from my pri sch all the way up to SMU turned up, esp pple i haven seen for like 3 years or more!When lan pei came, she brought sth for me..a TIARA!! I was like, 'Wad de...!'So MALU sia...i was trying to hide n avoid wearing that thing, but in the end was forced to wear it la..for the the rest of the Nite!!
Was initially quite embarassing..coz everyone was looking at me..Juz felt super self-conscious. But after taking a few pics with my friends with dat tiara, i felt better...less self-conscious...Ended up posing here n there with my friends all night...
Here are some pictures from the BBQ:
OrAnGeL was fuming at
3:06 PM
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Received a bdae surprise from my smu buddies yesterdae.....Even though i know a surprise was coming up, nonetheless, i was still surprised by the extent of the Surprise! Haha...
Initially thot i was juz meeting kx n nana at Cafe Iguana (was not supposed to know initially, but nana juz blurt it out) for a drink, like a small bdae celebration...when i reached clarke quay, only nana was there, she said there were no seats available at cafe iguana then, so we went strolling ard clarke quay...went by MOS, n saw 2 spanky ferraris parked outside MOS!! i was like *whistle*...wondering who owned them, a lao ah pek or a hunk...haha
Aniwaes, we back to cafe iguana after abt one hr, n there was a surprise awaiting me....My smu buddies were all sitting by the table we reserved, all dressed up n smiling at me...yokey, sheena, jl, pj, kx....was kinda reeling from shock/surprise...coz when i asked them out on 2nd june previously, they said they weren't free.....yup...obviously setting up some kinda ploy...
Then we ordered some food...had burritos (the size of a golden pillow), curry pork stew with some kind of wrap (like prata), tortillas etc....plus margaritas....Cafe iguana is really famous for margaritas!!! Esp the macho margarita, the glass is like super huge...but we only ordered 1 of them. Its quite fascinating, not only was it like a super huge glass, but there was a layer of salt around the mouth of the glass..weird huh? But someone suggested it was to enhance the taste of the margarita...duno if it's true though...
After we finished the food, i suggested ordering more margaritas, but all of them were like ignoring me lor...nobody wanted to order any more alcohol...made me feel kind of sian diao...
Who knows, that was part of the next surprise...what came next was a cake...at first i tot it was a pineapple cake...coz the cake was a creamy yellow, n the powdery cubes on top looked like pineapple cubes. But then i detected a faint smell of durian...n yes! It is the durian mousse cake from Goodwood Park Hotel!!! First time i had the durian cake from there...the durians really pack a punch n every bite fills your stomach with satisfaction...n the powdery square stuff on top of the cake was actually juz sponge cake, but nevertheless soft n artfully made...Courtesy of Jialing!! you really gave me my first experience of such delicious durian cake...
So how does not ordering alcohol n the durian cake link together? Datz because someone actually died of having durians n alcohol together....it seems that the combination is so toxic that your liver may not be able to take it and rupture...so everyone was like refraining from drinking too much in case la...which is kinda contradictory coz if u go to cafe iguana, should drink loads n loads of margaritas...
Overall, it was a very enjoyable n delightful surpise...Had my 1st experience of durian cake from Goodwood Park (previously only tried durian puffs)...n they gave me a black leather braun buffel wallet (something i've always wanted since my old one got stolen)...not forgetting the company n laughter of friends who bothered to come together for that few hours for these...Haven't felt so happy for a long time...thanks peeps!! Looking forward to the next gathering...we muz go MOS together sia!!
OrAnGeL was fuming at
10:41 PM
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Juz dun understand why the fuck this chinese guy from my workplace doesn't know basic mannners at all:
1) He slurps his soup, coffee, wateva
2) When he eats, he makes disgusting sounds
3) Sings or whistles in the office
4) Taps his feet on the ground when he's bored or listening to music
5) Keeps clicking on his pen when bored
Man! This is so damn rude, irritating and often grating on my nerves, especially now when i'm busy with setting up a financial model, i need all the peace n quiet to concentrate n think, not all these unnecessary noise.....grr...this is one guy i detest more than all the other guys i've come across....his actions are such a turn-off, esp his MCP attitude n sense of conceit....Don't they teach one to be refined or have manners back in school or at home? Someone help....
OrAnGeL was fuming at
12:23 PM
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