Age of Mediocrity II

It's easy to say, "I am a great person!" But how do you really know that?

Food for thought

Okay, the new semester has already arrived. As usual, I can always reassure myself that I'm finally heading towards the right direction by declaring on my Facebook status, " I'm gonna do well in my studies this time, seriously!" Well, surely those who had flunk their last papers are having the same thought as well. But how will I know that this time, this time & THIS TIME, things will turn out to be DIFFERENT?

I've learned that (yes, I am still learning too) it is only through my conduct & actions that will determine what kind of person will I be. It is pointless to self-praise (I'm guilty of this all the time) & live a false conviction. If I am a great person, then let those around me be the judge of that. Action speaks louder than words, period!

Who are the 'small' people & who are the 'big' people among your peers? Let's see the comparison between these two types of people. Of course I'm not referring in terms of body size lah, but the kind of mentality that they possess;


Lol :D

• Small people are narrow minded, but big people are broad minded
• Small people constantly take shortcuts, but big people lay down foundations
• Small people work out of obligation, but big people work out of passion
• Small people find excuses, but big people find solutions
• Small people blame others, but big people repent
• Small people are always lethargic, but big people are always enthusiastic
• Small people see work as punishment, but big people see work as reward
• Small people are annoying & calculative, but big people are generous
• Small people always slack, but big people always act
• Small people complain, but big people praise
• Small people despise correction, but big people love learning

and finally...

• Small people like to be comfortable, but big people go for change!

From now on whenever I feel like compromising, I will definitely read this post over & over again as a reminder for myself. I sincerely hope this post will encourage & motivate you as well to strive for excellence in life. We can honestly say that we know too many small people in our lives, that's why we have to cherish the minority of big people around us. Learn as much as we can from the latter & do not take them for granted.

I'm thankful for the 'big' people that God has placed into my life. I am who I am today because of their influence over me. One particular big person I know of would be...


Felicia Choong, an awesome sister to me. Please forgive me for my retarded smile :P


On another random note...

A great man has left the world...

"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life." - Steve Jobs

Age Of Mediocrity I

Semester break is finally here. This is a good time to blog about random stuff besides running events!

Found this inspiring pix on FB. Thanks Moses Moo!

Human Anatomy was my final paper during last Tuesday morning. And I always have this habit sitting at the last row during exams so that I can get a good view of everyone (not a good sign of an excellent student). The paper however, was very tough due to the fact that most of us are not of science stream origin & there is just too many technical terms to memorize!

Recently, something that is so insignificant got me thinking about the world today. This is one of the obvious things you will find in every examination halls, which is candidates leaving too early with plenty of time frame to spare. Everyone was given 3 hours & 10 minutes to answer for that paper. But out of more than 10 candidates, I was the only one left in the hall after an hour & a half pass by. Yup that's right, nobody studied for that paper.

Last man standing? Lol!

Well, actually neither did I study at all for that paper! But it never occurred in my mind to just give up & hand in an empty answer sheet. I try utilizing every idea I can cook up with. If I to have goreng (fry) to make the answers sound convincing, then just goreng lah all the way haha! It doesn't matter if my answers are wrong & I failed the paper in the end. The most important thing is as long I have tried my best (although I could do better than that), learn from my mistakes of studying last minute & prepare better the next time around, only then can my learning be a worthwhile experience.

The key here is the will to be excellent, & that has taught me a valuable lesson the moment I left the exam hall. I now realize that in order for me to do well in the next semester, I can't be carrying the same attitude. I have to change my habits. Like a mad genius once quoted, "Doing the same thing over & over again while expecting results is insanity!" Without change, the outcome will always remain the same; lousy grades.

Gotta cut down on FB, sleep & last minute assignments. Period!

That's the problem though. Whenever the new semester commences, I would see the same scenario from almost all my coursemates; submitting last minute assignments, poor standard of English both written & orally as well as leaving exam halls too early. To make it a fair judgement, I too have to hold myself accountable for being in the same league. My assignments are handed in seconds before the deadline, lack of practise is deteriorating my English fluency & bad preparation for exams is earning me the F grade. Ouch!


It is not just in the context of being a student. We can clearly see this trait in all levels of society. We do not want to be excellent. Because we know that excellence requires hardwork, dedication, commitment, & ultimately, painful sacrifices. Instead we all want to be comfortable, & that is why we see alot of people today striving for mediocrity, the opposite of excellence. How can one grow if they constantly stay only within their comfort zones?

Again it is not just the area of education, the picture is now much bigger than that. I will see stop here for now, looking at my own reflection while playing the late MJ's 'Man In The Mirror'. To be continued...

"Mediocrity is self-inflicted. Genius is self-bestowed." - Walter Russell

Rest

After going through five runs consecutively in July, my legs are now begging, "Please, no more!"

Believe it or not...


This is the catalyst of greater things to come!

The Olympic Day Run, this is where it all started; the excitement, the enthusiasm, the adrenaline, the glory & of course, medals! It was the first long distance running event I've ever participated in my life back in July 2009. During that time, my intentions of joining such runs were purely just for fun. Who knew that a such a simple decision would eventually turned into a passion!

Ever since then, I never look back. My love for marathons or long distance running just grew deeper & deeper, run after run! Today at the age of 21, I am finally living for the first time. Thank God I still have my youth, because the best is definitely yet to come!


My old workplace, brings back alot of fond memories!


Medallicious ~


With my ex-colleague, Helnie. She has such a bubbly personality ;)


More more more!


I say man...


This is super hard wei!

I am not exaggerating, but this is by far the toughest run I've ever competed in. I push, push, push & yet, I just couldn't overtake anyone! It's like every participant in this event was a seasoned runner. Even in my fittest condition, I only managed to win nothing but a piece of cert in the end. Thanks to events publicity through Facebook, marathons are getting so popular nowadays, thus making competition much stiffer than it was before. Look like I'm gonna have to start investing in gadgets & sports beverages soon to give me that winning edge!

Unsatisfied, I went for another run the next morning with a distance of 10km despite my legs feeling very heavy after completing 12.3km!

My dad seriously thought I was crazy. He's right though!


I'm crazy for these metal made buggers!


Like I've said, I never look back since...

Signs of fatigue has started to kick in for my legs. Fortunately it is now the month of August, that means there won't be any running events being held until September. Finally, a well deserved break from this hectic but enjoyable sport. This will give me the opportunity to focus on other projects. Yes, I am planning something BIG, something that has never or at least, seldom being done here before in Malaysia. It's gonna massive, it's gonna be electrifying & Good Lord Almighty, it's certainly gonna be hell raising!

No further details can be given for now. But do often check out my blog for more developments on my...'secret' project. Finally, get ready...


"Rest: the sweet sauce of labor." - Plutarch

Hyperstressed

Due to the incredible amount of stress I have to endure at the moment, I won't be touching my blog again until the end of this month. But here is quick update on what I have been going through on the running scene;

Damn far man travelling to Rawang!


But the trip was worth it though (:


Love the design, resembling some kind of shield or emblem


Then a week after that, we have...


The mother of all KL marathons!


Bloody hell, I wasn't ready!


Alright, much better :P


Shiny!


A week again later after that...


Believe me when I say that this run has everything. Probably the best I have participated so far in my life!


Yup, I'm a very mature person ~


Very mature indeed ;)


The tally is now 11 medals!


That's all for now. See you again at the end of July. And thanks for reading, because it encourages me to continue blogging!


"In times of great stress or adversity, it's always best to keep busy, to plow your anger & your energy into something positive." - Lee Iococca

A Bridge Too Far?

I've decided...

I'm gonna take on this challenge!


"To venture where no man has gone before," fulamak!


The Penang Bridge is one of the main attractions for sports tourism in the country

It is dubbed as the mother of all Malaysian marathons! This is beyond what I have faced before. This shall be my 'Goliath' of the year. No doubt, it's gonna be electrifying! Holy cow! I am bloody excited to be part of this epic history whereby thousands of ordinary men & women will choose to do something extraordinary on November 20th by conquering the Penang Bridge & live the day to tell their stories to the rest of the world. November 20th...November 20th...

To make sure I am ready for the first half marathon of my life, I joined the New Balance Pacesetters 15km last Sunday to see how my stamina fares.


Putrajaya, one of my least favourite places to run at!


Pictures below are courtesy of Siew Chee Meng from Malaysia Runners Network;


The best promotion & discounts you can find for running shoes are in running events!


Check out the guy in the middle with the hair tattoo! :D


One day I must conduct a research on why Africans are so physically gifted in sports


Refreshments after the run


Yimster a.k.a Uncle Yim was also running!


He's becoming more & more of a local celebrity especially when he runs with his signature sarong haha!


Running is meaningless if you don't have a supporter, thanks dad (:

I didn't know how cool my hair was until I saw this :P


Thank you Lord for giving me a pair of legs to run for Your glory!


The Chinese believes that 8 is a lucky number. For me, I create my own luck ~

The last remaining kilometer felt like hell! Literally, I had to drag my feet just to reach the finishing line as my legs just couldn't run anymore (total shutdown) after reaching 14km. I was disappointed with myself actually, because I know I can do better than this. For some reason, my body was not in top form due to some mistakes made during the last day of training before competition.

The moral of the story is, never undergo through vigorous training especially on the last day of practice. It is not just your stamina level, but your performance will suffer as well because the body doesn't have enough time to recuperate from the previous training session. Looks like there's still alot more preparation to be done before November 20th. In order to finish a half marathon consisting of 21km in a strong position, there can be no room for mistakes!

"The body does not want you to do this. As you run, it tells you to stop but the mind must be strong. You always go too far for your body. You must handle the pain with strategy...It is not age; it is not diet. It is the will to succeed." - Jacqueline Gareau

If Only They Believe

It takes alot of balls to admit & rectify one's mistakes

Ooh goody goody goody!

Just as promised in their previous statement, the organizers of Energizer Night Race 2011 had fulfilled their obligations by delivering my finishing medal through courier post. I just wanna move on from here & focus on the future. Hopefully we will see a much better event in the following year. Energizer Man, don't let me down again!

This is something random I like to share called faith.


An invincible weapon

What is faith? Google it & you will find the definition of faith to be; firm belief in something for which there may be no tangible proof; complete trust; opposite of doubt. From the Christian context, it is the only the thing that can please God. There are not many things you can do without faith because if your conviction is easily shaken, then everything will seem impossible to you. I myself need to have faith in God for many things like...


Nation

• I need to have faith that our country will be free of corruption, social injustice & discrimination.
  

• I need to have faith that our country's development can match it's neighbour like Singapore.
  

• I need to have faith that our country will become an economic powerhouse in the world.

• I need to have faith that Malaysia will successfully achieve it's vision of 'Wawasan 2020'.

• I need to have faith in our current Prime Minister's ability.

Sports

• I need to have faith that our country will qualify for the FIFA World Cup.

• I need to have faith that our national football league will be as popular as the EPL.

• I need to have faith that Malaysians will cultivate healthy & active lifestyles.
  

• I need to have faith that our country is capable of producing the next Lionel Messi, Roger Federer, Lebron James, Usain Bolt, Michael Phelps, Lance Armstrong, etc.

• I need to have faith in our current Youth & Sports Minister's ability.

Arts

• I need to have faith that our country's film & music industry will experience a breakthrough on international scene.

• I need to have faith that artisan professions in our country will be respected as rewarding careers.

• I need to have faith that Malaysians are not afraid to be artistically creative.

• I need to have faith that our country is capable of producing the next Jimmy Choo, Michelle Yeoh, Amber Chia, Siti Nurhaliza, Nicholas Teo, Guang Liang, etc.

• I need to have faith in our current Culture, Arts & Heritage Minister's ability.

Education

• I need to have faith that our local universities will achieve ranking of top 100 in the world.

• I need to have faith that our country will attract top brains from around the world.

• I need to have faith that the standards of our national exams will achieve international credibility & recognition.

• I need to have faith that our schools are capable of producing competitive & holistic students.

• I need to have faith in our current Education & Higher Education Ministers abilities.

Church

• I need to have faith that Christianity will experience a revival in this country.

• I need to have faith that the church is united on a common ground & cares for the community.

• I need to have faith in my cell group members that they can learn to love one another.

• I need to have faith in my leader's authority.

• I need to have faith in Pastor Kevin's vision of raising a church that has both quantity & quality members.

Self

• I need to have faith in my daily devotion with God.

• I need to have faith in putting others ahead of me.

• I need to have faith that God loves me & will never forsake me.

• I need to have faith that my gift & talents can make a difference in society.
  

• I need to have faith in God that He is almighty & powerful to make this whole list a reality.
  

Many said that Malaysia is hopeless. Many said that Malaysia can never change. Many chose to run away & will never come back here again. Is there no one who is faithful in this country anymore?


As long there are those like Hannah Yeoh who still believes in change, all hope is not lost ~


"Faithless is he that says farewell when the road darkens." - J.R.R. Tolkien

A Day To Call Their Own

Second time unlucky!

My second defeat of the year...

My brother from another mother, Teh Yong Yuan. In the end, both of us only managed to get certs *sigh*


Thanks dad for always driving me around for running events, you're the best!

Well, I'm not very bothered by the fact that I couldn't win anything from this run. There were quite a lot of good runners that really pose a difficult challenge for me. But if I look at the bigger picture though, more people are taking up sports particularly in running & their numbers are growing every year judging by the increase of participation especially in events like this which is a boon towards cultivating healthy lifestyles among Malaysians. Why shouldn't I be happy then?

The main purpose of this run is to commemorate the annual World Firefighter's Day. This day was started in remembrance of honour & respect when five Australian firefighters died while performing their duties. Besides the police, I truly believe that firefighters are one of the few selfless people in keeping our world a safer place to live (yes, including our own Malaysian police & firemen as well).

I'm surprise that the world would rather love Justin Bieber than these unsung heroes


Wah saving a child, this one must really respect wei!

Firefighting has always been a dangerous profession. I just can't imagine putting my own life in danger to save another even if you pay me a big fat salary cheque. If I can help through financial means, definitely no problem. But to put my ass on the line? Hell no! However, these guys are willing to go through the risks despite the potential dangers that may be fatal ahead of them. So to all the men in red uniform out there, I salute you!

A firefighter on a rescue mission during the Japan disaster


Courage, honour & courtesy. These are distinguished qualities of a chivalric knight in the medieval age. Therefore, I shall refer today's firefighters as the modern noble knights!


Where would we be without them?

No medal but it's okay, it's okay *pat myself on the back*. At least I won something from the day before. Pictures below belongs to Pui San a.k.a 'doc on the run';


Yes, the thrill begins after sundown!


Participants getting ready to take on the tower


It's much more comfortable to breathe due to improved ventilation system


I'm actually more glad to see the bottles of water rather than the kakak haha!


A huge relief once you see this sign


Officials distributing the finishing medals


At the observatory


Yay bangga! *syok sendiri*


Back down at the tower base


KL Tower, I've already conquered you thrice. I own you bitch!


Amazing, just look at her sparkle ~


After winning my 6th medal, I'll be taking a short break from running until early next month. Chow for now!


"I have no ambition in this world but one, & that is to be a fireman. The position, may in the eyes of some, appear to be a lowly one; but we who know the work which the fireman has to do believe that his is a noble calling. Our proudest moment is to save lives. Under the impulse of such thoughts, the nobility of the occupation thrills us & stimulates us to deeds of daring, even of supreme sacrifice." - Chief Edward F. Croker