One and a half years on...

Haha. Can't believe i'm actually doing this but ya... one and a half years on and my life has changed dramatically! and even that's an understatement. reading my old posts made me feel so naive for thinking NS was just another phase of my life to pass.. ITS NOT. its HELL! but ya, not allowed to really say that but to enlighten you further on my realization of this, here's a brief update on my life the past 18 months..

July 2008: Get note from Singapore Sailing that I was gonna go to 4.7 worlds in Croatia!!!!!

August 2008: Immediately upon my last prelim exam, I flew via Singapore to Croatia for worlds. needless to say, it was an excellent experience. the beaming sun. the crystal-clear waters. the refreshing breezes. the hot babes. the immense culture of the adriatic coast. and the food, oh, hmmm. the food... there was this one day where we took our power boat round to the other end of the island we're on, parked our boat near shore, jumped into the lukewarm waters and swam to shore before indulging ourselves in a Mediterranean feast whilst drying ourselves off.. the view then was amazing and my only regret was the lack of any image capturing devices :(  but moving on, croatia was amazing in more than one way, for example it was the first world class event where i didn't completely screw up. after finishing 182nd in spain (2003) and 125th in switzerland (2005), i actually came close to winning! haha but it was not meant to be and i guess i was and am still pumped about getting the silver medal...

September-Decmeber 2008: 3 months of intense (ok maybe not really) studying for my HSC (A level equivalent for all you singaporeans out there and a month of waiting for results), i was pretty complacent in the sense i spent almost half my time playing PS2 as a way to "de-stress" as my mom would angrily testify to.. eventually the 2 subjects i studied hardest for (english and math ext 2) turned out pretty well (89 and 92 respectively) whereas the subjects i thought i would ace didn't (89-physics, 87-chemistry) and the rest were alrite 99 for math ext 1 and 90 for modern history. my parents were pretty disappointed that i didn't get the all rounders award (>90 in 5 subjects or more) and ended up with a 98.65 UAI (rank equivalent to top 1.35% in state :) ) which according to my parents were "not up to the potential of what could've been 99". but its fine with me...

November 2008/December 2008/January 2009: On the sailing scene, things really started to pick up after the exams, I began training almost everyday and running alot (which i absolutely detest) and it yielded pretty alrite results. 4th in brisbane, 2nd in sydney, 10th at nationals and 2nd at youths. i was relatively happy with it as well as the constant assurance that my enlistment could be deferred to allow me to participate in the ISAF Youth worlds in Brazil that very july. the pinnacle event of my year and my youth... 

March 2009: After 2 weeks of intense physical and on-water training for youth worlds i gained the confidence i needed to actually head into youth worlds with optimism and confidence. however, it was not meant to be as the singapore govt booted me back to army to enlist on april 15. d-day in my opinion.

April 14 2009: sobbing and crying my hearts out (joking).. i lamented the lack of family support as well as the impending outcome of the following day, fortunately sheena's birthday was the same day and my problems were solved by a gathering cum celebration we had.

April 15 2009: i enlisted. the 2 (or 1 word) i detest the most and till this very day. bmtc wasn't that bad although the first 2 weeks felt like 6 months, everyday was long tiresome and outright miserable. if it wasn't for the "angels" or "garang soldiers" that shared this misery with me (Raven Coy Platoon 3!!!) life would have been unbearable. downright horrible...

(part 2 to be continued after i finish my army-related (sigh!) errands... 

... chess season over

hey... i finally found time, actually, not really, i'm just lazy to do work..
chess season is finally over, for u guys who do not know, i joined my chess team earlier this year, it went well... i had only one loss in 8 games, so i guess thats good. however, we had a draw and a narrow win against other teams earlier on, this put us 1/2 a point behind the top team going into the final round. ps, the top team advances to the finals... ya, so we went to normnahurst, some school north... me, leslie, joseph and alex... we did ok... joseph and i won our boards but in the end we had to settle for a 2-2 draw, hence, we DIDN'T make the finals, abit upsetting but well... other than that my life has been pretty dissatisfying, nothing much on besides the continous rampage of exams and assessments, like my physics project on superconductors, it was given three weeks ago, i started three weeks ago, and i'm far from finish... plus its due monday.. life ain't that flash.. today it was raining, hence our much anticipated athletics carnival has been postponed. school wise, i got my math test back, 27/30... ok i guess... in english we're starting a new topic, our last topic was king lear, now we're doing frontine... its an aussie tv series which is our media study.. its ok... as are most aussie series except neighbours... socially, my life's a mess.... but it'll come together, hopefully before graduation...
ciao... studying tomorrow. need to sleep early.

update for val's sake

hello again...
since coming back from singapore in march, nothing much has happened, i reckoned that since i didn't qualify, there was not much point in putting so much time into sailing when i can study, studying did help as a week later i had my exams, did alrite, 75 for english, 88 for extension math, 94 for math, 82 for history, 86 for physics and 93 for chemistry. now its the holidays and my family and i are planning to go to gold coast. sailing wise, i went down to the club during the weekend to watch/coach my brother in his optimist state championships, there were 20 optis, a stark contrast to singapore for sure, the first day was light shifty wind and he got 7-14-6, the following day was about 10-13 knots, and he got 10-10-15, so ya... yesterday, a large storm came through sydney and the rain was really heavy, there was lightning everywhere and just off the club, 2 men got struck by lighting, they survived though quite shaken. later, alex, phil, adam and i went out in search for 2 missing 420s from the club, they were safe but in the search for them we saw a keelboat that was sinking, apparently, the keel fell off in the storm and they were frantically bailing out water. well thats it... i'll try to update again soon

science vs god

Hello, just something for all of you to read, it is an interesting article, let me know what you think after reading it:

A science professor begins his school year with a lecture to the students,
"Let me explain the problem science has with religion." The atheist
professor of philosophy pauses before his class and then asks one of his new students to stand.

"You're a Christian, aren't you, son?"

"Yes sir," the student says.

So you believe in God?"

"Absolutely."

"Is God good?"

"Sure! God's good."

"Is God all-powerful? Can God do anything?"

"Yes."

"Are you good or evil?"

"The Bible says I' m evil."

The professor grins knowingly. "Aha! The Bible!" He considers for a moment.
"Here's one for you. Let's say there's a sick person over here and you can
cure him. You can do it. Would you help him? Would you try?"

"Yes sir, I would."

"So you're good...!"

"I wouldn't say that."

"But why not say that? You'd help a sick and maimed person if you could.
Most of us would if we could. But God doesn't."

The student does not answer, so the professor continues. "He doesn't, does
he? My brother was a Christian who died of cancer, even though he prayed to
Jesus to heal him. How is this Jesus good? Hmmm? Can you answer that one?"

The student remains silent.

"No, you can't, can you?" the professor says. He takes a sip of water from a
glass on his desk to give the student time to relax.

Let's start again, young fella. Is God good?"

"Er...yes," the student says.

"Is Satan good?"

The studen t doesn't hesitate on this one. "No."

"Then where does Satan come from?"

The student falters. "From God"

"That's right. God made Satan, didn't he? Tell me, son. Is there evil in
this world?"

"Yes, sir."

"Evil's everywhere, isn't it? And God did make everything, correct?"

"Yes."

"So who created evil?" The professor continued, "If God created everything,
then God created evil, since evil exists, and according to the principle
that our works define who we are, then God is evil."

Again, the student has no answer. "Is there sickness? Immorality?
Hatred? Ugliness? All these terrible things, do they exist in this world?"

The student squirms on his feet. "Yes."

"So who created them?"

The student does not answer again, so the professor repeats his question.
"Who created them?" There is still no answer. Suddenly the lecturer breaks
away to pace in front of the classroom. The class is mesmerized.< BR>
"Tell me," he continues onto another student. "Do you believe in Jesus
Christ, son?"

The student's voice betrays him and cracks. "Yes, professor, I do."

The old man stops pacing. "Science says you have five senses you use to
identify and observe the world around you.
Have you ever seen Jesus?"

"No sir. I've never seen Him."

"Then tell us if you've ever heard your Jesus?"

"No, sir, I have not."

"Have you ever felt your Jesus, tasted your Jesus or smelt your Jesus?
Have you ever had any sensory perception of Jesus Christ, or God for that
matter?"

"No, sir, I'm afraid I haven't."

Yet you still believe in him?"

"Yes."

According to the rules of empirical, testable, demonstrable protocol,
science says your God doesn't exist.
What do you say to that, son?"

"Nothing," the student replies. "I only have my faith."

"Yes, faith," the professor repeats. "And that is the problem scien ce has
with God. There is no evidence, only faith."

The student stands quietly for a moment, before asking a question of His
own.

"Professor, is there such thing as heat?"

"Yes," the professor replies. "There's heat."

"And is there such a thing as cold?"

"Yes, son, there's cold too."

"No sir, there isn't."

The professor turns to face the student, obviously interested. The room
suddenly becomes very quiet. The student begins to explain. "You can have
lots of heat, even more heat, super-heat, mega-heat, unlimited heat, white
heat, a little heat or no heat, but we don't have anything called 'cold'. We
can hit up to 458 degrees below zero, which is no heat, but we can't go any
further after that. There is no such thing as cold; otherwise we would be
able to go colder than the lowest -458 degrees."

"Every body or object is susceptible to study when it has or transmits
energy, and heat is what makes a bod y or matter have or transmit energy.
Absolute zero (-458 F) is the total absence of heat. You see, sir, cold is
only a word we use to describe the absence of heat. We cannot measure cold.
Heat we can measure in thermal units because heat is energy. Cold is not the
opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of it."

Silence across the room. A pen drops somewhere in the classroom, sounding
like a hammer.

"What about darkness, professor. Is there such a thing as darkness?"

"Yes," the professor replies without hesitation. "What is night if it isn't
darkness?"

"You're wrong again, sir. Darkness is not something; it is the absence of
something. You can have low light, normal light, bright light, flashing
light, but if you have no light constantly you have nothing and it's called
darkness, isn't it?

That's the meaning we use to define the word."

"In reality, darkness isn't. If it were, you would be able to make darkness
darker, wouldn't you?"

The professor begins to smile at the student in front of him. This will be a
good semester.

"So what point are you making, young man?"

"Yes, professor. My point is, your philosophical premise is flawed to start
with, and so your conclusion must also be flawed."

The professor's face cannot hide his surprise this time. "Flawed? Can you
explain how?"

"You are working on the premise of duality," the student explains. "You
argue that there is life and then there's death; a good God and a bad God.
You are viewing the concept of God as something finite, something we can
measure. Sir, science can't even explain a thought."

"It uses electricity and magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully
understood either one. To view death as the opposite of life is to be
ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing. Death
is not the opposite of life, just the absence of it."

"N ow tell me, professor. Do you teach your students that they evolved from a
monkey?"

"If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, young man, yes,
of course I do."

"Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir?"

The professor begins to shake his head, still smiling, as he realizes where
the argument is going.

A very good semester, indeed.

"Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and cannot
even prove that this process is an on-going endeavor, are you not teaching
your opinion, sir? Are you now not a scientist, but a preacher?"

The class is in uproar. The student remains silent until the commotion has
subsided.

"To continue the point you were making earlier to the other student, let me
give you an example of what I mean."

The student looks around the room. "Is there anyone in the class who has
ever seen the professor's brain?"

The class breaks out i nto laughter.

"Is there anyone here who has ever heard the professor's brain, felt the
professor's brain, touched or smelt the professor's brain? No one appears to
have done so. So, according to the established rules of empirical, stable,
demonstrable protocol, science says that you have no brain, with all due
respect, sir."

"So if science says you have no brain, how can we trust your lectures, sir?"

Now the room is silent. The professor just stares at the student, his face
unreadable.

Finally, after what seems an eternity, the old man answers. "I guess you'll
have to take them on faith."

"Now, you accept that there is faith, and, in fact, faith exists with life,"
the student continues.

"Now, sir, is there such a thing as evil?"

Now uncertain, the professor responds, "Of course, there is. We see it
everyday. It is in the daily example of man's inhumanity to man. It is in
the multitude of crime and violenc e everywhere in the world. These
manifestations are nothing else but evil."

To this the student replied, "Evil does not exist sir, or at least it does
not exist unto itself. Evil is simply the absence of God.

It is just like darkness and cold, a word that man has created to describe
the absence of God. God did not create evil. Evil is the result of what
happens when man does not have God's love present in his heart.
It's like the cold that comes when there is no heat or the darkness that
comes when there is no light."

The professor sat down.

back in sydney

the last 3 days of sail melbourne was not that great. on day 3 we had winds of 18-26 knots with waves 3-4m high, i tried to sail consistently getting 14-14, i ended the day in 12th overall. on day 4 we had lighter winds, launching in 5-10 knots but the wind freshened to 14 knots by the start of the first race, being on a different course area than the three days before, it was interesting to see how everyone else coped, i finished well in the first one and not too good in the second one getting 5-11, after this i was 11th overall 2 points off a medal race spot. the last day of qualifying we had lighter 8-10 knots, and we had AP till about 2.30 when we launched, i had a bad start and was playing catch up from there finishing the race 8. this meant i qualified for the medal race in 9th spot, but being 9 points away from the 8th guy i needed to win him by 5 positions as the medal race was double points. the medal race was held outside sandringham yacht club and the first attempt was held in 3-5 knots of wind, i had a great start, sailed a conservative first beat and rounded in 3rd, the first downwind was bad and i lost 2 boats but gained a boat on the final upwind approaching the top mark in 4th, at this point the guy i needed to beat was in 9th, however, the race was abandoned with one downwind left as it went over the 45 minute time limit. so the next attempt i had an ok start and sailed a poor upwind to round in 7th, i caught 1 boat on the downwind and on the last upwind i decided to risk it all by going far right when everyone else went left, it failed and i rounded the top mark in 9, i caught 2 boats on the final downwind to finish 7 ending the regatta in 9th overall.
so now i'm back in sydney preparing for school. sigh.

day 1 and 2

yesterday was the worst day in my life. it was blowing 15-20 knots when we launched, forecast said it was gonna be the lightest day of the week. bullshit. by the time the first race started the wind was 17 knots constant with waves of 3-4m high, furthermore the windward leg was took 20+ minutes to sail. since men and women were separated again, the men fleet only had 27 boats. in the first race, i started poorly, tacked and hit a boat that was on starboard, i did my 720 making me half a leg behind the fleet, and he retired?!?... i then sailed the first upwind alrite but still rounded the top mark in 2nd last. it was then i realised my tiller extension was breaking off the tiller as a screw came loose. so i sailed the rest of the race with my hand on the tiller joint to prevent it from breaking. i finished the race 23rd, 4th last. the next race the wind picked up to 22 knots, i started poorly again to round the top mark in 18, i capsized, caught up and finished 15. so day one was a complete disaster, one that almost left me in tears. i was 19th overall after day one. dinner was the only consolation as my uncle brought me to celebrate his friend's (sujen) birthday at a spanish-australian bar, we had paella, the highlight of my day
today was slightly better, i woke up with a new mentality deciding that i should just do my best race by race instead of thinking about the results. so i left the house prepared, took a train to brighton and rigged. the wind at 12 was 4 knots, a brighter outlook than the day before, but as we all know australia is not known for its constant light wind, true enough by the time i launched at 1pm, the wind picked up to a still reasonable 10 knots, but by the time race one started it was 15 knots. sigh... in this race i started poorly at the comittee boat and rounded the top mark a mediocre 12th, i caught up 4 boats on the first downwind to 8th, before losing another few boats rounding the top mark 11th, then the last downwind i caught wave after wave to finish 7th, the finishing committee insisted i was 8th and that was how i was placed. the last race the wind was still 15 knots but the course was extended by another 200m, i started alrite in the middle before heading left, fortunately, the wind shifted left persistently resulting in rounding the top mark 4th, i then maintained on the downwind before picking up another place on the next upwind to finish 3rd. so at the end of day 2 i am 14th overall with 23-15-8-3 on my scoreboard. tomorrow's forecast is 20-25 knots, god please help me.

awaiting the start

since i have the time, i might as well post. on the 12th, i went out training with the SIN team, and a few other top sailors including the world top 2, it was a good experience as i realised that every wave, every second in the race counts, starting with them was hard but nonetheless a good experience. after the other sailors went back, the SIN team and i trained more for about 45 minutes in the 10-15 knot wind. it was good prepation for the event as i have not sailed here before and the conditions were unlike anything i have been in.
later, i had dinner with my uncle (he's 21, not really a usual age for an uncle) who i am staying with in melbourne, at a greek restaurant, it was a great dinner one that will probably keep me away from food for the next few hours.

the following day, i left the apartment at 10.30 to catch the 11.00 train to sandringham. since my ticket was a zone 1 not a zone 2, i had to alight at brighton beach station sparking a 4km walk to sandringham yacht club where i had to register. i eventually got there tired from the walk. after registration, giba insisted that liz and i go out training to accustom ourselves for the competition, the wind was 20-25 gusting to 30 and we were 2 of only 4 radials on the water. the waves were huge, at abt 3m high, it swallowed our bows as we ploughed thru the waves. it was good training nonetheless, and reminded me that i needed to work on my fitness. we did nearly 2 hours out on the water before returning to another tiring situation; recovering our boats. since there was only liz and i, we couldn't get one person to hold both boats due to the large wave (even though we were surrounded by a breakwater), eventually, we managed to recover liz's boat after 10 minutes, and once one was done, the other was relatively easy. we then helped the ukrainian sailor who was by himself.
since our boats were dirty from the seaweed the waves brought, we had to wash our boats, unfortunately melbourne is under water restrictions and we are not allowed to hose down our boats, so we washed them with witches hats (the large orange cone u see near road works), after a few trips to the tap, we got our boats cleaned.
dinner was spent with my uncle's friends at their apartment, we had nasi lemak and sticky date pudding. i then returned to my apartment before dosing off.
now today, it was planned that i wake up at 7 to catch the 8 train to brighton but giba called and told me that there was a change in the sailing instructions meaning the radials are starting at 2 instead of 12, which means that i am only leaving here in 2 hours time. sigh i hate waiting.