ACE

If you ask where am I studying, then you are asking me a very tough question to answer!

That is because I am not currently studying in any college or university, but more like a non-profit organization. And I'm not pursuing some kind of degree or diploma but more of a professional cert instead. So complicated right?

I really like this, courtesy of Gladys Tan

Super busy wei in these next two weeks! Exams keep on coming after another. The biggest of them all will the American Council on Exercise (ACE) exam on May 1st. The word "American" itself already sounds scary because unlike our M'sian education system, the Americans don't just memorize stuffs into their heads & then muntah balik during exam hoping for the best.

Instead, they have to also use the knowledge they've learned into real life simulated situations which can be very tough for us M'sians considering the rigid type of system we went through. Now you know why they are so many lousy M'sian graduates in the job market. Studying is one thing, but putting what you've studied into application is a whole lot different matter.

C'mon Marc, just two more weeks & then freedom! Well not exactly...

That is why, you should always practise your communication & presentation skills. These are very important but often overlooked qualities by M'sian students!

Jeng jeng jeng!

This run is held a day after my ACE exam. Which means not only I gotta prepare for upcoming exams, but I too have to prepare for running competitions again very soon. Can one juggle sports & studies at the same time? Only time will tell...

I noticed that only the first 100 runners to reach the finish line would be eligible for a finishing medal. According to the forecast, an estimation of 2000 runners would be joining this competition. Mathematically, I have to beat the other 1900 runners if I ever want to win something from this run.

Honestly, I do not feel confident at all. I have been training hard, so are the others as well. At the end of the day, it's all about the mental strength & will power. Do I have the tenacity to last the distance? I do not know. But I do know that it is not easy for a person to declare boldly, "I wanna run 10km under the morning hot sun!"

"There's no substitute for guts" - Paul Bear Bryant

Self Rediscovery

I'm a nice guy really. Except when I'm blogging!

I'm giving out free personal training as part of my assessment from FIT at the moment. I thought the church could be a good place to find interested individuals whom want to get into shape. Boy, was I so wrong!

Ever wondered why your boss is sick by just looking at you?

The main reason why people don't want to hire PT's is because their services are too expensive. Okay, fair enough. But what about free personal training? Wow! Sounds like a good deal, when can I get started? Anytime, anywhere motherfeather!

However (man I always like to complain), despite me able to find some potential clients to work with, they can't commit themselves at all whatsoever to come for training. Even 1 hour a week of exercise seem to be the most impossible task for them to do here on earth!

"Crikey God damn it!" - The late Steve Irwin

Some of you might justify yourselves, "But Marc, you have to understand that most of us have to meet deadlines at work, exams to study for, handing up assignments, yada yada..." Whatever lah! You can come up with 1001 excuses for not exercising but you can't give me one good reason on why you should exercise?

"Sorry Marc, I got bible study, cell group, & church practice for upcoming special events!"

I can also get very annoyed when Christians use church as an excuse for not moving their arses. It's like trying to say that it is God's fault that they are not working out when the truth is, they are just plain lazy! Besides me & Aaron the bodybuilder, I can't really think of anyone else in City Harvest who takes their health seriously.

You can pray to God & fast all you want till cows come home, but those love handles are gonna stay there unless you do something about them

Look, I know some of you told me you have complications. The doctor said your blood pressure is high, your cholesterol level is high, your blood sugar is high, everything is high & obviously, you don't need a rocket scientist telling what should you be doing. Don't wait until the problem gets worse & you have to end up paying expensive medical bills. Why cure when you can prevent instead?

First they say smoking is cool, & now this?

The bible says that we our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit therefore it our responsibility to take good care of them. If you can go pak tor, makan outing, yum char session, watch movie, shopping or go 'happy hour' with your 'biscuits', why not spend the time instead to give your body the exercise it deserves? No time huh? Pathetic & lame excuse!

C'mon! Stop being a couch potato & quit whining that your stomach looks fat because it is you lazy bum!

Courtesy of Derek Kaka'an (dude on my left)

Actually I don't really want to elaborate much on how was my ordeal at the football camp because I am so bloody exhauted. All I can say is, it was an amazing experience to learn a thing or two from an UEFA "A" license holder (Jon Hamilton on the far right) because that is the highest qualification any football coach can get.

Just to make things clear, this is not a camp where I've learned solely on how to be a better player. Instead, I was also being coached on how to be a future coach with lots of emphasis on Christian values. I may have to obtain my basic "D" license separately either from the FAM or AFC because the certification they gave me from this camp is not internationally recognized therefore if I wanna cari makan, only a few places I could go to with such a cert.

Pastor Kevin has big plans of setting up a sports ministry once the new church building is ready for operation probably in August. By then, I would be a very busy & happy man. For the first time, I could finally use both of my legs to serve God. It's a very timely move considering how physically inactive our church members are.

I'm like a kid in a candy store!

Do you believe people should deserve a second chance in life? Or if you ever screwed up once then that's it, you're condemned for the rest of your life? During the first day in camp, we were made to watch this;

Rock, when are you gonna go back to wrestling?

Basically it's about a bunch of hopeless juveniles whom were good for nothing except to cause trouble. A coach (Sean Porter) challenged them to fight for their dignity as well as proving to society of their worth by playing football, American football! Through sports, they've learned the importance of teamwork, respecting one another & discovered a sense of purpose in themselves.

These juveniles reminded me on how I was such an asshole during high school. Yes, Knowledgeable Mystery Shopping Warrior has a dark history that he's not proud of. But through the grace & mercy of Jesus, he now has a second chance to do what is right.

Lord I'm doing, all I can, to be better man ~

I admit, I did alot of things I shouldn't have done. I know I've hurt alot of people in the past, both mentally & physically. If you are like me back then, it's okay, its' okay *virtually pat you on the back*, because God loves you & He is willing to give you a second chance. And yes for some reason I'm feeling gay lately which explains why the sentimental shit & all.

During camp, they also made us watch this;

"I hated the world. Then I felt a hand on my shoulder" - Derek Redmond

The Reality Of Being A Realist

"Keep away from those who try to belittle your dreams. Small people always do that, but the really great make you believe that you too can become great" - Mark Twain

This is for you Jesus. Happy Easter & Good Friday ;)

The tally is now 11 medals. Of course, the best is yet to come. Not just upcoming medals waiting to be grabbed, but also important events that would be the turning point of my life. I'll be taking a short break from running marathons this April. Honestly I am getting bored of winning, which is why I want to 'starve' myself & feed that burning 'hunger' of what it feels to be a winner again when May has arrived.

Probably one of the most smartest things the Knowledgeable Warrior has ever done in his boring but gradually becoming more exciting life is to mix around with the right people. If you ever come across successful people, make sure you learn as much as you can from them. Celebrities, models, entertainers, entrepreneurs & other professionals, these are the people I have received advices from on what it takes to be the top of the food chain in society.

I managed to gather more information about the football camp (More Than A Game or MTAG) that I'll be attending next week on April 6th-10th. It is going to be held at OUTBAC Broga, an outdoor adventure campsite located in Negeri Sembilan. An Englishman from the UK will facilitate the program, & that makes me nervous. For the first time I am representing City Harvest Church as a delegate for this event, which is lagi nervous for me!

Multipurpose Hall


Rock Climbing


Flying Fox


Dining Area


Campfire

Last but not least, a football field


Can you believe it? Who's going to wash my dirty socks, boots, & jersey for me!?

Then there is my upcoming ACE exam due on May 1st. Should I pass this exam, I'll be then certified as a Personal Fitness Trainer that allows me to work anywhere I desire! Did I also mentioned that Tarc & OUM have approved my applications respectively to study for their Sports Science programs? Everything seem to be falling into place for the Lord's anointed. All I have to do is keep focus & make sure that 2010 is not merely a gimmick of false hopes but rather, a year of breakthroughs!

There is an extraordinary man I want to introduce you to;


Ego meets Gay

His name is Jasper a.k.a Koujee. I know what you're thinking, what's with the retarded Japanese name? Well believe it or not, Koujee is Jasper's stage name as a performer. And what does he perform? Beatboxing, motherfeather!

Do you know that this dude flunked his SPM with just one credit & yet, academics did not hinder him from being an achiever? Does a person who scores a string of A's can only be considered an achiever? In Jasper's case, I don't think so. I don't know who brainwashed you with such mentality, but don't ever underestimate a person's true potential just because they can't excel in terms of studies.

Like I've said before, education is important though it is not the only route to success. I don't understand why parents nowadays are so obsessed with their kids having a degree. What if I want to become a ballet dancer as my bread & butter? Do I need to get a degree just to prove that I can dance? Like Peter Chao said, you don't make sense!

If there is such thing of a degree in ballet dancing, I still can't pursue my dreams to be a ballet dancer though because mommy & daddy said that such professions cannot cari makan here in M'sia! Are your kids really so useless that they don't deserve to be unique? Who else can they look up to for inspiration if their parents don't even believe in them? Yes, I am bloody angry because my own folks have the same narrow minded thinking as well.

"Life ain't being about creative. It's about kissing ass, playing it safe, making your boss lots of money & hopefully one day, he'll throw you a stinking bone!" - Michael Newman


Imagination is more important than knowledge, but nobody took these kids & Einstein seriously ~

Society Attacks Dreamers

All children dream and play make-believe. For some reason, as they grow older, they are instructed to stop dreaming and face reality. Reality seems to be important, whether it be friends, parents, or teachers. Academic education has top priority while dreams have low priority. Yet, there has never been an achievement that did not begin with a dream. There has never been success without many failures. Why is it that society wants everyone to succeed without failure? Why does society have a need to kill dreams, especially with teenagers?

During the dreaming stage, one is alone with his seemly impossible ideas. When talking about ideas, the first reaction is... "Where did he get that nutty idea?" All great inventors and achievers go through this phase, especially during the failure days. After a few successes, people say nothing about wild ideas. Add a few more successes; everyone will support any idea you have.

It takes persistence to find what works. Only you realize your ideas have possibilities, the public will not realize possibilities until you prove them to be of value. After the Wright Brothers invented the airplane and proved man can fly, it took two years before anyone thought flying was a practical idea. The U.S. Army rejected consideration of the invention outright. All through the development years, people considered The Wright Brothers nuts. To shield themselves from criticism, they only informed people who could help them and took criticism, if necessary, for their help.

Employers want motivated people. The problem is, they want employees' motivation to be built around the company’s interest. If I applied for a job and said, "my ambition is to earn money to buy a boat, sail to the South Seas and chase girls," I would be escorted out the door. The theory is, people whose ambitions are different from the company’s will not be dedicated to their job. The fact is, people with ambitions are dedicated to anyone who will help them reach their goals. People who don’t have dreams or ambitions are not motivated and are not dedicated to anything except the paycheck.

Many people yield to dream killers. In their thoughts, "my friends are right, my ideas are all nutty" and give up. This belief may be true when first exploring an idea. There is no such thing as success on the first try, except in the classroom. Giving up is losing ambition, opportunity, higher income, and eventual success. A downward spiral of self-esteem follows.

Which category are you in?


I have the balls to be different. Do you have balls?