Updates and interesting stuffs..

Hello people! Here's a update to the case of the alledged spoilt brat. As I hve guessed correctly, The Strait's Times have indeed hit a new low. It is really sick. All I can hope for is that the matter will slowly subside and that life will return back to normal for Agnes who was the target of Nur Dianah Suhaimi's inaccurate and irresponsible reporting.

On a lighter note, I saw this at the bus stop outside NUS while waiting for the bus to school.

It reads: "As this television programme conflicts with our moral standards, the public is hereby DISCOURAGED FROM VIEWING CALIFORNICATION FX, CHANNEL 87 STARHUB TV Notice authorised by the Department for Appropriate Behaviour"

Never in my life in Singapore had I known that such a cool department existed! I really think this notice is seriously killer concept and amusing! =] CaliFORNICATION is indeed not a very nice word and it does seem to connote certain disappropriate behaviours in society...

Well, just to share the interesting things that I come by.. =] No quotes for this post..hahas..

Agnes Lin case: Words - The most powerful weapon..

I refer to the article that was published on Sunday, 26th October 2008 regarding a certain spoilt brat who is still splurging her parents' money amidst the looming financial crisis.

Mum & Dad will provide

For 20-year-old undergraduate Agnes Lin, the recession could just be academic.

The Nanyang Technological University first-year student has never been in need: She carries a $2,000 Louis Vuitton handbag to school and uses only Shiseido cosmetic and skincare products. She carries around the latest mobile phone and goes on overseas vacations with her friends where she would bust $1,000 on shopping alone. Twice monthly, she shops at her favourite stores - Topshop, Zara and Forever21.

Mum, a private tutor, and Dad, a businessman selling polythene bags, pay for her expenses.

Miss Lin is aware that Singapore faces a recession but the news does not bother her. She said: 'I think it is okay for me to maintain my current lifestyle. I may be spending a little bit more than my friends but I don't think I'm overspending.'

At the moment, she has her eyes on the latest mobile phone in the market, the HTC Touch Pro, which costs about $700. Although her mother has said 'no' to her buying yet another mobile phone, Ms Lin has an inkling she will still get it. 'I think my mum will still buy it for me. My birthday is coming up!' she said with a giggle.

She confessed that since young, she has never run out of cash. Her parents give her money whenever she asks. Since she was 16, her monthly pocket money has been $500. She has an older brother, also an undergraduate. The family live in a four-room flat in Marine Parade.

She thinks a friend of hers, who is left with $20 to last until the end of the month, is silly to consider taking up a part-time job to earn some extra cash. 'I don't understand why she cannot just ask her parents for money,' sighed Miss Lin.

She will enter the working world only after three years but she is already planning ahead. With her first pay packet, she will buy a $4,000 Chanel bag. 'After that, I will probably get more bags and watches,' she added.

Nur Dianah Suhaimi
Sun, Oct 26, 2008
The Straits Times

This is only THEIR side of the story. I think for any issue that surfaces, it is always important to look at both sides of the picture and not be overly-biased toward a certain viewpoint. This way, you will not be manipulated by THEM. This is her side of the story. I never did expect The Strait's Times to stoop to such levels. It is indeed a new low for them...

Is it just me? Or am I starting a new trend on my blog? Ending off with quotes/verses..hahas.. This, however, really depicts the whole issue beautifully. Now I understand why celebrities commit suicide because of the false reportings of the paparazzi. Nur Dianah Suhaimi, you might have just changed the life of a certain individual, but I guess you don't give a damn do you? All you want is that fat-ass paycheck awaiting you with such a 'hot' report. Aren't you as materialistic? Where is the true spirit of journalism? I guess that question seriously begs an answer in the screwed up society we now live in...

"Death and life are in the power of the tongue..." - Proverbs 18:21

I love the team!

Back from my usual Wednesday aquathlon training. We did 10km run today, clocked my PB (39mins 21secs) for the route pacing behind Jonathan and Joshua. I don't think that the route was 10km, perhaps it was abit shorter, just somehow didn't feel 10km-ish.

Anyways, the usual dinner guys went for dinner after the training and we chatted abit before dispersing to mug. Dinner today was focused. On normal days, it could drag to 2hrs! We all realised that if not for the team, life in NUS will be a whole lot more dull and boring. It could not go on... =] Seriously, it is the team that pushes me week in week out. It is the team that makes me look forward to trainings (even though I know I will suffer when the training starts). I think it is essential for us to find something in life that pushes you on, and do that with a group of close friends. It is only through this way that you can ride through life's tougest storms and setbacks, not forgetting God of course! =]

NUS Aquathlon

I will end off with a quote from the movie 'Friday Night Lights':

"Being perfect is not about that scoreboard out there. It's not about winning. It's about you and your relationship with yourself, your family and your friends. Being perfect is about being able to look your friends in the eye and know that you didn't let them down because you told them the truth. And that truth is you did everything you could. There wasn't one more thing you could've done. Can you live in that moment as best you can, with clear eyes, and love in your heart, with joy in your heart? If you can do that gentleman - you're perfect" - Coach Gary Gaines

I understand it now...

I think I finally understood the reasons behind all the problems that I have been facing these past few months... I know it is always so easy to put the blame on the bloody devil, that all things bad must come from him. However, we cannot neglect the fact that we entertained his ideas, his promptings, his temptations... We are also to blame for our own circumstances.

So yes, after all that is said above, I'm still going to say that the devil is to be blamed. I really thank God for my strong and capable mother who is always there to help me no matter what. She shed light on my current situation.

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly." - John 10:10

This was what she said, and everything fell into perspective. The devil does what he does best, to destroy things that took time to establish, to steal our time away from God and to kill our spiritual being. God on the other hand always seeks to love and to build.

"But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you." - Luke 6:27-28

God goes as far as to say that we should love our enemies, it is a command. Therefore, if we are to love our enemies, what more our close loved ones in relationships which have been forged and established?

I think I am closer to where I truly belong.

Superb break...now for the next chapter!

What a fantastic break I had for the past 3 days! After intra-aquathlon biathlon on Saturday, Jiajie, Jason, Nicolas, Jonathan and I went for dinner at Brewerkz as Nicolas had a $70 voucher! =] It was such an amazing time of fellowship and bonding for us aquathlon freshies. The food was good, atmosphere was good, company better.

The next day, Jiajie, Jason and I went about our usual bike training, but this time the location was in the west and the group was our aquathlon team. We did about 70km and had our lunch back at NUS's MacDonalds. =] Later in the day, I played soccer as usual with my buddies from VJC. It was a very tiring day, but it was fun all the same!

I had swim training in school today, and it seems like I have not really rested much, but I feel I did. I feel even more charged up for the next chapter that is to come in Medical school! Bring it on! =] This reminds me that I have to buy my Physioloy textbook...

Lastly, this is a quote from my friend Amy which I think is really very true.
"...and strangely during times when we need God most, we tend to run away from Him..."

She really drove the point home so succinctly! Beautifully put, and we have to beware of it. I will run, but this time it is towards His arms and not away...

Updates for the Intra-Aquathlon Biathlon

Hello people! The update that I promised.. =] I completed the above-mentioned event with a time of 1hr 14min 14sec. I thought it was quite a good timing, considering that I clocked 1hr 48min at the Singapore Biathlon earlier this year! Breakdown of time - swim: 28mins 53secs, run: 45mins 21secs (much work have to done for the swim still, but for now, i'm elated with my new PB!)

This event has really encouraged me a lot, affirming me that the time and effort I spent going down for training is really helping me improve. Nothing in life comes easy, nothing without labour, Nil Sine Laboure! VJC! =] hahas..For those who are struggling out there with discipline problems, I just wish to share this with you: There are so many times that I toss around in bed, not wanting to leave the comforts of my sheets to torture myself during trainings. However, I still drag my limp body out of bed for trainings, and there WAS NEVER A SINGLE TIME that I regretted making such a decision. It is always worthwhile after the training has ended and that you tell yourself that you're much stronger now.

This ties in with the spiritual aspect of our lives as well. How many times have you wanted to seek God but you did not. Applying the same principles as stated above, there will also NEVER BE A TIME that you regret spending time with the Creator of the universe and of you and I. He will bless you in ways and means you can never imagine. Keep the faith my friend.

Leaving you guys with this quote from my brother Nicolas: Never live your life in regrets.

Week wrap up

=] is how I can describe my feeling right now, except for some other minor things (which I'm not free to share here) I had my CA1 today, it was a pretty fun paper! =] After the 3hr paper, after collection of the OTAS sheet, the Biochemistry department gave the answers to the 40 MCQs! It was so shocking! Hahas..To cut the long story short, got 31/40! Praise the Lord! =] At least now I'm more relaxed about the remaining 60% of Biochemistry tested at the end of the academic year in May 2009. There is still the 40 MCQs for Anatomy though, that have not been discussed yet.

After the CA, Chin Ee, Xu Sheng and I went for our usual swim session again at the SRC pool and had lunch before heading down to lecture at 3pm. What a plan to have lectures after a CA! It was so darn wrong la! Weird. Later in the evening, we had the killer 'xiaolongbao' buffet at Crystal Jade at Holland Village. My goodness, I almost exploded...

Anyways, I have a biathlon tomorrow, so I have to go rest now. =] I wonder how I could swim and run after eating so much...I hope I survive. A long weekend awaits me, with classes starting at 11am on Tuesday too! Man! What a long weekend! I am going to relax the whole way to recharge for the next hurdle... =]

Leaving you guys with this killer talented guy called David Sides =]
His rendition of Apologize by One Republic

The past 3 days..

I have no idea but suddenly, weird thoughts start popping into my mind and I'm feeling really confused and down for the past 3 days.. The only time I feel alive is when I train with my team mates from aquathlon. That is the ONLY time I feel alive. We did 5 x (200m swim, 1km run) transition training today. It sounds easy yah, but trust me, you need a lot of determination to finish the sets! =] It was really a very fun session today. However, the moment it ended, I was thrown back into reality, facing my problems again. Damn.

Thankfully, I sought help from mum (we had dinner together). I told her all my problems and her advices were pretty much relevant. I will stick to it now and see how things go from here. I hope I feel better, I really do.

On a side note, after training today, I realised that my left big toe is ready to be 'harvested'! It has been badly injured due to soccer and I have just been waiting for it to fall off. Today, I took things into my own hands! =] Maybe this can be something to be happy about...

I am not alone!

It is only human nature that we start to feel a little better when we realise that what we are going through now is being experienced by other people also. Yesterday, after cell group, I was talking to Ching Lu about her work and somehow we managed to drift into talking about our spiritual lives. This was where the conversation started to kick off. We both realised that the other person's spiritual life is not doing too well too!

It was such a connection..we then decided to keep one another in check and to also come up with a checklist that we have to adhere to strictly on a daily basis. I hope this works, for if it does not, I am really going to be even more lost... God, show me your hand in my life again...

Model day!

Today was the 1st time in medical school that I felt I was actually productive! Had practicals in the day, identifying the lower limb muscles was facilitated by watching Acland's the night before =] It was really good, and for once I felt quite confident.

After lunch I headed back for a quick nap and started my tutorial. Normally 7 questions will take around 14-21hrs to complete. However, I managed to complete it in less than 6hrs! I even went for a 16km run at 5pm, clocking 77mins. It was quite a good aerobic exercise I felt, but my legs are pretty tired.

This could be the start of something really exciting! At the start of this week, I decided to once again commit everything into His hands and let Him show me the way. For through the past 8 weeks I was treading the waters ALONE and was just short of drowning. He is going to show me how to walk on the water! This I am very sure... All praise be to God for today.

Happy like mad! Finally, an early night which I will cherish very very much.

This is just a quote that really impacted me a lot, hope you guys get to glean something out of it too. =]

I am careful not to confuse excellence with perfection. Excellence, I can reach for; perfection is God's business. - Michael J. Fox

Was it a set-up?

After training on Saturday, my mum came to pick us (Nicolas, Jonathan and I) up from NUS to the bike shop to get our stuffs. On the way down the AYE, we met an accident. Our car was happily travelling down lane 2 when suddenly from lane 1, a Mercedes swerved out and wanted to change lanes. Due to the amazingly fast reflexes from mummy, we did not hit that idiotic/retarded/should-get-his-license-suspended driver in his Mercedes. All of us were also not hurt during the accident, except for Jonathan who got a slight neck sprain.

That was not the end. 4-5secs later, we all felt a strong thud from behind. We were rammed into by a car from behind. The story begins now. Immediately (and I was pretty sure about the time frame), there was the EMAS recovery team. The man in the green vest immediately came up to control traffic and there was this car repair shop guy going around handing out namecards. My goodness! I was so appalled that the EMAS recovery came so quickly!

The car repair shop guy managed to talk his way into our car, and we drove off, headed for his garage (we were kind of rushing for time, maybe that's why he managed to persuade us). He said that he will settle everything for us. We left the scene, not without the license plate numbers of all the cars involved.

On the way there, I questioned him regarding the speed at which the EMAS recovery team and him managed to arrive that the accident scene. His reply left a lot to be questioned: 'We have cameras and we saw that an accident had happened'

My hypothesis:

1. Big brother is indeed watching, so much so that once an accident happens, EMAS recovery team is IMMEDIATELY activated and reaches the scene in minutes.

2. The car repair shop guy together with the Mercedes driver planned for such an accident. Firstly, they have nothing to lose if the Mercedes was hit by another car; in the eyes of the law, the driver of the car that hit the Mercedes have to pay for the repairs, and Mercedes repairs are not cheap. Secondly, any car that is hit will have to be repaired, there comes the business. Lastly, the timing combined with the weak explanation really pushes me to think that it was all a set-up.

You guys be the judge, what is your view? =]

So many things to buy!

The end of the week! A relief and yet more stress. Time is ticking down to my 1st CA! ...=[ Anyways, it's going to be a happy weekend for me! I'm going to buy stuffs! Whoots!

Things to be bought:

1. Cycling shoes and pedals (long, long overdue)
2. Finger paddles (it is supposed to improve your strokes)
3. Timex watch (I realised that my current Timex watch does not go well with clothes, so I'm selling it)

There are also so many things to do in these 2 days!

1. NUS aquathlon swim training on Saturday 9am-12pm
2. Problem-based learning assessment online (Saturday to Sunday)
3. Biochemistry revision for CA1
4. TRI21 bike training on Sunday 8am-10.30am
5. Soccer at VJC 5pm-7pm

This is my weekend almost every week. I wonder when I can ever have the privilege to just relax for a day...

Time is a gift from God, once it passes, it never returns. Make full use of it!

The past 1 month...

Sorry folks! This blog has been dead for another month. =[ Well, there are some good things and some not so good ones to share..hmm, where shall I start? The past 1 month seemed to just whizz past me in a flash. Time seriously flies in University.

Ok, the good stuff! I can see myself improving after training with the NUS aquathlon team for more than 2 months. Did a swim time-trial yesterday and clocked in at 30mins 03s. It is still not fast enough, but hey! I sliced off 2mins+ from my previous PB! Whoots. I hope to hit 28mins by the end of the year. =]

Studies so far has been ok. We've completed the upper limb and moving on to the lower limb. I'm still trying to figure out a way to study anatomy because I think I'm too much into details. Hope I find a way soon, lower limb is kind of killing me now! -_-`

In terms of plans for both my term breaks (3 weeks in December 2008 and 3 months in May-July 2008), I have already settled it. =] I will be going on a medical trip to called Project Lokun in December. We will basically be there to educate the village children in Cambdia on health issues and the prevention of certain diseases. We will also be doing health screening for the villagers and doing house-to-house education. I can hardly wait to embark on this trip! There will be so much to learn and experience!

For my one and only 3 month break next year, I will be going to Switzerland to take part in the Ironman Triathlon. After which, JJ, Jason, Melvin and I will tour Europe and have some fun! =] I made this decision because if I do not pursue my passion now, I might not have the opportunity to do it again in the future. Training has been pretty much good leading up to that event. Swimming is more or less settled by Zhiyun who 'tortures' us twice a week in the pool. Cycling training is done every Sunday with pals from TRI21. What is left is running, long long distance running..

I have already signed up for my virgin 70.3 Half-Ironman next year in March as a warm up for the Ironman Switzerland 3 months later. So much stuffs are coming my way. This is really exciting.

Ok, for the not so good stuff. Things have been a little better since the last post. Spiritually I am still not back on track yet, but I guess I'm making headway in this area. Slowly trying to claw my way back to the 'strait and narrow path that leads to righteousness'. The Christian life is likened to an endurance race I feel, when you're in it, it is a struggle. However, there is always a rainbow at the end of a storm, a light at the end of a tunnel, a finishing line at the end of a race. I must get there!

'I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.' - 2 Timothy 4:7

Oh, how I wish I can say that at the end of days. I must persevere!