Training today was good. Training hasn't felt good in a long time.
My form is back. I'm certain of it.
Every release had a follow-through; shots were generally centred; bow torque is a lot less; 50m score is at a career-high of 249. But it could've been better.
After all the lamenting about my lack of a medal for IVP, I've finally come to a conclusion of sorts about NTU Open, which is this Saturday. Given that it's an open competition and all the old-timers who've been shooting for about half their lives-- and not to mention the national archers too-- will be there, I think my chances of winning anything are seriously diminished.
Of course, the competition in C-class Women's in an open competition is still nowhere as bad as C-class Men's; it's there that all the old-timers and national archers really spoil the market-- at their level, their shooting is so good that even among the top few, the difference between their scores is only about one or two points.
But still, I think I've come to terms with the high possibility that I'll probably not win anything. And that might be a good thing. At AAS, I didn't expect to win anything and I got two trophies. It was during IVP that I knew I had less competition and had an expectation of myself that everything flopped. So maybe this time... hm. Who knows. :)
For now though, everything's good.
Saturday, March 04, 2006
Just randomness.
Which really shouldn't be taking place at this hour, especially since I have training later at 9 am.
272/360. That's the highest score I've ever seen since I changed my arrows. Going well. 300 is the invisible barrier. Break the glass ceiling.
And before I took this picture with my phone, I honestly didn't think that our target from 50m was this small.
No wonder that one time, Vincent's friend asked if we could actually see the target from where we were (at 50m).
You know those ads at the bus stop by an association for physically handicapped people..? The ones which proclaim: "We're a part, not apart."
Was thinking today, that it's ironic how "a part" is two separate words which imply togetherness, and "apart" is one word which implies separation.
Big fat toenail in the sky.
Starting to wonder if I should've applied for the Ridge View Residences rooms as a backup plan. About half the archery people have applied under the Year-Round Training scheme, where they're setting aside a hundred rooms in RVR for school athletes.
If I get my hall room (which I really hope I do), it'll be fun to see all the archery people around.
41 points. I know there're people out there who still owe me CCA points. Better give them to me.
Figured out a brilliant plan today which will help me save more money. When I get my monthly pay, I shall draw out two-thirds of it and stash it in the UOB account, which I don't even touch anymore nowadays. Then shall leave the UOB ATM card at home so I can't draw out the money. Ha.
It's true that denial isn't a river in Egypt.
It's a savings plan!
Which really shouldn't be taking place at this hour, especially since I have training later at 9 am.
272/360. That's the highest score I've ever seen since I changed my arrows. Going well. 300 is the invisible barrier. Break the glass ceiling.
And before I took this picture with my phone, I honestly didn't think that our target from 50m was this small.
No wonder that one time, Vincent's friend asked if we could actually see the target from where we were (at 50m).
You know those ads at the bus stop by an association for physically handicapped people..? The ones which proclaim: "We're a part, not apart."
Was thinking today, that it's ironic how "a part" is two separate words which imply togetherness, and "apart" is one word which implies separation.
Big fat toenail in the sky.
Starting to wonder if I should've applied for the Ridge View Residences rooms as a backup plan. About half the archery people have applied under the Year-Round Training scheme, where they're setting aside a hundred rooms in RVR for school athletes.
If I get my hall room (which I really hope I do), it'll be fun to see all the archery people around.
41 points. I know there're people out there who still owe me CCA points. Better give them to me.
Figured out a brilliant plan today which will help me save more money. When I get my monthly pay, I shall draw out two-thirds of it and stash it in the UOB account, which I don't even touch anymore nowadays. Then shall leave the UOB ATM card at home so I can't draw out the money. Ha.
It's true that denial isn't a river in Egypt.
It's a savings plan!
Friday, March 03, 2006
Cue Elmo from stage right:
"This post is brought to you today by the letter 'D'."
"D" is for Deadlines:
SC3101 Response Paper 2: 7th March
GE3206 Mid-term test: 9th March
SC3219 Group Project: 13th March
GE3206 Group Project: 20th March
GE3206 Reflexive writing assignment: 27th March
SC3101 Term Paper: 1st April
NM1101E Group Project: 3rd April
"D" is for Discipline:
20 push-ups in the morning
20 sit-ups in the morning
6 ends of six arrows each at 30m
1 set of bow PT: 10 reps of each
20 push-ups at night
20 sit-ups at night
(and remember to drink milk, or finger will hurt)
"D" is for Determination:
"Gerri, must pia, k? This time can win something one."
I'll try. I'll try really hard.
"This post is brought to you today by the letter 'D'."
"D" is for Deadlines:
SC3101 Response Paper 2: 7th March
GE3206 Mid-term test: 9th March
SC3219 Group Project: 13th March
GE3206 Group Project: 20th March
GE3206 Reflexive writing assignment: 27th March
SC3101 Term Paper: 1st April
NM1101E Group Project: 3rd April
"D" is for Discipline:
20 push-ups in the morning
20 sit-ups in the morning
6 ends of six arrows each at 30m
1 set of bow PT: 10 reps of each
20 push-ups at night
20 sit-ups at night
(and remember to drink milk, or finger will hurt)
"D" is for Determination:
"Gerri, must pia, k? This time can win something one."
I'll try. I'll try really hard.
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
On the dreams that we dream while we are still children.
Winter Olympics is over.
But while I was watching the Figure Skating Exhibition on Sunday, I suddenly remembered why I love the event.
Because Evgeny Plushenko was skating.
When you were growing up, when you watched the Olympics, didn't you ever just want to be like those athletes? Maybe say to yourself, "Someday, I wanna do that."
It happened for me when I saw Archery for the first time on the Olympics, and it makes me one of the happiest people alive to know that I'm in it as a competitive sport now (although it's a bloody long shot from the Olympics, haha), and it is something that I can be good at.
I never saw Figure Skating in the Winter Olympics (in fact, I think this is the first time I'm watching the Winter Olympics, and even then, coz of the time difference between Torino and here, I can't watch most of the events); the only time I ever remember watching Figure Skating on TV when I was younger was maybe on Sunday afternoons, when they'd play random stuff to fill up the broadcast slots, and on public holidays, when they'd show skate shows. Although nowadays, they show beauty pageants more. -_-
I still remember the first few skaters that I loved-- Kristy Yamaguchi, Oksana Baiul, Victor Petrenko-- the latter two both Ukrainian, and I saw them for the first time in the same show. I still remember that I thought Baiul was amazingly pretty, and Petrenko's routines made me laugh; he had such charisma.
And I sat there, smiling with my mouth half-open, eyes fixed on the screen, and thought, "Someday I wanna do that."
Sometime later, I remember seeing Alexei Yagudin; according to what was flashed on the bottom of the screen, he was 20 at the time, although I'm not sure which competition it was. The names of all these competitions and their relevance completely escapes me as I'm not really in the loop about figure skating; I just know how beautiful these people look when they're on the ice. :)
But I remember it was Yagudin that started my obsession with Russian skaters.
Yagudin's routine then was breathtaking because he had such confidence and power, but it wasn't just something about the Russians' style and their poise and the way they carried themselves, both on and off the ice.
It helped that Yagudin was very easy on the eyes as well. :D
Winter Olympics 2002: Salt Lake City
Alexei Yagudin-- Short Program: "Winter" by Bond
He won Gold then, but I think that was his last Olympics though, since he retired from eligible skating shortly.
A little more gratuituous eye candy. :P
This one's from his performance of "Broken Arrow" at the 1999 Grand Slam, before the start of the routine.
But there's also the matter of the man who won Silver in that very same Olympics: Evgeny Plushenko, also Russian-- whom I mentioned in the beginning.
The first time I remember seeing Plushenko, I thought he was amazing because his jumps always had so much height, and his stunts were always immaculate; apart from Yagudin then, I thought that it really didn't get any better than this.
So when I saw him skating in the Torino Games' Exhibition after finally winning Gold this year, it just brought back all the memories of my quiet admiration for figure skaters.
Winter Olympics 2006: Torino
Evgeny Plushenko-- Short Program: "Tosca"
Winter Olympics 2006: Torino
Evgeny Plushenko-- Free Skate: "Godfather"
Winter Olympics 2006: Torino
Plushenko with gold in the middle there.
And watching him skate to "Godfather" by Edwin Marton (with the violinist out on the ice with him too), I knew then why else I loved Plushenko. Because he had charisma, like Petrenko did, and when he skated, there was such joy in it; it's true that when Plushenko skates, you can see the passion.
Winter Olympics is over.
But while I was watching the Figure Skating Exhibition on Sunday, I suddenly remembered why I love the event.
Because Evgeny Plushenko was skating.
When you were growing up, when you watched the Olympics, didn't you ever just want to be like those athletes? Maybe say to yourself, "Someday, I wanna do that."
It happened for me when I saw Archery for the first time on the Olympics, and it makes me one of the happiest people alive to know that I'm in it as a competitive sport now (although it's a bloody long shot from the Olympics, haha), and it is something that I can be good at.
I never saw Figure Skating in the Winter Olympics (in fact, I think this is the first time I'm watching the Winter Olympics, and even then, coz of the time difference between Torino and here, I can't watch most of the events); the only time I ever remember watching Figure Skating on TV when I was younger was maybe on Sunday afternoons, when they'd play random stuff to fill up the broadcast slots, and on public holidays, when they'd show skate shows. Although nowadays, they show beauty pageants more. -_-
I still remember the first few skaters that I loved-- Kristy Yamaguchi, Oksana Baiul, Victor Petrenko-- the latter two both Ukrainian, and I saw them for the first time in the same show. I still remember that I thought Baiul was amazingly pretty, and Petrenko's routines made me laugh; he had such charisma.
And I sat there, smiling with my mouth half-open, eyes fixed on the screen, and thought, "Someday I wanna do that."
Sometime later, I remember seeing Alexei Yagudin; according to what was flashed on the bottom of the screen, he was 20 at the time, although I'm not sure which competition it was. The names of all these competitions and their relevance completely escapes me as I'm not really in the loop about figure skating; I just know how beautiful these people look when they're on the ice. :)
But I remember it was Yagudin that started my obsession with Russian skaters.
Yagudin's routine then was breathtaking because he had such confidence and power, but it wasn't just something about the Russians' style and their poise and the way they carried themselves, both on and off the ice.
It helped that Yagudin was very easy on the eyes as well. :D
Winter Olympics 2002: Salt Lake City
Alexei Yagudin-- Short Program: "Winter" by Bond
He won Gold then, but I think that was his last Olympics though, since he retired from eligible skating shortly.
A little more gratuituous eye candy. :P
This one's from his performance of "Broken Arrow" at the 1999 Grand Slam, before the start of the routine.
But there's also the matter of the man who won Silver in that very same Olympics: Evgeny Plushenko, also Russian-- whom I mentioned in the beginning.
The first time I remember seeing Plushenko, I thought he was amazing because his jumps always had so much height, and his stunts were always immaculate; apart from Yagudin then, I thought that it really didn't get any better than this.
So when I saw him skating in the Torino Games' Exhibition after finally winning Gold this year, it just brought back all the memories of my quiet admiration for figure skaters.
Winter Olympics 2006: Torino
Evgeny Plushenko-- Short Program: "Tosca"
Winter Olympics 2006: Torino
Evgeny Plushenko-- Free Skate: "Godfather"
Winter Olympics 2006: Torino
Plushenko with gold in the middle there.
And watching him skate to "Godfather" by Edwin Marton (with the violinist out on the ice with him too), I knew then why else I loved Plushenko. Because he had charisma, like Petrenko did, and when he skated, there was such joy in it; it's true that when Plushenko skates, you can see the passion.
Sunday, February 26, 2006
My back muscles are doing that little twingy thing again. That twingy, achy feeling I always seem to get when I haven't been training for a long time.
Nice how my body seems to be pretty self-regulatory; I already know that on my own, I'll never sleep past 9 am, unless I'm extremely tired, and now my back muscles know when they need training! Madness. :P
I miss all the archery people already.
Training Camp '05.
Sigh. Those were such happy times.
Nice how my body seems to be pretty self-regulatory; I already know that on my own, I'll never sleep past 9 am, unless I'm extremely tired, and now my back muscles know when they need training! Madness. :P
I miss all the archery people already.
Training Camp '05.
Sigh. Those were such happy times.
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
Just had an enlightening phone conversation.
I like talking on the phone. Well, with people that I want to talk to, that is. -_-
I vaguely remember how Pam and I could talk for hours about absolutely nothing at all in secondary school, haha. And that was before MSN was the "in" thing. Geez, that makes me feel old now.
There's something about hearing a voice and somehow being able to imagine another person on the other end of the line, which makes a phone call a warmer kind of interaction than MSN. But I digress, once again.
So I realise a few things now.
I think my people reading skills aren't too bad.
Comes from those long years of being a semi-outsider throughout my secondary school life; I've had plenty of practice observing people. As a result of that, I often see some of my secondary and JC school mates around in NUS; sometimes they notice me, and from their facial expressions, I know they can't place me. But I know exactly who they are. ;)
There are always limits.
Sometimes authority means nothing. Sometimes you want to make a difference. And then the world turns the tables on you like it's wont to do when things are going well, and nothing turns out like it planned. Because sometimes no one will listen. Because even among those who have power, there are those who have more. Because everything has a history to consider before it can be understood.
Not all silences are about holding their peace.
Sometimes they're about biding your time, waiting for the right people who will listen. Sometimes they're about waiting for things to swing in your favour. Sometimes they're about waiting for the departure of those who would stifle dissent. Waiting, always waiting, and about patience, knowing that the other side cannnot always be there to pin you down.
Don't push too hard or too much. You might not like it when there's a push back.
Human beings aren't saints. Sometimes when you hurl abuse, that abuse gets stored somewhere. It's waiting for a return address.
I understand now, more than ever, the meaning of sacrificing the minority for the majority.
Sometimes, yes, "it's not always about who is right, but the one who is more sensible to give in and salvage the situation".
It's a strange feeling to be both an insider and outsider at the same time.
It seems to be my lot in life, always neither here nor there, always somewhere in between. I always end up seeing the whole picture. And never being able to really do something about it.
"Absolute power corrupts absolutely." (Lord Acton, 1887)
I wonder if those it corrupts realise it.
I like talking on the phone. Well, with people that I want to talk to, that is. -_-
I vaguely remember how Pam and I could talk for hours about absolutely nothing at all in secondary school, haha. And that was before MSN was the "in" thing. Geez, that makes me feel old now.
There's something about hearing a voice and somehow being able to imagine another person on the other end of the line, which makes a phone call a warmer kind of interaction than MSN. But I digress, once again.
So I realise a few things now.
I think my people reading skills aren't too bad.
Comes from those long years of being a semi-outsider throughout my secondary school life; I've had plenty of practice observing people. As a result of that, I often see some of my secondary and JC school mates around in NUS; sometimes they notice me, and from their facial expressions, I know they can't place me. But I know exactly who they are. ;)
There are always limits.
Sometimes authority means nothing. Sometimes you want to make a difference. And then the world turns the tables on you like it's wont to do when things are going well, and nothing turns out like it planned. Because sometimes no one will listen. Because even among those who have power, there are those who have more. Because everything has a history to consider before it can be understood.
Not all silences are about holding their peace.
Sometimes they're about biding your time, waiting for the right people who will listen. Sometimes they're about waiting for things to swing in your favour. Sometimes they're about waiting for the departure of those who would stifle dissent. Waiting, always waiting, and about patience, knowing that the other side cannnot always be there to pin you down.
Don't push too hard or too much. You might not like it when there's a push back.
Human beings aren't saints. Sometimes when you hurl abuse, that abuse gets stored somewhere. It's waiting for a return address.
I understand now, more than ever, the meaning of sacrificing the minority for the majority.
Sometimes, yes, "it's not always about who is right, but the one who is more sensible to give in and salvage the situation".
It's a strange feeling to be both an insider and outsider at the same time.
It seems to be my lot in life, always neither here nor there, always somewhere in between. I always end up seeing the whole picture. And never being able to really do something about it.
"Absolute power corrupts absolutely." (Lord Acton, 1887)
I wonder if those it corrupts realise it.
Monday, February 20, 2006
Maybe it was bound to happen.
I had the feeling that something was gonna screw up during Outdoor itself, no matter how well (or how badly) I was shooting during training. And screw up it did, 60% of all my shots from 50m got blown off course, and they all landed off-centre, on the right. Even if I aimed off-centre, they'd still get blown off-course.
30m score was semi-wasted. 235. I've only started achieving 230+ recently after I decided that the bloody side stabilisers were, to quote Zhantao: "killing me more than helping me", and removed them. But it's still nowhere near the 272 that I've managed to achieve with my old jazz arrows.
Maybe I should've just stuck with using my main stabiliser all along. Maybe I shouldn't have listened when *he* suggested I put on the whole set.
That horrible gnawing feeling I've had all this time. My standard isn't good enough to win anything in C-class. I've known it for a long time, and all the training I've been doing hasn't helped. I hope I haven't reached the height of my ability yet. I need to be able to push this further.
NTU Open? Not bloody likely I'm gonna be able to win anything there. Maybe AAS this year was a fluke. Maybe I won something only because there were so many categories and that meant that with more categories open, there was less competition in the Open Category.
So I was ranked 4th. So what? There were all of *TEN* competitors in Open Cat. What good is fourth out of ten?
What good is it when there were only 5 competitors in IVP and I ended up fourth place again? I didn't win anything. There's nothing to show for fourth place, and no one cares. All that matters is that you have something to show for it.
I've always believed that the worst place to be is fourth; it's so close yet so far, the most wasted chance of all. And here I am. I told a few people jokingly that I'd cry if I didn't win something for Outdoor. I didn't believe I'd do it, but yesterday I did. Cry, that is. No one noticed, I think, and that's good.
Does it really count if you have the passion for it?
Does passion and love for it all count even if you can't win anything?
What does passion matter if you have nothing to show for it?
If you never have anything to show for the effort, how much longer can passion keep you going?
"You're a good archer."
Maybe I'll believe it when I see it.
I had the feeling that something was gonna screw up during Outdoor itself, no matter how well (or how badly) I was shooting during training. And screw up it did, 60% of all my shots from 50m got blown off course, and they all landed off-centre, on the right. Even if I aimed off-centre, they'd still get blown off-course.
30m score was semi-wasted. 235. I've only started achieving 230+ recently after I decided that the bloody side stabilisers were, to quote Zhantao: "killing me more than helping me", and removed them. But it's still nowhere near the 272 that I've managed to achieve with my old jazz arrows.
Maybe I should've just stuck with using my main stabiliser all along. Maybe I shouldn't have listened when *he* suggested I put on the whole set.
That horrible gnawing feeling I've had all this time. My standard isn't good enough to win anything in C-class. I've known it for a long time, and all the training I've been doing hasn't helped. I hope I haven't reached the height of my ability yet. I need to be able to push this further.
NTU Open? Not bloody likely I'm gonna be able to win anything there. Maybe AAS this year was a fluke. Maybe I won something only because there were so many categories and that meant that with more categories open, there was less competition in the Open Category.
So I was ranked 4th. So what? There were all of *TEN* competitors in Open Cat. What good is fourth out of ten?
What good is it when there were only 5 competitors in IVP and I ended up fourth place again? I didn't win anything. There's nothing to show for fourth place, and no one cares. All that matters is that you have something to show for it.
I've always believed that the worst place to be is fourth; it's so close yet so far, the most wasted chance of all. And here I am. I told a few people jokingly that I'd cry if I didn't win something for Outdoor. I didn't believe I'd do it, but yesterday I did. Cry, that is. No one noticed, I think, and that's good.
Does it really count if you have the passion for it?
Does passion and love for it all count even if you can't win anything?
What does passion matter if you have nothing to show for it?
If you never have anything to show for the effort, how much longer can passion keep you going?
"You're a good archer."
Maybe I'll believe it when I see it.