The choice is yours...

Every morning you have two choices: continue your sleep with dreaming, or wake up and chase your dreams.

Today, I did the chasing, and boy did it feel good.

Words of wisdom

"Seize this chance, rejoice in it and let no power or persuasion deter you in your task." – Chariots of Fire

What you can do, or think you do, begin it. – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

How true.

It brought tears to my eyes...

This alone is enough motivation for me to start training for my next Ironman...The post on Zurich and the Ironman will be up really really soon =]

Remember why you are doing what you are doing...

I believe many has seen or heard about Team Hoyt before, I was one of them. Perhaps through the years and after getting too caught up with the things surrounding us, we tend to lose focus on why we are doing the things we love. The initial excitement of completing a race is replaced by competitiveness and results. The simple joys in life replaced by feelings of dejection having not met expectations.

Do take some time off to watch this incredible video and remind yourself the reason you are doing what you are doing. The triathlon is a celebration of human spirit and its limits...



I cried like a baby after watching this, and I hope it impacts you the way it did for me.

Love is not because, but no matter what. – Jodi Picoult

Inspirational Gianna Jessen

Gianna Jessen's Biography from www.giannajessen.com

Gianna Jessen does not quit. Giving up is not an option to her. Gianna has what she refers to as the "gift" of Cerebral Palsy. She weighed a mere 2 lbs at birth and the doctors said she would never be able to hold up her head, sit up, crawl or walk. She began to walk by the age of three years old with the help of leg braces and a walker.

Gianna doesn’t believe that her Cerebral Palsy takes away her life, but, rather, enriches it. . . she walks with a slight limp today and runs marathons. On April 30, 2005 she completed her first 26.2 mile marathon after running just over 7 hours and was presented with the coveted blank blank award! On April 23, 2006 she completed the London Marathon as well. She is now determined to run marathons all over the place, because she was never supposed to even walk!

Gianna understands the plight of orphans, being one herself. She was placed into the foster care system early on in life, eventually being taken into the loving home of a woman named Penny. Penny has been a mother to 56 foster children in her life. Gianna was later adopted by Penny's daughter, making Penny Gianna's grandmother. According to Gianna, Penny saved her life.

Gianna is a Christian. Her life was given to her by the grace of God. She shouldn't be walking, but more miraculous still; she should not even be alive. Gianna's biological mother was 17 when she had a saline abortion in her third trimester. Many Americans don’t realize it is legal to have an abortion throughout all nine months of pregnancy. After being burned alive for approximately 18 hours in the womb from the saline solution, Gianna was delivered alive in a Los Angeles County abortion clinic. Her medical records state, "born during saline abortion"...this is what caused her Cerebral Palsy.

Gianna's travels and experiences have led her all over the world. Her life has been covered by many major news media outlets, including, most recently, the BBC News and World Radio, Sky News, and The Good Morning Show in England, reaching many people with a message of hope and conviction. In November 2005, Gianna spoke in several colleges all over Ireland and in December of the same year, spoke at a meeting held at the House of Commons in London. She has returned to England this year to speak in several parochial and public high schools. Gianna’s audiences include: churches - church youth crusades and women’s ministry retreats; various corporations as a motivational speaker; secular and Christian youth organizations and schools – middle school age through college, as well as several times before Congress - most recently having her testimony read before the Supreme Court in Carhart v. Gonzales.

Nirvana..

You came to see a race today. To see someone win. It happened to be me. But I want you to do more than just watch a race. I want you to take part in it. I want to compare faith to running in a race. It's hard. It requires concentration of will, energy of soul. You experience elation when the winner breaks the tape - especially if you've got a bet on it. But how long does that last? You go home. Maybe your dinner's burnt. Maybe you haven't got a job. So who am I to say, "Believe, have faith," in the face of life's realities? I would like to give you something more permanent, but I can only point the way. I have no formula for winning the race. Everyone runs in her own way, or his own way. And where does the power come from, to see the race to its end? From within. Jesus said, "Behold, the Kingdom of God is within you. If with all your hearts, you truly seek me, you shall ever surely find me." If you commit yourself to the love of Christ, then that is how you run a straight race. - Eric Liddell

I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast. And when I run I feel His pleasure. - Eric Liddell

Eric Lindell ran for God in the 1924 Olympics in Paris. He gave up running his 100m heat because it was held on the Sabbath. He honoured God. A team mate on the British Olympic team gave up his 400m spot for Eric so that the latter could compete.

Prior to the start of the 400m finals, a USA runner handed Eric a note at the starting point. In it was: It says in the old Book, "He who honors Me, I will honor". Good luck - Jackson Scholz. It was Scholz who knew the real reason why Eric Lindell was running this race. The whole team USA had under-estimated Eric for he had already ran 2 events that day and they all thought that he will cramp up by the 300m mark.

Eric Liddell held on to that note during the race and went on to win the 400m.

Isaiah 40:15-31:
Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, and are accounted as the dust on the scales; behold, he takes up the coastlands like fine dust.

Lebanon would not suffice for fuel, nor are its beasts enough for a burnt offering.

All the nations are as nothing before him, they are accounted by him as less than nothing and emptiness.

To whom then will you liken God, or what likeness compare with him?

An idol! A craftsman casts it, and a goldsmith overlays it with gold and casts for it silver chains.

He who is too impoverished for an offering chooses wood that will not rot; he seeks out a skillful craftsman to set up an idol that will not move.

Do you not know? Do you not hear? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?

It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them like a tent to dwell in;

who brings princes to nothing, and makes the rulers of the earth as emptiness.

Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown, scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth, when he blows on them, and they wither, and the tempest carries them off like stubble.

To whom then will you compare me, that I should be like him? says the Holy One.

Lift up your eyes on high and see: who created these? He who brings out their host by number, calling them all by name, by the greatness of his might, and because he is strong in power not one is missing.

Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, "My way is hidden from the Lord, and my right is disregarded by my God"?

Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.

He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength.

Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted;

but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

Inspiring..simply inspiring..

I just watched Gattaca on HBO for the 4th time in my life over lunch today. I still vaguely remembered the 1st time I watched it...somewhere in Secondary 2 I think. =] Anyways, I found out that as we age, the things that we pick up are different from before. These were the things that really spoke to me today:

Anton: So how did you do this Vincent?
Vincent: You want to know how I did it? I never saved anything for the swim back.

My goodness, when I heard that I was totally dumbstruck. Vincent was a 'God-child', meaning he was born naturally. His brother, Anton, was a genetically-engineered baby, 'perfect' in every aspect. Vincent and Anton always swam in the sea when they were young to compete. Anton always emerged winner. However, as they grew older, Vincent started to get better at it. Until one day, the 2 swam so far that Anton could not go any further and required rescuing. Vincent was there to save him. The above dialogue happened in the sea in the middle of the last swim before Vincent's departure into space - his ultimate dream. Anton was expressing concern that they have lost sight of the shore and that they might be lost and should turn back. Vincent however, felt that they were closer to the 'other' shore and wanted to keep going. Finally, Anton required rescuing by his brother again.

As Vincent was not 'perfect', he had to 'beat the system' in order to work in Gattaca, a space-related company. It was his dream to go into space and he never once lost focus. He assumed the identity of Jerome, another genetically-engineered person who looked almost similar to him but was crippled due to a suicide attempt gone wrong. Jerome was given another boost of life by Vincent's dream, and the 2 worked together to fulfil this seemingly impossible goal.

Vincent: Thank you for everything.
Jerome: No, thank you. I've only lent you my body, you've lent me your dreams.

Vincent's dream was the only thing that kept Jerome alive. After Vincent finally reached his goal and took to the skies, Jerome committed suicide again, this time successful.

One thing I have learnt from this show is that if you really want something bad enough, you will get it. Watch Gattaca, it will be worth your while.

Run like an animal

Having tried searching high and low for this poster to no avail, Aldrich, my Aquathlon captain, sent us this scan that he made a few days ago. =] Brilliant! I thought the words on it were very inspirational...

RUN EASY IS AN OXYMORON.
What is it about running that scares people so much? Why do people feel they have to put friendly modifiers next to running so that everyone can feel good about it? Well here's the ugly truth: Everyone shouldn't feel good about running. It's hard. It hurts. Running requires sacrifices and heart and guts. Any attempt to water it down with feel good adjectives is a slap in the face to those of us who still hold running sacred. In fact, if you are running easy, odds are you're not running at all. You're jogging. So do us a favour, don't run easy. Run hard. Run like an animal. - Pearl Izumi

I have a marathon tomorrow..can I run like an animal?

The journey.

People! I just came back from a 10km run! Woohoos, it was nothing short of a journey to me man. Even before reaching the halfway point, I felt like I was going to give up anytime. It was super tiring and I thought I could hold on no longer. However, I held on and continued to run, after turning back from the halfway point, which was just 5mins away from my 'felt tired point', it was easier to run liaos. =]

Throughout the run, I learnt something that can be applied to our lives. The tiring point will come inevitably in everyone's life. There will bound to be obstacles and problems that you will encounter in life too. However, the trick is to hold on and push on! Only then you will learn the most things, and only then you will realise that success and breakthrough is just around the corner!

Leaving you guys with a very inspiring poem from an unknown author. This poem sustained me through my 'O' Levels and subsequently gave me the positive and never-say-die attitude that I cling on to for my life.

Don't Quit

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
when the road you’re trudging seems all uphill,
when the funds are low and the debts are high,
and you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
when care is pressing you down a bit-
rest, if you must, but do not quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,
as every one of us sometimes learns,
and many a failure turns about,
when he might have won had he stuck it out;
don’t give up though the pace seems slow—
you may succeed with another blow.

Often the goal is nearer than,
it seems to a faint and faltering man,
often the struggler has given up,
when he might have captured the victor’s cup,
and he learned too late when the night slipped down,
how close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out—
the silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
and you never can tell how close you are,
it may be near when it seems so far,
so stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit—
it’s when things seem worst that you must not quit.