Tired. Exhausted from all the studying.

Alone in my room in hall and I started to think back to my poly days.

The BMT days.

The days in my unit.

And now trying to make my University life memorable. 

5D4N trip to Ho Chi Minh city.
Enjoyable?
Far from it.

Good experience nonetheless but it is those trips that i will only go once and that's it. There wasn't much stuffs to do there except for walking around. No good shopping areas, not much scenery, and pretty much nothing much to do. Even the infamous Mekong Delta proved to be disappointing. Maybe the photos would do more justification to the country.


Photo taken just outside the airport. All looks fine so far.

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Those were the days.

When you start to use these words, you know that you have already transited to the next stage of life. 

It only seemed like a month ago when you watched that first NC-16 movie.

It was only weeks ago when you watched M-18 movies.

And it was only last week when you began to watch R-21 shows.

That one time, you used to attend 21st birthday parties so frequently that you have to run to several places in a day. 

Nowadays, you sit down at a cafe or pub and start talking to friends about the old days. The nostalgia that hits you like a tornado. Comes fast, messes up your mind and leave you in a state of bitter sweet memories. Ever so often, you start to talk about your future plans. Your topic starts to shift towards house prices, how long to buy a house and what kind of jobs you intend to take up. 

It is only a matter of time where you start attending weddings, friends' baby first month and maybe even their first year old celebration. Everyone starts to settle down. With more spending power comes lesser flexibility. You can no longer do whatever you want.

When you lean back on the recliner with an aching back, you flip through the newspaper to the obituaries section and wonder if your friends have already left. You sigh and tell yourself.  

Those were the days.

Completed my 2nd marathon yesterday. I was actually quite excited about it even though I was secretly hoping for it to rain. The route was almost the same as last year except for some minor changes here and there. The mere thought of going for the marathon without even training almost deterred me from attending. Knowing myself, I still went and completed it because I wanted to. 

The only difference for this year is the addition of a running buddy. For all my previous races and marathons, I had never ever ran with anyone even though my friends and I always arranged to go together. We would start together but end up splitting eventually. Having a running buddy actually motivates you to keep running and not to give up so easily. Sounds cliche but that's the fact.

Jonny mentioned that he wanted to complete 10 marathons in his life but I'm not sure about myself. It is a choice between 10 marathons and the well being of the knee. That's the tradeoff for the choice and I don't really want to end up with a bad knee when I'm older.

After the marathon yesterday, I went home to rest and got to know of the unfortunate incident of the runner who collapsed and died after completing 21km. There are mixed feelings out there. Some calls it unfortunate while some wonders why he paid money to 'torture' himself and pushed himself too hard till the point where he collapsed and never got up. It is never a torture and I'm sure all avid runners will agree with me.

Running to me is not just mere running. A short run allows me to reflect on myself and think through stuffs; this reflection is what I wouldn't do normally. It clears your mind and the adrenaline rush gives you a 'high' sensation. Running marathon is a combination of this and the challenge that one poses to him/herself. The pride and sense of accomplishment that you get after crossing the finishing line is incomparable. It is this pride that pushes us forward and make that every step towards the finishing line even though the process and aftermath might end you up with aching bodies.

To those who aren't a fan of running, stop lamenting or even thrashing about 'people paying money to run and kill themselves'. Each of us have something that we hold so dear to, that we keep on wanting to do it over and over again.

Sportsmen give it all to their sport
Workaholics remains devoted to their work
Avid gamer spends most of his time hitting the keyboard
Fangirls ogle at their idols day and night

Ask yourself this question: What interests you and keep you interested?
We never question our interest neither should we put down the interest of other's. 

It is a pity for the deceased runner but never stupid for him to die unexpectedly because of what he wanted to fulfill. After all, he didn't choose to end his life by drowning in some reservoirs or jumping in MRT tracks.

Nonetheless, I completed it and I am proud of it.

Ok my eye looks awkward here. -.-


With Tiff and Jonny (My running buddy for the marathon)

Just wanna share this video of the Coca Cola OFW Project.



To those who are miles apart from their loved ones, the best gift to them is not the earnings that you bring back but your presence instead.