Saturday, July 22, 2006;

Went down to a barkerites game today in the afternoon. Well, i must certainly say that club level hockey is pretty different and maybe its a glimpse into hockey after JC life. The technical superiority definitely makes up for the slower tempo. Hey, thats inevitable when you age. Haha. Anyway, hopefully the guy will get back to me and perhaps ill get a few games with them. The exposure should be pretty good no matter what, guess i'll pick up a thing or two. :) At that age, hockey is all about having fun, and thats really nice to see.

I happened to hear my dad singing a line from this really nice hymn and the words all just came flowing back to me. One of my favourites.

7:03 PM

Thursday, July 20, 2006;

Had a long chat with one of my ex-sji teammates today. And apparently, there's going to be this massive player exodus to... *drumroll* SA. At least 5-6 of them, and good players mind you too. All these on DSA, and prob a couple more after 'O's too.. Well, i guess that's what happens when a school decides to throw its weight behind a particular CCA.

After a while, after seeing this for a couple of years, its just resignation. But i guess we owe it to ourselves and no one else to spring some surprises nx yr. It'll all boil down to our short corners i guess.

On the other hand, I guess I've reached a point where maybe medals don't seem to matter that much anymore. I've seen how close we were to getting one this year, but yet at the same time realise that our failure to do so doesn't make us any worse off. We've learnt so much in a year as a team, simple but essential things embodied in stories that cannot be depicted by the colour of a medal. Lessons and values that will stand the test of time.

All these rhetoric aside, SJI's C div aint doing too badly in the tourny this yr. They just shattered a SJI record by beating Bukit Panjang 14 zip. Well, they're in the second round now against tougher opposition. We'll see. I'll probably try to hope down for a couple of matches. Nostalgia.

Before I go off, a tribute:
To the team of 2006, captained by Shaun Perreira, spurred on by David Lee, ignited by Shaun Tan, anchored by Tuck Wen, assured by Wei Peng, sharpened by Alex Tan, and formed by the simple presence and dedication of each and every one, I salute you. It has indeed been my honour to have had the chance to play alongside such fine men.

Till 2007!

9:23 PM

Saturday, July 15, 2006;

Wow, its been a really long time since i last updated. This year's june holidays have no doubt been one of the most enriching and fulfilling time in my life. High five camp, hockey trainings, SGH attachment, OBM Lumut. . . Just awsome. And im really grateful for the chance i got to for the SGH attachment. Opened my eyes a lot and gave me a really good insight into the healthcare sector. Went to SGH on job shadowing day again and got a really golden opportunity to see ops being done first hand. Thanks a lot ernest!

After that was OBM Lumut. Whew, what more can i say. Simply fantastic. There, i witnessed the power of how a large and strong mental capacity can overcome simple physical fatigue. You sort of just will yourself on. I definitely wouldnt have imagined kayaking for about 8 hours straight. Its when you are at the limits of your physical capability that the depths of your mental strength are unveiled. Our sea expedition got cancelled at day 2 due to this huge storm coming from the direction in which we were supposed to go. Another lasting and unforgettable memory. Trying to load the kayaks into the speed boats with the waves lashing high up against your chest and the rain pouring down incessantly whilst we were all totally drenched and cold. To add to it all, we had to endure this 2 hour ride back to the main island on the extremely rocky motherboat in such choppy waters. I puked within half an hour i think. And many more times throughout the whole journey. Urgh. That was horrible. After a while, it was just the stomach acid that was coming out. Gruesome. The stench was terrible too. Really unforgettable.
The trekking pales in comparison to the kayaking ex, so i woudnt write about it here.

I got my first letter from MINDEF yesterday cos im 16.5 years old already and thus am liable for service to the Republic. Nothing much, just a basic infosheet on really basic things. Thinking of it, it's only slightly longer than two years more that ill be enlisted. Time sure flies.

School's started, though im not used to the sudden rush of homework after a month of inactivity at home. But i guess ill settle into this new routine soon. And we're gonna have 3 straight free periods on fri.. Bah. Ends at 430 too. Urgh.

Anyways, I'll be off, and thanks to all those taggers who tagged my blog even though I haven't updated in a super long time. Keeps me and this blog going.


For the Republic!

4:08 PM