its finally over, and it sure went off with a big bang.

all along, we had some really great rows, especially during the heats and semi finals. some near misses though, especially the mixed finals, when the team lost to ntu by 0.2 sec; and the tertiary open, when we lost to ntu by 0.6 and lost to ngee an by 0.2 to clinch the bronze. but the best prize and the only prize that we desired was the pm cup.

it was quite a tough race, cos both teams kept colliding, as ntu kept trying to push us off our course. then both teams tried to grab onto each others boats and tried to push the other back. there were alot of seperate incidents. for me, i guess, i was pulled by one of the rowers by my life jacket, so i was caught off balance. ah well. peeved, but forgive and forget i guess. afterall, we won. haha!

at the end of the day, its a competition. the fulfilment of one team's dreams, will inevitably lead to the demolision of the others. when we shook hands with each of them, many of them had tears in their eyes. we both worked so hard, for that one prize, and one of us must lose. if they won, we too, would be crying. i hope they dun bear grudges. one of them muscle men squeezed my hand so hard i thought he broke my bones. is this hate-hate relationship a inevitable consequence of an eternal rivalry?
what will the next year be like then? will it get worse? ah well, we will just have to see then.

in any case, i just want to say a big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big THANK YOU to all you guys! all 31 of you! to me, its does not really matter if we win or lose (actually thats a lie, but, be nice to me) its the journey that counts. every row, every stroke, every pull up, every run, every land training, every water session. they all added up to something. and it took races like this to realise that they added to a stronger sense of brotherhood. of course, they added up to the greatest reward of all for us, the pm cup trophy.

alas, with one end, commences another beginning. the seniors would be leaving and we will be stepping up as seniors. i always feel that we have really big shoes to fill, in terms of fitness and technique. no doubt that we have matured, but we really still have a long way to go. for instance, as seniors we need to a lot fitter and tougher than the incoming batch of juniors. as seniors, we need to display a certain level of maturity and standard that the juniors can look up to and aim for. my seniors have given me a lot inspiration. special mention goes to tony again, who was apparently feeling unwell, but still managed to push the midpack. also to dr mel, who has been sooo encouraging. he never fails to calm me down when he grabs my arm to assure me that he is physically there. also to alex, who kindly made the glucose, and was a lot more supportive. as well as to gm for making more jokes about me. and to teddy for coming down to help us look after our belongings despite a dislocated shoulder.

and so, here marks another fullstop in my neverending story. i wonder what the next sentence is going to say about my life.