I think I have fully utilised my time allocated for exercising.  There is very severe under-utilisation in the "socialisation" category.  Maybe I can classify 'muay thai' under that...

miss the days in rj, where trainings were tough, 3 times a week plus another physical of weights and sprints and runs.  any absence must either be due to school or mc.  otherwise you are out of the team, as simply as that. There were no complaints, simply because any complaints could have been greeted by Sir, our extreme coach (he has since mellowed down a lot due to age).  But he trained a great team of players who fought and shone.  He taught me about pushing the limits, especially when you are the most tired.  When you reach your physical limits, it is your mental strength that comes into play, and that is when you can decide to push your limits, or let the chance go.  And when you do push your limits, you not only stretch yourself physically but are also training your mental strength.  As captain of the team, you need to do more than the team, and you need to show the strength, the endurance and the willingness to give it all.  Any less deserves less respect from your team.

As an easterner, I had the privilege of getting rides home from Sir after training ends at 9 plus at night from the old ghim moh campus.  However stern and strict he is with his players, his advice as a coach were always right.  Once in a ride back he told me he sees all the effort, perserverance and the earnestness in learning and improving.  But there was one thing that had to be worked on.  He taught me that in order to win, there must be the aggressiveness, the desire to win.  The flame is there, but you need to fan up that desire and want to be the best.  In a stadium of wild cheers of the tj-ians and rafflesians, when you are dripping in your own sweat and wavering with weariness from the long-drawn rallies, and do you cower or do you rise up to the challenge.  We won every single game for the finals.

In some ways, those spirits, are the same I have adopted to be my own.  To win and be the best, you must be aggressive, you must believe in learning and improving and always persevere and persist no matter what. You must know that limits are meant to be pushed and only when pushed can you become stronger physically and mentally.  And if you decide to do something, why settle for anything less than the best.