Bert been in a funk for the past few weeks. Why?? Nobody knows why.. Is it because of hangover from the FOC camp? entry of new emotions into his life once more? or just plain tired after a period of high activity?? That is the question bert has been thinking about and he believe he has finally found the answer!!
Answer is yesh to all of the above 3 reasons.In addition now that the FOC camp is over there is nothing on for the WHOLE month of august.. For now at least.. So heres a list of things bert is going to do in august!!
1) Drag his ass down to start his driving lessons. ( Yesh that kuku still only got licence to drive daytona)
2) Buy a NEW pair of jeans ( His old pair has a hole in it le )
3) Buy a NEW pair of spikes and Converse shoe ( Banana shoe now look like KNN shoe )
4) Reorganize his room and clear out the old clutter ( He still have his JC notes can u believe it!!)
5) Go and watch The Dark Knight ( He heard that Heath Ledger acting is damn good in the flim )
6) Train and Train harder ( Gotta get back his lean body )
7) Quit SISTIC call center ( Finally he has decided to leave that place )
8) Sign up for wine appreciation course ( So he can act atas next time when he drink wine )
9) Meet up with HOT STUFFS ( He complain like super duper long never see everyone le )
10) Go Ubin Cycling Trip ( Missing out Twice is 2 times too many )
Thats about all that bert has come up with for now.. Well if you like to help him accomplish any of the above feel free to tag the tag board and we will get in touch in you -- Feed The Bert Foundation
I have always wanted to post this since a long time ago but never got down to it. Its an article i read in the straits times, july 11 2008, about sportsmanship. After reading it i had this warm fuzzy feeling and got very touch by it. A short anecdote of courage under fire. Friendship, sportsmanship define in a single moment. The end is also poignant yet heartwarming... So here it is in its entirety. Enjoy =]
A great long jumper is struggling to qualify for an Olympic final. A rival steps in to help him. It seems at best a nice gesture, an old-fashioned extending of a hand of decency, nothing more than that.
But it is much more than that, which is why for 72 years people continue to resurrect this story as an example of Olympic man at his best.
Jesse Owens, the jumper who was struggling was an athletic genius. He was also black. It should not have mattered but of course it did.
And it mattered in Germany in 1936 when Adolf Hitler was propagating his despicable theories of of the superiority of the Aryan race, and when in some newspapers, pictures of and ape appeared alongside Owens.
On the day of the long jump, Owens ambled down the runway in practice and casually ran into the pit - only to be horrified when the judges considered it a qualifying jump and raised the red flag for a foul.
Suddenly only 2 qualifying jumps remained.
Owens again overstepped the take-off board. Foul!!
One jump remained.
Lutz Long, a gifted German long jumper, was blond, blue=eyed and the archetypal Aryan. Owens was his opponent and the better jumper. Still, in an act of startling generosity, the German approached the American and pointed out that the qualifying mark was so easy that if Owens took-off from behind the board, he would still make the final.
Owens listened, took off from a foot behind the take-off board and qualified.
Then the 2 men dueled in the final. Owens led. Long equaled him. Hitler applauded. But Owens was too good eventually, and when he broke the Olympic record with his last leap, Long was the first to embrace him.
Owens understood immediately the enormity of the German's gesture, a moment of beauty, in a time of ugliness.
"It took a lot of courage for him to befriend me in front of Hitler," the American said later.
"You can melt down all the medals and cups i have and they would not be a a plating on the 24-carat friendship i felt for Lutz Long at that moment. Hitler must have gone crazy watching us embrace."
Long died in the war, but the story had one remarkable post scrip recounted in Donald McRae's brilliant book, In Black and White.
In 1951, Owens returned to Berlin and to the Olympic Stadium, and in the dressing room later, a young boy asked him to autograph a scrapbook.
As Owens scrawled his name, he noticed a familiar picture. He took the scrapbook and said, "That's Lutz Long."
And the boy, Karl, looked at him and said, " My father, sir." -- By Rohit Brijnath
Laying in bed, head on the pillow with a book in hand as I read about another thoughts. Fuzzy rays of light seep through the windows. A gentle tingling of wind chimes, an inventive melody played by an unpredictable master. The memories of the madness and the rush from the past few days, settling into a steady and comforting pace, as I drift in and out of the realms of the impossible and improbable. =D
Heya peeps will be gone for the nxt few days.. Of to camp.. Here's a nice song which a fren shared with me yday.. Been disturbing my sleep =P Maybe it will do the same to u ;) Bewarned
Great Lyrics, Great Voice, Great Picture Collage =D Cheers!!
Monday's training was one of those rare sessions that bring forth many different emotions. The clashing emotions gave me many new insights and crystallize certain insights which have previously been vague shadows. The training session itself was pretty ok, it started with some strengthening exercises followed by a time trial than somemore strengthening exercises..
The time trials was what trigger the multitude of emotions which assaulted me.. As it is before time trials, I will become very sullen and focus on the trial.. Soon the trial started and though i clocked a good timing ( which i did not knew about immediately after the trial ). I felt disappointed in myself as i felt that it wasn't my best performance.. The run din feel good, din feel fast. I felt like pounding the track la due to my inept performance.. Later on when the coach announced the time, i was very surprised to learn that the timing was pretty decent (24.9s ok pace but still far from my pb =[ ), taking into consideration the amount of training i had been doing. This kinda cheer me up as i was getting thereabouts and closer to my best again.
Later on the long bus ride home, I was pondering why did i felt the way i feel. I believe that this is probably due to it soon being my last year before i embark upon the rat race in the real world. There are many things that i want to do before i graduate and this represents my last chance. To leave this phase of life without regrets i think that is what i want to do. To perform to the best of my ability which i feel have never been fully realized. Be it in studies, sports or anything i do, i always felt that there is that one more thing which i should have done but did not do due to a lack of willpower, determination or plain laziness. I will be embarking upon the last leg of this journey and well, lets finish it with a bang!!!
Thank You for being with me all this year. Together we clock many miles, in sunny days or pouring rain. You were the foundation which my PBs(personal best) will build on. Will miss the times together.. Good Bye my beloved spike shoes!!! Will always remember the times we had together.....
What a difference a year make in a personality test..
If you scroll further down you will see some weird color grid which is some personality test i took about a year ago.. Tried it again recently and hey, some changes lol!! Whee i am still an inventor!! haha
Guess i still don't give a damn about authority... (-_-") Click below to see the link to what all this stuff means, sounds true?? ==> Click Here <==
Why be an OGL?? I use to ask myself.. You have to be super high whether u like it or not.. Drag your ass up in the wee hours of the morning to go to school. Than entertain a bunch of people who probably could not care less about all your antics.. Well.. Thats what I thought and how very much wrong i was!! =D
For 2 days I was an OGL for the Freshmen orientation day and to my great surprise it was extremely fun and rewarding being an OGL. First thing the fun, I was lucky and I had great, fun and interesting people in my OG for the 2 days!! You guys are great, your enthusiasm and laughs were the reasons that the ZzzZzz monsters din manage to get me. Hehehe~
In addition its great fun to see the way people interact, how everyone started the day as complete strangers. The lost and bored looks on everyone faces initially, turning into expressions of interest and laughter. It was very heart-warming to see everyone talking with each other and mingling around at the end =D
Haha pictures will be posted later i guess.. Gotta run need to go swim swim swim and maintain the tan..
Cheers ppl and OG 11 and 12 u guys rox!! Thanks for the fun and memories!! Cya guys in school~ =D
After the Freshmen Orientation Day on Wednesday, I had TRAINING!! With great unwillingness, I dragged my sorry self to the oval track... It was drizzling likely and as I my way up to the stands. I saw a familiar face, my coach from my JC days Mr Pandian =D
We shook hands and had a nice chat. It really brought back memories of 4 years ago where we would meet 4 times a week. Me running around the track with subaish and guoan, pandian and high pitch whistle signaling the start of the interval training~ Keke, really learnt a lot about myself in those runs.
Haha, how much i dread long runs, love interval training~ The feeling of suspension from the world during a race when you are running.. I remember Mr P once said, that the relationship between a coach and an athlete is very close, closer than bf gf kinda. How very true, the more you train you will tend to share the same dreams and ambitions together both coach and athlete. The targets you set together, the discussions you have to plan out how to cut just one more second from your PB. Even after all this year i still remember them fondly, and I am really thankful all the things he has taught me both on and off the track.. =]
Hmm.. Maybe i shall organize a meet up with him and the rest of track guys soon i suppose.. Though everyone is now on different paths and aiming for different goals, guess thats just the way life is.
Hi ppl... Its been ages since i last blog and i do not know if anyone is still out there.. But anyway, think i should start blogging again once more =D Well before i start any new post let me just give everyone a quick update on what i have been doing in the past year..
I joined SRC and was place in-charge of an event.. After much hard work the event was a a success!! Cheers to all the committee once more!! You guys were great =D
In addition i have started running again.. After 4 years i have started training again.. Hmm the techniques are still there, speed wise still there but the fitness... ALL GONE!! hahaha gotta train harder~ So thats about all the major going ons in the past year!! =]
July 26, 2008
