a TRIBUTE..

to the NUS Canoeing GIRLS' Team...

let's go!!! Power!! long pull!! stretch out!! all the way!!

tired but happy :)

MotivAsian paddles!

so anyways, in regards to penguin, quail and giraffe's (i feel like i'm in a zoo) email, i just wanna say how proud i am of you girls. having been through 4 years of canoeing in NUS and seeing 4 different batches of girls, i would say this is by far the strongest team of girls we've ever had. not that last time there was a lack of strong girls la. i remembered when i first joined, the stronger girls were like val, belle, xinning etc. me and nio were like damn slow la. belle's T1 can thrash our K2 by like 500m or something for a 1k race. so pai seh. but the current batch i see now are all so power, each of you with already a strong foundation and/or were past medalists when you all first stepped into the team. not only strong physically, but mentally as well, and it was displayed so clearly in the last girls' race during river regatta. despite giving all out (i'm sure all of us did) for the mixed race, despite being totally shagged, despite having strong competitors (our all time fav NJC), we overcame everything and gave it our best for the final race of the day, eventually clinching first place, something which we didn't manage to achieve in the previous 2 dboat races. it jus showed how much we wanted it, and when we really want something, we CAN do it. nothing is impossible for us :) and i believed this has gotta do with belonging to a close- knitted 'family', not wanting to let each other down knowing the person behind you, beside you, or even 2 seats away from u are all giving their 101%. i felt that it was really a true epitome of what one team, one mind, one stroke really meant :)

so anyway, i'm getting old and creaky and i never know when my last race with NUS will be (sound like im dying or sth wahaha), but i noe i have to retire eventually (ya la i got secret power but it will wear off in due time haha). when the day comes where i paddle my last race with you girls and NUS, i noe it'll be a last race i won't regret no matter what the results will be because you guys have given me enough memories to feel proud of where i came from and belonged. Though i haven't been training as consistently as the rest of you, i'm thankful you people still believed in me to put me in some of the major events. i do hope i didn't let u guys down! haha.

so here's some personalized message to u peeps (in no order one hor. i'm jus going according to the dboat seating positions hur):

jasmine the penguin: my 'unofficial' partner, our beloved original penguin and ah lian of the team. hahah. somehow we always end up doing k2 in those unplanned, last-min, never-train-together races. we might seem like a strange pairing but i'm glad we still did well in all of the events we raced together! i think cos we both have long arms in relation to our short upper body. wahaha. and thanks for being such a great pacer. i think if not for your pacing, i would have killed everybody with my fast frequency. hurs. and nooo, ure not 'dammnn weaakk'. u've got strong mental and that alone is enough to conquer many obstacles :)

yihui/quail/earl grey: our 15-yr-old (or issit 13 haha) looking captain! i noe i probably have caused some trouble for u at some pt of time for being reluctant to do certain events (T1 1000m! GAH), i'm thankful u've been so accomodating to most of our needs. and also for risking yourself to paddle K2 250m with me during NCC. wahaha.but it felt great to prove to toshco that small people are strong! yayy free ice cream haha. and thanks for believing i'm still strong enough to include me in canoeing and dboat events :) continue leading the team with your great leadership. i expect gold medals from every member at MR500 2007. can one! ahaha.

nio the pig : yayy my long time partner and always will be! i think we've paddled like...6 years together? which makes that 6 years of squabbling, whining, hitting your head with my paddle, causing u dehydration cos i dun allow u to drink water, smelling your farts and finally, 6 years of having to prove to people that we're not weak and slow. sucks rite when everybody always think we'll lose to the bigger size paddlers. but i'm proud to say we've pretty much proven ourselves when it comes to crunch time. dunno why normal training always crawl (i never slack!!) but during the main event our secret power will surface. hurs. though there were discouraging moments, and times where mean things were said about us, we held our heads high, relied on each other and pulled through. though we've both grown and decided to pursue other things (e.g K1, C1??hahah), the memories of how we started off struggling in our K2 to where we are now are definitely something worth remembering for the rest of our lives. from 5th in nationals back in JC to today's world champs, asian canoeing champs and taiwan marathon is something we can look back on 10 years down the road and feel proud of :) we're supposed to take part in masters category when we're old and creaky rem? wahahha.

jen the giraffe: my bitchhh partner! haha. it's not that bad to have a 'big' mouth la. i noe i can always count on u to update me on the latest happenings since i'm hardly with the team now. hurrs. and i noe i can always count on u to bitch with me whenever i need to complain about u-noe-who (ok there's probably alot of u-noe-whos i'm referring to since i'm always complaining wahaha). thanks for listening to my whines and bitchings and complains. it's nice to noe there's someone who shares the same sentiments as me on certain matters and people. hurs. i'll always rem our perfumes and cosmetics, how we were so slack and yet made my cousin feel guilty enough to offer to consolidate the project. hurrrs. and of cos our weekly team lunches after lectures. how fun. and stop denying that u run faster than me, u secret slope sprinter. haaha.

peiying ong the pigeon: our SPY (it even has ur initials in it!!how witty) for the dboat team!! hahaha ok kidding don't go complain to your prawny poo. hurhur. u're damn cute la, always getting excited over pooh bears. i still have the pooh bear hp chain thingy that u generously gave me when i casually mentioned that it was so cute. but i think u prob have tons of them since u're always playing with the $1 machine thingy. hahaa.anyway, thanks for being so sweet, always one of the first to sense when i'm pmsing or sth cos u're always asking "are u okaaaayyyyy". haha. and yes, u're another one with secret power and long arms so make use of that!and i noe u run very fast too. hurrs

kimi: the "i eat alot!" but miraculously stay so skinny. u can't be 49kg!! i wonder how u do it cos i think many girls are dying to be like that. but pls eat abit more b4 u disappear. and for a person who's so skinny, i noe u got secret power also. so work on your mental cos i believe you can be even faster! i noe u've been around the team for as long as me and i do hope u had fun in the past 4 years. no doubt there were problems along the way, it's good that u decided to stay on and look past the unhappiness.

belleeeeee: SOBB i miss thailand! it's was damn fun la goin thailand with u and dom. i miss the suckling pig already. boohoooo. anyway, thanks for always lending a listening ear. i think u're like the most lao jiao in the NUS canoeing team and i really respect your loyalty and how you still continue paddling for NUS even though it might have been an easier option to just join the NTU team. thanks for being so 'motherly', always looking out for the rest of us, remembering our birthdays and organizing celebrations. without you there would have been lesser birthday cakes to eat! (i still want my man tou cake that dom promised. hahaha) u da best! if dom bullies u don't hesitate to tell me. i'll get mimi to flatten him.

xiaowen, weiling and margy: yay weiling and margy, our new penguin juniors. hahaha. P1 and P2 !!!(weiling stop denying your penguin title). i shall address all of u since u're all so new to the team. i'm glad u're one of the few that decided to stay on. i promise u there'll be no regrets! what lies ahead in ur next 3 yrs will be filled with excitement, many team outings and bondings and of cos pain and sufferings (muahaha). but at the end of 3 (or 4) years, u'll look back at the memories formed (like me) and realize it's a wise choice to stay on with the NUS canoeing team :) now it's just the beginning and i assure u there'll be more fun to come! of cos try not to neglect ur other frens and family too becos i noe there's a tendency to find urself seeing the canoeing pple everyday. wahaha. and of cos, love might blossom and u might just find your true love.... wahahah. (margy and zhuhao? weiling and aaron? WAHAHHA.) ok kidding zhuhao pls don't kill me. i still heart u many.

fionaaaa (my future architect for my house hurhur): yayy our drummer! fun rite!!! hahah. when i retire i shall be drummer too or learn coxing (jen dun steal from me!! u still got 2 yrs of rowing!). although i think drummer less stressful than coxing la, plus get to enjoy the wind and scenary also. hahaha. but u've been a great drummer, very inspiring and your encouragements before each race really spurred us on :) anyway, i still rem my name which u decorated so nicely on my hand last sem. and on some card thingy that u guys made for us oldies earlier this yr at the east coast chalet. so pweeety! must design a nice t-shirt for our team too! hurs. i noe u feel frustrated sometimes trying to learn new techniques and strokes. dun worry too much, sometimes it's good to just go by gut feeling and do wat u feel most comfortable with. listening to too many people will jus confuse u more. i think there's a saying rite, 2 many cooks spoil the broth or whatever la. u get the idea. efforts will eventually pay off so jia you! ur bicep curls like how strong can! and i'll always rem wenyang's photo of u laughing with ur mouth wide open. damn funny. haha

andrea the gorilla (or issit kingkong): stupid andrea. always SCOLD me. i bet u think i'll forget abt u rite since u didn't dboat for us. forever one lor. but since i'm nice i shall write to u too. hurs. anyway, no thanks for always scolding me with ur LOUD voice and shoving me around (when mimi is absent) jus becos u think u got bigger biceps. nevertheless, i still wanna thank you for believing in me ( and nio ) wayyy back in yr 3 when u first joined the team. i can't rem wat la but somehow u strongly believed our k2 could make it. how sweeet :) thanks for pacing with me last time and pushing me (back then when i was still quite fit and before u became this monster that u are today), training up my mental and reminding me not to give up. and of cos listening to my whines (even though u end up scolding me when i'm done) and just being there. and for showing me it's ok to eat alone. WAHAHA. u're my idol la. just stop scolding me already can? and giving me THE LOOK when i say something stupid. i am NOT a bimbo. and yes, i am superficial. hahahaha.

yayy. i'm doneee :) how lengthy. for kaypohs who are reading this even though your name isn't mentioned, TSK. u obviously have too much time on your hands and you SHOULD and OUGHT to be studying.

i hope i didn't forget anyone! i love u guys (err girls)! AND WHO HAS THE REGATTA PHOTOS?? I WANT!!!!!

ok bathe. 4 day work weekwooohoooo!!