Can you spot the drunkards? :P
Unlike most people who would spend their Christmas eve at the elaborately lighted up roads of Orchard (more so with Singapore's recent initiatives to illuminate our night skyline) wallowing in the beauty, never mind that it's artificial, of the Christmas adornments, I spent mine in quite the contrary, snuggling up in a room of a three-storey mansion mounted along a dimly-lighted Chestnut Drive with a bunch of friends and juniors. After feeding our appetite with a tantalising and sumptuous spread of gastronomical delights (What more can I ask for? Turkey, ham, Sushi, Shepard's Pie, and a plethora of catered dishes, it had the looks of an international buffet!), it was get-together and catching-up times with Zhiyong (whom I have not seen for more than a year to date), Timothy and Eugene. It looked set to be a peaceful and harmonious night of chatting, bitching and gossiping, but not quite so. Not when the party decided to engage in drinking vodka and the likes, and some to the extent of being more than tipsy, venturing into a drunken stupor of speaking hilarious gibberish like "Oxidation is reduction..." and having a sudden craving for hugging people's legs! :) What a moment of pandemonium as the 2 drunkards created a commotion in Sebastian's room! It was serenity only after several puking sessions served the purpose of purging the poisons of the alcoholics in their bodies. Haha. It was a night of unique enjoyment. Many thanks to Sebastian for hosting and inviting me for the event.
Christmas is yet another season for me to resume my movie treats after months of hiatus, can you imagine that, my last movie was The Covenant? Caught Night at the Museum and Death Note 2 within a period of 24 hours with YT and Eugene respectively. Though some of the gags in the former did not realise their full effect in me, the ingenious plot in the latter more than made up for the shortfall of entertainment.
scribbled at 8:54 PM
These photos were taken of me during the race by some inconspicuous photographers who did not attract even the slightest attention. And hell, had I known that the organising committee actually dispatched photographers to take pictures, I would have pushed my fists into the air while crossing the finishing line, and adorned my face with satisfied looks of triumph. But no, that was just my crying over spilt milk. Both times, I did not position my face ahead and for one, my hand was even covering my face! As tS puts it, the runner in the background looks more like the lead as compared to the one wearing bib no. 13779. :( Well, till the Standard Chartered Marathon 2007 then.
scribbled at 9:54 PM
An overwhelming record high of 30,000 runners of different nationalities thronging the streets of Shenton Way, Marina, Esplanade Drive and the likes, boisterous crowds of supporters brandishing placards that carried words of encouragements and clamouring to push the marathon runners to their limits, highly organised style of catering to the needs of everyone by having many different race categories - all these were but bits and pieces of the marathon of the largest scale being held in Singapore annually. And I am jubilant to be part of it this year - The Standard Chartered Marathon 2006. To further underscore the popularity of the event in Singapore, it was the first time my siblings and I actually participated together in a race, and in totally different categories at that. (My brother challenged himself to the full marathon, I stuck to my half-marathon and my sister went for the team event.)
Having only managed a slipshod training programme before the half-marathon, I was doubtful my performance would match up to the timing I clocked at the AHM. With a debilitating leg clamp acting up around 3km from the finishing line, the thought of stopping to rest crossed my mind. But I was glad that perseverance prevailed to pull me through the end point with a timing that was 25 seconds faster than my last attempt at AHM. :D Hurray! And on a self-congratulatory note, I pampered myself to a healthy breakfast at Kopitiam in Marina Square after that.
Although Standard Chartered Marathon 2006 was quickly bridging the gap to be on par with world-class international marathons held around the world, the notion brought up in a Straits Times article of Singapore marathoners being treated to a "long and lonely race" still resonates with me. Even though Runspiration (a programme mooted and implemented to draw a larger pool of supporters to cheer for the runners) was put in place, the response from the public appeared to be lukewarm as large portions of the race were completed in stinging silence, from my vantage point. I guess this is one shortcoming that the organiser can continue to ameliorate and monitor.
And since today coincides with the birthday of the boar, let me wish Jeffrey Yu a Happy Birthday, though I doubt he reads my blog. Signing off with 2 mottoes displayed along the race which I found inspirational...
A champion is one who keeps pushing himself even when no one is watching.
Life is not a rehearsal. Give it your best! :)
scribbled at 1:01 PM
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