I conquered 21km!

I never thought I can finish, but I did in the Army Half Marathon today.

The early morning drizzling and my muddy shoes were quite discouraging. However, my left knee, which always gave me problems after about 5km, miraculously never hurt at all. Running in a mass that stretches in the kilometers was another pushing factor that was not present before. I must admit the girls were an extra motivator too. Still, it was a journey not easily accomplished. Previously the longest distance I have covered was 14km which I completed in 1 hour 30 minutes. It was a grueling experience to say the least. Today it was much worse.

There were plenty of water points, some drums and music to replenish my energy, and the scenery was beautiful, yet all I cared was to look for the next distance indicator. The lack of training became apparent after I crossed the 18km mark. Both of my arms started to feel numb. I was exhausted beyond description and was panting desperately as if my whole system was going to stall due to lack of oxygen. The worst thing was that my brain was not functioning properly; I felt giddy and surrounding seemed blurred. Such feeling never occurred before so I stopped to rest, and walked for a considerate distance.

The thought of 3 days off and achieving something mastered enough energy for me to run the last 1.5km in a good pace. I didn't exactly start at 0:00, but when I look at the timer as I crossed the finishing line, it read 2:24:xx. Yes I did it!

Coincidentally, today was also the final for the man's marathon. After reaching home I checked the world record. For men it stands at 2:04:26, and women 2:15:25. So after all the suffering (I can't walk properly, and have difficulties climbing up and down the stairs), I still took more time to complete half of the distance. This leads me to think that, a medal in events such as marathon, triathlon should carry more weight than the other medals in the Olympics. Full respect to the athletes.

a bit of DOTA

After a long abstinence from DOTA, I have picked it up again recently. But it's not really against my promise to quit from the game, as I only played 2 to 3 times after work with my army friends. I have realised that a lot of the heroes and items have changed, but the general game play and feel are still within recognition.

It is a good way to bond as we would shout against each other so loud that all the people at the LAN shop would be looking at us. During breaks and lunch we could have a common topic to discuss, although it is by far not the most popular topic (the most popular is about how f*ck up army life is). Setting the minds against each other to devise a better strategy in this game is a rather interesting thing to do, since it gives us something to look forward to in the week, and breaks the monotone in our life.

TP

The first thing that I would like to say is that finally I passed my SAF Driving Test.

After two and half months of training and being under intense mental stress, I passed the test on the third attempt. Hours of driving and months of staying in have paid off, as I earned myself a SAF driving permit and a certificate. This course may have been a breeze for many, but it was a struggle for me. At the start, I can’t even steer the vehicle straight. Although I easily aced through the theory and parking tests, my driving skill only improved slowly with time. When it comes to reacting to road situation, I was totally lost. A few left after the first TP, and more people were gone as the days passed, and in the end, there were only five of us left in the group. Fear and despair began to creep in and our morale is as low as it could get. And then one day the other four passed the test together and suddenly I was left alone. Booking in, staying in, eating breakfast and worse of all, facing the instructors every day all by myself.

This period was probably the most difficult time in my NS so far. Luckily there was Mr. Lee and my parents who helped to encourage me. They gave me valuable advice on how to face what life throws at me, recognizing our strength, weakness and emotion so as to better manage them. Every obstacle leaves its mark on the person who crossed it and accumulating experience so that we can face the future more prepared. I have learnt some lesson the hard way.

Muhammad Liuyun

For those who have gone swimming with me before, they would know the problem of my skin; it will turn very dark after just a short period of exposure under the sun. With almost everyone craving for a tan and gets frustrated for not getting one after bathing under the sun for hours, my skin is an anomaly, or an envy in some cases. But to me, it is simply troubling. And this strange phenomenon seems to manifest into a more vigorous from. Even after indoor activities such as badminton or swimming during a cloudy day, my skin would inexorably turn dark (although not as dark if there is sun). I wonder where it gets the UV light, or it just doesn’t need any UV at all?

Because of this, Mustafa and other people in my BMT section will call me “Muhammad Liuyun” after a PT session, as my skin is darker than any “Muhammad’s” on the street.

A*Star Scholarship Award Ceremony

Today can be considered a very important day in my life. After all the interviews, rehearsals, and plus the essays and sleepless nights, this chapter has ended, with a 'bang'. Woke up 7 in the morning to attend the last dance practice. Everyone was looking a bit blur somehow, but effect of the music was immediate; all seemed to be high and starting to concentrate. Out of all the performing groups, we are by far the most dedicated and hardworking one, practising during the 'peak' hour after lunch, the time when all the rest were falling asleep. A pool of hyper-active reds and blacks, outshining the Storm and choir. Another funny thing is that, everyone seems to know the entire dance already. Though most of us would only appear less than 1 minute, not counting the starting pose, we were getting our hands on the entire thing. We guys were mimicking the girls' part rather professionally, and we were all laughing at our ridiculous frivolity.

Then comes the real ceremony. I changed to a very formal attire with tie just like the rest. I haven't touched a tie since JC, and obviously had to ask someone to help me with it. An astounding discovery was made. The guys were wearing shirts with all the colours under the sun, and in contrast, the girls, who by conventional wisdom, were supposedly to dress in greater variety, were monotonously attired in black and white.

The video by the seniors were very interesting, making a joke out of Uncle Yeo and Super A*. Wonder how much A* Star spend on advertising and promotion. The Guest of Honour, Minster of Manpower, gave a very long speech. I must admit his words make a lot of sense. Soon it was my turn to go up the stage and take the scroll from him. He was nice enough to say 'Congratulation' to me. Later I learned that he didn't even open his mouth to a lot of the scholars. Of course I replied "Thank you very much".

Later was the dance. I tried my best to do everything properly, but at the point of time, I wasn't even thinking about the moves. My head was blank; my body just moved. The lighting was so flashy and bright that I can't see much at all. Technically speaking, lots of mistakes were made, and synchronisation for running in and out was mess up also. When it was all over, everybody were euphoric and trying their best not to scream at the backstage.

Lastly must thank Dax and Yan Shao for coming down to watch the ceremony. Sadly my parents could not make it. Really grateful to them. At the reception we dancers went a bit crazy, posing in all sorts of formation for photos. It attracted so much attention that everyone was taking photos of us. Felt really shy at the point. Didn't know I could have joined done all that.

Quit from DOTA

To myself, and all those reading this blog.

Dear Liu Yun

Since you were introduced to the game of DOTA in year 2005, you have been actively playing it over the past 2 years. Your level of participation is not consistently active, but sporadic periods of craze were practiced.

DOTA, or Defence of the Ancients, is a customized map for the Warcraft 3 Frozen Throne game. It is a highly popular game among people from all walks of life. However, its addictive game play and constantly updated maps make it disruptive to your life. Not only has it ruined your eyesight, it also ate into your valuable time which could be better spent doing other things, such as reading or gaining new skills. Your intrapersonal character is also strengthened indirectly from day to day, as you feel more urged to stay at home. Furthermore, it makes you more addicted to computer itself, exacerbating your back pain due to prolonged hour of sitting in front of the screen. It has also been noted that despite playing frequently, your standard has not significantly improved. This shows that pro gaming is not a possible career path for you.

Undeniably, it has brought you great fun. It was one of the main sources of entertainment after booking out and “staying in touch” with friends if it was not convenient to meet face to face. However, have you realized that its level of destructiveness is beyond imagination, for it is a game with no beginning and no end?

Therefore after deliberate considerations, I hereby declare that Liu Yun, will officially quit from DOTA from today onwards. Unless for the sake of socializing (i.e. LAN), you shall not initiate any game or engage in any game with any other person(s). Any breach of rule will be dealt severely and without sympathy.

By Order