oh oh oh. its coming closer.

hey peepz! feel very "bloggy" these few days. a lot of thoughts running through my head i guess. cant wait to pour them out and share with everyone, for better or for worse. and hopefully, it is for the better.

remember my new and beloved paddle bag and butt rest bag? took it down for training today. had to go early to pass ms wen back her jacket today. so, inevitably the entire girls team was there. stupid ms wen had to keep advertising my bag to every team mate who walked passed. actually, she was trying to divert their attention to her main topic. so as she cheerfully fluanted my bag, and as i stand shyly in one corner, they belted out their comments. some were good and some were bad. the worse hit comment was "so sissy." i din really know her, but yeah, it does look like a louis vuitton handbag, except only denim. haha!!! others thought it was really cute, cos no one else has a separate pouch made espcially for the butt rest. and its made with the same denim material with my paddle bag. its like an added accessories pouch. it looks really nice. in the end, i bought some carribinas to attach the pouch to the paddle bag, so it looks "cooler" and less of a handbag, and hence less "sissy." haha! at the end of the day, i will still flaunt them around, cos its made by my dear mother, and i am such a mothers boy. haha! but more importantly, i am very touched by my mom's actions, as to have gone the additional step to make a butt rest pouch. touch until can cry...

must say that ms chua's bag is also quite ingenious, cos she added padding at the bottom of her own bag to protect the blade. sigh, wish i had that idea. ah well, will have to take extra precaution then.

i realise that everyone in the team, both the guys and the girls are really proud of their paddles as well as their paddle bags. its something that we as dragonboaters can call our own i guess. just like the gun we had to carry with us everywhere we go, even to the toilet, we are treating our paddles the same. i wonder who sleeps with their paddles though, if anyone at all. and the bag too. the girls especially have taken to making their own. for instance, ms wen's is of a glaringly bright red to match her hair, new spectacles and loud voice, as well as her outgoing personality. most of the guys also took to getting their own paddle bags, whether its from their own mom, or from pq's mom, who is a seamtress, or even to making their own, like zijun. its really cool, cos everyone has their own unique paddle and paddle bag. however, the coolest i have seen is really justin's one. cos he spent sixty dollars buying the orange typhoon paddle cover from paddlesup. thats the one i thought of buying too, if not for my less than adequate cash reserves. his cover is thick and hence provides maximum protection. it has a strap that goes across the chest. and has a nice "long" motif. and not to mention, its orange, our nus colours. it really nice. ah well, but mine's handstitched with mu3 ai4. muahaha! i cant stop gushing of it.

anyway, saw the ntu guys and girls go down for their mixed training today. and it got me thinking, these guys and girls are our competitors. how good are they really? compared to us at least? all i know, is that they are a strong bunch, having beaten us in regatta by an impressive last charge, and had the fastest qualifying time in the first heats of mr500. of course, our winning timing was faster than theirs by 1 second, but that's besides the point. each individual is super muscular, as in, they have bodies any narcisstic guy would love to have. i remember gm was stunned that even their reserves were really "kiat." i dun know much about their stroke or team though, although i would like to understand their team dynamics more. and so i thought, that they may be our competitors, but at the end of the day, they are also only like us, undoubtedly lovable and friendly. i wonder if we can become friends? personally, i bear no personal hatred to them, for i dun know any of them personally. haha! and yet, they are the same people with whom we will have to battle with for glory and honour. it feels like a raffles versus acs rugby match. haha! ah well. i wonder if nus and ntu could do a cultural exchange of some sort, you know, like get to know each other better, cos afterall, we are all brothers with the same passion for a common sport. actually, all i really want to find out, is how do they train until they look so muscular. muahaha! think i am one of them narcisistic man abovementioned.

i remember nassiman, our coach said that, everyone who participates in the competition deserve to win. simply because they too, like us have poured blood, sweat and tears into a passion. they have devoted time, effort and money into rowing a boat together. and i respect each and everyone for that, be it ntu, ngee ann or republic poly. at the end of the day, perhaps, as jiahe mentioned, its not about who is stronger physically, or rowing technique, but it really is all about heart. and undoubtedly again, everyone on that race day, will pour nothing short of their entire heart, body and soul into their own race. we will just have to see, which team will emerge the "heartiest" one of them all.

anyway, just a little advertisement, the competition will be held on the 2nd and 3rd of july, this saturday and sunday. if you can only make it on one day, please come on the 3rd, around the evening time, cos it will be the main events, ending off with the grand finale, the pm cup, the long awaited nus-ntu match.

also, welcome back all you foreign singaporeans from us and the uk, taking a long long break from your respective prestigious overseas universities. so nice for all of you to return and see your dear o parents before you scoot back to wherever you came from to havoc and continue your orgies and sinful, flippant enjoyments of life. haha!
welcom back dear dear lin hui, weiyi and valerie. hope you guys have a pleasant holiday. hope to see each of you soon!

okay. i have to sleep early now. this is in preparation for the competition.

oh, i think the race is really getting to me now. every dream i remember dreaming from last night is about dragonboat! argh!

ah well, hope tonight will be a better night! good night!