let's just fall in love again

why do I compete - a question clement asked me, to which i gave a "politically correct" answer: Exposure

I say I'm not in it for the tangible accomplishments,

The shiny medals and glittery trophies that speak volumes in an instant

I know it's more than that - for how long can these last?

Competing psyches me up, a feeling we hardly get to indulge in

And we react accordingly by taking advantage of this boost of adrenaline

Without causing too much a strain on the nerves and tummy

What's most important is competing with yourself

Because once you compare, you insult you

Don't think about RELATIVE, think about I

Yet sometimes instincts tell us otherwise

Nobody enters a competition aiming to lose

Not one person would willingly give up without a fight

I hate to feel jealous or disgruntled or upset

When I want to do is be happy and unselfish

But every time, every time, it hits a nerve (the one that never wants to lose)

CLIMB X is coming up, and I've decided to participate

Even though I have not trained for high-wall difficulty since Batu Caves???

The main reason is that this would be our final high-wall competition

And more importantly,

I don't want to leave without falling in love with our amazing wall again

Allez ash(:

NSSCC 2010

To start off explosively, here are the results accumulated from 2 weekends of Nationals

A Division:
Speed Individuals (Boys): 1st - Christopher Yong

Speed Team (Girls): 3rd - Jolene Tan, Jacinda Siew, Gwendolyn Lee, Kristal Cheong
Speed Team (Boys): 2nd - Christopher Yong, Clement Tan, Alistair Chong, Ahmed Khalil Khan

Difficulty (Girls): 1st - Valerie Chu, 2nd - Jacinda Siew, 3rd - Kristal Cheong
Difficulty (Boys): 1st - Clement Tan, 2nd - Sherwin Lau, 3rd - Rahul Raman

All I can say is I'm so AMAZINGLY proud to be part of this family

Going down on both days (that I wasn't competing on) was more than worth it

Even though it rained on us yesterday, today was such a heart-pumping, adrenaline-filled day

It made up for it and so much more

So many of you broke out of your comfort zones

And got psyched up for the competition without feeling the nerves

You did incredibly well, whether or not your name was mentioned up there!

I'm all smiles now(:

When this is announced in TJ tomorrow morning or the day after,

SOAK IT IN.

You earned it;D

permanently black and blue

the roughest week of April has just gone by.

with unreasonable parents who once more try

to reason with grades - threats fly

with new things to learn and more datelines to keep

with heart aches that make each day look bleak -

haunts from the past, one hopes never to seek

"so little cause for carolings", yes?

cos though I try and I try my best

to let things simmer, those weights on my chest

never seem to want to go, no bidding good-byes

the roughest week of April has just gone by

or has yet to say hi?

I tried to do handstands but everytime I fell for you
I'm permanently black and blue, permanently blue for you

it's april!

April's fine - new topics bury disappointment (or lack thereof) from results

I know I need to buck up because I really am under-performing.

I will. I can. And if I can't, I must.

Our class really is blessed with good teachers who care and make learning such a breeze.

For JCTs I want to give it my all and do justice to my class and our teachers(:

Who's with ;)

Today brought another bouldering training with J1s.

It wasn't any different from last week - Traverse, Boulder (new routes today!) followed by Medium PT (6x8 pull ups, 4x20 push-ups, 4x30 sit-ups, 3x1min plank) and punishments =( for climbing in the Barea without j2s around and not closing the store gate and being slow and being late.

Well I hope the J1s have it drilled in their heads now. We aren't sadistic seniors who enjoy punishing them, it's all a matter of discipline and safety.

Slight bouldering and moderate PT made my arms sore and fingers raw (it rhymes!), but as always, I LIKE. On Friday, I hope we'll get warmed up to Speed Climbing(: and highwalling in general!